How Mars in Leo 2025 Will Affect Each Zodiac Sign (& Restart Your Engines)

Sound the alarm. Drop everything. Call everyone. After a months-long pause in Cancer, Mars is finally moving into Leo. You might be wondering why this is a big deal, and we’ll tell you. But first, in order to harness the power of this transit, make sure you read on to find out how Mars in Leo 2025 will affect your zodiac sign.

Here’s the thing—Mars typically changes signs every 6 to 7 weeks. But this time around, Mars has been in Cancer since January 6—and before that it was in Cancer for a month starting September 4. How is this possible? A Mars retrograde, my friends. 

Unlike Mercury retrograde, which occurs about three or four times a year, Mars retrograde only occurs every two years. While it’s much less frequent, this also means that we’ll feel the effects of a Mars retrograde much more deeply when it does hit. And even though Mars technically isn’t retrograde anymore, it’s still been hovering around Cancer since it entered the sign in September. That’s a lot of Cancer energy—a sign in which Mars does not feel comfortable.

So, if you’ve felt “off” since the beginning of the year, it’s not you. There have been many unique things happening astrologically (e.g. eclipses, Mercury retrograde, Venus retrograde)—occurring concurrently—and this Mars transit is one of them. 

Here’s the breakdown of dates:

• September 4, 2024: Mars entered Cancer
• November 4, 2024: Mars entered Leo
• December 6, 2024: Mars retrograde began
• January 6, 2025: Mars retrogrades back into Cancer
• February 24, 2025: Mars turns direct
• April 18, 2025: Mars finally leaves Cancer and enters Leo

First and foremost, Mars represents our energy. It’s about drive, ambition, passion, desire, sex/lust, and motivation. When Mars is in a sign that it draws power from (like Aries, Scorpio, or Capricorn), your excitement for life will be at an all-time high. When Mars is in Cancer, it’s in what astrologers call its “fall,” which means that the planet struggles to operate fully. It can still operate, but just not as well. So, unfortunately, because Mars was retrograde in a sign of fall, it adds even more stagnancy, debilitation, and insecurity during the retrograde—and even once it’s direct. 

However, finally, we’re at the end of the chapter. Mars will enter Leo on April 18 at 12:21 a.m. ET, and we’ll all be feeling much more excited, galvanized, and powerful. With Mars in a fire sign (one ruled by another “hot” planet, the sun), it is incredibly excitable. Mars often affects relationships, as it represents the sex drive, so Mars in Leo will provide us with the confidence to take those next steps in a relationship even if we’re a little nervous. In terms of drive and ambition, Leo is one of the most optimistic signs in the zodiac, so we’ll feel supercharged with possibility as opposed to probability. This might encourage everyone to be the warrior of their own lives: taking more risks, putting themselves out there, and shining bright in the face of possible rejection.

On April 19, Mars will form a trine with Neptune—planet of illusion and fantasy—which sends your imagination sky-high with possibilities. But the very first moment Mars will make waves in the sky will be on April 27, the day of the Taurus new moon. This new moon will be making a square to Mars in Leo, which has an air of deluded confidence. Leo can get a little ahead of themselves. Just make sure whatever you’re starting that day has the legs to stand for the long-term. On June 10, Mars makes a trine to Chiron (the healing asteroid), which gives everyone the strength to tap into their inner child. And finally, on June 17, Mars will move into Virgo.

How Mars in Leo will affect each zodiac sign

After months, now that Mars is finally moving into a new sign, that means it’s moving into a new part of your chart as well. Here’s how Mars in Leo will affect your zodiac sign. Make sure to read for both your rising sign and/or your sun sign for the most accurate predictions.