Things are slow and intense as action planet Mars moves retrograde into dark, mysterious Scorpio on May 27, 2016.

Mars is actually very much at home in Scorpio. According to traditional Astrology, Mars is the ruler, or key planet, of Scorpio (and Aries, too). It shares an affinity with this sign, so it can work very efficiently here.

Scorpio is about getting to the bottom of things so that they can be completely transformed, and warrior Mars is made to stimulate and provoke change.

There’s intensity and passion during this cycle — it’s quite a sexy transit, in fact. Mars and Scorpio share a strong relationship with sexuality that can raise like to lust and transform nice into naughty!

When Mars is in Scorpio, attitudes and actions become intense, powerful, willful and transforming. People can be aggressive, controlling and possessive, but they’re also capable of great endurance.

This tenaciousness is common with action-oriented Mars in this fixed sign. The positive to that is the ability to persevere and work through difficult challenges. In fact, it’s been said that Mars in Scorpio doesn’t like doing things the easy way. Resistance (to a degree) is just another obstacle to test Mars’ power here.

The downside is that fiery Mars in watery Scorpio can express energy as unrelenting aggressiveness or anger. This can be either overt or hidden, but it will prolong conflicts and be destructive to relationships.

The trick here is aiming carefully when selecting which walls you want to tear down. Taking on projects that require passion and intensity helps to direct Mars in Scorpio energy constructively.