Venus-MarteIn newspapers around the world this spring, horoscope columnists will mention how Venus and Mars are "about to change directions" or are "moving backward in the sky," which will undoubtedly be linked to predictions about sex and relationships for the coming months.uring the coming season, we are likely to hear from lovers from the past and long-lost friends, and our personal !ourney of seeking love is likely to be turned toward inner realities and reflecting on what has happened in the past. "his is the story of the Venus and Mars retrogrades of #$$%. "here&s a lot to this tale, and on some levelwe&re all going to feel it. 'et&s take a closer look.Meet Venus and MarsVenus and Mars are the planets that shine most brightly over experiences of love andpassion. "hese are our closest planetary neighbors, and astrologically are two of the easiest energies to relate to personally. Venus represents an aspect of the feminine and Mars represents an aspect of the masculine, which explains why you fre(uently find their symbols on the doors of men&s and women)s washrooms.*ften, we think of Venus as the planet of love +after the goddess by the same name,and Mars as the planet of war +after his namesake,, but actually it&s not so simple. -oth planets represent personal (ualities and inner realities that all of us possess. In our somewhat confused culture and limited thinking, we tend to associate feelings of assertiveness with war and violence, and those of beauty with sex and love.It would be much more accurate to say that Venus is the attractive or receptive aspect of who a person is.the part of us that draws other people to us with our love,beauty, sensitivity, art or good cooking. Mars is the assertive or aggressive aspect of who a person is.the (uality of a person that expresses desire, need and passion in an outgoing way./lthough everyone has Venus and Mars in their horoscopes, many people don)t feel attractive, or feel strong or clear enough to strive for what they want out of life. /nd often, one energy or the other dominates the personality. /ttractive people often feellike they don&t have to express desire because things !ust come to them, and aggressive people don&t reali0e they can ease back and draw what they want in their direction rather than con(uering it. "he gift of astrology is that we contain both innermale and female (ualities if we choose to seek within and find them.Venus and Mars in the Fire Signs"he sign that a planet is in colors or modifies its energy. -oth Venus and Mars are now in hot, outgoing fire signs. Venus is in /ries, and Mars is in 1agittarius./ries is the first sign, the sign of beginnings, the spring time. It makes bold statements about who we are. Its motto is "I /m2" Venus is about our values. 1o Venus in /ries is a clear statement3 "I value who I am2" "his is a learning process, however, and it is more about feeling beautiful on the inside and less about fixing one&s makeup or wearing nice clothing. It is about learning to love and appreciate who we are and, because Venus likes to share, extending that sense of value to others.Mars in 1agittarius is associated with strong ideologies, deeply-held beliefs and the motivation to do something about them. Mars is like the arrow of energy, intention and aggression being shot from the 1agittarian centaur&s bow. 1agittarius is free andMars is desire4 the effect is a tendency to liberate our passions. esire is recogni0ed as natural.Looking Back, Looking Within-ut what&s different about this spring and summer is that both Venus and Mars will be retrograde. -etween March 5 and /pril #$, Venus will be retrograde4 between May%% and 6uly %5, Mars will be retrograde. Venus and Mars are retrograde the least fre(uently of all the planets. -ecause these are personal planets, we will feel the retrogrades distinctly4 as distinctly, for example, as when Mercury is retrograde, onlythe effects will involve emotional energy rather than the mental energy of Mercury.7etrograde motion, or the appearance of a planet moving backward in the 0odiac from the viewpoint of the 8arth, occurs when the 8arth and the retrograde planet align on the same side of the 1un. "he effect is !ust like when one train is passing another, and the slower train appears, very convincingly, to be going slowly backward."he unusual emotional energy of these retrogrades will be worked out in our relationships with others, and within ourselves. 7etrograde planets entice us to be introspective and reflective. 9e will have a wider opportunity to contemplate the pasthistory of our partnerships and to explore inner reality. /s an example, we might come into closer contact with both the inner male represented by Mars and the inner female represented by Venus.:artnerships are likely to be presented with opportunities +in the form of challenges, to take their relationships to another level. "he working out process will re(uire patience, however. *ne partner in a couple may go through a series of changes, and then find his or her way4 next, the other partner may go through a series of changes before coming to a place of stability. If relationships seem difficult or hopeless, it may be worth sticking with the process until a few weeks after both retrogrades are over and see where both of you end up.9e live in a world that is obsessed with externals, particularly where love and relationships are concerned. "here are few influences that teach us to investigate ourinner world, to ask ourselves (uestions about our values or even to (uestion what our true needs in relationship are. ;et as Venus and Mars, certainly among the most tangible planets, make their retrogrades together, it&s clear that now is the time to slow down, pay attention and ask ourselves real (uestions. 9ho knows3 we !ust might get some real answers.