Mars

Mars was the Roman god of war, second only to Jupiter in the official pantheon. Unlike his Greek counterpart Ares, who was feared and somewhat despised by the other Olympians, Mars was deeply honoured in Rome as the divine father of Romulus and protector of the state. His energy is not mere destruction: it encompasses the courage required to defend, to initiate, and to forge a path through resistance.

Mars is the principle of will in action: drive, assertion, physical energy, and the capacity to pursue desire. Its sign reveals the style in which a person acts and fights; its house shows the arena of life where that drive is most concentrated. Mars also governs sexuality as raw impulse, as distinct from Venus's relational dimension. Poorly integrated, it manifests as anger or recklessness; well directed, it is courage and initiative.