Mars is squaring Pluto today, completing a cycle of the past week or so in which Mars linked Saturn and Pluto by forming a square first to Saturn last week, and now Pluto. Mars is the planet of aggression and warfare, and when conflicting with Pluto, which represents death and destruction resulting in regeneration and transformation, you can see where things get a bit intense.
I thought this would be a good time to discuss what I like to call the continuum of rage. In my practice, I have traced “Mars problems” to all kinds of issues from depression to immune disorders. Mars is the energy that fuels and motivates us – Mars feeds our desires and provides us with ample physical energy to get through the day as well as the courage to tackle high aspirations. When Mars is weak or blocked in the natal chart, it becomes more difficult to find any motivation or inspiration and we can feel hopeless and defeated. Over time the lack of energy turns into chronic crushing fatigue and other health problems. So you can see that Mars is very important in our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.
When Mars squares or is in a difficult aspect to Pluto or Saturn in the natal chart there was often, but not always, some kind of violence in the individual’s life – difficult or traumatic experiences which led to that individual being fearful to express their needs or assert themselves in interpersonal situations. Sometimes individuals have a great deal of fire and a strong Mars in their natal charts, but that fire is dampened by an abundance of water such as Cancer and Pisces, or perhaps sublimated into Virgo which is more cautious and restricts the flow of the Mars fire. This begins what I call the continuum of rage.
This continuum begins when we express a need, motivated by Mars. I sometimes use the silly example (NOT real world!) of a husband who doesn’t take out the trash. Let’s say I ask him, “would you please take out the trash” and he doesn’t do it. I become frustrated – that’s the first step in the continuum. I ask him again. Still he doesn’t do it. Then I start to become angry. Why does he never take out the trash when I ask him? Then it begins to escalate. He never takes out the trash. He doesn’t do anything I ask him to! The anger begins to build and then it becomes generalized – nobody ever does what I ask them to. Then it becomes solidified into a belief system – I never can have what I want.
This belief system can degenerate into depression this way: He must not care about me. Nobody has ever cared about me. I’m all alone in the world.
Clients often tell me “I never get angry – if I do I just blow up and that scares me.” That’s a clear signal that Mars is a problem in that person’s chart. Anger and other difficult emotions don’t go away though – they sit lodged in the body’s psycho-emotional energy system and can begin to bleed into the physical body in ways that compromise our immune system and our health.
I tell this story under today’s Mars/Pluto square to hopefully inspire us all to pay more attention to Mars and learn from his wisdom. Discover what it is that we want and need. Tell the people we love and trust that they will respond to us. Set good boundaries when you are being violated. Honor yourself with the gift of defense against negativity and judgment. You will be rewarded with greater energy, more inspiration and ultimately, a life of fulfillment and joy.
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