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Mars in Astrology
"Mars is cruel, has blood red eyes, is ill mannered, yet
generous, is bilious (pitta) in constitution, is
prone to anger and possesses a thin waist and
body." Parashari 3.25
Mars is the great planet of energy. As Venus governs our
affections, our emotional and vital
impressionability, Mars relates to our passions,
our emotional and vital capacity for
self-projection. We could say that Venus governs
our incoming emotions, our capacity to receive
emotion; Mars rules our outgoing emotions, our
capacity to project emotion. Mars is the male
and Venus is the female. They are the positive
and negative, the active and passive sides of
our feeling.
Venus is emotional sensitivity, which can become refinement.
Mars is the planet of emotional excitability,
which can become violence. Thus, generally,
Venus is the benefic and Mars is the malefic
side of the emotions. Whereas the Sun and Moon
represent our masculine and feminine natures
generally, Mars and Venus do so specifically.
They are planets of sexuality and the
relationship between the sexes can be read
through them, whereas the luminaries have a
parental influence, from a more general male and
female nature.
When the influence of Mars and Venus combines, particularly
in fixed signs, the sexual drive can become very
strong and may dominate the nature. Mars is the
planet of power, strength, courage, aggression,
which measures our ability to project force in
life. On the positive side, a strong Mars is
necessary to give us the energy, independence,
will and self- confidence to carry out our
endeavors--qualities it shares with the Sun.
Without it we have no real interests, passions,
motivations, determination, no real intensity or
ability to carry anything out to the end and
really accomplish it.
On the negative side, this same aggression brings about
competition, argument, conflict--and when not
checked by other factors, causes domination,
control, violence and injury, a placing of our
own personal will- to-power over the good of
life. As such, Mars has always been well known
as the great God of War. He can make a person
militaristic or violent, turn them into a
soldier or general, even a criminal if more
malefically disposed. He can cause us to inflict
death on others. He can also, if he afflicts the
factors representing the self in the chart (like
the Ascendant and its ruler) bring violence,
injury and accident upon ourselves. He can cause
our death.
The malefic nature of Mars is well known in most instances of
violent death, whether accidental or
intentional. Mars also can indicate premature
death in a chart, as with the loss of the
partner (particularly the loss of the husband
for the wife, widowhood). He is the general
significator for injury, accident, conflict and
enmity. Mars creates misunderstandings,
arguments, litigation. In this regard Mars is
the selfish will that does not take into account
the views and needs of others. In a more
positive light, these difficulties come about
because Mars insists upon greater independence,
differentiation and clarity of views. He makes
us more certain who we are and who our friends
are. He causes discontent and seeking until we
discover the real source of power within us.
Mars is the significator of brothers, friends and alliances.
These include any association of common interest
to achieve a common goal. In a lower sense, it
is the alliance of soldiers (or lower yet,
thieves). But that Mars energy of working
together in discipline to achieve a common aim
is necessary for any common endeavor. Mars is
the leader or the central energy of
determination, upon which the right organization
of forces depends. All energy requires a focus
for its proper application. Mars gives us this
direction.
Mars indicates arms and muscles and gives physical prowess. A
good Mars is necessary for physical strength and
athletic performance. He gives sexual vitality
to the male. A weak Mars can cause impotence
lack of manly characteristics.
Next >> Mars in Astrology PART 2 |
