Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist and essayist. He was praised as the “greatest humorist the United States has produced,” with William Faulkner calling him “the father of American literature.” His novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the “Great American Novel.” Twain also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) and Pudd’nhead Wilson (1894), and co-wrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
“Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.”
― Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet, known by his nom de plume M. de Voltaire (November 21, 1694 – May 30, 1776), was a French Enlightenment writer, philosopher, satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit and his criticism of Christianity and of slavery, Voltaire was an advocate of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state. Wikipedia
On December 7th, 2024, Mars goes retrograde at 6° Leo. Mars stays retrograde for nearly 3 months, with its retrograde motion concluding on February 24th, 2025, at 17° Cancer.
Mars only goes retrograde once every 2 years, so when it does, that’s quite a big deal.
This is a significant astrological event because it’s so rare. Mercury goes retrograde three times a year, the outer planets once a year. Mars goes retrograde only every 26 months.
Mars doesn’t go retrograde often… but when it does, you can bet it comes with important changes and developments.
This is important!
Mars Retrograde – What Does It Mean
When Mars goes retrograde, what used to feel like your default way of being suddenly shifts.
Mars retrograde brings a wake-up call or a strong need to reexamine your goals and motivations.
These retrograde cycle periods tend to be highly eventful.
While some astrologers recommend avoiding bold actions or major decisions during this time – on the premise that ‘retrograde’ equals ‘bad timing’ – people often feel compelled to act anyway because the transit creates such a strong sense of urgency.
Why is that?
Unlike Mercury and Venus retrograde, which fade into the Sun’s glare, Mars remains fully visible and shines at its brightest in the night sky. Instead of retreating, Mars intensifies.
Mars retrograde works differently – it’s not about ‘DON’T,’ as Mercury retrograde often is, but rather ‘DO – with intention.’ Its commanding presence is impossible to ignore.
Mars retrograde is Mars on steroids – it amplifies and brings to culmination whatever Mars symbolizes.
When Mars is retrograde, you will embody Mars, you will act like Mars – you will be Mars. And finally, through this intense period, your true motivations and desires will be revealed.
While certain things may slow down, these obstacles won’t deter you. Instead, they will drive you to take action more forcefully than usual, and from a more authentic place.
Mars Retrograde is NOT a time to ignore your instincts. Instead, it’s an opportunity to tune into them deeply and act with heightened awareness and purpose.
Mars retrograde’s ultimate goal is to help you uncover what really drives you – what makes you say, “I want this so badly, I’ll do anything to get it.”
Taking action in such a highly charged period may feel unwise, but avoiding it entirely will often be just as challenging. Mars retrograde has a way of confronting you with your deepest desires and pushing you to act, even if you’d rather hold back.
Rather than resist it, use this period to deeply connect with your inner drives and motivations. What truly drives you?
There’s something profoundly important about your true wants and desires, and the Mars retrograde cycle will help you discover what fuels your passion and compels you to act.
Mars Retrograde In Leo-Cancer 2024-2025 Timeline
Before we dive into the details, let’s take a look at the transit’s timeline – when Mars goes retrograde, when it goes direct, when it leaves its shadow, and the key aspects it makes with other planets.
This particular Mars retrograde cycle is marked by the intense opposition to Pluto, which begins on November 3rd, 2024, and will only conclude by late April 2025.
October 5th, 2024: Mars enters shadow at 17° Cancer
November 3rd, 2024: Mars opposite Pluto at 29° Cancer/Capricorn
December 7th, 2024: Mars goes retrograde at 6° Leo
January 3rd, 2025: Mars opposite Pluto at 1° Leo/Aquarius
January 6th, 2025: Mars re-enters Cancer
January 15th, 2025: Mars opposite Sun
February 24th, 2025: Mars goes direct at 17° Cancer
April 27th, 2025: Mars opposite Pluto at 3° Leo/Aquarius
May 2d, 2025: Mars leaves shadow at 6° Leo
Pay attention to these dates and note any shifts, urges, breakthroughs, or events.
Usually, these phases are interconnected. There’s an overarching theme that typically begins when Mars enters shadow, becomes clearer when Mars goes retrograde, intensifies with key planetary aspects, starts finding resolution when Mars goes direct, and wraps up once Mars exits its shadow phase.
All these transits and phases tell a story – one that reveals itself gradually, one step at a time, like following a breadcrumb trail through the forest.
