Mars was the Roman god of war. His symbol looks like an arrow impaled on a soldier’s buttock. This is an unforgettable if hideous image, but it means my astrology students always remember it in their charts.
Mars is the speech balloon in any Batman cartoon. Ow! Biff! Zap! Pow! Zoom! Wham!
People choose to use their Mars because they are in tough jobs like highly competitive business or because they get stuck with the boss from hell for five years and have to fight to survive.
Being married to the wrong person can make you lean hard on your Mars so all you do is attack and defend.
People ‘do’ their Mars without even knowing it’s making exact aspects in their chart, then find out and their jaws hit the floor That’s astrology. Just knowing, helps you make changes.
You may meet Mars now through people, organisations or situations which trigger all your concerns about covering up, operating out of sight or dealing with your inner mysteries.
Check your chart. If Mars makes exact (within one degree) aspects to at least one other horoscope factor – or more – then every time you grind your wheels in one department of your life, Mars comes along too. So, might irritation and anger. More commonly you want to push harder – and push back harder – according to the sign and house Mars occupies. There may be a domino effect with the house occupied by the other horoscope factors he’s also aligned with.
Mars is the colour red in astrology. Mars looked faintly red in the sky to astrologers in the ancient world. It’s the colour of blood, and thus war, and the association stuck. People turn red when they are angry. The blood rushes to their face. Red is the colour of fire trucks rushing to the scene. Whatever you fight (like a fire) is Mars. Red is the traffic light that people ignore and race past, and cars ignore and get booked for. Heat and speed are Mars in your chart.
Wherever you have more than three factors in one zodiac sign and house, you have an unusual cluster – a stellium. This is a big part of who you are and what you do. When Mars goes through that same sign, he triggers this part of your personality and your life. Bang! You’ll really feel it as he conjuncts, or sits on, the horoscope factors in your chart.
Martian Women
If you meet a tough woman who looks as if she belongs in a leather jacket or actually owns one, you are looking at someone with a Mars pattern, or aspect – who chooses to use it.
You will sometimes read that there are minor and major aspects in astrology, but it’s all geometry. Even a semi-sextile can rule you.
You will sometimes read astrology books where they leave the asteroids out. They really matter. Open your birth chart up to all the aspects (there is a list of them elsewhere in this book) and the asteroids which complete the old Roman family tree of astrology. See what happens. Does Mars aspect them? That’s where you are fiercely competitive, sometimes aggressive. You push back.
- Margaret Thatcher was born on October 13th, 1925 at 9.00am in Grantham. She had Mars at 9 Libra opposite Vulcano at 8 Aries.
- Glenda Jackson is tough. She was born on May 9th, 1936 at 8.00am in Birkenhead. She has Mars at 27 Taurus and Juno at 26 Gemini.
- Chrissie Hynde, born September 7th. 1951 at 10.20am in Akron, Ohio was born with Mars at 12 Leo semi-sextile Uranus at 12 Cancer.
- Madonna was born on August 16th. 1958 at 7.05am in Bay City, Michigan with Mars at 15 Taurus semi-sextile Hygiea at 15 Gemini.
Mars in Taurus. Material Girl!
You can be a sweet little thing, not given to tough talking, activism, tank-driving or leather garments in any way – yet when Mars is part of a transiting (travelling) cluster going through your chart, and it pings what you’ve got, you’ll be Lady Aggro for a few weeks.
Mars is a big challenge for women. If you have exact (or close) aspects in your chart, then you need to find a way to express yourself (thank you Madonna) and get it out of your system. Girls are not raised to express Mars in their charts. They are supposed to wear Barbie pink.
If you have a stellium in Aries, which rules Mars and you also have precise Mars patterns, can you do us all a favour and take up martial arts? Thank you very much. You have a Mars overload, and you need an outlet. I am sure you already know this.
Mars can help you get what you want, when you want, because nobody else can be bothered but if you look at your life and see a trail of bodies, it may be time for you to harness your Mars in a different way or even send him off to the gym to punch bags instead.
Mars in the chart responds very well to sport, yoga or even a hearty long walk because he that’s what Roman soldiers did when they were not impaling people’s buttocks with arrows. Martian women are sharp. They get to the point. They can be hard on their enemies. You may not be able to sit down for an awfully long time if you get on the wrong side of a woman who has exact Mars aspects in her birth chart and/or a stellium in Aries, the sign ruled by Mars. The good fight is frequently won by Martian women, being a pain in the arse. Just don’t get involved in a bad fight.
Mars and Gay Men
The great thing about Mod Astrology is the new female symbols in your horoscope, if you are a man. You are not stuck with boring old John Wayne/Rambo style Mars for eternity, nor the endless male ego of the Sun. There are other roads to manhood for you!
My gay friends become very excited about Apollo because he was bisexual and also looked great naked. Fig leaf optional.
He actually symbolises leadership in the chart, but what is a gay man who is out, loud and proud in a homophobic world, if he is not leading by example?
Freddie Mercury did Mars and Apollo very well. He was born on September 5th, 1946 at 5.50am in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Freddie knew his astrology which is why he changed his name to Mercury. He was born with Mercury at 2 Virgo right on his Ascendant at 2 Virgo.
Mars is at 17 Libra in his chart. The True North Node is at 16 Gemini and the True South Node is at 16 Sagittarius. Cupido is at 17 Sagittarius. Psyche is at 16 Leo.
It’s very, very leather. Oh, you crazy little thing called love. Fred will live forever, for as long as there are teenagers, thanks to Psyche in Leo pinging that whole amazing pattern. Psyche rules what immortalises you.
Mr. Mercury was born with bisexual Apollo at 13 Libra sextile Pluto at 12 Leo. Says it all.
