Sometimes you know what you need to do and you don’t feel motivated to do it — even if you have clear reasons why it will benefit you.
In those moments you think that motivation will solve all your problems.
Other times, however, your motivation might be high, but something interferes. You start out raring to go, with big ambitions and a high drive, only to get stopped by an external force.
It’s often said that the road to success passes through failure.
This is true in the gym, in business, and in life in general. We build strength not by doing easy things, but by pushing against resistance.
If you want to know how strong you are, you need to push against your limits — and sometimes even confront them head-on.
The week of December 8, 2025 starts with Mars in Sagittarius forming a square with Saturn in Pisces — an aspect that will force you to confront your limits and navigate around them.
For astrologers, few aspects are as challenging as Mars square Saturn. But it doesn’t have to be bad. In fact, if you work with this energy consciously, it will help you build strength and resilience.
Read: 3 Positives of Mars Square Saturn
What’s the Energy of Mars Square Saturn?
A square is a relationship of friction, and with Mars and Saturn you get friction between two forces that often seem diametrically opposed.
Mars is the Warrior. It represents your desire, motivation, and how you take action. It is impulsive and wants to move fast. It seeks to cut through.
Saturn is the Taskmaster: the planet of discipline, restriction, and limits. It governs obligations, duties, and things that take time. It’s the cold, hard, steel that is impossible to slice through with a sword.
Mars in Sagittarius Square Saturn in Pisces
Every planet is an archetypal energy whose role is shaped by the sign it’s in. Mars in Sagittarius is enthusiastic about its adventure, desiring to see how far it can go. But Saturn in Pisces is like a heavy weight that drags you down.
You might feel the urge to explore or travel, but you’re weighed down by obligations at home.
You might desire to take on a big project, but you’re in a low energy day.
You’re trying to get somewhere, but the road is blocked.
There’s some crisis — likely from an external source — that slows you down.
But it doesn’t have to stop you completely.
Read: 5 Tips to Stay the Course When You’re Hitting Your Limits
A Test of Resilience
When Mars and Saturn meet in a conjunction or opposition, the energy of Mars runs head-first into Saturn’s limits.
I often use the metaphor of doing a deadlift against the pins on a squat rack to describe this energy: just as you’re getting momentum in the lift (Mars), you meet the hard steel of the squat rack pins (Saturn). Even when you know it’s coming, it’s abrupt and shocking. The force of pulling hard against the pins reverberates through you.
A square is different energy. This is friction — less a hard stop and more a temporary setback. It’s a roadblock, a travel delay, a slow person driving in front of you.
To give another weightlifting metaphor, Mars square Saturn is like getting stuck in a heavy back squat, where you struggle to stand up with the heavy load on your back.
In Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, Mars is optimistic about what it can lift, but it’s desire might outpace its strength — at least on this day. No matter how motivated and optimistic you are, Saturn will show you your limits.
But this isn’t a final stop. The energy of a square forces us to step back and recalibrate. So when you hit your limits, take a moment to rest, refocus, and catch your breath. Then strip the bar down to a weight you know you can handle easily, re-rack it, get back under the bar, and slowly re-build back to a heavier weight.
In the long run, the extra reps at the lower loads will make you stronger.
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