Mars and Pluto will be locked in opposition for a record 6 months. The first exact aspect happens on November 3rd, 2024, the second on January 3rd, 2025, and the final one on April 27th, 2025.
It’s Mars vs. Pluto.
Mars is our instinct to act, assert, and pursue what we desire. Mars wants to get its own way – directly, decisively, and often without compromise.
What about Pluto? Pluto is the higher octave of Mars, so if Mars is our personal will, Pluto is the collective will. Think of Pluto as nature, or the universe – it’s how everything is orchestrated on a grand scale.
At a psychological level, Pluto represents what’s hidden and unacknowledged, and because it’s hidden and unacknowledged, it holds power over us.
Our ‘unowned’ Pluto may manifest as a fear of being weak, disguised by a defensive or controlling attitude. Or it could be a fear of our own power, causing us to overcompensate by shrinking back or playing small.
Mars opposite Pluto means we have Mars (raw energy, the drive to assert oneself) vs. Pluto (power, control, and transformation). This dynamic often leads to a battle of wills, testing our boundaries, determination, and ability to navigate power struggles.
During a Mars-Pluto opposition, we attract – consciously or unconsciously – the “impossible situation.” The “impossible situation” is a scenario so dramatic and intense that it tests our relationship with power, control, and the world at large.
The “impossible situation” usually reflects a deeply unconscious dynamic from our childhood.
If we were to analyze most of our life choices – like the people we surround ourselves with, our relationship patterns, career paths, or belief systems – they often trace back to early childhood or parental influences.
These formative experiences become embedded in our psychological wiring, shaping how we think, feel, and act, and influencing the beliefs we carry and the outcomes we experience.
Perhaps the ‘impossible situation’ is an adult version of a deeply rooted childhood frustration – perhaps something as simple as being a baby and not being fed at the exact time you wanted to be.
Or it could stem from a parental dynamic, where one caregiver held all the ‘control’ while the other felt dominated, leaving you with a sense of powerlessness and limited options.
Until we fully understand what this impossible situation is rooted in, we tend to repeat it in different shapes and forms throughout our lives- again and again.
Given that this is Mars retrograde, and coupled with the intense Mars-Pluto opposition, this breakthrough will likely NOT come from simply doing some love-and-kindness meditation.
We will likely feel compelled to put up a fight, because Mars and Pluto represent forces of will and power, and the opposition aspect symbolizes conflict and tension.
The opposition aspect is our psyche’s way of surfacing unconscious conflicts by projecting them onto others or external situations.
Whatever triggers us – whatever makes us angry, whatever stirs up deep emotions—is a clue to what lies beneath the surface.
Perhaps it’s about not being seen for who you truly are. Not being validated or appreciated for your unique identity (Leo). Or maybe it’s about not being cared for emotionally, being overlooked, or constantly putting your own needs last (Cancer).
Ultimately, these emotions – whether pain, anger, or resentment – need to find a way to surface and release.
But this Mars retrograde is about much more than simply lashing out or making “listen to me” cries for attention.
With Mars opposite Pluto, this is not about ‘getting our way’ under the guise of self-expression or healing work.
The world isn’t a place where everyone’s needs are met all the time. It’s a place of conflicting and competing priorities, where we must learn to assert ourselves when needed, while also recognizing and adapting to larger forces beyond our control.
Mars retrograde opposite Pluto teaches us to find the fine line between standing our ground and learning to navigate the greater dynamics at play.
The goal? To learn how to swim with the tide rather than against it. To stay true to ourselves while understanding the power of surrender and adaptability in the face of larger forces.
Mars starts its retrograde journey in Leo (at 6°) and ends it in Cancer (at 17°).
Archetypally, Cancer represents the infant in need of nurturing and support, while Leo symbolizes the empowered child who has become an individual, no longer requiring constant supervision.
The 12 signs have a natural evolutionary succession. We move from Aries to Taurus, to Gemini, and so on.
A safe, well-cared-for child (Cancer) eventually grows into a confident and expressive Leo. When we come to terms with our vulnerability (Cancer), we naturally find the courage to reveal our true selves to the world (Leo).
This is the way archetypal evolution works; this is how individuation unfolds. However, when a planet is retrograde, it appears to move backwards (as seen from Earth). Archetypally, this represents a regression into the previous archetype. In this case, Mars ‘regresses’ from Leo to Cancer.
