Mars in Aquarius

There seem to be no threads on this, and I've never met anyone else that has this except for me.

Is anyone good friends / in a relationship with Mars in Aquarius? What are their energy levels like? Are they aggressive? Everyone talks about Venus in Aquarius being very disruptive in relationships but no one really talks about Mars here. Mars isn't naturally at home in an air sign. What kind of friendships do they have?

I don't think it's easy for Mars in Aquarius to maximise its potential.

Below is how my Mars in Aquarius works:

Feelings

I have an Aqua Mars square a Scorpio sun. I can never tell if my feelings are so intense that they are buried deep down or if I am cold and heartless. That feeling of being absolutely still, and not really knowing what is below the surface. People have called me dignified before (!) They sense that I am detachedly warm and keep my calm. They don't know the above though!

Personality

My Mars can be a bit eccentric - informal, messy, ideas-based, rebellious, off-the-wall. I stand out - I never fit in. So many people tell me I'm unique. I can give the impression of not caring what other people think. I make bizarre links between things and have very diverse interests.

Energy levels / drive

My energy levels are highly erratic and unpredictable. My reflexes, reactions and my balance are very good. I can do high intensity in a flash. But I have no stamina or endurance at all. I'm very poor at that. I am good at throwing curveballs at people when I am being defensive.

Friendships

I used to have multiple friendship groups because no one set of people could satisfy all of my interests. Now I have lots of friends who don't really know each other because they're too different from each other to get along. I've never really had close close friends. Multiple friendships all juggled along to keep me entertained. But I think I kept my inner layers very secretive. The only people I've ever really opened up to aspect my Scorpio Venus, and never my Aqua Mars.

Hello fellow Martian in Aquarius!
I'm so glad you started this thread. With the help of a few really sharp people on this site I've been exploring my chart recently and they've been pushing me to see far more in it than I ever have before. My Mars position is something that I'd like to know more about. It's part of a configuration I haven't looked at closely in the past but am beginning to think it's actually really telling... It's a small triangle - a trine and a square, all (basically) on the 7th degree of three signs: Neptune in Sag, a Mars/Jupiter conjuction in Aquarius and my Moon in Aries. (The rest of my stuff in Aries is probably in there as well.)
So of course my Mars in Aquarius will be different than yours because of the overall make-up of our charts. (Which house is your Mars in? What's aspecting it?) But in general, here's some observations about myself that I think relate:
Again, I've a lot of Aries energy (not as much as the Ram, if I remember his chart correctly from other posts...) and I'm increasingly clear about just how Aries I am. I'm a fighter - but decidedly not martial in a traditional sense. In fact, I'm insistently nonviolent and would probably be considered a certain form of pacifist. And I'm decidedly anti-military. I see military institutions as enormous obstacles to human progress.
And so we have the Aquarius influence: probably, actually, the Jupiter in Aquarius, which I think my Mars lives in service of. I am very much oriented towards human progress, understood in high, utopian, humanitarian ways.
In terms of anger, at first most people are surprised I have one. Most people never see it and think it totally out of sync with my character. To be honest, most people think I'm gentle and diplomatic. But it turns out I can have an explosive, volcanic anger. It comes out when I smell "injustice" - and then I can just explode. Not with physical violence, but very forcefully nonetheless. So rather than "anger" I can get filled with righteous indignation, and not out of any sense of personal offense but in defense of an ideal: justice and compasionate treatment for all.
Finally, I'm uncomfortable in institutions, particularly when the vagaries and twists inevitable in any human institution begin to look partial, self-serving and unfair - or in the service of less-than-compassionate ideals. Like many an Aries-heavy person, I suspect, I can wind up the sacrifice who fights against grand institutional giants he alone can't defeat. (But even as I write this, I want to erase "probably can't defeat" and remind us of David meeting Goliath, or that famous Margaret Mead quote: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.")
Finally, as this post has probably already made clear, I'm an idealist, and painfully so. At 40, and with Saturn riding high in my natal chart, I don't mean to suggest that I'm naive. I can understand the empirical nature of humanity and still judge us on what we can be, not what we stoop to. I tend to begin not with the question of what we are like but how we should be - and unlike many people, who think it the indicator of a naive mind, I very consciously and reflexively think that beginning with the question of what we should be is usually the most intelligent place to start.

