The power and possibility of Mars
Zeus separates Athena and Ares. Attic black-figured volute-krater, ca 540–510 BCE. Source
One who was born under the influence of Mars will be one who spills blood. Rav Ashi said: He will be either a blood letter, or a thief, or a slaughterer of animals, or a circumciser. Rabba said: I was born under the influence of Mars and I do not perform any of those activities. Abaye said: My Master also punishes and kills as a judge. -Talmud, Shabbat 156a
When I was 12, a trip changed my life. Our family friends were living in Singapore and my parents decided we’d visit them and see Thailand and Bali. It was on this trip that I fell in love with travel, photography, and learning about the world, all things I still love today.
I learned how much culture was like a water I swam in everyday, unnoticed. One of the most visceral differences between my white middle class upbringing and these countries was the reality of meat. Fish were presented with the head still on, mouth open and eyes unmoving. In the market, it was common to see animal heads hanging near the butcher’s stall. You couldn’t ignore the violence it took for your food.
I found a level of irony in this moment. My brother hated seeing these animal heads but loved eating meat. Me? I didn’t mind seeing our food. I just never loved the taste of meat. I’d much rather face violence than pretend it isn’t happening. Would we eat so much meat if we had to witness the animal dying, or look into lifeless eyes?
Mars, as the planet of the knife, blood, and violence, holds this strange conundrum in our society. Mars is a malefic, a difficult extreme planet. It signifies danger, violence, and anger. We like to tell ourselves humanity is progressing, that we are more civilized than we were 500 or 1000 years ago. In this time of great uncertainty, I think back to the differences between presenting death. Has our violence really diminished? Or have we systematized it in a way we no longer have to witness it?
When is Mars rewarded?
Each planet has signs and houses where it is dignified in traditional astrology. Mars is exalted in the sign of Capricorn: the place of tradition, structure, and legacy. Mars gets its joy in the 6th house, the place traditionally of slaves, illness, and day to day work.
These two overlap in themes that deemphasize the self. Mars here isn’t on the cutting edge. Its violence is embodied in existing systems, serving them. Isn’t the national soldier this archetype? The soldier must follow a strict hierarchy. Their violence must be for something larger than themselves. They are contained within rules, structure, and larger meaning.
It’s an interesting parallel to ancient ways they worked with the god Ares, the Greek version of Mars, in Asia Minor. They would bind a statue of the god in chains. This didn’t stop him, but ensured he was protecting them. It is like we understand that we cannot remove all the anger, the violence. It is allowed as an outlet, the way you create a small vent in a popcorn bag, allowing excess heat to rise.
As we see the problems less and less, it’s easy to forget what systems this Mars upholds. Who benefits from this allowed violence? Why is it ok for an insurance company to weigh life and death based on a balance sheet? Why are we ok with having millions more road deaths than in Europe? Why do we spend so much on our military that they can’t even adequately track their funding?
I keep thinking about Mars’s glyph. It represented the spear. While you can throw the spear, it remains a weapon more intimate and visible than most of our tools today. Is that a good thing? It’s easier to eat meat when you never have to kill an animal. Easier to wipe out thousands of people when a drone can drop bombs from a distance. The more distant we are from the pain of our choices, the harder it seems to acknowledge the violence in them.
Kendrick Lamar stands in the middle of backup dancer assembled to resemble the American flag at Super Bowl LIX. Source
Control versus rebellion
“Most hateful to me art thou of all gods that hold Olympus, for ever is strife dear to thee and wars and fightings. Thou hast the unbearable, unyielding spirit of thy mother, even of Hera; her can I scarce control by my words.” -Zeus speaking to Ares, Iliad Hom. Il. 5 890
It’s been over a month and I can’t stop watching the Kendrick Lamar halftime show. I keep watching Samuel L Jackson as Uncle Sam, telling Kendrick how to play the game. It’s got to be “nice and easy”. Kendrick always refuses, finishing his show with “Not Like Us”, not just dragging Drake but also uplifting Compton, highlighting Black joy. The rage and the fierce joy, it’s an example of his very public 10th house Mars.
The biggest misconception about activism and social change is the idea that it is slow, inevitable. We have all seen the “arc of the moral universe” quote. But this quote denies the history, rights were not just given. It disrupts traffic. It boycotts stores. It creates sudden and intense moments, forcing an issue. America may want, “nice calm”, as Uncle Sam says in the halftime show. But when was progress given freely?
If we look at the mythology of Ares/Mars, he is the first and perhaps most prominent child of Zeus and Hera. Hera, who was tricked into marrying Zeus, had to witness his constant affairs. It’s not hard to imagine how a child could grow resentful of their father, of the ‘order’ Zeus (Jupiter) embodies and how it can be harmful. How easy would it be to become the embodiment of rage and rebellion because you can’t stop witnessing the pain,? It all has to go somewhere.
And this might be the most dangerous and potent thing about Mars. While it can speak to lawlessness and thievery, it questions order itself. As Kendrick makes space for Serene Williams to crip walk, the visuals ask you why was she critiqued for it at the 2012 Olympics? As his dancers form the American flag, you see a country embodied by black people, reminding you it was their labor that built this nation, their labor stripped and mined for profit.
There’s a moment when Zeus openly says he would’ve thrown Ares into Tarturus, the dark pit, if Ares wasn’t his son. Ares may be an Olympian, but in the Greek tradition, he is barely tolerated. Over and over again, we see the power of folks at the crossroads like Ares are especially seen as dangerous to the system. Kendrick dances this line — he may be a Pullitzer prize winner but also grew up in Compton in Section 8 housing. His one mention of 40 acres and a mule caused a spike in searches and gave millions of Americans a moment to learn about American history and failures. He’s an undeniable force in music and culture, one even the President can’t silence.
A wild jump in search traffic just after the half time show
Yes, Mars is a malefic in astrology. It can point to sudden injuries, burns, disruptions in our lives. It also is a potent planet, one that can force us to face our hypocrisy and asks us what actions will we be remembered by. Will we step up, speak out? Or will we choose comfort and harmony at the expense of our neighbors, our allies, our democracy?
Ready to work with Mars?
Mars will be in Cancer until April 19th. If you’re struggling with conflict, aggression, or just having energy, my Mars in Cancer ebook can help. No astrology knowledge required.