This suggests there are lessons to be learned around the transition from Cancer to Leo.
Behaviors like selfishness, arrogance, or standoffishness – traits associated with an overemphasized Leo – may actually stem from unresolved Cancer wounds, such as deep-seated insecurity, unmet emotional needs, or a lack of foundational nurturing
To truly shine your light (Leo), what foundations do you need in place? When we hesitate to go for what we want or feel uncomfortable stepping into our full potential (Leo), it’s often because we don’t feel safe or supported (Cancer).
Sometimes, this dynamic doesn’t just apply to how we treat ourselves – it shows up in how we interact with others. For example, when we put others down, it may come from unconscious envy or unresolved feelings of inadequacy.
Not having strong Cancerian foundations can create hidden vulnerabilities that sabotage us in ways we may not even recognize.
When Mars retrograde moves back into Cancer, it gives us an opportunity to revisit and address unresolved nurturing and caregiving dynamics.
This is an invitation to explore where we feel weak, overly dependent on others, or emotionally vulnerable – to go to the root of these patterns, and understand how they influence our lives.
Mars And The Hero’s Journey: The Hero vs. The Villain
Mars’ journey around the Sun is a metaphor for the Hero’s journey – the initiatic journey of self-discovery and character formation.
The Hero’s Journey is a narrative template developed by the mythologist Joseph Campbell to describe the universal path every hero takes in stories across cultures.
In fact, nearly all Hollywood blockbusters follow Campbell’s Hero’s Journey: the story begins when the hero is presented with a great challenge – “fight the dragon,” “save the princess,” etc.
Ultimately, the goal of this journey is transformation: to evolve from a prince into a king, or from a hero into a true guide.
Mars’ journey – or the Hero’s Journey – takes approximately two years and starts when Mars is conjunct the Sun (the last conjunction was November 18th, 2023).
Mars always goes retrograde at the midpoint of its cycle – and that’s where we are now. We’re essentially halfway through Mars’ two-year cycle. In the Hero’s Journey, this midpoint corresponds to the phase where the hero confronts the villain.
Fighting the villain is a necessary part of the hero’s process of individuation – the journey to becoming a whole, integrated self.
That’s why people tend to feel more “angry” or aggressive when Mars is retrograde. Facing the villain is no easy task!
But who is this villain? Your neighbor? Your boss? The state? Someone with a different opinion?
The villain is a metaphor for our shadow side – the unintegrated parts of our psyche that we disown and project onto others..
To successfully complete the journey, the inner villain must be embraced. When we learn to establish healthy relationships with others and see them for who they are – without projecting our shadow onto them – when we learn to accept differing points of view without anger or defensiveness, we achieve a sense of inner wholeness.
This is what the Hero’s Journey is ultimately about: integrating our shadow, finding peace within, and becoming a true guide for others.
Mars Retrograde Reflection
To align yourself with the energy of Mars retrograde, do this exercise:
Write down your intentions for this Mars retrograde. Don’t overthink the astrology – just write down whatever feels relevant to you at the moment, your key priorities:
……..
……..
……..
Now choose the most important one. Circle it.
……..
Now – pay attention to this – answer the following question: What fear hides behind this goal? This question might sound strange, but take your time. You don’t have to stick with your first answer. Dig deeper: Why did you choose this goal? What are you really afraid of?
You’ll know you’ve found the answer if it surprises you. If you still don’t have a satisfying answer, keep asking yourself: “What fear hides behind me choosing this goal?”
Here are some additional questions to reflect on during Mars retrograde:
Where am I meeting resistance, and why? What is it about my approach that isn’t working?
Which areas of my life need honest, decisive action?
How can I channel Mars’ energy to find solutions to long-standing problems?
What foundations or safety nets (Cancer) do I need to have in place to shine my light (Leo)?
What battle am I fighting? What am I really trying to achieve?
Ultimately, Mars retrograde invites you to face the hidden fears that drive your goals, recognize patterns of resistance in your life, and recalibrate your actions.
By the end of this transit, you’ll have a clearer understanding of where you’ve been holding back, where you’ve been pushing too hard, and what authentic, purposeful action looks like.
Lily Yeh calls herself a barefoot artist: she travels the world with a suitcase full of art supplies, working with whoever wants to join her. In an inspiring talk, she shares the fruits of her collaborative art projects that bring color, community and beauty to public spaces often seen as “broken.”
