Mars in Astrology -- the energy that makes your life happen

Red is a Mars color!

The legend lives!

For decades scientists and writers, sky-watchers and ordinary people looked beyond Earth to our next-door neighbor, Mars, and wove wonderful stories and speculations about what we might find there. Life maybe ... or conditions that might support life -- according to us. It wasn't until recently though that the Mars Rover reached the surface of the planet and lived up to its name by satisfying some of our curiosity.

We didn't find life ... or much to indicate the possibility of life. But the mystique and mystery of Mars will doubtless endure. It's too good a prop to waste. Just as Mars the warrior god found a special place in the bellicose hearts of the Romans, Mars the planet, whom we see as a twinkling red star, holds a special place in the fertile imagination of our human culture.

Makin' it happen

The search for real life on Mars may have been a bust, but in the regions of fictional possibilities, the legend of Mars lives on. In your horoscope, there are two elements that deal strongly with physical action and physical energy. One is The Sun -- that symbolizes your Self, your self-image, self-esteem, ambition and willpower. The other is Mars, symbol of movement, initiative and self-assertion. Of the two, Mars is potentially the far more vigorous. Turned loose, Mars gets the job done.

Other planet energies in your horoscope (which represent your various Inner Selves) like The Sun (ego), The Moon (emotions and feelings), Mercury (your mind and ideas) and Venus (your desires and values) come up with ideas they'd like to act on. Mars provides the muscle power to make it happen. Where he resides in your horoscope by sign and house, he shows where you're ready to back up your wishes with work and your words with deeds.

Lights, camera, ACTION!

He's the Inner Self in charge of stuff that involves heavy lifting ... and putting yourself out there to take a stand on what you believe. He proves the point that actions speak louder than words ... and burning off some of that energy through exercise and accomplishment, well ... that's important.

Mars gets restless when he's idle for too long. With nothing constructive to do, he's bound to get in trouble. Unfortunately, that means he could get you in trouble -- or more exactly, you could land yourself there.

Still, his energy talks about what your active interests are, what you do about them, the attitudes you have about achievement and what motivates you to get off the couch and do something. A well-supported active Mars in a horoscope shows a person with plenty of get-up-and-go.

When it fails in its purpose

A weak Mars shows someone who requires constant prodding, who lacks initiative, who hangs back and waits for someone else to step up and who is easily intimidated. When the going gets tough, a weak Mars allows you (way too often!!) to just collapse and hope somebody rescues you.

A weak Mars whines constantly that "Somebody ought to do something" about the problems and challenges he faces ... but (surprise, surprise!) he's never that somebody. Helping himself just isn't in his playbook. He thinks it's enough work to just sit and moan about how "powerless" he is ... and how life is just not fair. (Yes, indeed, we all know the type.)

An afflicted or a hindered Mars, on the other hand -- a Mars with challenges in the horoscope from other elements there ... other Inner Selves -- shows a person who either acts too forcefully or is angry all the time (hard aspects from The Sun), whose reactions are exaggerated and over-the-top (hard aspects from Jupiter), or who is maybe way too impulsive and quick-on-the-draw (hard aspects from Uranus.)

No guarantees

As you see there are different ways people can misuse -- and get in trouble with -- their Mars energy, even with good intentions. A difficult Mars can also show someone who is overly emotional (hard aspects with the Moon), someone who is jealous in his relationships or wasteful with money (hard aspects with Venus), someone sneaky and not to be trusted (problems with Neptune) or who is explosive and destructive -- pushed easily out of control (problems with Pluto.)

As with everything else in life there are many sides to the story of Mars in Astrology. The same power that keeps you safe, helps you enjoy yourself, fuels your sexuality and enables you to do the work your life requires can trip you up if you don't use it right, and your horoscope reveals all these Mars-based potentials -- and more.

So how does this work for you?

Future essays here will talk lots about the "more." If you've always known there was more to Astrology than Sun Sign material and the three line daily horoscope in the newspaper, climb aboard and follow this blog. You'll find a world of wisdom detailing how you were designed to work with life ... and why you are the way you are -- all in quick-to-read, easy-to-digest-and-remember, written-in-plain-English essays that offer plenty of food for thought.

So where is Mars in your chart -- and what does it have to say about how you use physical energy and self-assertion? I'll do another set of articles soon that talks about what your horoscope has to say about Mars, its sign, its house location, its aspects and more. If you "know something" about Astrology -- or know something about your chart placements, that will help you get more from this material.

If you don't ... well, this is one place you can learn. We all have to start somewhere ... because we aren't born knowing this stuff. Meanwhile, if you don't know where your Natal Mars is, maybe it's time to find out. There are lots of "chart services" on the internet -- some of whom produce decent, readable charts "for free" and some that even I can't read easily -- and I've worked with charts for decades.

One extremely user-friendly chart site is here: AstroLabe I recommend them if you want a simple, easy-to-read chart. I think they even give a reasonable little interpretive reading of your horoscope as part of the package. You'll need to know your birth information -- day, month, year, time and geographical place. Without all that your chart will have limited accuracy.

Or, if you want to get serious and really talk about this, upvote this post and start a conversation in the comments section sometime in the next six days from the time of publication. We'll go from there depending on what you want to know.

Questions about any of this? -- Upvote this post and talk to me in comments. It's a terrific way to build value for yourself and the community ... and it will give me ideas of what to write about in future posts. Believe me there is lots to say about the way The Sun, The Moon -- and all the other elements in a horoscope, all the other components of Astrology -- work together to interpret you and your story -- and what it all means to the person you've become.

You might also enjoy
About Mars in Astrology -- action, activity and your basic line of defense
Mars in Astrology -- Looking out for Number One

Photo Credits
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/petercastleton/3651215395/ ---> red poppies
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/cascade_of_rant/8416130580/ ---> feathery red flowers
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/bravesirrobin/4481380543/ ---> field of red flowers
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/southernpixel/303224505/ -- russet leaves
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/procsilas/492608660/ ---> bottle brush bush
Photo courtesy of https://www.flickr.com/photos/mpcevat/5942435596/ ---> red lily
Original images used under this Creative Commons license or this Creative Commons license and modified by added text.