You can dress up as a woman if you’re a man and use your Apollo. Barry Humphries was born on February 17th, 1934 at 6.00am in my occasional hometown of Melbourne. He has Apollo at 28 Sagittarius and Chiron at 28 Taurus. His Ascendant is 28 Aquarius, and his Descendant is 28 Leo.
That whole pattern tells you why he had to invent Dame Edna Everage and her bridesmaid Madge. Chiron in Taurus tells you that he still makes a living, doing it.
Mars and the Modern Man
Mod Astrology, based on modern discoveries and software, was just made for the modern man. No longer is Mars your only path to masculinity, chaps.
Or, you can decide to have fun with your Mars and play around with the symbol. Adam Ant was born on November 3rd, 1954 at 6.20am in London. He has Mars at 8 Aquarius conjunct Psyche at 8 Aquarius. He’s the dandy highwayman who found a rock band to express his Mars in. Those clips will live forever. Why? Psyche on his Mars.
You can’t really get away from guns with Mars, but at least they can be plastic and you get to put ribbons in your plaits as well.
You can fool around with military symbolism by going to Glastonbury with army camouflage pants on or playing games where you line up plastic soldiers. There are many ways for men to ‘do’ Mars in their horoscopes.
You can’t really ignore Mars. He’s not going to go away, especially if you’re a modern man born into a blokey culture.
Maybe you should just pretend you’re a major or something. Call yourself Major Tom.
David Bowie was born on 8th January 1947 at 9.00am just around the corner from me, in Brixton.
He had Mars at 16 Capricorn, the Sun at 17 Capricorn and Vulcano at 17 Capricorn. Bowie also had Proserpina at 16 Gemini and Uranus at 18 Gemini.
Mars Cycles
When we see Mars in one particular zodiac sign, and it also goes right over one of your own stelliums – we have a date with fate. There will be major action here, which influences you for months, even years. Mars brings action stations.
When the planet Mars joins with other horoscope factors, travelling through your chart, life speeds up. One particular department of your world will ignite.
Check for Mars cycles which hit your own stelliums, below. You will typically have three or four clusters (or dominant signs and houses) in your personal birth chart.
Princess Diana had a stellium in Cancer, which we link to families, so when she married on 29th July 1981, it’s no surprise to find that she had Mars passing through Cancer, on the big day. Royal Family Action stations.
Where are your stelliums? Where are most of the planets, asteroids and other heavenly bodies clustered? Watch what happens when Mars passes through.
Mars Retrograde
Mars Retrograde is just as important as Mercury Retrograde, but instead of computer, transport, travel and internet issues, there will be strangely stuck situations which delay action.
The sign and house will tell you where the delay and stop-start progress will be.
If you see Mars Retrograde alongside Mercury Retrograde (I will always let you know if this is the case in your weekly horoscope) then expect double delays.
When this happens, nobody knows who won the election. Nobody knows what the pound is actually worth. People hold referendums and there are petitions asking for second referendums.
As with Mercury Retrograde, put ‘re’ in front of a word and you know what to expect from Mars. Mars Retrograde is time to rethink, reschedule, rehearse, reconsider.
Obviously if you are doing Martian things – playing sport, working for the emergency services, going into battle, fighting a lawsuit – you would be far better off choosing a time when Mars is moving normally.
Personality is Destiny
Forget the idea that Destiny is like some gigantic Monty Python foot that descends from heaven and squashes you flat.
You make your destiny by using astrology. Begin with your personal birth chart. Which sign and house are occupied by Mars in your horoscope? That is where you will feel your Mars cycles the most, because you will have your Mars Return on a regular basis and that part of your life will become like a truly fierce, fast and furious short story in the book of your life – written forever.
You can find out which sign Mars is in by checking the daily guide on my website, any time. When Mars returns to the same sign and house he occupied at your birth, boom!
Decoding the Future
You can look up where Mars is any time, on my website or others online. It’s a great way to decode the future and deepen your understanding of the present. You can be proactive with Mars. He doesn’t just ‘happen’ to you, you can be highly strategic, working with your own birth chart in a very simple way to avoid the usual worst-case scenario with this planet – which is the battle that becomes part of a war. Astrology is about smart avoidance. We need Mars cycles to motivate us, but we do not need the arrow impaled on the left buttock.
What follows is a tremendous astrological secret, but it’s time to spill the Heinz Baked Beans. Look for the stelliums in your chart by sign and house. Search for those clusters where more than three horoscope elements are in the same sign and location.
When Mars travels through that sign and triggers that house (life department) you can expect the kind of Action Stations that changes your life. .
Now, where are your stelliums and when is Mars due to transit through the sign/ house in question? Preparation is all in astrology.
Mars in Aries/First House
The focus of attention now is you. Your name, your face, your body, your ‘packaging’ everything from your hair to your clothes, to your business card. It’s about how the world sees you, and how you present yourself. Mars in the First House also influences your feelings about your reputation. That means your image, your persona and your public face. This cycle is all about what you look like to others – on the outside. It’s a very self-involved time!
You’ll be fired up about these ‘Me’ issues now. Even temporarily ‘seized’ by what needs to happen. Mars often brings physical tension. To offload some of this, find yourself a physical activity which will drain off this wired, tight feeling. Many astrologers handle this cycle by hitting the gym, or the swimming pool, or their local yoga class. Many of them start walking everywhere and ditching the car or bus.
These are all clever tactics.
Mars is about attack or defence. You may feel like ‘attacking’ goals which relate to your look, style, role, name or public profile now. Separate yourself from the fired-up feelings and look at the overall plan. If necessary, ask an outsider whose opinion you respect: is this actually a good move, or are you just gripped by Mars mania?
Naturally, the way you look, and the way you are seen, is an important thing. But put everything in context now if you are angry. Stand back from everything and look at it. Get outside advice. If it’s obvious that the moves you’re making to attack key image-related goals, or major appearance/reputation/profile issues are wise enough – then, never mind the heat you are feeling – then Mars will work for you. The energy and momentum you have now will be quite amazing. But as always with a Mars Cycle, handle with care. If you didn’t have the emotion, would you still make the move? If you weren’t so fired up, would your issue still carry weight?
