RaptInReverie
Well-known member
Mars, the Bringer of War: What It Means In Your Chart
By: RaptInReverie
This is a spin-off from a conversation between me and astrologer50 in another thread. Basically we had a small disagreement about the function of Mars in a natal chart. In this thread I will further expound upon my personal ideas of what Mars represents.
For starters, my background in occult studies encompasses planetary magick, and my views of the planets are heavily influenced by the ancient archetypes of the seven classical “planets“: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (Of course the Sun and the Moon are not technically planets).
I view these seven energies as not only mythological characters, but facets of the human psyche. When we examine mythology, we are also examining psychology and astrology. Furthermore, by meditating on the literature, art, and music inspired by these archetypes, we can develop a better understanding of their natures and their roles in our natal chart. For example, I listen to Holst’s The Planets Suite while visualizing these archetypes.
In regards to the planet Mars, I have come to the conclusion that its true attributes are wrongfully considered by many to be “negative”, so astrologers water them down to make them more palatable for their querents. But this misunderstanding arises only when one fails to realize the bigger picture. No planets are ‘good” or “bad”. They all balance each other out, creating an equilibrium in the personality.
Mars represents drive, action, energy, passion, courage, force, aggression, survival, desire, competition, pursuit, ambition, strength, courage, anger, domination, ruthlessness, combativeness, physicality, and human nature (as in fight or flight). I firmly hold to these archetypes because they were gathered from my own meditation on the Martian energy and not from a book by another astrologer.
Astrologer50 disagreed with a lot of my ideas of what Mars represents. She stated that aggression and the other seemingly “negative” attributes were only products of squares and other hard aspects to Mars. She believes that under the influence of soft aspects, Mars emits energy in a more harmonious fashion.
This is where I disagree with her; there is nothing “harmonious” about Mars! Mars’ role is to provoke us to action, to protect us, and to keep us alive. Its job is not to be nice, polite, fluffy, and peaceful--we have Venus for that. Mars is about getting to the goal and bulldozing ANY obstacles in our path. Mars is where we release our frustrations. Mars is our military force!
To put this into better perspective, I will use myself as an example: My Moon is in Pisces--a rather sensitive and delicate placement. Without my Mars in Gemini, I would be a lamb headed for slaughter everyday when I left the house. I NEED that warlike aggression to protect my delicate Piscean Moon, otherwise I’d be victimized my whole life. When we sugarcoat and suppress our Martian tendencies, we become unbalanced. Even in “harmonious” aspects our Mars must serve to preserve our beauty and delicacy. Roses have thorns; Natal charts have Mars’.
By: RaptInReverie
This is a spin-off from a conversation between me and astrologer50 in another thread. Basically we had a small disagreement about the function of Mars in a natal chart. In this thread I will further expound upon my personal ideas of what Mars represents.
For starters, my background in occult studies encompasses planetary magick, and my views of the planets are heavily influenced by the ancient archetypes of the seven classical “planets“: Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn (Of course the Sun and the Moon are not technically planets).
I view these seven energies as not only mythological characters, but facets of the human psyche. When we examine mythology, we are also examining psychology and astrology. Furthermore, by meditating on the literature, art, and music inspired by these archetypes, we can develop a better understanding of their natures and their roles in our natal chart. For example, I listen to Holst’s The Planets Suite while visualizing these archetypes.
In regards to the planet Mars, I have come to the conclusion that its true attributes are wrongfully considered by many to be “negative”, so astrologers water them down to make them more palatable for their querents. But this misunderstanding arises only when one fails to realize the bigger picture. No planets are ‘good” or “bad”. They all balance each other out, creating an equilibrium in the personality.
Mars represents drive, action, energy, passion, courage, force, aggression, survival, desire, competition, pursuit, ambition, strength, courage, anger, domination, ruthlessness, combativeness, physicality, and human nature (as in fight or flight). I firmly hold to these archetypes because they were gathered from my own meditation on the Martian energy and not from a book by another astrologer.
Astrologer50 disagreed with a lot of my ideas of what Mars represents. She stated that aggression and the other seemingly “negative” attributes were only products of squares and other hard aspects to Mars. She believes that under the influence of soft aspects, Mars emits energy in a more harmonious fashion.
This is where I disagree with her; there is nothing “harmonious” about Mars! Mars’ role is to provoke us to action, to protect us, and to keep us alive. Its job is not to be nice, polite, fluffy, and peaceful--we have Venus for that. Mars is about getting to the goal and bulldozing ANY obstacles in our path. Mars is where we release our frustrations. Mars is our military force!
To put this into better perspective, I will use myself as an example: My Moon is in Pisces--a rather sensitive and delicate placement. Without my Mars in Gemini, I would be a lamb headed for slaughter everyday when I left the house. I NEED that warlike aggression to protect my delicate Piscean Moon, otherwise I’d be victimized my whole life. When we sugarcoat and suppress our Martian tendencies, we become unbalanced. Even in “harmonious” aspects our Mars must serve to preserve our beauty and delicacy. Roses have thorns; Natal charts have Mars’.
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