As I sit and ruminate on it, all of this, I think, is stemming in some way from my Mars in Aquarius - which in my case is really being filtered, I think, through that Jupiter its conjoined to, sextiling Neptune and the Moon...

(Again, Sundance, I'd like to hear more about your Mars in relation to the rest of your chart...)

Well Sundance Kid it looks like you're right.
Unless I was too exuberant in my reply and scared everybody away, it seems there really aren't that many Aquarians Martians out there...
Not that feel compelled to post about it, anyway...

Bobby Fischer had Mars in Aquarius partile conjunct the Descendant and Cutting planet of a Locomotive pattern (involved in a partile grand trine in Air). He once said on the Dick Cavett Show that the peak moment in chess, for him, was when he recognized that he had destroyed his opponent's ego. His Mars opposed Pluto at the Ascendant (the Loner and the Man of Power), squared Moon in the Tenth, and disposed Venus in Aries partile conjunct the Midheaven (his Aggression dominated his power of Cooperation, essentially debilitated but accidentally dignified). Mars partile conjunct the Dsc brought him to competition at the very highest level (a virtuoso).

When he played against Spassky for the world title, his openings never repeated anything he had ever done before, throwing Spassky into a whirlpool of confusion. When he lost the first game, he lodged complaints about the surroundings, threw the officials into turmoil and disrupted the proceedings...and then went on to devastate his opponent.

He never married, although in his later life he had a Filipina girlfriend with whom he had one child (although he was not present in their lives). His attitude toward other people was always antagonistic, and he was devoted to hatred: there was very little of the Humanitarian in his makeup.

A man I know has Mars in Aquarius in the Fifth. He was accused of molesting his own daughter by his ex-wife. He was found not guilty at trial. His tastes in women run toward the very young even though he is in his 40s. He is a musician (not successful in the commercial sense) and plays the drums with a very physical and aggressive style.

A lady I know has Mars in Aquarius in the Tenth. Her 12th and 6th are loaded, indicating the very oppressive and abusive childhood that left her unprepared to meet life on her own. Her life has been one of constant struggle to achieve personal independence. Now in her 50s, she has won the battle.

Greybeard, thanks for responding...
What a very different set of experiences you describe there than my own. About the only part of your post I could see in myself is "musician (not successful in a commercial sense)."
And I take it that's the lesson here? Made more explicitly in something you posted on another thread that came up pretty much in conjunction with this one (so I assume the same thought may have been on your mind). There an OP asked about Mars in Leo in the 1st house, and you replied:
"Do you expect Mars in Leo in First with Sun in Aries in Ninth to be the same as Mars in Leo in First with Sun in Aquarius in Seventh?"
So I see it. It seems strange to isolate one piece of the chart when charts are necessarily synthetic wholes.
On the other hand, to learn we have to do analysis as well as synthesis. Pull out the microscope and look closely at one thing, then pull back and reconnect it to the whole.

So, about Bobby Fischer (really interesting chart, by the way...), your portrayal of him seems very martial, and right on the Descendant, 7th house, I can see how that works. A very fierce energy aimed at immediate, dyadic opponents. Is there anything, you think, about the Aquarius placement that sheds light on how/why Fischer was like this? (I notice the co-rulers of Aquarius, Saturn and Uranus, are loosely conjunct in Gemini in the 11th... Intellectual war (chess)?)

Notice the partile grand trine involving Mars, Uranus and Neptune. Take note of the extremely tight orbs of this formation, a formation which is the structural basis of the entire chart: everything else is contained within this grand trine in Air. Clearly, the very structure of the life is thus defined by this formation. The formation defines what is known as the Locomotive pattern of horoscope; "two-thirds of the sky filled with planets more or less evenly distributed, with a third of the sky empty and, ideally, the separation defined by a trine aspect."

In such a pattern, the planet which is at the head of the whole pattern by diurnal motion is called the cutting planet and is a, in most cases the, predominant force in the life. Its influence permeates all aspects of the life. In the case of Mars cutting, we have a very dynamic, driving and driven, results oriented, achievement-driven, impersonal type of personality (some qualities associated with the Locomotive pattern) expressed through the aggressive, ego-driven, energetic.....Mars. And Mars sits directly on the 7th cusp, the Descendant: "Open enemies; performance or competition at the very highest levels; virtuosity".

Naturally, there is much more information available through an examination of Mars. Such an examination will almost always involve the whole chart, the advantage being that the examination is now focused on the primary energy of the being. The cutting planet is in "high focus", and this Mars is exceptionally strong, seen through several perspectives on the planet in this chart.