Mars in Taurus/Second House
You express yourself through money or cash in kind. Charity or business. Property or precious possessions.
Mars show us challenges or possibilities, in relation to cash, security, lifestyle and all the things that make us feel rich or poor. It can wind you up about a mortgage or put a rocket under an investment plan.
Possessions count. That means your wallet or purse, as well as your car, favourite jacket, antique piggy bank…whatever. Houses and flats also matter in this cycle, for obvious reasons, and so do other valuable assets. Your values are in sharp focus.
What you will or will not sell out for. Who or what you call priceless and would never part with. Spiritual values like integrity, principles, loyalty have no price tag.
You may feel physically wound up, and in the mood to shout, or fire up the computer (and bang the mouse when your web connection is slow.) You may feel like pulling the car out of the garage right now and speeding all the way somewhere to make a point about money. Mars brings stress. Allow it to take you over and you will have problems. Even more importantly, if you are making decisions, or making statements, which are not properly thought out, you could create problems – either for yourself, or just as importantly, other people. Hell, you know what filthy lucre does to people…
Mars is hot, tight, compressed physical energy. It can also be explosive, in other people or even big organisations, like banks or corporations. Do chill out, pull back, get real, seek advice, ask around, and most of all…keep your perspective.
What if others have gone (temporarily) mad where your money, possessions, property or business interests are concerned? It’s a mistake to take them more seriously just because they’re wound up. They may be right, but consider things on their own merits, removing their heat from the equation.
People who are ‘seized’ now, be they car thieves or financial partners, need extremely clever handling. Are they putting you into an attack-defence situation? If it’s at all possible, aim for a win-win. Do they want to whip you up into a frenzy, so that you’ll join them on some business campaign? Take time out to consider it. Do your homework on their psyche. Cool down, get smart advice, slow down.
Mars in Gemini/Third House
Your way with words, ideas and images is central to your life and personality if you have a Gemini stellium.
This cycle is about multimedia, the internet, publishing, language or education. It is about your ‘voice’ across all mediums. It is also about commuting and short-haul travel. As always with Mars, reduce the heat, introduce some detachment, and ask people who are sensible, intelligent and objective.
Just because somebody else is impassioned, does not necessarily mean you have to believe them or agree with them, or respond to them. You can see how this might apply to road rage, can’t you? Or to that mission of yours, to grab your air miles and take off somewhere? I know Mars in Gemini can sometimes ignite the Third House for Gemini stellium people when they learn to drive – with the result that they decide they never want to drive at all. Take your time with your choices now.
Communication, the written and spoken word, and the messages you need to get out there, are also influenced by Mars now. Be careful with what you say and write. Your energy is wild now and will create a big ripple effect. Firing off e-mails or responding to trolls can reverberate around the entire web, and you know it! The usual Mars rules apply to yourself, and to other people, now: watch what unfolds and manage it properly, especially if phones, computers, faxes, the media, speeches, radio, texts, letters, meetings or even sign language is involved. Good plan or bad plan? Remove the emotion first.
Mars in Cancer/Fourth House
You are defined by one person in your family tree, whose career or personality is a major influence on you – or which you have inherited. You identify strongly with your hometown and homeland, which is either your birthplace or an adopted home. Your house or apartment also defines you if you have a Cancer stellium.
We saw a similar cycle when Princess Diana acquired the Royal Family and a palace in one day. Your family relationships, flatmate relationships, house, flat or temporary accommodation will be shaped by what happens next – with long-term results! Take your time as you navigate. You need time and space to sort things out as your Cancer stellium is ignited. This also goes into issues like your town or country.
Whatever else is going on astrologically, Your mother, father, brother, sister and other close relatives (here or in spirit) will be an issue now. So will your relationship with a partner, if you live with him or her, and any flatmates in your life. People who have a direct influence on your home life, like neighbours, builders or co-tenants will also go to the top of your list now. The Mayor, President or PM may be your concern. This cycle is about your people or your place and your total identification with that.
Watch what you start at this time. Bushfires begin with a single match and can end up destroying thousands of hectares. You’ll feel fired up. Passionate. Enthused, irritable, angry, maddened – it all depends on how you typically process Mars, who will now be coming at you from outside.
You can see how this could create long term problems with family members, partners or flatmates (or those other people connected to your home life.) My friend Reg Mombassa once produced a painting with the legend Cast Not The First Stone written on it – that’s excellent advice now. If you cast the first stone now, you could be sending ripples out for years. Similarly, if you react without thinking to other people’s stone-casting (e.g., by hurling a brick back at them) you could be launching yourself into a phase of family or flatmate life that makes The Sopranos look like The Brady Bunch. Domestic connections need care.
Some ideas or plans involving family or flatmates are positive now. They’re smart ways of dealing with problems, or brilliant, enthusiastic, energetic pushes for a better deal – with, for or through the others involved. You won’t know until you calm down, or they do. Ice the decisions. Breathe more deeply. Ask dispassionate outsiders. (People who listen to classical music and read long, thoughtful, non-fiction books are usually good; they bring perspective.)
You may also be looking at renovation, home repairs, decoration and possibly a permanent new home now. Whatever the priority is (a new shower curtain and matching towels, or a $3 million property investment). Would this property/home issue still make sense without the jumping up and down? If everyone else (non-Mars affected people) thinks so too, you’re probably on a winner If not, do not act. Why respond to your own or others’ Mars madness? Review the issue when life is calmer.
Mars in Leo/Fifth House
Hey, Leo Stellium person. You are the Queen or King who presides over the heirs to your throne and kingdom, and this may be your children or godchildren. It may be your nieces or nephews. Grandchildren and stepchildren, and foster children too, obviously. If you pursue paid or unpaid work with children, then it may be your class, or the audience for your young adult fiction, or the younger generation who benefit from your charity work. You are their mentor or guide and set them an example.
