Sun Trine Mars: The Alchemical Awakening of Willpower and Purpose

Last night, the Sun formed a trine to Mars, a sacred turning point in the synodic cycle of Mars, marking a significant shift in the journey that began in November 2023. This moment is not just an astrological transit—it is an initiation, an emergence from the deep underworld of Mars’ recent retrograde. Though Mars stationed direct nearly a week ago, it has remained suspended in stillness, recalibrating in the liminal space between death and rebirth. But now, he awakens with a renewed vision as an evening star, ready to ascend with newfound purpose and direction.

Esoterically, the Sun represents the divine intelligence, the higher will that illuminates our path. It is the source of our creative vitality, the beacon that guides us toward our soul’s evolutionary journey. Mars, the embodiment of raw willpower and assertion, has undergone an initiatory descent, shedding layers of old conditioning, outdated ambitions, and unconscious patterns that no longer serve the evolving self. This trine acts as an alchemical spark—a merging of spiritual clarity (the Sun) with the purified desire nature (Mars). The question is: how will you direct your will moving forward?

This is a pivotal moment to listen deeply. What desires have reawakened in you? What call to action is arising now, unmistakable in its clarity? This moment is not about impulsive force but about conscious momentum—one that is attuned to your spiritual directive. The vision emerging now is the one you will carry forward until January 2026, when Mars begins its next synodic cycle.

Reflect on what has been evolving in your life since November 2023. Where have you been internally forging strength, resilience, and a new understanding of your own drive? With Mars in water, this shift is felt emotionally, offering renewed clarity, magnetism, and optimism. You may notice an energetic surge over the coming days, a sense of certainty returning after a period of uncertainty.

Honor this turning point. Let your will align with your higher vision. The fire of Mars now moves with purpose—let it guide you forward with courage, trust, and unwavering clarity.

Mars Finally Stations Direct!

I don't know about you all, but this has been one intense retrograde for me this time around. I’m doing a bit of a happy dance this morning as Mars officially stations direct today in Cancer at 17 degrees. Unlike other planets coming out of retrograde, Mars takes a bit longer to gain momentum and start moving again. So, while he is officially direct today, we might not actually feel this change until he starts gaining speed and movement around March 8. He will be fully out of his shadow around the end of May.

Mars is in his fall in Cancer, meaning that its energy is more indirect, protective, or emotionally driven, instead of its usual assertive, forward moving nature. So, as he stations direct, these energetic themes will be amplified, making it an ideal time for deep reflection and redirection of personal willpower.

As he moves out of his internal deep dive in retrograde, it is a great time to reflect on the insights, reflections, and downloads have you received this transit. Some of the themes that may have come to the surface may have included the following:

The Power of Emotional Willpower

Cancer is ruled by the Moon, which governs our subconscious, emotions, and instincts. Mars stationing direct here asks us, Are you moving from a place of true emotional security, or are you reacting out of fear and defensiveness? It’s a really potent opportunity to contemplate the duality of protection vs. projection; learning how to fight for what nurtures you without letting emotional reactivity drive your actions. What triggers and patterns have you identified this retrograde season?

Healing Ancestral Patterns

Cancer rules the home, family, lineage, and ancestral roots. Mars here brought a courage and encouragement to deep drive and explore and confront inherited wounds; especially any that surround masculinity, protection, safety, and emotional expression. What surfaced up for you here? What generational patterns or cycles have you recognized and are you choosing to break? Are you acting from your own inner authority or are you carrying outdated family expectations?

Where Have You Been Holding Back?

Mars retrograde can often be a time in which we feel like our energy dips, our drive is stifled, and our assertiveness quieted. As he stations direct today, you will begin to notice a shift in your energy, slowly building momentum as he gains motion, and you likely will find yourself inspired with decisive action of some sort. What have you been inspired to pursue?

Divine Masculine Healing & Reclamation

Cancer represents the Divine Feminine, and Mars, the Divine Masculine. My natal placement is Mars in Cancer, which means he is in his fall here. Often described, as the energy of a warrior trying to run in water - not very effective! This placement often speaks to a wounded masculine energy that has been taught to suppress emotions or express them in unhealthy, destructive ways. I can tell you, that in my own life, this is emphatically true. I have struggled with expressing myself and my emotions authentically nearly all of my life. I was primed at a very young age to ignore my body and my emotions and instead to focus on the energy and needs of others and what needs to be done from a perspective of survival, productivity, and “success”. As a result, I often used to dissociate; a pattern that took me decades to recognize and heal. This retrograde season has been a big awakening to me of the connection between these two and the importance of recognizing my own desires - allowing them to flow and finding a voice and aligned energy to empower them. Mars stationing direct is an opportunity to redefine masculinity and power in a way that integrates emotional intelligence, find strength through vulnerability, and empower protective, nourishing leadership. How has this theme shown up for you? What healing have you found and what steps are calling out to you for action?

