Fire planet Mars moves into fire sign Leo this month on October 16, 2009. It remains in Leo until June 7, 2010. That’s a long time, almost 8 months. Mars usually remains in a sign for about 6 weeks, but approximately every two years retrograde motion means it stays in a single sign for longer than usual.

We haven’t had Mars spend a long time in a fire sign since 2001, when it spent almost 7 months in Sagittarius, starting in February of that year. During the rest of the decade, we’ve seen Mars retrograde in water signs and the earth sign of Taurus.

So…what will a double dose of fire energy to mean to us? I’m going to a put positive spin on this transit, because I’m hoping/thinking that having Mars in a fire sign like Leo will help us out. For one thing, Mars in Leo is in a nice sextile by sign to Saturn in Libra until April. In April, Saturn retrogrades back into Virgo.

Saturn in Libra has a tendency to reveal problems in relationships, but Leo is such a warm-hearted sign that the sextile with Saturn has the possibility of showing us all a way out of our difficulties. It makes harmony and sympathy a bit more realistic as a way of negotiating through our conflicts. Now admittedly, it is possible that Mars in Leo will turn some susceptible folks into raging egomaniacs. Double fire can do that. But Saturn will hopefully help put a bit of a damper on that tendency as well.

What does the Mars/Saturn sextile mean for each of the signs? Read on for some possibilities.These are based on sun signs, but if you know your natal chart, you can look at the forecasts for your rising sign as well. For more articles on Mars and keywords for the houses, you can check out my other site: Practical Astrology.

Libra: Mars in Leo will be in your house of friendships, groups, and how you relate to society in general. This is generally a good mood place to host Mars since it tends to increase the pace of your social life, something Libra usually likes. It is good for getting involved in various activities that show off your outgoing and maybe even humanitarian side. It’s a good antidote to Saturn in your sign because Saturn sometimes takes things too seriously. Mars in Leo should help remind you of the importance of having fun, too.

Scorpio: Mars in Leo is going to be in your 10th house of career and of everything else that helps build your reputation, makes you stand out, or puts you in a more visible position. Mars here gives you an opportunity to put your best foot forward, impress people, and light a fire under your career ambitions. The combination with Saturn indicates that to do this, you may need to work quite hard and even give up some socializing that you might normally like to do. Your chart overall is heading into a period where work becomes quite important. Part of that may mean making sure that your relationships are conducted in a business-like manner, that boundaries are set, and that you don’t become emotionally involved with people you work with.

Sagittarius: Mars in Leo will be in the part of your chart that pursues Truth. Seemingly, Mars will pursue such Truth with vigor and enthusiasm. Hopefully, it will also pursue it with a bit more sympathy and generosity than Sagittarius on its own sometimes does. In other words, Mars in Leo can help you put your best self forward: your big-hearted self. There are a couple of possibilities for the Mars/Saturn combination. One is that you’ll have a chance to sort of reconcile yourself to society at large. Sagittarius often wants to be critical of society for fairly understandable reasons; there are always a lot of things wrong with it. Mars in Leo may remind you to use sympathy as well as moral indignation when you assess the excessively interesting times we live in. The other possibility is that Mars in Leo will give you a chance to work through some issues with your friends. There may be some substantial differences in philosophy to be worked out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t all agree to like and appreciate each other in spite of the differences.

Capricorn: Mars in Leo will spend its 8 months in your rather mysterious 8th house. The 8th house can refer to two rather different kinds of things. One is joint finances, debts, bankruptcy, inheritances, settlements and all other kinds of non-ordinary financial matters. The other is wounds, regeneration, and healing. In either case, Mars in Leo suggests that taking an open-hearted approach to such matters is your best bet. The combination with Saturn indicates that conflicts can arise in your marriage around your work schedule (give your spouse the benefit of the doubt if you want to keep your sex life intact). Alternatively, if you employ people, stresses may arise around the financial condition of your company.  Or  you may need to be on the lookout for employees who could cause you financial losses. Because the 8th house covers such an incredible array of potentials, there are lots of other things that could arise that are nothing like these two possibilities. If there’s an underlying theme, it would be the importance of conflict resolution and taking care not to let hurt feelings get in the way of sensible solutions to life’s problems.

Aquarius: Mars in Leo will be in your 7th house of other people. This is traditionally not considered to be the best place to host Mars because the fire planet’s combative nature can erupt into open hostilities in this sensitive spot in the chart. You will probably be called upon to exercise a lot of your Aquarian and Neptune-influenced sympathy for others during this time period. Fortunately, Saturn provides a way out of any hostilities. You can use his level-headed approach to figuring out why other people seem to have their undies in such a bunch, which could be useful for all concerned. Your sign is so objective by nature that as long as you take care with other people’s feelings, the transit could be tailor-made for you.

Pisces: Mars in Leo will be in your 6th house of employment. Theoretically, Mars here keeps you busy and calls upon you to exercise patience with colleagues, co-workers, and subordinates. People around you may be a bit more emotional than you’d like. The combination with Saturn suggests that you’ll need to balance relationships and getting the work done. You’ll need to be organized and stay on top of things, something your sign doesn’t always have all that much enthusiasm for. Still, this can be a very productive period for you if you don’t let yourself get caught up in other people’s dramas.