This cycle covers the lovers who bring that world in, or might do so, if you were to marry (you become an Aunt) or share godparenting duties with them (you are invited into their extended family).
This cycle also covers pregnancy, fertility, abortion, miscarriage, adoption, and so on.
Right now, you’ll be all fired up about an issue directly connected to the above list. Why? Because Mars is about heat. The heat will come from people, organisations or situations outside you. That is your cue to slow down and cool down. Otherwise, you may end up feeling like Queen Elizabeth or King Henry in the days when the Tower of London meant more than just Beefeaters and ravens.
Find a technique (mental or physical) that will ground you, stabilise you, center you and release that wild energy. Then, and only then, should you get outside opinions from people you trust and respect, who have no vested interest in the situation, but can give you excellent impartial opinions. It may be that you’re right.
Leo and the Fifth House are associated with riding, music, fundraising (while fun- raising) and other activities that adults and children share. These bonding activities glue generations together. Kidult literature like Harry Potter is a good example of a typical Leo/Fifth House pursuit. These part-time passions may now be an issue. Similarly, paid or unpaid work involving children or adolescents may be a key question. As Mars conjuncts or sits on your Leo factors, slow down.
Mars in Virgo/Sixth House
You are a strongly Virgo type who has a highly developed work ethic and sense of duty and service. I am sure this was evident even at school when you not only did your schoolwork and also homework, you managed to fit in sport, housework and hobbies on a schedule.
The only thing that will ever block this is your own body. Should you have concerns about your body, mind and spirit relationship on this cycle, look at your paid work, unpaid work and housework. Ask deeper questions about what your body might be telling you, or achieving for you, by not functioning as usual. In astrology, we highlight these issues because the Sixth House and Virgo are opposite the Twelfth House and Pisces, so there is a relationship between the subconscious mind and your physical condition.
Your everyday working life has its own chain of command. Even if you’re working for yourself (or head of the home) you still have to think about your duty to other people. All work is a service, even if you’re apparently calling the shots. If you’re a President or a Prime Minister, you still have a duty to the people who voted for you, so in a way, you’re still in service to them, just as a PA is to her boss.
This cycle will strongly influence the chain of command where you are, no matter if you’re a full-time housewife with florists, supermarket delivery boys and gardeners to consider, or if you’re at the head of your own company. It’s about controlling your impulses, and strategizing when other people are clearly failing to control theirs. The heat will rise now. Mars will produce situations, organisations or people who push, prod and provoke.
Work or routine issues will now light your fire. You’ll see gaps where you can get in, and doors that you could push open, or quick measures you could take, to stop other people posing a threat to you. If sport or the armed forces is part of your working day, you’ll be particularly fired up and passionate. After all, you’ve been trained to feed off these emotions – the need to get out there and seize the day, or the need to rush at problems before they rush at you.
Even if your day job is perfectly peaceful and lovely (you stroke cats at luxury spa resorts) you’ll be amazed at how quickly Mars can be unleashed in yourself, or those who are linked to your working life. Mars will conjunct, or sit on, your Virgo chart factors now. This is a good time to get to know those factors in depth. Do you have Uranus or Pluto in Virgo? Find out more about them, on my website.
Mars in Libra/Seventh House
You express your personality through partnerships, duets and double acts. You also express yourself through feuds, disputes and contests. Perhaps this is part of your personal and family life, or your working life. In this cycle you must look at the scales you balance with other people, or unbalance with other people, and how to handle that.
His Holiness The Dalai Lama, the leader of the Tibetan people, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, is the obvious global winner in the “how-to-deal-with-enemies” sweepstakes. The Dalai Lama feels no hate in his heart. In fact, every time you see him, he’s smiling. Tibetan Buddhist techniques may help you now, if you have an enemy, rival or opponent. Peaceful protest works. Just ask the Wilderness Society. In India, Gandhi had a radical, non-violent approach towards his battles. He won. This is a good time to look at historic conflicts.
What happens next could start a battle that ends up becoming a long war. Can you feel compassion for the other side because they obviously feel so little peace in their lives?
Libra is associated with duets of all kinds – like the double act between Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin. Two men walked on the Moon but only one man could be first to take one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. The mission took two, in order to win the space race for America. It taught the world a very Libran lesson, that in order to win a contest or beat an enemy, two must unite as one, even though only one can be first.
This now applies to your former, current or potential partner. We also associate Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street with Libra. Co-operation! Issues about equality (‘equal but different’) are common on this cycle. You become who you are by the challenges you deal with now and the triumphs you enjoy. You’re a Super Libran type!
Mars in Scorpio/Eighth House
If you are heavily Scorpio, then sexually intimate agreements over money, or deadly serious arrangements over property, are a major part of your personal life or your job. You may work in life insurance or you may find your relationship with your former partner and the children, consumes your life.
We associate Scorpio with world share markets, the banking industry and my friend Rick, who is a cigar-smoking mathematical genius in the world of global insurance. (He believes in astrology).
This cycle rules joint financial issues, like a shared mortgage or property investment, or a family inheritance, or the tax department, or the car you share with your sister. It’s about money, houses, flats, possessions, assets and resources that work one, two or more ways between everyone involved. It’s what you have in your will, or what you stand to inherit from other people. It’s the bottom line in sex, because although it’s unromantic, if the sex stops, then the marriage is over and the legal wrangling over your Life On Mars box set begins.
The ability to take a detached view of your own physical state and feelings is half the battle, with Mars. It is common to experience Mars coming at you from the outside, so particular people, organisations or situations seem heated. Nobody has time to wait. At times like this, expertise and experience can be very helpful.