The Sacred Warrior Archetype

Mars in Cancer isn’t a brute force warrior - he isn’t found on the front lines of a classic battle. He is a guardian, a protector, and a spiritual warrior who passionately defends what is sacred. What is worth fighting for in your life? What legacy of protection and security do you want to build for yourself and those who you love and come after you? How do you want to nourish those that matter in your life?

Realignment of Purpose After Emotional Recalibration

Today’s stationing moment is a pivotal point - an invitation to step into action. But in the energy of Cancer, it may not be in the way that you expect. Instead of charging ahead recklessly, the energy of Mars in Cancer drives us to tap into our intuition and take emotionally aligned movement forward. So, before taking action in the next few weeks, ponder for yourself, your intentions and whether or not the energy deeply aligns and is authentic. Does this path make me feel safe and emotionally fulfilled? Am I taking action from a place of love or fear? How can I integrate deep nourishment into my ambitions?

Mars for me is in both Cancer, as well as my 12th house. The house of my subconscious, past life karma, hidden strengths, and spiritual integration. So, not only has this been my Mars retrograde, but it is also, my Mars return. It has been full of deep awakenings and reflections; self sabotaging habits have bubbled up for awareness, I’ve had a deeply embedded fear surface for healing, and I’ve recognized an ancestral wounding pattern in my life that I know I am purposed to help heal. For at least 3 generations that I can confirm and trace, the women in my family have carried deep wounds of childhood emotional neglect (CEN). Mental illness runs in my maternal line and was the source for both my mother - her mother was in and out of a mental institution during most of her childhood, leaving her emotionally unfulfilled and devoid of deep maternal nurturing, emotional safety, and the beauty and validation of rich emotional aliveness. She, as a result, battled her own mental illness issues of Borderline Personality Disorder and likely (undiagnosed) Bipolar disorder. As the oldest of 3, I became the parentified child of the family; I vividly remember in Kindergarten being left alone to care for my sisters for the first time. Standing on a chair at the sink washing dishes and feeding my younger sister her dinner in her highchair. This pattern continued as I had my first “job” after school in 3rd grade cleaning houses and buying my own clothing on layaway at the Mulberry Bush. I felt so proud buying clothes that no longer had safety pins in them for buttons like the hand-me-downs from the well meaning church friends who donated them. But, it was the little actions like this that validated, and embedded patterns of self-sufficiency, work over emotional tending, and self-subjugation in me at a very, very young age. On my own, since before I graduated from high school, these patterns only became more deeply embedded and normalized, that it was not until decades later that I became aware that I was even doing them and that my operating system was so far out of sync with healthy behavioral patterning. And, while I have done an enormous amount of healing and work, I am aware that I still have more to do. This retrograde season has reminded me of the importance of self-care; taking time for myself, calling back my own energy, being vulnerable enough to be open to receiving love, and that I do not need to self-subjugate my own desires just to appease others. And, while I have not birthed my own children - all 4 of mine are adopted from foster care - 3 of the 4 (the 4th being one we have had since birth) carry trauma from their own childhood emotional neglect from well before coming into our home. That pattern of ancestral wounding? Well it found my lineage even if it wasn’t through traditional means. A fascinating discovery and one that again, I know, I am purposed to help heal this lifetime. But, to do that, I have to heal my own wounds and inner child first. So that I can be fully present, authentically aligned, and deeply nourishing to their own emotional world and needs so that their struggles and future can look different from my own. What a gift. Yet, what an enormous mountain. And that, is my Mars challenge this lifetime.

This all might sound relatively straightforward, but for me these are profound jewels that I’ve unearthed. And, that is my treasure this season. What have you mined for yourself this retrograde and how will you honor your new discoveries by your actions this year? This, my friends, is how we work with the sky and make internal shifts and growth in our own life. And over time, these small shifts and steps lead to profound transformation.

Wishing you all the magick, desire, and growth you so deeply crave and deserve this Rx season. Remember that Mars in Cancer isn’t asking you to take warrior action - instead it is asking you to dive deep, align with your innermost emotional truth - and tap into the wisdom of your heart to lead the way forward.