Mars in Astrology & Mars Remediation
This post was originally published October 6, 2020 in my now defunct website (yolandasastrology) and has sine been revised and updated .
Mars in traditional astrology is categorized as a “malefic” or evil planet. While Mars can and often does make things unpleasant and downright dangerous, it is best to dispense with terms like “benefic” and “malefic”, “good” and “evil” because every planet, like every human being, has both desirable and less desirable qualities.
My Pluto in Scorpio is trine my Sun and Mars in Cancer and let’s just say that I am more than a little obsessed with the so-called Dark Lords of Astrology. I look at Mars in my own and my clients’ birth charts and I see not only a muscled and swarthy warrior in chain armor of iron and red-plumed helmet but also an Emperor or Empress; a fearless leader who is not afraid to honor their desires, initiate new projects and facilitate change.
Mars is the principle that says you are here to shine a light on your true essence (Sun) and in order to do so you have to conquer your fears.
Mars is the principle of action and directed energy. Think of the glyph for Mars ♂ Sure, it’s in-your-face yang. Erect male genitals that indicate desire but also virility and Mars’ placement in your chart does indeed, reveal your desires. But there is more to this glyph. Some astrologers see the glyph as a pictograph of his shield and lance. Personally I see an arrow shooting out of the circle of the totality of all matter. A sign that you are here to make real your Sun’s vision for your life.
Mars is why you have a sense of self; a separate entity, apart from mass consciousness. One of the privileges of being born human is that you get to experience having an “ego”. Some spiritual traditions will tell you to dismantle the “I” in order to evolve but the opposite is in fact true. Divine Mystery experiences living in the material world through your sense of self (as indicated by your unique cosmic blueprint) and it is your divine duty to discover and give expression to your “real I”, the Self that has not been contaminated by cultural expectations or false beliefs.
Cynthia Borgeault says this in the “Eye of the Heart”:
“It is by venturing out, learning the skills, developing the agency and taking the risk that will eventually deliver the “Real I” as its imaginal fruit. A person who is rich in essence but has not developed a strong vehicle for its expression in the world is in Gurdjieff’s terms, a “stupid saint”.”
It takes courage (Mars) to give yourself in full service to what wants to “act out” through you.
Mars in Myth
Mars is named after the Roman god of agriculture and war. This is worth remembering because we tend to confuse Mars with Ares, the brutish Greek god of war.
Mars enjoyed the highest honours alongside Jupiter and the Romans referred to him as “Mars Pater” (Father God). The Romans believed that Romulus and Remus, sons of the Vestal Virgin, Rhea Silvia, were fathered by Mars. Romulus and Remus founded Rome.
Mars was Rome’s divine ancestor and protector so if he went to war it was to restore peace. Further, he had an agricultural aspect. The Arval Brothers, ancient Roman priests responsible for carrying out fertility rituals in the fields would pray to him and the Roman soldier and senator, Cato the Elder, recorded this prayer to Mars:
“The following is the formula for purifying land … Make a prayer with wine to Janus and Jupiter, and say: ‘Father Mars, I pray and beseech thee that thou be gracious and merciful to me, my house, and my household; to which intent I have bidden this suovetaurilia [triple animal sacrifice] to be led around my land, my ground, my farm; that thou keep away, ward off, and remove sickness, seen and unseen, barrenness and destruction, ruin and unseasonable influence; and that thou permit my harvests, my grain, my vineyards, and my plantations to flourish and to come to good issue, preserve in health my shepherds and my flocks, and give good health and strength to me, my house, and my household. To this intent, to the intent of purifying my farm, my land, my ground, and of making an expiation, as I have said, deign to accept the offering of these suckling victims; Father Mars, to the same intent deign to accept the offering of these suckling offering [of pig, lamb and calf]’ [Cato On Agriculture].”
The Romans named the month of March after him, apparently because he was born in that month. Mars-ruled Aries is the first sign of the Zodiac and is associated with the season of Spring. Mars then, is “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower” (Dylan Thomas).
Mars in astrology is the planet of action, desire and drive. He is the impulse to move outward and towards something.
Mars is most powerful in the sign of Aries where he is at home. Aries is the sign of “I”, “The Ego”, the Individual and Impulse. He is also at home in Scorpio, the sign of death, sex and transformation, where he regenerates and recycles life. His vitality is checked in Taurus and Libra because in Taurus he has to slow down in order to approach things deliberately and methodically and in Libra he is forced to consider aesthetics and appearances. Practical considerations, personal values and feelings slow him down and Mars prefers speed. Mars exalts in Capricorn, a Saturn-ruled sign, because his impulses are directed in a constructive and strategic manner. Mars is in “fall” In Cancer because he is hampered by emotions.
