Retrograde! But, Make It Fashion: MARS
Welcome back, friends, and welcome to the fashion show... sort of. So sorry for the delay in posting both these blogs and illustrations... But when the Covid calls, you are forced to answer, and that is a very long phone call. At least it was for me.
SIDE NOTE HERE: Most of what you are about to read, below, will be repeated in each of the mini blogs about this series. I chose to do this because not everyone reads each individual blog and it is important to discuss some of the general information in each post. This way, if someone only reads one post, they still gain the benefit of the knowledge below. So, if you plan to read all the posts about this series, please forgive the repetition in some of them.
I call this mini illustration series: Retrograde, but Make it Fashion. It's a strange title for a strange idea. However, the origins of my idea for this series' concept does have a grounding in the logical world. I'm not completely in the clouds with this one... well, not entirely. lol
Last December, Venus was stationed retrograde and I had the idea for an illustration. Venus is the planet that governs pleasure, beauty, and attraction (among other things) in astrology. I was thinking a fun way to personify Venus was to transform her into a kind of Supermodel walking down the runway, or posing at the end of it, or just about to turn... I hadn't planned out all the details, because I ended up not working on it within the time frame of when Venus was in retrograde. So, I shelved the idea, until now. With so many planets currently in retrograde right now, I thought, "why don't I pull that Venus retrograde illustration idea out of the morgue and modify it to these other planets?" Thus the pursuit of making a little illustration series on the subject ensued.
I remember making a note on the Venus Illustration entry in my Idea Journal. The title was originally Venus, Sashay Away. It is a reference to the very popular drag competition show Ru Paul's Drag Race. Ru Paul, when she is eliminating a contestant, uses the signature phrase (modified/based on her hit song Supermodel) "Sashay, Away!" There's an animated GIF of it that I like to use sometimes and it ALWAYS gives me a private chuckle. I thought it an appropriate way to conceptualize a planet's astrological retrograde period.
I'm sure you have been asking this question to yourself (and to me) since you started reading this post. Probably you were wondering, in your mind, "What on earth is he even talking about?" Well, funny you should think that. Our position and view here on earth have EVERYTHING to do with explaining what a retrograde is. A retrograde (or planetary retrograde) is when a planet seems to be moving backward in the sky from our perspective here on Earth. In reality: No, planets don’t actually move backward. It’s an optical illusion due to the speed of the Earth’s rotation. But what ancient people realized is that when a planet changes direction or shifts in speed, what it rules will see challenges or confusion in our lives during that specific time.
Astrology is a science that utilizes the placement of the planets to make insightful predictions about how life on Earth is going to develop. It has been around for centuries and that is why we have been able to notice patterns throughout time, refining itself, to figure out that when the planets move, something here on Earth will be affected. You may or may not believe in Astrology, or you might think that it's just a cute part of your daily morning news feed. You may only think it's an amusing thing to discuss on a first date. It isn't my job or inclination to convince you of its validity. I will, however, say this: The waves in our Ocean are created by the gravity of our orbiting moon. The powerful gravity of Jupiter is what protects asteroids and other debris from crashing constantly into Earth (Thank you, Jupiter.) These are both invisible forces. And if this is what they can do to large masses in this universe, what do you think these invisible forces are doing to us or the environment we live in. We are, after all, 70% water. What "waves" is our Moon producing within us? Something to think about. I will leave defending the merits of Astrology as a science to the Astrologers, themselves. I'm just a weekend tourist. They actually live in that building.
Let's get back to talking about the retrograde.
A planetary retrograde is broken down into 3 phases: Pre-Shadow, Retrograde, and Post-Shadow.
In the pre-shadow phase, when the planet starts to slow down from our viewpoint on Earth, we start to see problems crop up and realize some current situations might be on rocky ground. This can last for weeks or months prior, depending on which planet it is.
The actual retrograde phase is when you see the problems that started to announce themselves in the pre-shadow blow-up in front of you. This is when the planet is taking control and moving backward in the sky. In reality, new information regarding what the planet rules are emerging in our lives — something we probably had overlooked originally. The universe is bringing it out dramatically in your face now to show you that you must pay attention to this before you proceed.