Simon Stimson takes the role of local deviant in Grover’s Corners. A troubled alcoholic, Stimson’s uncouth behavior and habits alarm Mrs. Gibbs and the other locals, who criticize Stimson. Stimson works as the choir director, and he shows up to the choir practice in the first act in an extremely inebriated state; the members of the choir lady criticize him in private (Wilder 39-41). Thus, Stimson’s behavior and people’s reactions to it showcase the almost predatory way in which residents of a small town go after the local who does not fit in, who disrupts the peace. Interestingly, Wilder designated a religious man as the deviant; in this, he explores the way that people, even members of the same faith, eagerly attack one another. Troubled Stimson eventually commits suicide (Wilder 91). After his death, Stimson, biting but insightful, says “That’s what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on the feelings of those . . . of those around you. To spend and waste time as though you had a million years” (Wilder 109). These words best sum up Stimson and his struggles, as after death he remembers well the pains of human life, especially of his own. Simon Stimson lived a dark existence in Our Town, but his recollection of the pain and blindness of life drive home an important point in the play, as he points out the ignorance and cruelty that many humans live with everyday.
New Thinking Allowed with Jeffrey Mishlove • Dec 4, 2024 The late Pierre Grimes, PhD, was a specialist in classical Greek philosophy. He was the founder of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association. He was also founder of the Noetic Society in the Los Angeles area. He is author of Philosophical Midwifery: A New Paradigm for Understanding Human Problems, Socrates and Jesus: A Dialogue in Heaven, and Unblocking: Removing Blocks to Understanding. He was also a decorated veteran of the second world war. In this interview, rebooted from 2018, he points out that the authors of the Christian Gospels wrote in Greek and were influenced by the Hellenic intellectual culture. He suggests that a strict translation from the original Greek texts would reveal that they shared the pure mysticism of Plato and his emphasis on knowledge of the Self. He points out that one cannot find this in the writings of Paul and, in fact, Pauline theology is distinctly anti-Hellenic. He also discusses his thinking on the similarities between Socrates and Jesus. New Thinking Allowed host, Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD, is author of The Roots of Consciousness, Psi Development Systems, and The PK Man. Between 1986 and 2002 he hosted and co-produced the original Thinking Allowed public television series. He is the recipient of the only doctoral diploma in “parapsychology” ever awarded by an accredited university (University of California, Berkeley, 1980). He is also the Grand Prize winner of the 2021 Bigelow Institute essay competition regarding the best evidence for survival of human consciousness after permanent bodily death. He is Co-Director of Parapsychology Education at the California Institute for Human Science. (Recorded on September 10, 2018)
People hold signs that read “Insurrection Yoon Suk-yeol step down!” as they take part in a candlelight vigil to protest against South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul, South Korea, on December 4, 2024.PHILIP FONG / AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
December 5, 2024 (info@prospect.org)
Meyerson on TAP
South Koreans Are Committed to Democracy. Our Own Republicans, Not So Much.
That nation’s legislators overturned their president’s attempt to seize power. Our Republicans played along with Trump’s.
As of this writing, Donald Trump, from what I’ve seen, hasn’t tweeted or commented about South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol’s out-of-the-blue declaration of martial law, or the unanimous vote in that country’s National Assembly to oppose it, Yoon’s withdrawal of his declaration, and now, his impending impeachment. Trump has often displayed his own proclivities toward tin-pot dictatorship with his fanboy appreciations of other countries’ autocrats (Putin, Xi, Orbán). So far, though, he’s somehow managed to restrain himself from gushing over Yoon’s power grab. Whether that’s because Yoon quickly backed off is not yet clear.
But one thing that is clear beyond all doubt is that Korea’s National Assembly members have a fundamental appreciation of democracy that is utterly lacking in our own Republicans. Korea’s legislators voted, one and all, to reject Yoon’s power grab; some of them reportedly climbed though the Assembly’s windows, when the army had blocked the building’s doors, so they could get to the floor and cast their votes. No such commitments to democracy and the rule of law were evident among the Republicans who voted to reject the Electoral College tallies from Arizona and Pennsylvania on January 6th, or who subsequently voted against impeaching and convicting Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Yoon, by contrast, is now sure to be tossed out of office by the Assembly for his attempt to seize power.
