MARS, god of war, retrograde in Virgo, sign of systems

Mars, mighty planet that faces the universe on the outside of the safety of earth's orbit, is our protector, our armor, our will and our blood.
The retrogrades of planets are the cycles of change, for good or for ill, they indicate the timing of fabulous shake-ups and brilliant solutions. This one should be mild, being in analytical, careful Virgo. However, Virgo rules all the things most important to our daily existence, like food, the making and growing of it; and health, the breakdowns and the healing places and people; and basically all systems. Oh yes, all the systems, clerical, electrical, digestive, and communicative. Whoops, that IS everything.
What we look for in Mars retrogrades is change. Fluctuations in all our systems will be a certain thing, and yet there will be many chances to solve problems. Mars rules action.Taking action in Virgo means fixing things and refining everything, making it work more efficiently. Retrograde, Mars gives us extra time to figure things out, go over it more than once. Take your time in the next several months. Mars is stationary from January 16 till the 21st, when it actually begins the backward orbit. It will go direct on April 11, and finish in Virgo in June.
In the sky, look for it rising in the East around midnight, a bright orange star centered on the horizon. Its retrograde lasts till April 11th, and it will hold that south eastern spot for the next 5 months.
This is also a dangerous planet. It was a Mars retrograde in fiery Sagittarius that brought us 9/11. It was retrograde on Bill Clinton's ascendant in Libra when he was set up for the impeachment trial. It rules anger, war, athletics, violence, machinery, tools, weapons, steel and iron... and men. All of those things will be evident in ordinary places. It is a time when new tools can be invented, or old griefs aired in odd ways. Take a second look at all temper tantrums, don't react in haste, and consider carefully what is offered during this phase. Check all the systems in your cars, trucks and vehicles. Machinery and fire in home situations should also be reviewed. Above all, realize that Retrogrades offer change, and change upsets the stability that was. It is a perfect time to activate change, experiment, and discover. Risks are not required, but risks in invention, thought and everyday systems will prove useful. Education is included in Virgo systems,so
dust off your ideas, and review and refresh your files. Back up all the computer systems. And get your flu shots.