Mars: The Hero Archetype
Mars, the planet of Desire is the most defining planet in your wheel of Archetypes. Mars is who you are. If you tell me your obsession in life I will identify your Mars by sign and house. The Hero’s Journey is obvious to those who care to notice. The Hero (Solar Archetype) journeys through trials, to find his father (the invisible god). In the end he is his father. Mars is the energy that drives the young Hero forward. Mars is action. This works for men and women with one difference. Men wear theirs on the outside and womyn wear theirs on the inside.
Astrology is hard to read at first. We have so many elements to combine that folks run scared when they see a chart, like deer in the headlights. Astrology is a trinity. Each meaningful point has three parts, like a triangle.
Planet – The Actor SIGN – The Garment HOUSE – The Stage
Mars is Yang, masculine – like Aries. He is the #1 energy of life; beginner’s luck; spontaneous action. Put him with…
At the age of two, we all have the urge to move away from home. We run away and then run back home. We want to go and stay. Two year olds notoriously run into the street. They punch and kick and yell. They are ready to discover the world. They respond to urges. They define boundaries – “No.” They say “I and mine” Two year olds stomp the floor and demand. They are like teenagers in that both ages see their identities blossoming into autonomous beings, and that is a bit frightening, so they have mood swings and conflicting desires.
Mars is the foundation of your being
The sign and house of Mars can enlighten you about how you handle your desires. This valuable information is lost on most people because most people poo poo any sort of intuitive training. Intuitive information is thought inaccurate, only for wacky folk, not real. Such a shame to deny a perfectly valid side of our being. Truth doesn’t live in words. It lives in action. Mars is action, ergo Mars is the true you. In the Tree of Life, Mars is called Foundation. Why Learn Archetypes?
Many of us do not know what we want (especially with dual signs), much less what calls us. Or, we feel the calling but society does not approve. Or, we cannot understand what the hell is going on in our lives! Then what happens? Shootings? Suicides? Beatings? Abuse of the small? Murder of the innocents? Yes. It is imperative that we get the message out there. Since I hate to leave my room (Mars in the 4th house), the internet has been especially helpful. When lonely, I talk to cats, walk in the woods, and rearrange furniture with pure delight, always leaving some of it unfinished for the next bout of change (Mars in Virgo). Virgo says, “Change will make it better; change will set me free.”
Do I wish I had a more glamorous calling? I did until the time I fully understood my power. I connect to the small (Virgo). The small listen, it’s what they do, and then help me initiate (4th house) important projects. Virgo prioritizes while the 4th house initiates.
Modernians do not identify with the Hero Archetype because they tell us we are Kings. What’s wrong with being King? “Lord and Master” sounds good to the many impoverished of the world. They come here to be kings. The American Dream Archetype tells us to be good, hard working and obedient and we will be Kings on our small swatch of Earth. This “sort of” worked for some families after WWII, but the disfunction was palpable. We Baby Boomers were its products and we saw our parents guzzling booze, sucking down ciggies and generally looking out of sorts. They were lonely in their “ticky tacky” houses, gossiping about the neighbors and wondering if they would ever fit in.
Mars in Virgo(6) 4th house in My Chart = S/he
Fiery Mars in a Feminine Earth Sign says, “let me out of here, bubble, blup, pfisst.” In other words, fire drowns in water. S/he is hermaphroditic in this case. S/he is twice debilitated-6 (Virgo) and 4 (cancer). In other words, I am screwed. My calling is to perfect real things in my home and family. So I nitpick and worry and fret and control them, to make them better. I have learned this is an insult because it implies their incompetence. OOps! I did it again!
Mars in Virgo is unhappy, but I am not unhappy. I use her/m to my benefit. Writing is a great outlet, and it beats the hell out of telling others what they are doing wrong. They don’t like that, or so I have learned. I can nitpick the writing and lay off myself. Many years ago I set a strategy to release my tidy tendencies. Strategies are Virgoan, by the way. Certain dust bunnies and disorderly piles stayed put, no matter what. In spite of their magnetic calls, I required vigilant indifference to them. Over time, I increased the challenge to a few dishes in the sink, rinsed and stacked at first, nevertheless. Not enough to appear slovenly, but just the right amount to appear casual!
Virgo:
Earth-Feminine
Mutable
Service To put it mildly, Mars in Virgo has a tendency to criticize and annoy people. This fiery actor, Mars, acts directly according to his urges (beginner’s luck); while Earthy Virgo is compelled to critique every physical (Cancerian) thing she sees, hears, touches, tastes and smells.
4th House:
Maternal home-feminine
Tribe
Family
State
Country
Belonging
Earthy #6 Virgo sees details and flaws, and while able to correct others, she must learn to accept herself as she is, uncorrected. Virgo’s devotion to repairing life itself, is so onerous to Mar’s carefree heritage, he feels chained to a cinder block that damps all of his natural abilities. He is unable to dive into rivers to save kittens. He can’t leap over hedges and run the 4 minute mile. He is not himself in Virgo. However he is an amazing strategist. He is a craftsman like no other. He knits, crochets, felts, paints, draws and cooks like a chef. Mars in Virgo is not so bad after all. He lives in the moment. His best moments are when he is drawing plans for the next project, and taking notes.
I worked like a compulsive clean freak, missing time with my kids and fun for myself, because I could never relax until every row of grout was sparking white and each art project was complete. Nothing ever completed. One sleeve too long. One hair out of place. I became a beloved cleaning lady for many households. It was satisfying yet embarrassing. There is more to the story (my royal moon hated being a servant – literally).
4th House (Same as Cancer)
Fiery Mars in the watery 4th house is unhappy because he can’t keep his fire dry. He tries so hard to run but the ground is squishy and his boots are stuck in that girlie-mud. He can’t follow his urges and when he does, they come out damp, which makes him frustrated, but when water is in charge, s/he makes oblique demands of the other inhabitants causing anger to ensue like underwater dynamite.
S/he bargains – “If you do this, I will help you.” If they don’t follow the ‘suggestion’, s/he sulks. What a mess. Mars fights pokes and prods. Doing those activities at home (4) does not promote fuzzy relaxation. No. Mars in 4 (Cancer) takes action in the home, decorating, rearranging and bossing. I have lived in many houses and I can tell you that they have all belonged to me no matter who lived there with me. All my housemates, friends or lovers have acquiesced to my dominance in the home. Until this Mars learns to fix her/mself, the others will dash away like African gazelles, leaving her/m alone.
As you see, I had my work cut out for me. I finally learned astrology at the age of 42. Once learned, the signs and symbols gained meaning with observation and time. Once I got the meaning and practice of “Mars in Virgo in the 4th house, I allotted a time limit for each household chore. This helped me to let of my obsessive need to finish a job to perfection. It also allowed me to use my skills without shame. Virgo is big on shame. Now I tolerate dirty floors and unswept porches without self harm. Oh, I didn’t mention that 4 is also a drama queen. More importantly, I now shut up when I see the flaws of others. I would rather be silent and happy with loved ones, than righteously clean alone.
There is more to Mars, but just look at the insight you can gain from the knowledge of the two most basic presentations of the most important planet in your chart. You can change your life with this information. Know yourself Today. Control yourself Now.