Today, some Republican senators appear opposed to allowing Trump to make recess appointments to high government posts, as that would effectively strip them of their hard-won power. Similar thoughts doubtless informed the members of South Korea’s National Assembly. But January 6th was not only a direct assault, but also a physical assault on Congress and its powers, and the Republicans let it pass.
As David French has outlined in The New York Times, our Constitution does not directly give the president the power to invoke martial law, but it does give him the power to authorize the Army to repel an invasion (which is how Trump and his fellow Republicans characterize undocumented immigrants’ border crossings), while the 1792 Insurrection Act authorizes the president to send in the troops to suppress “any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination or conspiracy.” This would not be cause for worry but for the fact that Trump and his MAGAnauts see and define “conspiracies” much as they see and define “invasion,” to mean any impediment to their agenda and rule.
Would congressional Republicans object to such purely political deployments of our armed forces? Well, they didn’t object, in sufficient numbers, to Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, or even his summoning a mob to attack them.
How to account for the greater appreciation that South Korean legislators and the South Korean public show toward democratic norms and constitutional order than that shown by today’s Republicans? Clearly, Yoon is nowhere near as skilled a demagogue as Trump. And I confess I have no idea whether Rupert Murdoch or somebody like him has a “news” outlet in Seoul, or whether South Korean talk radio and social media are befouled by the kind of fetid falsehoods that dominate ours.
That said, how about we trade our congressional Republicans for South Korea’s National Assembly members? Those Koreans have a commitment to democracy that our Republicans palpably and dangerously lack.
SEATTLE—Saying the amenity was meant to ease any inconvenience caused by the disruption to his daily routine, Harborview Medical Center officials explained Thursday that they were sending area man Alex Leahy home with a loaner dad while his biological father was being worked on. “This one’s seen better days, but he’s super dependable and should give you all the love and support you need until your regular dad is all fixed up and back to normal,” said Harborview representative Grace Carter, guiding Leahy through the various features of the loaner father chosen from a fleet of temporary parents kept on-hand at the hospital for patients eligible to take advantage of the perk. “We do have some newer models and some that are more sporty, but this dad right here will give you the most bang for your buck. With this model, you get a decent amount of conversation and support—no hugs, but that’s mostly the case with the flashier new models anyway. For what it’s worth, this one has a great stereo. I know he’s a little dinged up, but at least there’s no smoke pouring out.” Reached for comment, Leahy confided to reporters that the hospital’s loaner dad was actually nicer than the one he normally used.
Translation is a 5-step process of “straight thinking in te abstract” comparing and contrasting what you think is the truth with what you can syllogistically, axiomatically and mathematically (using word equations) prove is the truth.
The claims in a Translation may seem outrageous, but they are always (or should always be) based on self-evident syllogistic reasoning. Here is one Translation from this week.
1) Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore Truth is all that is. Truth being all is therefore total, therefore whole, therefore complete, therefore full, therefore one, therefore infinite. I think therefore I am. Since I am and since Truth is all that is. Therefore I, being, am Truth. Since I, being, am Truth, therefore I, being, have all the attributes of Truth. Therefore I, being, am total, whole, complete, full, one, infinite. Since I am mind (self-evident) and since I, being, am Truth, therefore Truth is Mind/Consciousness. (Two things being equal to a third thing are equal to each other.)
2) Making a decision without all the facts can be disastrous.
Word-tracking: decide: to cut, to choose, to bring something to an end, to come to a verdict verdict: true speech fact: to make, to do, deed, true, indeed (in fact) disaster: unlucky star, ill-starred, ill-fated, failure, causing serious loss, destruction, hardship, unhappiness, or death hardship: difficulty, suffering
3) Truth being whole, complete and perfect cannot at the same time suffer or endure hardship, therefore Truth is effortless health (wholeness) in body, spirit and mind. Truth being true and fact being true, therefore Truth is Fact. Truth being Fact and Truth being Mind, therefore Mind is Fact. Truth being all that is and Truth being Fact, there can no such thing as not having all the facts, therefore Truth is always in possession of Itself (all the facts) To decide implies a choice and since Truth is one, ergo, the only choice, therefore the verdict (true saying) is always Truth.
4) Truth is effortless health (wholeness) in body, spirit and mind. Truth is Fact. Mind is Fact. Truth is always in possession of Itself (all the facts) The verdict (true saying) is always Truth.
5) The verdict is always wholeness in body, spirit and mind.
