Mars

The bringer of war! Mars is that place in our birth charts where we demand action at any and all costs. It is impatient. It is impulsive. It wants things to happen, and it wants them to happen now. Despite Mars' impetuous, insistent nature, and despite the fact that it has a well-deserved "shoot first and ask questions later" reputation, we absolutely need its energy. This is because Mars represents the actions we take in our lives. It is the first place we go after we have made a decision - to implement the decision as soon as possible. Where all the other planets might pause for a moment to reconsider a course of action, Mars makes sure it happens right away. In this way, to truly understand the energy of Mars is to understand the meaning behind Murphy's Law. While this might sound ominous, it simply means that if something is possible, it will eventually be a reality in some form.

As stated in the Venus write-up, Mars has a very strong tie to the "masculine" gender polarity. But we do not need to think of Mars as being only for men. People identifying as women can also embody its boldness, assertiveness, straightforward manner, and tendency to be ready for battle. Mars in transit gives us the strength to overcome challenges. It will show up in our lives when we sometimes need a nudge to take action towards something important we have been neglecting or are afraid to face. It can also indicate a period of generally feeling angry as a result of emotions we have buried or repressed.

Mars transits do not tend to represent extremely critical junctions in our lives, but they still can have a significant influence. The planet takes a couple of years to go all the way around the zodiac with one retrograde period during each one of these revolutions. The retrograde periods are rough times in the world when people generally feel low energy and struggle to take on anything new. Even warriors need to rest, and this period indicates a time when we should lay down arms and reflect on the actions we have been taking rather than forcing more action.

A strong Mars in a birth chart indicates someone who is confident and decisive, while an afflicted Mars can indicate someone with a short fuse and, in severe cases, denote violent tendencies.

This is an important planet to look toward when deciding what drives a person to make decisions in their lives. Mars is sometimes considered to be a little bit too hot to touch, and other planets in conjunction with Mars often feel like their energies are being "forced" out into the open by this impatient planet.

Mars is naturally ruled by Aries and finds happiness and the best expression in the first house, especially when near the Ascendant.