The ripples that spread out from the financial, business or property stones that get thrown now will extend for months, even years. The original intention and energy behind those decisions and reactions now, is very important. Reducing the friction is a very good idea. Mars is the old red planet. We associate red faces with a blood rush, which is common when people are ready to fight. We also associate red with the stop signs on Paris streets, which tell people to wait, not rush. This cycle raises issues about your timing, your patience, your ability to strategise, plot and plan. It also shows you the time-frame other people or organisations are working from. The clock or calendar have a major part to play now as you figure out the money, the house, the possessions, the business, the apartment.
Mars in Sagittarius/Ninth House
If you have a Sagittarius stellium, you are an explorer, a student of life, a guide for others, and a born traveler. Your philosophy or personal belief system is central to who you are. You may use the web to publish your ideas.
All these cycles will strongly influence how you feel about your beliefs, a trip, or a connection to someone from another country or culture. It will also trigger issues connected to the world of publishing, and education and academia. Depending on your own life and situation at the moment, you’ll find one or two areas on this list become a more urgent priority than the others – but they all matter. Some will cross over. Mars will stir things up and you’re going to need to manage everything properly.
People emigrate, move to radically different areas or districts, and travel widely in this cycle. They also plan to export, move or holiday. As always with Mars, ask yourself if you’d do this/say this anyway, even if you weren’t feeling so wired or fired up by what is going on with other people, large organisations or the world in general. And ask outsiders for their angle: are you making all the right moves and decisions now, or are you responding in the heat of the moment?
Your beliefs are key now – or their beliefs (religious, political, cultural, philosophical, scientific) could be an issue. The Mars rules apply just because you or someone else is getting all hot and bothered, does not mean the principle at stake is worth the pile of merde that will result if either of you lets the situation go further. Slow down, chill out.
Education, academia and publishing provide the arena where Mars issues gets played out. Your agenda (or other people’s burning mission) might be right or wrong but unless you remove the heat, you are unlikely to travel in the right direction, in the right way.
This cycle is actually about the expansion of your horizons. It’s about stretching your usual limits, geographically, intellectually, spiritually or mentally. That’s why it covers the world of books and learning, as well as travel, and relocation, and your dealings with people from other cultures, belief systems and accents. Mars can create a lot of friction and abrasion if you let this cycle call the shots, though.
Mars in Capricorn/Tenth House
The world of big business, the global class system, the aristocracy and big government will completely transform, thanks to the part you play in the grand scheme of things.
People who talk about astrology being about ‘energies’ are wrong. There are no mysterious waves in the air, just people like you, making things happen on a local level, who play your part in wider change.
If you have a Capricorn stellium, you express your personality through ambitions to get to the peak of your chosen field, career, industry or business. Less commonly, strongly Capricorn people marry into the class above them or ‘marry well’ to those who are wealthy, extremely successful or born into fame or position.
Everything you know so far about dealing with pyramid-style structures at work, or in society, will be changed by what is to come. The world is going to restructure, and you will play your part.
If you have a full-time or part-time job, a burning career issue will turn up on these cycles. Alternatively, it may be your boss, client, lecturer, classmate, colleague or professional rival who starts feeling the Mars heat. As with all Mars Cycles, the things you do and say now are vital, because they will have a domino effect on your career, your status and your success. If you are strongly Capricorn, then your paid or unpaid work is at the heart of your ambition. It describes who you are.
Sometimes the issue is your social status as a full-time parent or a partner to your working wife or husband. Again, this describes who you are. This cycle will ask you to explore your notion of success.
The golden rule is to consider the issue at stake again when Mars has left the Tenth House. When you are feeling calmer, or other people have cooled down, you stand a much better chance of judging (accurately) just how important that career matter really is. Mars typically inflames situations, demands action and reminds us that red is the colour of emergency. It is also, notably, the colour of any stop sign on a traffic light. Major issue about how fast or slow to proceed will unfold now. Don’t be pushed or hurried if it’s not essential. Strategy is Queen in your career now.
If the issue has any validity at all, it will still make sense, and carry weight, once this cycle is over. In the meantime, the Mars rules applies: the sight of a throbbing temple, or a fist pounding a table, should not necessarily impress you. You’re just seeing someone in the workplace turning into a Martian.
Mars also produces an enormous amount of physical tension, which needs a safe container now. Determined, fast walking or energetic swimming is helpful – but you may have your own ideas about exercise (yoga and the gym are good too.) If you don’t drain off the Mars madness which is now coursing through your adrenal glands, you may walk around the workplace with a tight, rubber-band tension. This is not good for the body, for obvious reasons, but it isn’t particularly good for the mind, spirit or soul either. It’s not inevitable, but I have notes over ten years, reminding me this cycle can trigger it for people who go through Mars conjunct (or on) their own Capricorn placements.
Mars in Aquarius/Eleventh House
You express your personality through one or more groups if you have an Aquarius stellium. During these periods, you will find your tribe is at the core of major decisions which will affect your life for months, even years. Take your time, take good advice and be strategic. Friendship matters! During these cycles, one or more friends will call for your attention, time and thought.
You could easily be gripped by a group goal on a Mars Return that you’re physically excited and enthused about. To quote Elvis Presley, you’ll be All Shook Up. It’s a sports trophy, or a big Hollywood film. It’s a shared charity project, or a surprise party for your friend’s 30th. It can be great or small, planet-changing, or important only to you and your mates…but the heat will be there. It’s like you all decided to chip in to renovate your local swimming pool, but there’s a deadline and some of the people involved are a little … hypermotivated.
Good Mars questions to ask yourself about the group are: a) Does this benefit others as well as myself? b) Would I do this anyway, even if I wasn’t feeling supercharged? c) If life is one long domino effect, is my domino a good domino, or a bad domino?