The post-shadow phase is when the planet is finally moving forward in the sky again but is still gaining speed to catch up with where it originally fell behind. Once a planet moves past this point in the sky, life should move along much more easily. The post-shadow phase is especially important because it helps us to resolve whatever popped up during the previous two periods so that we are on a better track moving forward.
The Sun, the Moon, and the Earth (because we are standing on it) don't retrograde. Sun and Moon are referred to as "The Luminaries." All planets retrograde at different times depending on their distance from us in the Solar System. A simple rule of thumb that you can follow is: the closer the planet is to us, the shorter the retrograde. The further away it is from us, the longer the retrograde is. How this affects us depends on the planet, what phase of the retrograde it is in, and the zodiacal sign that it is transiting (retrograding/traveling) through. Not to get too specific, depending on what house the zodiac sign is placed in your chart can also determine how a particular plant's retrograde affects you personally.
Most of the time a planet transits through retrograde alone or with one or two other planets at a time. However, there are sometimes years when we get large clusters of planet retrogrades. 2022 is one of them. We have 8 of the 9 planets in retrograde this year. 6 are clustered together right now.
So, Let's talk about them, shall we. This illustration is devoted to Mars.
Mars, in astrology, is the planet of energy, action, conflict, war, aggression, assertion, passion, desires, and sex. We often attribute some of these qualities to Venus, but because of the nature of the particular energy, it is governed by Mars (in some ways co-governed.) Depending on what sign your Mars is placed (in your natal chart) will often give you some insights into these particular areas and how you deal with them. How do you cope with and express anger and aggression? What is your motivation to take action? How do you express your passion and desires? Understanding the planet Mars will help us understand these things within ourselves.
We already met Saturn in a previous post, the greater malefic. Mars is considrered the Lesser Malific. It is designated a "bad" or "negative" planet. Again, it's all about perspective. Saturn and Mars are the balance to Jupiter and Venus. They work together, give and take, in many ways that we are unaware of. For example, Jupiter gives us our enlightened sense of purpose. We have meditated on what we should be doing with our lives and the conclusion is that we decide we want to help others by opening a shelter to help those that don't have one. This is a great purpose to have, but Jupiter alone cannot help us reach this goal. We NEED Mars to give us the motivation to take action on this plan and the strength to fight and overcome all the challenges and obstacles we will face along the way toward this goal. We NEED Saturn to give us the structure and the discipline it will take to work hard toward making our dream a reality. Only then will we feel the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from Venus as we have opened our shelter and are helping so many people within our community.
This is only just an off-the-cuff example, but you can see that there is a need for the malefics as well as the benefics. They each play a very important role in our lives and we must allow them to play their roles, even when it feels like it's the worst thing that is happening to us. In the long run, it is always for our betterment. Mars readies us to fight for whatever it is that we hold dear.
Mars is retrograde from October 30th, 2022 - January 12th, 2023. During the Mars retrograde, very similar to a Mercury retrograde, we may feel some of the opposite effects of how the planet would normally function if not spinning in reverse. It is common to feel more lethargic, passive, and tense during this time. You may struggle to release tension and to relieve stress, regardless of what you may do normally to do these things. Frustrations and repressed feelings of resentment have a danger of boiling over or exploding during a Mars retrograde, so be mindful of this during this time. Mars is retrograding through Gemini and Taurus. Gemini is the sign of communication and information. It is ruled by Mercury. Our frustrations will manifest in the arena of our communications. When Mars dips back into Taurus, you may find that your frustration will shift focus on money matters and general "home" stability.
All is not lost. There are some healthy ways to combat these feelings. Go for a walk regularly, or workout at your gym, even when you don't feel up to it. Make yourself go. You will definitely feel better afterward. Journaling is a good practice and habit to pick up around this time. It helps keep those repressed resentments from exploding like a volcano and destroying all the little villagers in its wake. It's a great way to clear your mind, and channel that frustrated energy. As a side effect, it improves your communication skills, even if you are already a good communicator. It is important not to mince words or gossip about others during this time. How you feel about others, what they say, how they act, how money affects your life, etc, you may not feel the same way come mid-January.
