Writing Our Way Through Messy Times: In Conversation With Astrologer Liz Vazquez
Liz and I discuss the current Mars Retrograde, from origins to integration
On December 6th, the fiery red planet Mars slowed to a stop to turn around, and, as it did, life on Earth became a little more combative and frustrating. This retrograde journey is part of the planet’s two year dance with the Sun, also known as its synodic cycle.
Each cycle has its own story. For us individually — and collectively.
Have you ever had a relationship break off after two years? This could be a Mars story.
Our current collection of stories began on November 17th, 2023, when Mars conjoined the Sun. At this moment we astrologers say that Mars was reborn at the heart of the Sun — the last remnants of the previous story going up in solar flames to set the stage for the new.
The retrograde cycle isn’t the whole story. It’s a turning point.
For many of us, our Mars stories came to a climax around January 15th, when the planet made its opposition to the Sun. This is the part of the cycle where Mars in the sky is closest to Earth, most visible and brightest.
The climax falling into today. We know the story — its conflict and its characters. Now is the time for processing lessons and taking action towards resolution.
It is to this end that I reached out to astrologer Liz Vazquez to share their reflections on this journey and thoughts for moving forward.
If you’re in Los Angeles, join us today, Sunday February 9th, at The Philosophical Research Society for Writing Our Way Through Messy Times: An Astrology and Creative Writing Workshop, where we’ll be sharing our stories and working towards integration together.
Vivi Henriette: As Mars slows to station direct, I thought it would be helpful for us to take some time to reflect on the red planet, its recent journey, and the stories it’s brought up for many of us over the past two months.
Let’s start from the beginning, how would you describe the character of Mars?
Liz Vazquez: I think this can veer into an interesting discussion around what a “malefic” presence means in terms of fate and fortune / astrology, but some standard key descriptions for Mars that immediately come to mind are: extreme, forceful, assertive, combative, courageous, foolish, impulsive, initiatory, blatant, explosive, severing, direct/straightforward, temperamental.
Vh: Not everyone is going to resonate with this character, but hopefully there’s something in this archetype to help people find their own version.
What are some ways for people to get in touch with their personal Mars archetype?
LV: This is where folks can definitely get in touch with how they do things, specifically the way they act and react. Mars is often affiliated with the ego and in that way Mars links our sense of self with our actions (“you are what you do”). As we discussed in our first Mars workshop, this is the part of ourselves that fuels us in one direction or the other: often this is where our passions may lie, and what we’re most driven towards. Reflecting on the glyph for Mars, it’s that little arrow pointing outwards, pulling as though separating us from the circular-self that is attached to it. There is a singularness here. An “I” against the whole. A combative harshness that invokes the classic archetype of a soldier or warrior. But the kind of soldier/warrior (timid, aggressive, dutiful, violent, etc), varies in each one of us.
Vh: What does this retrograde journey do for our Mars archetypes? More specifically, what does this slowing down mean?
LV: Mars retrograde to me feels like my car is stalling, and in fiddling around with the gears, it gets stuck moving backwards. There may have already been issues driving around and getting ahead (maybe we’ve been driving with the check engine light on for a while) but now we’ve lost total control of the vehicle and the direction we’re going, and all that can be done is try to steer the wheel enough to avoid crashing. This moving backwards and slowing down makes us reassess and reconsider how we go about doing things and what we have been doing that perhaps has not served us well or requires a new approach to achieve something. It’s also an opportunity to confront or face our anger and frustration without suppressing or hiding it. It’s very much a form of shadow work in that regard.
Vh: Do you have a good Mars story to share?
LV: There’s definitely a few, but going off the car analogy, I actually did end up crashing my car under a Mars-Saturn square a couple years ago. What’s really crazy about this crash was how it happened: my foot got stuck with a cable as I was making a tight u-turn via a small driveway and it caused me to push on the gas too hard, resulting in my car colliding with a brick wall. So essentially Mars moving too fast, and Saturn immediately stopping it.
Vh: I’m hoping all this talk about Mars and its dance will help bring up something in the mind of our reader. A site of action and invitation to action and/or integration.
What advice do you have for people seeking to consciously integrate the wisdom of Mars?
LV: I think we can embody a lot of courage through Mars’s willingness to be the first to do things and to dive head first into the unknown journey and the battles that await us. There’s an opportunity here to acknowledge severe and difficult times not with lingering fear but instead a drive towards action, especially after the retrograde period when we have had the opportunity to dialogue with our anger and rage.
ABOUT LIZ
Liz Vazquez is an LA born & raised artist, writer, and filmmaker who has been studying Hellenistic astrology since 2016 and consulting clients since 2020. From 2021 to 2022, they wrote bimonthly horoscopes for The Philosophical Research Society as part of their PRS artist residency.
ABOUT VIVI
Vivi Henriette is an LA-based astrologer and tarot reader whose collaborative approach to divination weaves in storytelling and mythology to create a container for her clients to explore their personal narrative. She’s the host of the Los Angeles Astro Salon and the podcast TALKTALKTALK.
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This was excellent! Thank you!