Astro4Business Intersections

Anonymous Flammarion woodcut (1888). (Source:Wikimedia Commons)

Hello, everyone.

I’m so excited!  I let you all know in this blog that I’d love to receive your questions to answer in these posts, and the questions are coming in!  Fantastic!  I think this can be an excellent forum for all of us interested in the astrology of business.

In my commitment to answer your questions anonymously, I will paraphrase this inquiry.  It is from a business owner about an employee, and who knows, maybe the employee is a reader too. 

The question is regarding Mars retrograde, and whether this is a good time to end or re-arrange the employment of a key person in her business.  She wonders whether she should address these issues now, expecting that when she does, the employee will either leave or there will be a major change in her role.  She says, “Either way, it will change, marking a new beginning in its own way.”

Thorny Cycles

I really like this question because it points out a thorny issue with cycles:  every ending is the first day of something new.  It’s like the commencement ceremonies at the end of high school.  Commencement means beginning, but it certainly felt like an ending, didn’t it?  Now we know, it was both.

Let’s take another look at the quote from Karen Hamaker-Zondag that we noted in our last post:

If we wish to undertake a really important activity, then a retrograde Mars should be seen as an unmistakable warning of difficulties, certainly when the chart is for the commencement itself.  What retrograde Mars is saying is, “Finish what you are already doing, and begin nothing new until I turn direct.”

As this quote makes clear, if we are commencing an activity, then it’s best to wait.  If we are finishing something we have been doing, then a retrograde Mars is the right timing.  In this case, our questioner will have to decide whether she has been having ongoing discussions about the issue with this person and this meeting is simply finishing what has been started.  Or is it a new conversation? 

Did I miss something?

But let’s look a little deeper.  We’ve discussed how retrograde motion is like a hiker who covers a certain portion of the trail, then turns around and retraces her steps, then reaches a certain point and heads forward again.  We said possibly she missed something, that she had to backtrack to discover something about the situation she didn’t take proper note of the first time.

In my post, Fours Ways to Benefit from Mars retrograde, I noted,

In the chart of a business, Mars represents operations, productivity, and the skills of the second tier of leadership.  These may falter over the next couple of months.  The line managers and supervisors you’ve come to rely upon may experience a setback and productivity may fall.  This is in the natural order and serves the same purpose as above:  are you on the right track with your staff?  Are your expectations for productivity reasonable?  Are people working on the right projects, tackling the important assignments?

Mars indicates the second tier in a business.  Since this question concerns her second-in-command, I’d like to see her let the Mars retrograde period complete before she takes this step. She’s retracing her steps now, and so is her employee.  There might be something more that needs to come to light.

All in all, I’d suggest that she wait if she can.  As she astutely pointed out, letting someone go or revamping their job description is a new beginning, for her, for her business, and for the employee.  So I’d say to give it more time, to let the retrograde motion do its work to reveal all the facets of the situation.  When Mars turns direct, she can take the action she needs to take, with the confidence that all of the factors are clear.

Don’t forget. If you have an astrology-related business question (or a business-related astrology question) send it to me at ellen@astro4business.com. I’ll answer it in these posts, anonymously of course, and we can all learn from each other’s experiences. I look forward to it! Got a question now? Email it and let’s get started!