Remember, When anger begins to bubble up these next couple of months. Take a beat, take a breath, and tell yourself that it is just the retrograde talking.
Before we go, let's talk a little bit about the art.
I explained the concept behind these odd but fun little illustrations. One of the things I wanted to pay homage to was the 1902 French film Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon.) I have always been impressed and inspired by that iconic image of the moon with that face in it. I'm certain that this image has inspired so many other artists and each has paid tribute to this treasure of cinema history. In my case, conceptually, I wouldn't be able to center a face within my illustrated planets. They are in retrograde, and they are sashaying away from us. So we would only see their "dark sides of" or the back of their "heads" if you will. I still wanted to see a face on them in some way. I really wanted to superimpose the faces of real supermodels onto them. So, I came up with the idea of them looking back; serving us one last lewk before continuing on their retrograded ways.
Photo: Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902.
I wanted to play with the proportions of head size because not all planets are equal (in size) and I wanted to convey that within this series. So some "heads" will appear large on their bodies. Some "heads" will appear small. These aesthetic choices are largely determined by the literal astronomical relation of planetary size to Earth and to each other. I should probably do a "police line-up" of them once they are all completed. lol.
I had fun recreating the texture of the surface of the fiery red planet. Each and every planet is a new challenge in regard to recreating the texture of its surface. All I really have to go on are photographs taken from space stations and any documentation that they may have on the planet based on observations. It's like they say in the fashion industry, though, you just have to "make it werk!" And I do.
Since Mars is the planet of action, motion, and movement, I thought it would be rather fitting to have them "sporting" high-end designer sportswear. Mars is seen here wearing an outfit based on a design by former Olympian Li-Ning. This particular outfit is from his 2019 Spring collection that debuted in Paris that year. His now iconic brand was originally founded in 1990 by the decorated Olympic gymnast. He said that he wanted to create a label that Chinese athletes could wear on the global stage. Vogue says that Li-Ning is THE Chinese sportswear brand you NEED to know.
I LOVED the shade of blue as well as the safety-orange and safety-green trim details. This garment SCREAMS movement and SPORTY-ness to me. As you will notice, I modified it in my illustration so that all these beautiful details were wrapped around to appear on the back of the garment. I wanted to be able to see them as Mars walks away from us. The garment was also chosen because it leans more toward the feminine sensibility aesthetically. I wanted my Mars to be portrayed as female. Traditionally Mars is considered a male planet and I wanted to turn gender on its head. You can do that easily with fashion, as fashion has been changing our ideas and concepts of what gender and gender identity are for decades now.
I wanted the two main design elements on this garment to identify the 2 zodiac signs that Mars would be retrograding through. We see "GEMINI" written in text near the top left shoulder. On the right, and perhaps a bit more obscure, we see the visual representation of the sign of Taurus. Lastly, I pulled the colors of the garment into Mars' makeup further combining the idea and concept. I LOVE the contrast of colors in this illustration. It's almost "Spacey" and futuristic in nature.
This futuristic nature definitely influenced how I handled the background behind her. I always want to show the planet on their Cosmic Catwalk, but change the visual flavor of how we see that based on the planet itself. I have been making those visual decisions on the fly and in the moment. So, even I essentially never really know how these illustrations are going to pan out in their final incarnation. I plan most of the visual details: head size in proportion to body size, pose, outfit, and most of the color choices... then I just let the magic of making art make its magic. I'm very pleased with how she turned out. I hope you like her as well.
That pretty much sums up this blog entry for Mars and my little illustration of her. Stay tuned for the rest of this illustrated mini-series coming soon. Weather the Mars retrograde as best as you can and look fabulous while doing it.
Until next time, friends...
Keep dreaming, keep sketching, keep thinking, keep laughing, and most important of all, keep making art.
*Some of the retrograde information cited from:
Here’s what a retrograde in astrology means and how it affects you by Kyle Thomas @ New York Post.
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