And today, October 17th, marks the beginning of this “foreshadowing” period as early this morning we hit the exact mark to which Mars will later regress to on March 9, 2010. And just as Mars will be at 19 degrees Leo at December 20th, so will it also finally return to that mark on May 18, 2010.

So what does this all mean? It means that we are about ready to have a big theme come up in our lives that will most likely go through various transformations or dramas that will more or less start from around now to fully resolving itself in May of next year. Yes, that is a long time folks so get ready! The last time Mars went Retrograde was in November of 2007 in Cancer and it coinciding not coincidentally with the Writer’s Strike, as Cancer is a sign often associated with literary endeavors that have to do with the myth and dramas of human life. And not coincidentally the Writer’s Strike resolved itself during the post retrograde shadow finishing up the cycle.

Whether or not this Mars Retrograde in Leo will affect issues with artists and children or leaders or other areas ruled by Leo, the Creative King of the Jungle, on a world scale has yet to be seen. But it will affect individuals who have planets or their Asc or Midheaven in Leo the most. Wherever Leo is in your chart is about to experience a total overhaul. But as with most renovations, especially with a Mars one, things usually get messier before they turn into the new form. So once the Full Retrograde starts on December 20th, don’t expect to move forwards with any new plans until March 9th. If you have a To-Do list with major items on it, try and get those done before the holidays, then you can sit back through the Winter months process, reprocessing, and seeing what will happen during the transformation time of Mars Retrograde and then when Spring comes perhaps a new, more creative, more loving, you will return just as the flowers and other plants will be returning to full flower as well!