by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The world is in the grip of a terrible set of conflicts. As close as I can tell from a cursory study of world history, wars are common, as normal as such a thing can be, pervasive throughout history, but have become increasingly violent as war toys have developed over the centuries. Metallurgy, gun powder, the nuclear threat, and technology were major pivotal factors. Considering access through travel, being able to get up high and fire on stationary or moving targets, traveling under water to surprise your enemy, enhanced communication, emerging spy technology, weapons development, training and tactics development – Mars has been very busy and very productive.
The Mars of astrology and myth is a war god, assertive, aggressive, militant, heroic, muscular, dynamic, quick, all the positive masculine traits, all desired qualities for developing human independence from primitive conditions. A saber-tooth tiger could not be reasoned with – he just wanted dinner and didn’t bother to check your pedigree or light a match. Fight or flight was the ancient name of the game of survival and Mars was an absolute necessity for personal survival, clan or societal survival, eventually the survival of a country or people, and possibly planet-wide survival (if it comes to that).
But Mars can be a bully on the backside of his nature, cruel, and at times inhuman in blood lust, my way or the highway. The end justifies any means, winning is primary, playing the game fairly means nothing. Mars and his minions (helpers) have astrological keywords that are quite scary and the actions can match the words. When we read the chart of a person, assertion or the lack of it is shown by the condition of Mars. All the parts of any energy belong to us while we are studying (experiencing) that energy. Our perspective and the choices we make are what cause the experience to be positive or negative. Looking at the planet Mars and its minions (satellite Moons) Phobos and Diemos, we can see the flavor of Mars as we interpret a chart.
On August 27, 2003, Mars in its orbit traveled the closest to the Sun and Earth in recorded history, 34,649,589 miles, and was the brightest planetary object in the sky (see news link at bottom of article). Astronomers were certain it had been at least several thousand years since the last time, and that it may be 50,000 years before it does it again. This was a once in a lifetime event. Be aware that every summer this old story resurfaces on the internet as if it were a new event. The close approach of Mars is not new; it is history.
Astrologically, closer means stronger in effect. Whatever Mars means, it was pumping more than its usual energy into the space around it and into the inner part of the solar system where we live. Add to that our space-faring attempts to reach the red planet (satellites, space shots, orbiters with cameras, crash landings, controlled landings, Mars Rovers), with cameras and transmission devices, tiny shovels and sampling equipment. We have gotten real up close and personal with the ruler of war, haven’t we?
What about the satellites of Mars, the two Moons Phobos and Diemos? We’ve done much the same with them – perhaps not as much, but they are quite small. Their names give us pause for thought. Fear and Terror are the names of the minions of the god of war. So we have gotten up close and personal with war, fear, and terror. I think that pretty well sums up Earth’s recent experience. As above, so below. War, fear and terror in the heavens translates to war, fear and terror below…here…and it is happening now.
When something is known, it is visible and conscious. When something is not known, it is invisible and unconscious, but not absent. When we take actions to bring something into consciousness and visibility, our experience of it must change from unconscious to fully conscious. Our war-like, assertive, aggressive tendencies are on today’s table to raise our consciousness. Oh, we could just get more war-like (that seems to be happening) or we could reach into those traits, try to get a better handle on them, and improve on the energy and our experience.
We need courage and moxie and grit and heroes. We don’t need any more bullies. We don’t need to go that far just because it is possible to go there. When I see our astronauts strap themselves onto the side of a rocket to go into space to learn, to explore and to further human understanding, I’m awed by their actions. They are so brave, and they risk it all – for a purpose. That’s Mars. When I see courage in rescuing people, supporting and uplifting people, risk that betters the human condition, that’s positive Mars. When I see war, and cruelty, fear and terror, that is also Mars, but he’s just wearing his cruel face. In the space between the two extremes of action lies personal choice.
War has plagued our planet ever since man emerged. Earth’s birth was violent, and the ensuing development of Earth was violent. We occasionally experience planetary violence in the form of earthquakes, floods, fires, volcanoes and the like. But humanity has a conscious, reasoning mind and can make free will choices. We are learning a lesson because we invited war, fear and terror to come to our table when we reached out and touched it. Will we see the lesson, learn what we have to do to fix what’s wrong and grow into more civilized people, brave and dynamic with positive motivations? The choice is always ours.
http://space.about.com/cs/mars/a/marsclose.htm
First published on EZine November, 2009 and All Things Healing website May, 2010, republished with slight editing.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.