Because Mars is on the Descendant (cusp of 7th) and is in high focus, affairs of the 7th will be focal in the life. We look to the lord of the house to understand how that house is disposed to manifest, what types of events and circumstances we might expect in the life; the lord of a house is its dispositor -- it disposes.

But as you see, we began with the grand trine and the nature of the locomotive pattern as our point of begining. The pattern of any chart describes the fundamental psychological pattern of the native. It forms the matrix, or the context of the life by describing the psychological pattern that creates the life itself. All of the other chart factors are subservient to this pattern -- it underlies the whole.

And then, use of patterns allows us, in five of the seven pattern types, allows us to pinpoint the most powerful planet in the chart at a glance. Patterns also turn our eye to structure, the parts and manner of connection of all the pieces of the whole. In Fischer's chart the whole structure of the chart is built on the Air trine. When such structures are so tightly bound (the orbs are frog hairs) it seems to leave little wiggle-room for the native. We see compulsion in one form or another, and this structure, the grand trine, defines the personality. A study of the nature of the grand trine, and of the Air element will reveal much about Mr. Fischer, without any reference whatsovever to any specific planet, and describes the foundantion of his being.

Again, because of his position in reference to the whole pattern, the Martial energy dominates the personality. The analysis of the chart can focus on Mars because Mars is the focus of manifestation. Where we (as we do in Fischer''s chart) that there are other very powerful planets in the structure of the chart, we of course weigh them using Mars (or whichever planet occupies the cutting position in this particular pattern) as the standard of measure. We now have established a hierarcy of power and understand the interrelationships of all the parts -- having examined aspects, rulership patterns, dignities and debilities, and other conditioning factors.

Now, to address your specific question, Mars opposes Pluto at the Ascendant (right across the horizon) -- this man is violent, ruthless, etc. He squares Moon, the point focus of the Fixed T-square high in the heavens in the Tenth, Taurus. She is strong and also focalized; Moon square Mars, Moon square Pluto at the other end. Translate each of these planets into terms of human personality and experiences and understanding of the personality emerges. As long as we think in terms of astrological symbols and not in terms of human personality, our understanding will be scant indeed.

Moon is mother; Tenth is mother. Moon is exalted in Taurus, ruled by Venus who is elevated above all else in her partile conjunction with the Midheaven but in serious detriment in Aries while in mundane square (both planets are partile their angles) to Mars, her lord. This Tenth house configuration describes the mother, and the aspects to planets their describe Fischer's interaction with her. With Mars so powerful, and the Moon too, this relationship imbues the whole life with its power and is dominant in forming it.

We must also examine the lords of Aquarius, the most prominent sign in this chart. They dispose Mars. We find Uranus to be more powerful and active than Saturn. The "Uranian" side of Aquarius is apt to be more prominent in the life, and thus I give rulership of Aqaurius to Uranus in this chart, without discounting Saturn. Notice the very unusual square of Mercury to Uranus. Unlike the normal case, these two planets in square do not occupy the same Quadrature, but do occupy the same Element (as if they were in trine) and are furthermore in mutual disposition of the whole chart. The square is cross-sign and perfects in Common signs at the age of two or three by progression. This is an "unusual" relationship (cross-sign aspect) that must therefore indicate "an unusual mentality" (Mercury-Uranus...emphasizing "unusual" and other Uranian epithets).

To study whole-chart patterns, use The Elements of Astrological Analysis by Marc Edmund Jones.

A good book on the Elements and Quadratures (which are fundamental to astrology) is Hamaker-Zondag's Elements and Crosses as the Basis of the Horoscope.

Hey everyone!

I must second what the sundance kid says, there's not a lot of aqua mars folks in my vicinity either. In addition, I also have a scorp sun (and half of my other planets, in a crazy plutonic stellium). You don't post aspects or where your mars resides, that would be useful!

I am pretty unhappy about my mars, also trying to untangle it's meaning, but here's what I can tell you at this point:

My mars is in the 8th, squaring my sun and venus (part of the scorp stellium in my 5th house), it forms a sextile with my uranus and my north node. And it also trines my south node and chiron, as evidenced in my chart. So it's not really an easy placement. In addition to the mars not being very happy in it's sign, I am also water dominated, this is the only air planet in my chart.