Remediation
To remediate something is to correct something that is wrong or damaged. In astrological remediation we endeavour to correct, or at the very least, ameliorate planetary conditions so we can become beneficiaries of the boons of a planet. Remediation can and does improve your life circumstances.
The very first planet I remediated was Mars. The year was 2019. I was excited but also more than a little nervous because the last time Mars was my Time Lord I accomplished one of my top 5 life goals but I was also maligned by a jealous person who viewed me as her competitor. (Keep reading for more on Time Lords).
If your natal Mars is in Taurus, Libra or Cancer you may wish to start a remediation practice as soon as possible. As someone with Mars in Cancer I can tell you that before my Mars Remediation practice, my Mars was ineffective in helping me address my timidity and shyness. I also resorted (unconsciously) to passive aggressive tactics. Since I started my remediation practice I am far more comfortable in social settings and I honour my desires.
Clients with Mars in Aquarius find they are less erratic after remediation. Clients with Mars in Taurus no longer leave things for the last minute. Remediation has helped my clients make effective use of their time and energy.
Do you need to remediate your Mars?
If you answer YES to any of the following I recommend you begin a remediation practice.
You have low drive/energy/lack of libido
You don’t honour your desires
You lack motivation
You struggle with anger or feelings of rage
You engage in heartless & ruthless relations with others
or you experience any of the following physiological symptoms:
Headaches, migraines
Inflammation and eruptions
Blood disorders
Redness
Fever
Eye trouble
If Mars is your TIME LORD you may also wish to begin a remediation practice.
Your astrological Time Lord is connected to a predictive technique that dates back to the second century BCE. This predictive technique is called Annual Profections and it aims to identify the general theme or tone of any particular year ahead for you. I include this technique when clients come to me for their Solar Return (Birthday) reading.
Practice
Before you start:
Do not start a Mars remediation practice when Mars is retrograde.
Mars rules Tuesdays and his colour is red. William Lilly (Christian Astrology) also mentions that Mars likes yellow. You can wear a red t-shirt for example or even a red hat for this ritual which must be repeated for a minimum 5 Tuesdays in a row. ♂
Steps:
Light a red or yellow candle during Mars hour which is the first hour after sunrise and the eighth hour on Tuesdays (You can download an app like Time Nomad for exact hour of Mars in your time zone). It's a good idea to engrave the Mars symbol ♂️with a pin on your candle.
You can also burn incense (highly recommended). Mars prefers woodsy scents like Myrrh and Dragon’s Blood.
Read the Orphic Hymn for Mars. My personal favorite translation of the Orphic Hymns is by Apostolos N. Athanassakis.
If reading the Orphic hymn does not appeal to you, you can repeat a mantra. Please be aware that there are many names for Mars in Hindu texts and I am sharing here the one I prefer to use: Om Mangalaya Namaha. The root word "mang" in Sanskrit means happiness, welfare and bliss and the word mangala refers to anything auspicious. In the Rig Veda, Mars is referred to as Angaraka which means "the flaming one".
If you do not want to recite this mantra every day you can write out the mantra. This is known as Likhita Japa (writing mantras). Write it out the following number of times (9, 27, 54 or 108).
Add the bija (or seed) word "SHREEM" which represents the Goddess Lakshmi and brings in abundance and personal power to your mantra so that you either say or write out OM SHREEM MANGALAYA NAMAHA.
Please repeat this mantra 108x.
Then lastly within Mars hour, donate $5 or $25 to any organization that supports refugees, veterans or soldiers suffering from PTSD. Do this for 5 Tuesdays in a row.
*A quick word on making donations. If you absolutely do not have the funds available to donate to worthy causes do not let this stop you from building a relationship with Mars. Show up anyway every Tuesday with an offering of flame and fragrance (incense).
Daily Practice
Mars is hot and dry which means you should begin “cooling off” practices as soon as possible. Here are some ideas:
Drink water regularly.
Drink green tea.
Meditate by a river/stream.
Practice meditation, yoga or Tai Chi.
Spend time in nature. Take your shoes off as often as possible and actually walk on the grass or earth.
Now over to you!
Did you find this article interesting or helpful? Have you started a remediation practice?
Sources & Recommended Reading & Listening
https://romanpagan.wordpress.com/mars/
https://pantheon.org/articles/m/mars.html
Bourgeault, Cynthia, Eye of the Heart.
Sedgewick, Icy. Meet Mars, the Roman God of War and Agriculture
McAdam. Yolanda. Mars, The Life Coach (Astro.com)
Watch or listen to me talk about Mars Retrograde with Melissa LaFara here.
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