Activities, projects, and situations slow down, or come to a sudden halt now that Mars (action) and Saturn (responsibility) have both stationed retrograde last weekend. In retrograde, the fiery Mars energy that we boldly brew to create life and direction, will turn inward until May 2014. As this happens, some individuals can experience creative blockages, which can include heavy fatigue and frustration. And the harder that we press on the gas pedal to get where we’re going, the more we will encounter the brakes of Saturn, as well as the reaction of Mars shadow, which can include an increase of hurriedness, impatience, possible fits of rage, which can sometimes be displayed in violence. With Mars in Libra, our relationships with others will be influenced and affected, as well as the relationship that we have with ourselves.

A fire eater must eat fire even if he has to kindle it himself. And you, Lee, have got to worry even if you must kill yourself to invent something to worry about. Isaac Asimov

Time will seem to stand still during Saturn retrograde until July 2014. What we’ve relied on, in order to build stability in our world, could fail to provide us with the security we’ve gotten use to. We will push (Mars) ourselves (or push others) with steady pressure, to hold onto our control.. but nothing will seem to budge. Here is where we’ll be faced with the reality of our limitations, created within our own walls of resistance. And deeply embedded into these partitioned barriers (Saturn in Scorpio) are the darkest shadows of our inner demons.

We’ve always had a mix of evil and good. Yin and yang. And most likely, we’ll continue to see that. Theresa Reed

Since November, we were to re-experience roads previously traveled with Jupiter retrograde, to re-learn our pursuit with happiness, good fortune, and abundance. As Jupiter stationed direct last weekend, we will slowly re-enter the world with new optimism and gratitude, with more awareness of the opportunities in thw horizon. With this new vision, we can help ourselves to expand and grow, through our own reassembling.

Between this cosmic cycle, and the tougher triggers of next months aspects, hardship may be the result if we refuse to accept responsibility for own our doings, or our lack of effort. Unfortunately, this is often necessary in waking us to reality and inner weaknesses. So if we’re to ‘repair’ what has been broken, self-reliance will be on high demand in the months ahead.

With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world. Dalai Lama

As we become more aware of who we are and what we’ve been building in our life, our work, and our relationships, we can more easily claim responsibility for our own decisions and actions. We can then release the blame which imprisons us. And through this process, we can learn to embrace our fears and understand our failures, to redesign a stronger foundation. And in this strength, we can better survive the erratic shifts that life throws our way. Through this tough process of karmic teachings & life lessons, we can internally bleed out unnatural fears and pain that cause stubborn walls of self-sabotage.As we we do, we can unearth our natural born gifts with confidence as fuel to reach our aspirations and goals.

For more information about the author of this article, click here.