I have my natal Sun in Libra, the sign of relationship, conjunct Chiron in Libra and have spent many years analyzing what makes us tick when it comes to relating to others.
My very Libra response is it all depends on the rest of your chart, whether or not you have abundant fixed signs or plenty of fire and air. Context is everything for considering how Mars’ extended stay in Leo will affect you. One thing is almost certain and that is the potential for Leonine drama.
Leo is a fixed sign along with Scorpio, Aquarius and Taurus. If you have plenty of planets in these signs, particularly from zero to eighteen degrees, this transit will get your attention. In general, Leo and Aquarius will have an easier time unless they happen to have fixed T-squares and grand crosses, then Mars in Leo can trigger stare downs and standoffs. The key factor is the fixed sign proclivity for taking a position and staying the course ala George W. Bush.
A chart with many planets and Angles in the first half of Taurus and Scorpio could spend the next few months in a state of almost constant irritation because neither of those signs has much patience with loud, dramatic scenes. Reminds me of the scene in Indiana Jones when he faces off with the sword wielding fellow and ends up pulling out his gun and shooting him. So much for all the flashy display with the sword!
However, fire sign dominated charts who have been feeling less than inspired by all the earth and water in the sky for the past couple of years, may find Mars in Leo gives them a real boost. Mars in Leo offers a sustained burn of energy to draw from. Aries and Sagittarius will finally find the support needed to tackle the really big creative projects they had to put on hold after Mars left zippy Aries at the end of May 2009.
Those with Gemini and Libra strongly represented in their charts may find themselves providing fuel for their fire sign compatriots and partners. After all, fire needs air to burn brightly!
Earth and water sign people, especially Taurus and Scorpio as I mentioned above, may be spending much of their time rolling their eyes and wondering what the heck all the fuss is about. The urge to put a damper on the fire and air fun will be overwhelming at times. The best chance of seeing this happening is when Mars is in his retrograde period from December 20, 2009 to March 10, 2010. Be prepared for discussions about affordability, waste of resources and going over budget being initiated by the earth and water contingent.
On the whole, with Saturn in Libra supporting compromise and equitable outcomes, this Mars retrograde may not be as bad as some (remember the Mars in Cancer Rx from November 2007 to end of January 2008). Staying centered and avoiding projecting worst case scenarios is highly recommended – as always.
Image: This dramatic shot of my favorite aspen grove glowing in the morning light has almost enough pizazz for Mars in Leo . . . 
Oh, hooray! And may no one dare to pee on my parade…
Beautiful Aspens and what a great idea to photo-journal their passage through time.I just want to leave a bushel of wishes on your doorstep, may you find them as bright as the Aspens leaves in the sun.Happiest of birthdays my sister of the eastside, and my heartfelt wishes for a wonderful year. To you, only the best!
As to Mars in Leo, I suspect he will be both fun and annoying, regardless. He has way too much time for foolery in Leo. Saturn into Libra and Mars into Leo should stir the energies nicely.
Yuck- Mars in Leo has turned everyone in my life into an asshole. It's in my 3rd House and it's squaring my Pluto, so maybe it's turned me into an asshole too- but I'm not owning it just yet, instead I feel totally trampled on. It's hard to integrate something like that when you don't normally have any fire. I'm SO. TIRED.
Oh, hooray! And may no one dare to pee on my parade…LOL! I thought that was "rain" on my parade but what the heck!
Tseka!!! Thank you, sweetheart!Beautiful Aspens and what a great idea to photo-journal their passage through time.I love Aspens and while they grow along all the waterways around here, we don't have any on our property. They shimmer and dance in the slightest breeze with their graceful white trunks.There are more photos in that series and I plan on seeing if I can work them into a post. It is the small shifts and changes capturing my eye at the moment.
As to Mars in Leo, I suspect he will be both fun and annoying, regardless. He has way too much time for foolery in Leo. heh, I agree. My Leo brother is like that – both fun and annoying.Saturn into Libra and Mars into Leo should stir the energies nicely.This combination will probably be the saving grace of this Mars Rx period.
Yuck- Mars in Leo has turned everyone in my life into an asshole. It's in my 3rd House and it's squaring my Pluto, so maybe it's turned me into an asshole too- but I'm not owning it just yet, instead I feel totally trampled on.Yeah, Mars in Leo can have heavy feet with Pluto's help. Hopefully when Mars quits squaring your Pluto, the drama will die down some – at least for awhile.
Mars in Leo. I read that it hasn't been in Leo this long since 1962, the year I was born. With my leo mars on my asc. and three planets in scorpio, it sounds like I could have plenty of stand-offs, drama, annoyance, fun and anything else you want to throw in there. I better rest up!
Staying centered and avoiding projecting worst case scenarios is highly recommended – as always.Sigh.max['Trudge, trudge, trudge.']
It's officially NEITH'S BIRTHDAY TODAY!Yay! Neith!
