This is the third post in a series on the planets. We’ll discuss one planet at time in Chaldean order (speed of motion). We’ve discussed Saturn and Jupiter and now come to Mars. My goal with this series is to highlight the ways modern understanding of the planets is distorted from their traditional significance. These misrepresentations reveal much about western culture and society, and warrant reconsideration.
Trigger warning: this post discusses violence, rape and trauma.
Mars is that irritating force pushing you to do something. When you have a healthy outlet for it, Mars can be quite useful. It’s why many prominent athletes like Simone Biles and Serena Williams, as we’ve discussed, have a well-placed Mars in their chart. However, if there’s no outlet, one can find themselves in situations where they are incandescent with rage, or where Mars helps them at someone else’s expense. As an example, Elon Musk has a strong Mars in the 8th house. Unlike its opposite 2nd house of income earned by your own efforts, the 8th house is money you receive from the labor of someone else, whether it’s through inheritance, investments, or debt. Elon Musk’s Mars in the 8th house allowed him to reach trillionaire status through his control of other people’s money through investments most recently with SpaceX.
AstroGold
As with Saturn, modern astrology sanitizes Mars into a tool for self-knowledge. Pop astrology connects Mars to assertion instead of anger, ambition rather than dominion, and action, courage and energy instead of violence. Mars pushes us to act without gratitude or concern for others. The most egregious reframe of Mars is in sexuality. Modern astrology casts Mars as the planet of desire and libido. Books and social media are rife with how your Mars sign indicates your relationship style or your sexual turn-ons, both of which traditionally both belong to Venus. Ancient astrologers like Vettius Valens and Abu Ma’shar understood Mars as sex only satisfying to one partner at best, and sexual violence at worst.
As a malefic Mars harms whatever it touches. The ‘passion’ descriptor attributed to Mars today, was understood as uncontrollable and destructive, leading to sexual violence in pre-modern times. In relationships Mars brings separations, infidelity, abuse, death of a partner, broken promises and quarrels. In other situations, it brings exile, loss of property, alienation from parents, murder, robbery, lies, looting, kidnapping, war and famine. The nighttime malefic acts by burning, separating, and trying to dominate. If well-placed, it can be where we find courage. But make no mistake, Mars is malefic because its excessively hot and dry temperament is incompatible with life. This is the planet that chooses violence, destruction, aggression and conflict.
It makes perfect sense that in world astrology, Mars indicates tyranny, oppression, rebellions, insurrections, and wars. Mars is the original planet of chaos that is modernly attributed to Uranus. When predicting major world events from the Aries Ingress (the astrological new year), Mars’ house placement indicates where and between whom violence will occur. When advising a ruler on when to plan an invasion of outside territory, medieval Islamic court astrologers wanted Mars in Capricorn (exaltation), Scorpio (nighttime domicile) or even Libra (just war.)
Within the state itself, Mars represents the exceptional circumstances where the state is allowed to use violence that would otherwise be unacceptable. Situations such as imposing martial law, or police or other law enforcement killing a civilian which is considered ‘justified.’ Such violence is used by the state to protect itself, even preemptively. Mars is action on the feeling of “us” and “them.” The state is “us.” Anyone whose humanity is not recognized by the state or society is “them.” We see this in anti-Black policing and immigrant raids targeting Black and brown immigrants.
This Martian state of exceptionality reflects the extent to which Mars has been significantly watered down in pop culture. In Post-Colonial Astrology, Alice Sparkly Kat reflects how the exceptionality of Martian violence in masculinity is exhibited in world leaders, military and law enforcement, down to popular book and movie series such as Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey. Edward and Christian exhibit behaviors toward their love interests Bella and Anastasia that are normally considered creepy and stalkerish yet are romanticized as core features of their [Edward and Christian’s] redemptions. Mars is the space where normal laws of violence do not apply.
Men are always challenged to assert their masculinity. Kat highlights that the root of the name Ares is “ruin,” and notes that the Greek god Ares was constantly disgraced in love and defeated on the battlefield. Kat further connects humiliation to attaining power through suffering, whether its Adolf Hitler rising to power after Germany’s humiliation following World War I, or violent criminals such as rapists and murderers. In this context, Mars is the desire to destroy shame through self-destructive behavior, on both the individual and collective levels. The cycle of Mars is one of trauma. Those who suffer trauma, inflict trauma on others.
If this depiction of Mars makes you uncomfortable, good. The exceptions of a well-placed Mars seen in athletes like Serena Williams or Simone Biles, or in Martian professions like military generals or surgeons are exceptions to the rule. Elon Musk is an example of Mars with no accountability. Most of us, are somewhere in the middle with the potential for both outcomes.
Which path will you take?
