Mars

mahrz

greek: Ἄρης (Ares) · latin: Mars · sanskrit: Mangal

Definition

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the first one that orbits beyond Earth (a "superior" planet), circling the Sun in about 687 days — roughly 1.88 years. It goes retrograde — appearing to move backward — about every 26 months, for some 60 to 80 days each time. Astrology gives Mars a home (domicile) in Aries and, traditionally, in Scorpio; its strongest placement (exaltation) is Capricorn, its weakest (fall) is Cancer, and its difficult placements (detriment) are Libra and Taurus. Tradition calls it the Lesser Malefic — one of the two "difficult" planets.

In Tradition

Western astrologers read Mars as the planet of action: how you assert yourself, how you push forward, your willpower, and your instinct to survive and protect. In Hellenistic practice Mars belongs to the night-born "sect" and is at its most troublesome when "out of sect" — found in a chart cast for a day birth.

In Practice

Astrologers read Mars's sign, house, and aspects (the angles it makes to other planets) for how you assert yourself, how readily you take initiative, and how you handle conflict — with its house showing where you most actively spend energy and meet competition. In Hellenistic work, Mars's sect status comes first: out of sect in a day chart its harder side is amplified, while in a night chart it can work well as courage and decisive action. Its roughly two-year journey through the zodiac is followed in transit work, where its aspects to natal planets mark stretches of heightened energy, conflict, or drive. Mars works as a natural counterpart to Venus: together they govern attraction, sexuality, and the balance between standing your ground and giving way in relationships.

Historical Origin

Mars's astrological meanings come from its classical link to the Greek god Ares and the Roman Mars. Its standing as the Lesser Malefic is a standard Hellenistic designation, and the sect-based distinction between in-sect and out-of-sect Mars is among the most important ideas in Hellenistic astrology.

Definition

In Tradition

In Practice

Historical Origin

Further Reading