Happy birthday, Neith!Mars in Leo will station Rx on my Moon/Ascendant, which sounds more irritating than fun, but we'll have to see how it goes!
Yeesh. I have great timing.Happy Birthday, Neith!max['May we all have a better year than the last.']
Hi Minne! Thanks for stopping and commenting!With my leo mars on my asc. and three planets in scorpio, it sounds like I could have plenty of stand-offs, drama, annoyance, fun and anything else you want to throw in there. I better rest up!LOL!! If you need to get your point across, when tMars is crossing your ASC and conjoining your nMars is the time to do it! You'll be able to roar with the best of them. We have a Mars Return every couple of years and it's usually a time when our energy levels are high and our patience is low . . .
Thanks, Casey! Hey, I've accumulated quite a few of those birth day things.
Hey Leslie,Mars in Leo will station Rx on my Moon/Ascendant, which sounds more irritating than fun, but we'll have to see how it goes!Yes, tMars-Moon conjunction can be irritating. Some of us more reticent types who need an extra push to get something said can benefit from this transit 'cause we'll be more inclined to speak our piece.
Hey Max!['May we all have a better year than the last.']I sure as hell hope so . . . this past year was "trying" to put it mildly. heh, you must have the Saturn-Pluto square in your Solar Return this year. Great for blowing right thru any difficulties . . .
I sure as hell hope so . . . this past year was "trying" to put it mildly.Tell me about it. My poor step-dad still doesn't have a job. (They fired him for medical premium reasons.)(Ne'er you mind that at one point he spent six months working 16 hour days, six days a week for them, right through the hard part of the winter, driving oh, at least 500 miles a day. Poor man would leave the house at 6 am and get home at 10 pm. But hey, employees cost money!)heh, you must have the Saturn-Pluto square in your Solar Return this year. Great for blowing right thru any difficulties . . .
God, I would hope! The exact SR Pluto is 1Cap42. The SR Asc (assuming I'm here) is 8Cap59, just at the edge of the conjunction. Squares up to Saturn, which is pretty closely cojunct the cusp of the 9th house. Hrrrrmmmmm!Meanwhile, the MC is 2 Scorp (conjunct my ASC and Merc), and in a 'I don't know what to make of it' situation, the Moon and Venus are conjunct @ 9 Sco. And the sun and Merc are are at the end of Scorp, on the cusp of the 11th. Trine Uranus. Square Neptune.Since the 9th house is Libra, and the 7th house is Cancer, I guess that means… well, it could mean I'm going to get married to someone from far away. It could happen, I guess.Either that, or it's going to be bloody awful, I suppose. Ugh.What's yours look like, now that I have been reminded? ASC in early Pisces, MC in latish Sag, Jupiter & Neptune both conjunct in the 12th. Saturn late in the 7th squaring Pluto in the middle of the 10th, with the moon in late Sag closing up to the conjunction with Pluto and separating square from Uranus.Oh, someone is going to be cranky this year. Hey, don't bitchslap me, I'm just the messenger!Lots of pretty trines. Hrmm, Mars isn't quite making it into the 6th, and then there's that big mess in the 8th. NN in the 11th.Hrmmm. Lots of grunt work having fun? Gee, sounds like it's time to kick some astrological, right after you deal with the *&(*&*( money crud.max['I am not expert at SR's as can be clearly seen.']
in a 'I don't know what to make of it' situation, the Moon and Venus are conjunct @ 9 Sco. And the sun and Merc are are at the end of Scorp, on the cusp of the 11th. Trine Uranus. Square Neptune.Gee, Moon conjunct Venus in Scorp close to the MC . . . maybe this will be a year when your career/business makes a decent amount of $$$$. That always eases the pain elsewhere. Lots in the tenth in a SR usually means hard at work on career goals. Uranus trine is always good for working with computers/internet in some fashion too.Neptune squares?! ::::shakes head:::: your guess is probably better than mine!
as for moi . . . Oh, someone is going to be cranky this yearMy last SR had Venus in Sagittarius conjunct the ASC, and I was seen as being very pleasant even if I was a complete wreck inside. This year my public persona will probably be much more edgy (that's polite for bitchy . . .) and unpredictable.However, a Sun-Moon sextile and both either trine or sextile Neptune & Co, and Venus sextile Mars, are good for smooth sailing.At least, **(*& Uranus is not on the IC this year. It's still crawling through my natal fourth house and the combo was gawdawful. 
Predictive stuff these days seems a crap shoot at best. I am no longer doing them at all – just synastry astrology. It's still messy but not quite as uncertain. People are too hungry for certainties and there ain't no such animal.
