Mars in Retrograde: In the 12th

I had never been so angry in my life (well, not in a long time anyway).

I was trying to figure out why and remembered that Mars went into retrograde (goes backwards) motion in my 12th house from March 1st to May 19th, 2014. 

Mars is the planet of energy, war, action, anger, and passion. When going backwards, those traits and associations of Mars are a lot stronger. 

Mars had already dipped a toe in my 1st house (of self) and began retrograding back to the 12th (self-undoing/unconscious, foreign or distant lands, sleep/dreams) and may had just brushed my 11th house (elder sibling, network, goals). 

Anyway, my anger affected my plans pertaining to distant lands, my sleep, siblings, and my networking circle. 

Transit of Mars Retrograde in 12th House

The twelve house is a complete mystery. It is a place of dreams and distant lands. In some places, one has to walk alone and often in the dark. 

Like I said, Mars had really been disturbing my sleep. 

In one of my other posts, I wrote about suffering from insomnia. 

Well, I believe I felt this as a warning of what would happen when Mars would be transiting through my 12th house. 

However, this time I no longer had insomnia; rather, I was taking a nap all the time. 

No matter if I slept for 12 hours on a Saturday or 8 hours on a Tuesday, I just woke up and still felt the need to sleep. 

This occurred for some time when Mars was in Libra for an unusual seven-month period (December 2013–Summer 2014), due to Mars also going backwards when in retrograde. 

Having too much sleep and never feeling refreshed can make a person crazy. 

Yes, I sometimes thought I was crazy.

I sat in bed irrationally, giggling uncontrollably while contemplating how insane it was that I constantly desired to sleep. 

Not to mention I was also having the most vivid back-to-back dreams—different dreams five times in a row.

I frequently had dreams about saints using the stars to guide them across a river. 

I bet it sounds mystical, even biblical, but it was exhausting.

Pisces and the 12th house

Although this transit occurred in Libra, the twelfth house is the natural house of Pisces, a water sign that is known for addictions, fantasy, and psychic tendencies.

The twelfth house opposes the sixth house of Virgo (health, day-to-day routines, pets). So when this house has a visitor, both the 12th and 6th houses are affected. Headaches, depression, and sleep disturbances are often associated.

Prisons and mental institutions are also represented by the 12th House, and I was hoping not to end up in either.

What does Mars in the 12th want?

Mars is the planet of war and action, and when placed in the bottomless, watery twelfth, Mars can become frustrated and restless.

Therefore, a person with this transit needs to take action and practice daily meditation, keeping a daily dream journal, yoga, praying daily, drawing classes, acting classes, writing a fantasy story, swimming, visiting a flotation tank, or any daily practice to do with spirituality, creativity, or fantasy. 

Another tick is to nap when you can. 

But I think Mars retrograde is fundamentally about constraints and changing limitations. 

In my natal placidus chart, I have a very active 12th house with three planets in there, so I am used to lots of 12th house activity. 

Funny enough, I never remembered having dreams or how I got to bed until I was 17. 

As time has passed, I have had strong dreams, but at the age I am now, I’ve gone back to not being able to recall my dreams.