There may also be a group around you (a book group, a website forum and so on) where one or more people are feeling the heat. They’re all revved up and ready for a fight, or they have some manic vision. Keep an eye on the networks, teams, clubs, associations, organisations, classes and other assortments of people who are in your world, or on the fringes of your world, at this time. Just because they’re as mad as Vikings in a Mad Vikings competition, doesn’t mean you have to respond on their time frame. Correct?
Friends can be made or lost in this cycle. A good friendship is one where both people realise that, from time to time, one of you will become slightly deranged and operate like Felix the Cat on a metal roof with an exploding thermostat. It’s all about being human, really, but why should your passing episodes (or your friend’s) dictate what happens next?
This cycle teaches you about the hive mind. In order for this small community of people to serve each other – and for friendship to thrive over many years – it is important to honour the group as much as you honour marriage, or family. Maybe you already do that anyway. The shared goal of the group is the key. You are all remarkably different people, yet together you can create extraordinary results. Now is the time to look at what that’s going to take.
Mars in Pisces/Twelfth House
If you have a Pisces stellium, then it is your life and personality below the surface which powers you.
In all the cycles you see above, the burning issue in your life now will be secret. Sensitive. Delicate. It’s not the kind of thing you can tell Oprah about, or even your best friend. This extremely confidential matter will make you feel fired up, and passionate. You’ll want to do something – now – and that’s understandable. Now, ask yourself if you would take action about this very secret, sensitive matter in your life, in the same way, if you were not feeling the heat or the urgency.
Classified information, confidential matters and unfathomable mysteries are an important part of your life if you have a Pisces stellium. You may work in an area where secrets must be covered up, like the police force or mediumship. Psychology and the psychic world are commonly of deep interest to heavily Piscean people.
The other classic sign of a strongly Piscean person is the tendency to operate behind the scenes, unrecognised and usually uncredited for important work, where others are the name or face. This seems to be a part of the journey for people with a Pisces stellium.
Once you realise that you are all about what lies beneath the surface, your life makes more sense. Your diaries may be under lock and key. You may have couple of really big secrets to carry, which would change your life and other people’s lives too, if they were to get out.
This cycle, beyond secrecy and life behind the scenes, is very much about your subconscious mind. It is also about your astral body, which travels when you dream and can leave your physical body during surgery. Perhaps you are aware of this.
Perhaps you are not.
Edited extract from 2020 Astrology: Your Five-Year Horoscope Guide by Jessica Adams.
Images Courtesy of Unplash.com and Pinterest.
30 Responses
Hi Jessica
This is a fascinating article, so much to digest! I have a quick question – I’ve met a guy that I’m very quickly seeming to be increasingly connected to. His Mars is 23 Libra and Venus is 24 Leo – and my Venus is 23 Libra. Presumably this means a fiery, perhaps combative romance? We have to do a lot of communicating by text or video chat, only occasionally in person (intense), and we do end up having very feisty debates that get heated. My Mars is in Gemini with a Gemini Stellium and I see Mars is in Gemini now so your article basically warns me to curb my words – noted! In terms of synastry his chart had me almost falling off my chair with several degree points either exactly or 1 degree off matching mine: sun quincunx sun, his Jupiter trines my sun, his Saturn trines my mercury & my Neptune, and is opposite my Pluto. His Pluto sextiles my moon. His Neptune is conjunct my North Node, and my Uranus conjuncts his North Node. It all feels very loaded, along with your horoscopes for my Sag Sun recently talking about past life connections. I’d love your thoughts. After 6 years of being single I wonder if I’ve finally met the mother lode, or if this is going to be an epic crash and burn.
Thank you! F
I can see why you are attracted to this man. You have Mars in Gemini so watch what you put in writing, even a text message or email. You have huge patterns together and set each other off, sexually and emotionally. You are worried this will crash and burn, but also hopeful you have met your future husband. This is karmic in nature and you must complete karma with him by January 2022. After that, you will have received or repaid, spiritually, and the year 2002 will be the clue. So, for example, if you are ‘owed’ by the universe from 2002, you will be paid back, likely through him. Or, if you ‘owe’ spiritually you will have the chance to repay, again, thinking about issues or episodes from 2002. From January next year you can operate in a more free, relaxed way either with him or another, as the karma will have been sorted out.
Mars in Pisces for myself and Mars in Scropio for my husband. We have such bad luck with property and i wonder why… after reading his Mars side is does explain.
Mars in Scorpio has been opposed by Uranus in Taurus since 2018 if your husband has Mars in the early degrees of that sign, but it does pass.
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for this article. I have been fascinated with Mars since the 2019 Mars in Aries cycle. If not mistaken Aries is ruled by the head and hours after Mars entered Aries on January 1st I got hit in the head by a chairlift and suffered a severe concussion. No wonder I feared the 6 month 2020 Mars in Aries cycle! It did turn out to be a very challenging time indeed culminating in a terrible square with Pluto and the moon just around Christmas time and boy did I feel the heat! Literally my body was also overheating that whole week! I have an Aries stellium, but my actual Mars is at 24 Aquarius semi-sextile Bacchus at 24 Cap and (almost) sextile with Chiron at 23 Aries. Can I ask you how that plays out?
Coincidentally I just saw Mercury is at 24 Aquarius today. Also some strange synchronicity, while reading the article my thoughts drifted of to my ex who has Mars in Aquarius as well and all of a sudden you mention the word Vikings which was part of a nickname I had for him.
Thank you. Mars does rule the head. I am really sorry you had concussion. Chairlifts are not exactly light and they have a habit of not stopping. You are very ‘Mars’ in that you are strongly Aries. It would be a good idea to be aware of friendships, groups and frenemies, which is Nancy Mitford’s terms for friends who are passive-aggressive. In other words they undermine you in subtle ways or they behave in ways that trouble you, even though they may carry on the role of friends. You also tend to find Mars in groups, clubs, teams. A good way to use Mars is to be part of a football team or play competitive sport with others, which has rules and regulations. Mars is hooked into your career, unpaid work or study (Capricorn) and also your life online (Aries, again the ‘head’ you show on Twitter or Meetup). Thus, we’d have to say that you need to figure out a system with groups and friends. An early warning device is good. Do you know about three strikes and you’re out? If a friend or someone in the club, society, association, band – is passive aggressive or even downright difficult – you tolerate it once, twice and then the third time you leave.