Gee, Moon conjunct Venus in Scorp close to the MC . . . maybe this will be a year when your career/business makes a decent amount of $$$$. That always eases the pain elsewhere. Lots in the tenth in a SR usually means hard at work on career goals. Uranus trine is always good for working with computers/internet in some fashion too.That's what I was thinking. PrAsc in Sag is coming up to a trine to natal MC in Leo. PrMoon is about to conjunct (leaving Scorpio and entering Sag). Curiously enough, there is one lady from far away who has Venus in that exact degree of Scorpio where the Moon and Venus are in the SR. (If I was still in texas, the whole Scorpio mess would be in 11.) More interestingly – here Venus R occurs about four hours after my SR. And to fill in the story, we had a prematurely interrupted thing about 11 years ago.Made me wonder. 's probably just the money, though, but still. (There are some other signs and portents to go along with that. But I am probably reaching.)Neptune squares?! ::::shakes head:::: your guess is probably better than mine!
Given Sun ruling the MC, plus Neptune, that pretty much describes my entire life.My last SR had Venus in Sagittarius conjunct the ASC, and I was seen as being very pleasant even if I was a complete wreck inside.Oh, now I have to look. Make we work then, will ya? 
Hrmmm. OK. Gee, a moon-node-neptune-sun T-square. Well. That's damned educational. (The above mentioned lady has a similar SR… this year. EEP.) Well, I can see how Saturn v. Uranus on the MC/IC would hurty. (Also educational: She had that oppo right on her ASC/DSC axis, so she took up seriously with this guy, who turned out not to care all that much.)This year my public persona will probably be much more edgy (that's polite for bitchy . . .) and unpredictable.Ah, but brilliant in that Piscean way. We need more sensible bitches anyways. 
At least, **(*& Uranus is not on the IC this year. It's still crawling through my natal fourth house and the combo was gawdawful. 
Yeah, I imagine. It's about done with my natal 5th. Anyways, the thing I would be concerned about, if there was anything, would be the Moon plus Pluto coming up to the MC squared by Saturn. I remember the year I had sun plus Pluto on the MC (in a much tighter group than you have 2 degrees from sun to Pluto (I thought I was safe, see?), with the MC in the middle), and that was a good year holed by some very bad stuff indeed. All my fault though.So, careful with that axe, Eugene. (Meaning, ask permission before you chainsaw anybody.)Predictive stuff these days seems a crap shoot at best.I do it purely for my own entertainment. Very crapshooty, though, so cross my fingers and hope for the best.I am no longer doing them at all – just synastry astrology. It's still messy but not quite as uncertain.And it's easy! Well, except when free will kicks in! 
People are too hungry for certainties and there ain't no such animal.That seems like the kind of thing where the astrologer is the priest (ok, high priestess) and a reading is essentially a bunch of Hail Mary's. 'Tell me everything will be all right.' 'It'll be hard, but everything will be all right.' 'Thanks! Off to conquer!'[cont.]
[Cont.]BTW, because I procrastinated: This time around they replaced the battery for free. I casually reminded the sales guy my sister was still within her 30 day grace period and could still cancel her contract with no repercussions.I got my cheapy NOS batteries online at amazon and they work great. 14 bucks.Yes, Venus in the 12th is not the kindest place for her nor does she like having Saturn reminding her to stand up straight. Nope. Poor Venus. One of these days I will move her into the first. Of course, then that means I'll be married to Saturn.Garlic chives are TOUGH! Chives in general seem to be quite adaptable. Our tomatoes were just about a complete loss this year. It happens . . .The chives continue to trudge now that the season is dying. The tomatoes… the remaining tomato and plants are every sad looking, even though it hasn't been cold. Just not a good year for the fruit. (The local groundhog is so hungry (but fat) that he's coming up right next to the house. He's gotten a few tomatoes.)I'm startin' early, but adios 2009, you were the sucktacular cap to a rotten decade.max['40's... 60's... 80's... 00's... Yuck. 50's... 70's... 90's... 10's... OK, this one has to be better.']
Happy late Birthday, Neith! Looking forward to this year!
Happy late Birthday, Neith! Looking forward to this year!Thanks, Jessica! Same to you! Just looked at your Solar Return chart and it's very similar to mine except with Virgo rising and Saturn in the first. That place the Moon in Sagittarius in the fourth. Family squabbles . . . groan. Hey, all the sextile & trines to the Sun & Moon will help us weather anything!! :::fingers crossed::::
You are kind to look! Get this – I was in Mexico City on my solar return (all week), and that chart has mid-Leo rising! Normally I'm at home, but events conspired to take me there this week for myriad reasons – career, family, ex-boyfriend, old friends, vacation with my man, so it feels like a "real" location for the return. I guess I can compare charts all year and see which one sticks better. Which would you use?Sadge moon in 5th… wouldn't be surprised if Sadge son figured very large this year. (wonder what that means for my romantic or creative life?
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Hey, I'm a Mars in Leo. Am I annoying? Really? Wow. This is gonna be one long Mars Return, let me tell ya. It's in my 3d house too. Gotta watch my mouth (as usual).Happy Belated Birthday Neith. Many Wishes for a Wonderful New Year.