Mars in Aries: A Fire Bolt Takes Us to the End of 2020

Celtic Mars by B.A. Vierling

On June 27th Mars will enter Aries and storm on through to January 6, 2021 when it finally leaves and enters Taurus. Every two years Mars does it’s retrograde dance and not since 1988 have we had this Aries experience. This time around, however, Mars will be struggling with Saturn, Jupiter, and Pluto in Capricorn, and the months when this tension will be strongest will be August, October, and December.

Do you know anyone born with Mars in Aries? If you do, you have clues as to how it manifests in an individual’s life. I grew up with a Father born on the 4th of July, yet with Aries Rising, and Mars in Aries in his first house. He acted like an alpha male all right: assertive, bold, actively moving towards goals, leading his flock (yes, he was a Minister for awhile/Cancer Sun), and stirring up or embroiled in controversy wherever we went. We had moved 14 times by the time I was 12 years. At home my brother and I experienced his authoritative violence. Sanctioned corporeal punishment was the norm in the ’50s. I have a very vivid memory when I was only 4 years old of him whipping my brother ,who was 7 years,  with his leather belt in front of my mother and myself. Why? Because he said that my brother had sassed my Mother. Fear of that temper was ingrained from a very young age for sure!

Perhaps not all people born with Mars in Aries have such a temper however. My Dad had Mars in square to Uranus in Capricorn, and in square to Neptune in Cancer, not to mention an opposition to the Moon in Scorpio. But he could also be a charmer with that trine to Venus in Leo. Later in life he was a teacher in one of the most notorious Los Angeles’ High Schools known for its violent gang members. He never had any problems. He could tongue lash the best with his sharp intellect and his appearance of prowess. I was in awe of his ability to direct his rage through his words without missing a beat. I certainly never was good at that, shaking like a leaf when angry. Remember Aries rules the head!

Zooming ahead to present-day time and events I suspect we’re going to see this type of energy play itself out on the world stage and mightily so in a Cancer country where COVID-19 has bottled up fears and frustrations, and the recent tsunami of Neptune/Mars in Pisces has unleashed years and years of pent-up feelings regarding the victimhood created by racial injustice in this land of the free (for some), and the home of the brave.

Aries is brave. Yes. Will it be hot-headed? Perhaps. But the pressure of all this Capricorn energy that we’ve been experiencing will demand that such energy be channeled more fully into structured and organized action rather than impulsive and erratic hits and misses of thunder-bolts. If the downtrodden and victimized classes want to get anywhere against state sanctioned violence, they will want to become highly trained and organized in their fights for justice.

You can see from the above chart that there is a dynamic T-square in Cardinal energies kicking off the inception date.  Cardinal energies demand action.  Moon in Libra needs fairness, equality, and harmony.  Sun in Cancer wants safety, protection, security.  What rises in this chart drawn up for Washington DC?  Aquarius with Saturn still retrograde at 0 Aquarius rising in an exact sextile to Mars.  The hope is that level-headed strength and scientific knowledge will rein in some of Mars impulsiveness to think before leaping into pits of fire.  This is a good chart with some balance to it considering Saturn’s trine to the Moon as well as Pluto/Jupiter’s in late Capricorn.  May reason guide!  May prudence prevail!

This is an election year in this modern-day global power nation. So I”ve run charts for the first day Mars enters Aries for the USA, and the two major contenders for the Presidency: Mr. Donald Trump, and Mr. Joseph Biden. I’ve also been interested in San Francisco here on the West Coast which is a very strong Aries/Pioneering city. (Biden’s and SF’s I’ll have to save for next blog.)

I’m sure I’ll want to return to this subject before the year is up, since there’s a lot to look at in terms of where and what Mars will be doing for the country itself, the two men in question, and my favorite city by the Bay!

You’re probably most interested in what Mars will be doing in your life however!! If you’re a Fire or Air sign, or have a lot of planets in those elements, Mars in Aries will spark you and bring opportunities a plenty.

If you’re someone with Sun or major planets in Cardinal signs, Mars in Aries will give you a kick in the pants big time and challenge you to take action or move along depending on where that energy activates you.

Those of you with more Yin energies than Yang may find yourself either nudged along from behind (Taurus) or ahead (Pisces) or adjusting yourself physically (Scorpio) or psychologically (Virgo) to the stress or action of such fire bolts in your life.