Hi Jessica
Such a good article. I definitely felt Mars & esp when it just went thru Aries recently. Can you explain my Mars please? Mars is at Leo 25, it is at close aspects to a lot of my chart. I also have an Aries stellium.
Thanks, H
Sure H, and I am sure you are aware of Mars in your chart, as Aries is ruled by Mars of course. Mars in Leo in the Fifth House is really about the square to Uranus in Scorpio in your Eighth House of family finance, partnership property. The Fifth House rules children, godchildren, nieces and nephews, and also unplanned pregnancy, and unwanted pregnancy too. The square suggests regular episodes in your life where you have to sort out the bank account, house or apartment – against the realities of babies, children, teenagers or the next generation. A classic example would be finding a partner is pregnant and having to mortgage the house to find more cash flow. Another example would be a partner leaving, and taking the child, which means child support is required. It’s on that level. You can also have a case where you make a legacy or will to a particular godchild, then fall out with the godchild or his/her parents and so revoke the will. I am sure you can see where this is going. The trick with Mars is to feel any anger during these times, let it go (which it always does) and then just come up with a really practical, sensible solution. It can always be found. I would suggest that some people and situations are so toxic, though, it’s often best to do whatever you must, to walk away, pull out and find some peace.
Great article Jessica
I’m curious about my Mars aspect in cancer where I have the sun, mercury, Apollo and is close in number to my north and south nodes.
So what does this mean then to me in my life as my family house life gets trigged
Hoping you can help me understand better
Yes, you have Mars at 27 Cancer close to your North Node and South Node axis, one degree away, across Cancer-Capricorn. Her Majesty the Queen has a similar chart pattern. Basically this is about your career, social position, status, success, position and ambition always putting you at a fork in the road with the family. This may be your mother’s side of the family or your father’s side. Sometimes it’s just your parents and siblings. It’s ever easy and you will repeatedly have to make huge choices in your life about staying put, staying where you come from in terms of status, doing what your parents want for you – and going further, higher, out there into the world. It can also work the other way, as the Queen knows. You might want to have a particular sort of life, but by being born into a family, you are destined to have the life they want for you and there is nothing you can do about it! You also find Mars brings occasional episodes of anger, heat, and attack-defence mechanisms. This can bring rifts with relatives. Cancer-Capricorn is ultimately about finding who/what makes you feel at home, emotionally and figuring out where your heart rests in terms of where you come from and where you belong. Success then becomes a statement about, say, your town or country and the deep attachment you have. How to juggle that and also make it work with the realities of the family is the big quest.
Hi Jessica. I have mars in sagittarius but I feel exactly like mars in 12 house in pisces. I have an interview on Thursday 18 March. I’m so worried. The stars are good for me that day? I appreciate your reply. Thanks so so much!
Please don’t worry about your interview. Although, having said that, the women who worry are those who succeed in life because they try harder and put more effort in. You will do really well in your career until 2026 and in fact end up exploring, experimenting and innovating; trying completely different projects, new technology and some really interesting people. So the long game is terrific. Relax but not too much. Give this your best as it will lead you to exactly where you need to be in life, no matter what the outcome is. It’s the right step at the right time for your ultimate destiny.
Hi Jessica
I have Mars at 27* on Aries plus I have other horoscope factor (within one degree)
Like my MC on Saggitarius at 27*. My IC on Gemini.at 27*. My NorthNode on Saggitarius at 28*,SouthNode on Gemini at 28* and the last factor it’s Uranus on Libra at 26*
How Mars can affect me with this factors?
Thank you so much!
Mars tied into aspects in the chart suggests that you bring him with you, when you travel (Sagittarius) or when you study or teach (also Sagittarius) and particularly when you use the internet (Gemini). Mars is about heat, speed, action, impatience and sometimes aggression, as you know. So you are one of those people who should be aware that what goes online, stays online. Typing in the heat of the moment or recording something on Tik Tok or YouTube when you feel fired up (Mars) is not a great idea. Maybe you already know that. Sagittarius-Gemini is associated with driving, travelling, cycling, public transport, foreign people and places, regional and cultural differences. Mars locked into that in your First House suggests you may already have learned that you need to slow down and cool down when you are on the road, or on the move. Some people with this pattern actually avoid learning to drive at all, because they know they would be such tricky drivers. More positively, Mars in Aries aligned with all this suggests a capacity for self-promotion and ‘Me’ on social media, like Twitter. So you could pursue your own brand, for example, or your face and name would be your calling card online, particularly if you were to explore other places, faces and spaces. If you’ve not already ended up with letters after your name, you could easily do that by January 2022 – academic or other qualifications.
I have Mars in Taurus square my Sun… so I’m always wound up.
Thanks for this interesting article Jessica. My Mars is in Taurus where I have a stellium. I have a stellium in Aries too. I also have a number of factors squaring each other such as Mars at 14 Taurus, my descendant at 15 Leo, ops at 14 Scorpio and my Ascendant at 15 Aquarius. I also have Juno at 14 cancer squaring panacea at 15 Aries. There has been quite a lot of conflict with my ex husband and within my family of origin. Over time I have learnt to be more assertive because I used to be desperate to preserve relationships, sometimes at the expense of my own wellbeing. Do you have any advice? Thanks.
Mars is hard work and so are squares; do you have a physical outlet for the tension, adrenaline and muscular stress? Swimming is good. Wild swimming is excellent. Fast walking is great. Maybe you already have something. Yoga can be useful. You need an outlet for your physical body as Mars needs somewhere to go. The fixed sign squares show really fixed positions that you take, and being flexible can be handy, so try yoga (nice and bendy). Over time you will come to know yourself better and consciously avoid learning inner strength by getting involved with the wrong people. It takes time.