Energy levels: this is fairly complicated, as I have suffered depressions since adolescence. They are better in my adulthood and only show up in much milder versions now, but are still quite the detriment in terms of being able to get things done and energy levels on the general. When I'm not feeling blue or very stressed, I am however very energetic and a doer. I'm a survivor and a fighter type, but I do take on more than I should, so while I'm able to pull through things always, it is very tiring, and it's hard for me to keep up the level of effort that I know I am capable of for longer periods of time. So, even when things end up successfully, I don't always feel very good about it, knowing that my potential is bigger, but it's hard to harvest the martian energy for me. Not being able to enjoy some of my successes at the time they happen does put a damper on one's overall mood, which can lead to more depression, so it can be a vicious circle at times. I spend a lot of effort fighting myself in this sense, so I can get very tired attacking the problem at hand after this exertion.

That being said, I have a natural knack for crisis management, being able to come up with some very original solutions to problems at a very short notice. This does not always translate in my private life, but it does manifest in work matters, and in helping others (i can come up with a great solution, then take the responsibility for someone elses problem and go and solve it. if i were to do this in my own life, id get extremely tired midway). I have a cap moon, which is also the ruler of my chart, as my asc is in cancer. This is very useful in terms of crisis management, as i can detach myself from distractions (how do employees feel about what im doing) and can focus on what I am supposed to do (fix the finances). Again, not translatable to my private life very much.

In terms of feelings, I am a warm, sensitive person, but I do tend to keep this at home, so to speak. My current boyfriend was expecting a dignified intellectual on the colder side of the spectrum when we started dating, but expressed shock (and joy) about me being warm, loving and goofy behind close doors. I also have several circles of acquaintances and friends which are usually either only connected partially, or not at all. I am quite a renaissance woman, with a wide array of interests, so this does suit me. It is much easier for me to be hurt than angry. When I get REALLY angry, I speak in a cold, calculating monotone tone, and dont tend to yell at all. Instead I am trying to present my solution to the problem. The only time, where I can raise my voice and be more aggressive is when I have a sense of a great injustice, which can throw me off my usual game.

I think the whole lots of friends circles and secretive ways is more a scorp thing, sundance kid. I can relate to that too. One group of friends knows me from one angle, another group from another, but unless theyd all meet and try to piece everything together, they wouldn't be able to get a good indepth idea about me. As much as I am extroverted, I am a private person about my inner life. As such, I do shock people quite often with doing something unexpected. I also stand out a lot, and enjoy being different, the eccentricity in me is quite apparent and i do feel comfortable this way. I suppose my interests can be somewhat unusual, but that too, is due to the plutonic influence in part. Also note, my mars is in the 8th house, traditionally ruled by pluto, so it kind of adds up and puts a twist on things. My odd taste and hobbies can also be seen in the mars sextile uranus aspect, it ties in with me reveling in my weirdness

hope this was useful for someone if anyone has a better explanation of some of these aspects, especially the squares on my mars, and the 8th house placement, I would be grateful for a second opinion.

greybeard: thanks loads. Nothing's more helpful for me in thinking about astrology than watching the anatomy of a reading. I love it when posters do that.
Sithae, thanks also. This thread only has a few posters so far but they've all been great, rich posts and I'm really liking it.

Glad to hear other people with this placement out there. Sithae - you're born two weeks ahead of me so I recognise a lot of those energies - the Scorpio and the Aquarius. Especially the idea that we only show a part of ourselves to any friendship circle.

I think a lack of anger until really pushed is also a manifestation of an Aqua Mars.

My Mars is in the 3rd house and exactly square my 1st house Scorpio sun. So I have always felt that my Mars wasn't a good fit in my personality and I've made it my mission to try and blend the two together this year.

I've moved to Singapore and in my relocated chart Mars is in the 12th so I'm not sure how it will manifest. I also have a wide sextile between Mars and Uranus.

I'll be trying to work on my arms in the gym (Mars in the third house) as a way of unblocking my Mars - I'll see how that affects the rest of my Martian expression! I'm also hoping to start writing here (Mars in the third house). Maybe more irreverently than I had originally anticipated, to squeeze the most out of that placement. I would imagine both things will make me uncomfortable as these things don't come naturally to me (the sun square).

I think astrology is one area where Mars in Aqua and the Scorpio energy really gels - probably explains why I found it so fascinating from an early age (15).