Mars retrograde 2027: from Virgo back into Leo
In 2027, Mars is retrograde once: 10 January to 1 April.
Today Mars is direct. Its next retrograde starts on 10 January, in 90 days.
Exact dates
10 January – 1 April 2027 · 81 days
Signs: Virgo → Leo
Stations retrograde at 10°26′ Virgo, direct at 20°55′ Leo
Backs into Leo on 21 February
Pre-shadow from 5 November 2026, post-shadow to 8 June · 215 days in all
Dates are Universal Time (UT). A station close to midnight can fall on the previous day in the Americas and on the next day in Europe.
What Mars retrograde brings in 2027
Mars is your drive: how you go after things, how you compete and how you handle anger. When it turns retrograde, effort stops paying off at the usual rate, and pushing harder rarely helps. The better use of these weeks is to check where your energy goes and to rework the plan before you force it. This is the only Mars retrograde between February 2025 and February 2029, so it carries more weight than its length suggests.
The two signs give the cycle two halves. While Mars is in Virgo, the review is practical: how you work, what your methods cost you and where details slip. Once it backs into Leo, the questions turn personal: whose ambition you are serving, and whether you still want the credit you have been chasing. Arguments that cool down in January may return in March in the same words; settle them on substance rather than pride.
How Mars retrograde 2027 affects each sign
Read your Sun sign and your rising sign. The signs this retrograde touches most directly come first.
Virgo
In your sign
Virgo
In your signThe slowdown is personal: Mars turns back in your sign on 10 January and tests your stamina and patience until 21 February. After that, until 1 April, it asks for rest and honest reflection. Carry fewer projects at once.
Leo
In your sign
Leo
In your signMars ends this retrograde in your sign, a strong contact for you. From 10 January, go slower with income and spending; from 21 February to 1 April, your drive and temper need a reset. Lead by example, not force.
Pisces
In your opposite sign
Pisces
In your opposite signA partner's demands and your own pace collide when Mars stations in Virgo, opposite you, on 10 January. Until 21 February closeness needs honest talk; until 1 April, your workload does. Echoes may last until 8 June. Share the load.
Aquarius
In your opposite sign
Aquarius
In your opposite signOld friction with partners resurfaces once Mars backs into Leo, your opposite sign, on 21 February, and it stays strong until 1 April. Earlier, from 10 January, shared money and trust need rebalancing. Split effort fairly; cool arguments early.
Sagittarius
Square to your sign
Sagittarius
Square to your signPublic goals feel pressure first, since Mars turns back in Virgo, square your sign, on 10 January. Until 21 February your work direction needs rethinking; until 1 April, study, travel and firm opinions do. Change the route, keep the destination.
Gemini
Square to your sign
Gemini
Square to your signHome takes the heaviest wave, because Mars backs up in Virgo, square your sign. From 10 January to 21 February family tension asks for patience; until 1 April, talks with siblings need a cooler tone. Listen more than you argue.
Scorpio
Square to your sign
Scorpio
Square to your signCareer carries the most pressure: after 21 February Mars backs into Leo, square your sign, and questions your ambitions until 1 April. From 10 January friendships and long-term goals set the stage. Adjust the plan before pushing for more.
Taurus
Square to your sign
Taurus
Square to your signMars slows pleasure first, then turns the pressure toward home. From 10 January romance and creative plans lose speed; after 21 February family ties feel the push, and harder, until 1 April. Choose calm over being right.
Libra
A lighter touch
Libra
A lighter touchQuiet effort and group goals are where Mars slows you, a gentler contact than most. From 10 January rest restores more than hurry; from 21 February to 1 April a shared plan with friends needs rebuilding. Let others lead.
Capricorn
A lighter touch
Capricorn
A lighter touchYour convictions, then your closest bonds, get reworked. From 10 January study plans and travel lose pace; from 21 February to 1 April joint finances and intimacy ask for patience. Renegotiate one thing at a time, calmly.
Aries
A lighter touch
Aries
A lighter touchYour ruling planet turns back on 10 January, so drive itself changes gear. Until 21 February your work pace and health habits need rebuilding; then, until 1 April, romance and creative projects slow down. Pace yourself instead of pushing.
Cancer
A lighter touch
Cancer
A lighter touchWords and earnings absorb the friction, more lightly than for most signs. Between 10 January and 21 February a sharp reply costs more than it wins; from then until 1 April, the way you earn needs a new plan.
The shadow: from November to June
The retrograde sits inside a much longer arc. The pre-shadow begins in November 2026 and the post-shadow ends in June 2027, and together the shadows take up nearly two-thirds of the whole cycle. Inside that arc Mars crosses the same stretch of Leo and Virgo three times. Whatever starts to feel stuck in late 2026 is usually what this retrograde asks you to rebuild.
What to do and what to avoid
Communication and tech
Do: Raise conflicts early and calmly
Avoid: Reopening an old argument to win it this time
Contracts and money
Do: Cut spending on plans that have stalled
Avoid: Making big purchases in a rush
Work
Do: Rework your methods before you add effort
Avoid: Forcing a launch before the station direct
Relationships
Do: Share the load fairly with the people close to you
Avoid: Pushing a partner for quick decisions
See which part of your life Mars retrograde touches in your free birth chart, or compare two charts with synastry.
Where to go from here
Questions about Mars retrograde 2027
When is Mars retrograde in 2027?
10 January to 1 April: a single window, from 10°26′ Virgo back to 20°55′ Leo. Mars does not turn retrograde again until 2029.
What is the Mars retrograde shadow period in 2027?
It runs from 5 November 2026 to 8 June. The pre-shadow starts when Mars first reaches the degree where it will turn direct, and the post-shadow ends when it climbs back to the degree where it turned retrograde. Themes that begin in November 2026 belong to this cycle.
Which signs does Mars retrograde through in 2027?
Virgo first, then Leo from 21 February. Virgo holds the first 42 days and puts your methods under review; Leo holds the last 39 and turns the review to pride, credit and what you really want.
How long is Mars retrograde in 2027?
81 days, about eleven and a half weeks. That is typical for Mars and nearly four times the length of a Mercury retrograde.
When is the next Mars retrograde after 2027?
14 February to 5 May 2029, from Libra back into Virgo. In 2028 Mars moves forward all year.
Dates recalculated 23 September 2026