Speaking of FIRE: We ARE concerned here in the Sierras where Fire danger may be grave again. All over the globe we may be experiencing HEAT and heat waves. Climate extremes will undoubtedly be the new norm along with political unrest and health concerns. We are living through unprecedented times as humanity faces untold challenges.

Yet it is the courage and enterprise of Mars in Aries that we must embrace now for the rest of 2020. It’s time to be fearless and brave, and harness our ingenuity to solve the problems we find wherever we find them. The powerful transformations symbolized by Pluto in Capricorn along with the social changes ahead symbolized by a Jupiter/Saturn conjunction in Aquarius must be harnessed by those bold enough to strive for a greater vision symbolized by Mars/Neptune in Pisces. Unity, Oneness, and Universality are all themes here rather than divisiveness and polarization. This idea of ‘divide and conquer’ is way too old and outworn. It doesn’t work. The greed behind it is destroying everything we need to sustain life. May Mars take us boldly ahead with the wave of energy that was needed when it was in Pisces conjoining Neptune. Many African-Americans have said that for the first time they feel supported by a greater host of humans that aren’t simply black. The movement we’ve been seeing embraces all colors and even all gender identifications now. The under-dogs of the world seem to be joining up collectively, but without strong discipline and organization they could yet fail. Freedom does seem to be a constant struggle.

Here is the Time-Line ahead for Mars:

June 27th: Enters Aries

September 9th: Stationary Retrograde at 28+Aries

November 13th: Stationary Direct at 15+Aries

January 6, 2021: Mars enters Taurus

Note that this time-line shows us that Mars will travel at great speed through almost the entire sign in a little over two months. Then, during the two months of September and October, it will move backwards until right after the USA Presidential election. So those degrees of 15 through 28 are where Mars will hit three times. Check what you have within that range for there is where you’ll experience the trigger-impact of Mars.

I’ll look briefly at these charts I’ve run as examples of what to expect from Mars in the months ahead.

We see that Mars moves into the 4th house of the US Sibley chart.  (I use this chart because it is the one most commonly used.)  The 4th house in a nation’s chart is symbolic of its land, people’s homes, as well as agriculture, farming, crops and mining—yes!—digging down into the Earth.  It is also indicative of the weather.  Here’s an interesting Mundane interpretation:  the opposition party in government!!  Much will get stirred up here!!  The troubling aspects ahead will be transit Mars in square to both Pluto and Mercury.  The explanation of this would take another entire article.  Power struggles will be intense between the powerful, the elite, the hidden, and the people, freedom of speech, and the press to mention only a few of the issues symbolized here.  Mercury also has a great deal to do with foreign relationships and travel to and fro; more and more conflicts undoubtedly.

Mr. Trump’s chart shows the entrance of Mars in Aries at the gateway to his 8th house of life/death and transformation, but also corporate and organizational connections—-business. Not to mention intimacy!  His most private of private life with his partner. Do we dare look in that peep-hole?  There will be oppositions in his life and struggles implied by transit Mars square his Saturn/Venus in Cancer, but Mr. Trump gets a lot of green light ‘goes’ especially strong end of July through August 12/13th, end of August, and again end of September, then early October through the end of the month, just before the election, and for the final time early December to the Solstice.  Keep in mind that he is Leo Rising/Mars/Regulus on his Ascendant: the Warrior-King soul who hates to lose, and with Sun/NorthNode/Uranus in Gemini he also becomes, like Prometheus, the stealer of fire, and the god of fire bolts, shock-jock jolts, and media genie (all news is good news if it keeps you in the public eye) personified.  He has a formidable chart born on the Full Moon as well.  Anyone attempting to defeat him must find his weak spot which is Saturn next to Venus.  Saturn rules his 6th and Saturn has entered that realm.  Work, health, the daily grind, and humility must be factored in and piled on him soon when Jupiter enters and finally Pluto.  Mr. Trump has also entered in the past year a progressed New Moon in Virgo.  He can no longer be in Leo’s realm for long.  He must embrace Virgo for the final 30 years of his life (should he figure out a way to live that long).  Service, analysis, humbleness of spirit are Virgo’s specialties.  Hmmmm.  Also, in mythology it is Saturn, Gaia’s son, who castrates Uranus.  Only Aphrodite/Venus can rise from those severed testicles to redeem such conflicts with love.  And there lies another Mars story as it squares his Saturn/Venus.  Perhaps I’ll look more deeply next time.

I think I better stop for now.  There’s too much to write about!!  

So WELCOME MARS IN ARIES.  We greet and salute you and may the good fights begin!!

B.A. Vierling Mars Illustration