Meet the Planets: Mars

Mars is the Archetype of The Warrior. The Warrior sees the world in black and white. The Warrior chooses an objective, and then follows the most direct path to reach that objective, overcoming any obstacles in the path with single-minded focus, and utter disregard for the consequences. All that matters is the goal. Mars, the Warrior, is the part of us that goes after the things that we want. What Mars lacks is perspective. Mars excels at achieving immediate objectives; however, Mars is not capable of long-term planning or strategizing, and as a rule, Mars relies on force rather than negotiation, cooperation or finesse.

We may be most familiar with Mars by other names. We know mars as the “ego” or the little “s” self. In Freudian terms, Mars is also the id, the inner child who wants and desires and gets angry and frustrated when he is not instantly gratified. However, desire is merely a tool that Mars employs to motivate us to take action. What Mars really wants is to expend energy in a focused and directed manner. The Warrior doesn’t care what he’s fighting for; he simply wants to experience the sheer joy of channeling energy. This is of critical importance. In order to be in right relationship with Mars, Mars must always be operating in service to the Sun. The little “s” self must follow the guidance of the Big “S” self. The Warrior must fight to defend and support the Hero. Without this guidance, Mars can easily run amok.

How Mars goes about getting the things that it wants, and to some extent, how Mars chooses what it wants is determined by the Sign that Mars inhabits in your chart. Although the how is solely determined by Mars’ Sign, the what is also influenced by Venus’ Sign, because what it is that we want is always informed by what it is that we value and appreciate.

When we are in Right Relationship with Mars, our lives are the epitome of elegance. We know exactly when it is time to take action, and the action we take is simple, precise, focused, and perfectly balanced. Martial arts masters are, not surprisingly, masters of Mars. They know how to apply exactly the right amount of force at exactly the right moment to create the maximum power with the minimum effort. We become masters of manifestation because rather than forcing things into creation, we simply remove the obstacles and allow the Law of Attraction to do the rest. We experience deep satisfaction and fulfillment as we achieve each goal and overcome each obstacle, because our energies and our efforts are in full alignment with the expression and expansion of our true Self. Right Relationship with Mars also gives us a truly healthy and supportive relationship with anger. We understand that it is possible to defend without attacking. And we are able to channel the power and energy that anger provides in ways that are creative and supportive rather than destructive and aggressive.

When we are out of alignment with Mars, we experience driven behavior. We are always expending energy, always taking action, always doing something, and yet we are never satisfied with the results. While we may be powerful at manifesting our desires, everything that we manifest is created through sheer force of will and tremendous effort. Nothing comes easily, and everything is a battle. We are obsessed with reaching our goals and obtaining the things that we want, and a part of us believes that the end fully justifies the means. We are so driven to get the things that we want because we believe that when we get what we want, then we’ll be happy. This is never the case, however. We experience little or no satisfaction when we complete a task or reach a goal. We are convinced that we just need to work harder, to be better, to acquire more, and then we’ll be happy. But happiness is not on Mars’ agenda. All Mars wants is for us to keep driving, to keep fighting, and that’s what we do. When we are out of alignment with Mars, we experience the world as a hostile, competitive, aggressive place. We are always defensive, fearful of being attacked. We lash out with anger to defend ourselves from attack, which only provokes retaliation in kind.

Restoring Right Relationship with Mars is a two-fold process. First, it is essential to create a healthy outlet to channel Mars’ need to expend energy in a focused, directed manner. Martial arts are, in fact, an excellent way to channel the energy of Mars, but any strenuous physical exercise can serve to channel Mars energy in healthy and supportive ways. Opening a consciously-directed channel for Mars to express can help to alleviate the pent-up energy of Mars from leaking out in other, less appropriate areas of our lives.

If we are out of alignment with Mars, the underlying reason is universally that we are out of alignment with the Sun and/or Venus. If we are not feeling fulfilled or satisfied when we obtain the things that we desire, the reason is that the things that we desire are not aligned with the things that we Value. As we get into Right Relationship with Venus, connecting with our values, and the Sun, identifying our core standards of integrity, Mars will once again act in service to these directives.

To begin to connect with Mars, meditate on some of these questions:

• What do I want?
  


• How to I take a action?


• How do I attack?


• How do I defend?


• What motivates me to take action?


• How do I manage energy?


• How do I manage anger?


• How am I cooperative?


• How and why am I competitive?


• What is my driven behavior?


• What pulls me out of the present moment and into the future?