New Moon on Monday Astrology

If you think of the planets as archetypes, as characters in a movie or a play - Mars is the macho guy.  He’s the strong buff warrior, he’s male to the max.  The universal symbol for “man” is the same as the glyph for Mars: 

Mars rules Aries, the first sign, and the 1st House of Self.  Mars is me me me.  Mars knows what it wants and sets out to get it.  Mars is energy and muscles and super fast cars.  Mars is anger and sharp things and sex drive and blood.  Mars is impulsive, Mars moves.  

Mars typically spends about two months in each sign* and takes about two years to complete a tour of the zodiac.  Mars is pure energy, gumption, motivation.  If you focus your energy wherever Mars is travelling through your chart at any given time, you’re sure to get the good results. 

Mars is slower than the rest of the personal planets, but it’s still a personal planet. Where Mars is in your birth chart shows not only where you tend to put your energy, but also how you go about getting the things you desire.  Mars in combination with other planets in your birth chart can bring conflict, but also enormous drive and spark.  Ie.  if you have Mars conjunct your Moon in your birth chart, you might have incredibly impulsive emotions, or angry emotions.  If you have Mars trine Jupiter you might have infinite reserves of energy to use toward building your own personal empire. 

Again, Mars in a personal birth chart shows how a person goes about getting what they want.  Venus attracts, Mars courts.  It also shows what kind of temper you have.  

Here are some absolutely oversimplified ways Mars might manifest through the signs:

In ARIES, Mars has an impulsive temper and tends to show off to get what it wants. 

In TAURUS, Mars is slow and steady and subtle - but doesn’t let go until it gets what it wants. 

In GEMINI, Mars has more of an intellectual temperament and uses wit and intellect to get what it wants. 

In CANCER, Mars has a subdued temper, it protects and cares for what it wants. 

In LEO, Mars has a dramatic temperament and is beyond generous with what it wants. 

In VIRGO, Mars is careful.  It tries to make things perfect for what it wants. 

In LIBRA, Mars has a balanced temperament and becomes the perfect match for what what it wants in order to get it. 

In SCORPIO (or in close aspect to Pluto), Mars is intense and probing. It finds out absolutely everything about what it wants, and then devises a scheme to get it. 

In SAGITTARIUS (or in close aspect to Jupiter), Mars is enthusiastic, it makes big moves. 

In CAPRICORN (or in close aspect to Saturn), Mars is ambitious and works to get what it wants. 

In AQUARIUS (or in close aspect to the planet Uranus), Mars is kind of a contrarian. It does whatever it wants to get what it wants (and lots of the time, it works).

In PISCES (or in close aspect to Neptune), Mars seems to have a weaker temperament, but it can also have enormous spiritual energy and drive.  Mars in Pisces morphs into the thing it wants.  

*Mars is currently in Virgo for an overextended, 8 month stay (due to a retrograde that begins in mid-January).  Mars Retrogrades only once every couple of years and, for me at least, it always seems more noticeable than when other planets Retrograde.  Keep your eyes out.  Venus, too, only retrogrades every couple of years and will be doing so in the Spring of 2012.  

/AL