Use this time to design your next moves thoughtfully, so when Mars goes direct in February, you’ll be ready to execute your plans with precision and confidence. Instead of pushing against the retrograde energy, allow yourself to rest and reflect. Visualize this phase as a slingshot pulling back, building momentum for your eventual leap forward. Surrender to the process, foster patience, and when the time comes, you’ll emerge with a clear course of action, feeling in total control and ready to make your life truly yours.

At the same time, Mercury is retrograde in Sagittarius, which affects your natural fifth house of creativity, self-expression, and personal truth. This is prompting a deep dive into your ego, individuality, and creative passions. This period is about reevaluating your perspectives on who you are and what you stand for, possibly stemming from old patterns in your personality and identity that are being highlighted by Mars.

Do you need to make adjustments in how you identify yourself in order to let more joy, passion and pleasure into your life? Your own personal truth and perspective may need a readjustment, and this retrograde will provide the clarity and insight necessary for this transformation. You can read more about this transit in my blog: Mercury Retrograde in Sagittarius: A Journey of Truth and Expansion. 

The combined influence of these two personal retrogrades offers a unique opportunity to align your actions with your thoughts and communications. By looking inward and addressing any frustrations or outdated patterns, you can emerge from these retrogrades with a more authentic sense of self, empowered to express your individuality and pursue your passions with renewed clarity and purpose. This dual introspective journey can help you make necessary adjustments to let more joy, passion, and personal integrity into your life.

As Mars moves back into Cancer, and your twelfth house, in January and remains retrograde until February 24, you will continue to address emotional and personal matters. Shortly after, on March 2, Venus will move retrograde in Aries, overlapping with a Mercury retrograde in Aries as well. This will further deepen your introspective journey.

The overlapping retrogrades of Mars and Mercury are just the beginning of a larger cycle of internal decluttering and makeover. Over the next six months, you will undergo a total internal transformation to prepare for the significant astrological shifts happening in 2025. Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter will all be changing signs next year, marking the end of old cycles and the beginning of new ones. This preparation phase is crucial for aligning yourself with the upcoming changes.

To create meaningful, positive change in your external world, you must first make meaningful, positive changes to your inner reality. To live a different life, you must first become the person who embodies that life internally. Embrace the deep, introspective work offered by the four upcoming retrogrades between now and April’s end. The more intentional you are about this internal growth, the more profound and beneficial the outcomes will be, especially in light of the significant transits slated for later in 2025.

Embrace this period of introspection and transformation, Leo. It’s a unique opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the new cycles and changes ahead.

Happy Holidays!