Wonderful read, Jessica!
My Mars in Virgo at 26 degrees pings my Minerva at 26 Aquarius and Pluto at 26 Libra. I understand the Pluto in Libra and the control issues, but how does the square aspect of all three come together? I am doing a lot of work on myself recently (therapy, mediation etc.) And I feel like it’s working!
Thank you! Hugs from New Jersey!
You won’t feel it all the time; just when there are transits to 26 degrees. The need to come first, be first, compete and win – at work. The wisdom you impart with friends and groups. The need to control the partnerships you have, past, present or potential. I’m sure you can see how you’ve played this out throughout your life. Each time you do it, you find a better way to express it.
Hi Jessica
I have my Mars conjunct the north node in Virgo ( and hence in opposition to my south node) – so I know this relates to my work, mind, body and it is part of my destiny/fate path.
However, I am a bit puzzled on how to use Mars correctly – do I take action always with the physical / DO something aspect – and ignore the Pisces angle – whixh relates to spirituality, unconscious mind etc – is this the right way to use my Mars conjunct north node in Virgo to side step problems? Ur guidance would be much appreciated as always!
Thanks
You actually have a whopping complex around 27-28 degrees, so Mars at 28 Virgo in the Sixth House, Juno at 29 Capricorn in the Tenth House, Minerva at 28 Gemini in the Third House, Panacea at 27 Virgo in the Sixth House, North Node at 27 Virgo in the Sixth House, South Node at 27 Pisces in the Twelfth House. This is about your career, unpaid work and study. It is very much about your wholistic health; how the mind, body, spirit and unconscious mind runs the show, when it comes to the work you do. This is valid your entire life. There is no question about how to use Mars correctly; he is in opposition to your South Node but also trine Juno, and in conjunction with Panacea, so you already are. This is really the chart of someone who could end up in healing, medicine, health, mental health, fitness, either for a hobby or a career. This may in fact come to pass if it has not already happened. Have a look at these placements using the guidebooks on the website. Every time you have transits to 27 degrees (allow a degree either side) the whole pattern is triggered and of course this is relevant now, as we have Pluto in Capricorn moving very close. Jupiter will go to 27 Pisces in 2022. I think this is a life reshape for mind, body, spirit, position, mission and ambition.
Thanks Jessica. That’s a good reminder to make time for walking and yoga which I’ve done in the past. All the best.
Not sure why i canr reply. Sorry for writing here :
His Mars is in 23 degrees 30’50’’ and Acendant in Taurus 10degrees 50’ 47’’. Does this bad luck Mars in Scorpio passes when Mars changes sign?
There is no bad luck in astrology. Mars changing signs just means that one area of your life moves more quickly; generates more competitiveness; spurs you or others into action, not words. It can accompany anger or aggression – that is very true.
Hi,
This question is not related to the article above, but to the 2021 astrology report.
I would just like to know when the questions relating to the Pisces stellium will be answered?
Kind regards
A
I must apologise for the delay A. Thank you so much for your patience. Every question and answer will be published today, Friday 19th March.
This was a really interesting article. I remember reading Astrology for Women while at University- it is now dog-eared but I still have it and I always was really drawn to the keywords and archetypes in the section on my Gemini in Mars. The last few years I’ve been grappling with postnatal depression and deep ambivalence about my work. In the last few weeks however, something has really changed.I feel like i’m sparking again after almost feeling like I’ve been sleepwalking, or just going through the motions for so long- and suddenly a lot of things I’ve quietly tolerated or thought that I was unreasonable for being unhappy about, I just can’t be quiet about anymore. When I took a look at my chart, it seems like my Mars is in the process of being triggered. Am I correct? Or is something else going on?
Thank you. I am so flattered you still have my first astrology book. You’ve had postnatal depression and just lately have felt a welcome change. You are wondering if it’s your Mars in Gemini. That is part of it. You are having your Mars Return until April 24th, and for the first time in 19 years, you also have the North Node in Gemini. All this is about your public face, or public self. Who you are, without fear or favour. If the years 2002-2003 or 1983-1984 ring bells for you, that is because the North Node in Gemini was also in your life, then, and it may be that some very old karmic debts and credits are being settled in 2021. Overall, there are more transits than this behind the feeling that you are waking up, or ready to act, having put up with what you only tolerated before. Ceres has just gone into Aries (since 22nd February) and so in your personal birth chart, as well as your Gemini chart, you have First House transits. It’s the same thing, really. Projection of your personality – name, face, shape, style, identity, true self – and empowerment. Ceres is a symbol of taking back control and for some women a Ceres transit does feel like waking up. You will skyrocket May-July, professionally, academically or with unpaid work, partly as a result of what is happening now.
What a fascinating article! I did not know much about Mars, only that he is my Scorpio ruler. He is in Libra for me. How does he interact with my other placements? Thank you so much for any insights, Jessica!
Mars rules Aries, actually, not Scorpio. Mars in Libra points to a lifetime of issues with partners of all sorts. Duets and duels, we call it. This may be marriage or work partnership, or just two people living together in a shared apartment. When it comes to ‘two’ your Mars in Libra in the Seventh House is really about testing the scales and how evenly they are balanced. Occasionally you will meet situations where you feel a sense of injustice or unfairness, to the point where you must act. Sometimes, it’s legal. Entering into any duet should involve a third pair of expert eyes on any contract, paperwork or agreement. If you think about Ross Poldark and Demelza you have a good picture of Mars in Libra. They fight each other, but fight the world as a couple. The marriage dominates their lives. They have duels with each other, and he has duels, quite literally. Yet, all the poetry, drama and music of life is there. So it is with you.