Remediating… Mars
Welcome to the “Remediating…” series, where I give you practical info & tips on how to better understand a planet and remediate the issues it may cause in your life based on your birth chart! What is planetary remediation, you may ask? You can read an article dedicated to it here. To put it simply, planetary remediation is the art of identifying what planet or placement is connected to a problem you have, and to act directly on the planet through symbolic subsitution, replacement etc. in order to ease the issue. For example, say that you keep having issues with passive-aggressive neighbours no matter where you move (and have decided, after some good self-introspection, that you don’t seem to be the annoying one). We look at your chart, and see that Mars in Cancer (the sign of its fall) is in the 3rd house of neighbours. Ah-ah! From time to time, when an activation happens (say, Mars squares your natal Mars), your neighbours act up and start being extremely mean. Based on your chart, and on the timing of these issues, I would suggest different solutions, all related to other symbols of Mars. For example, starting a martial art class (Mars) in your neighbourhood (3rd house) or donating red objects or spicy food (Mars) to said neighbours or a local charity (3rd house). The idea is that you symbolically substitute an issue here for a less problematic manifestation of it in order to mitigate the issue.
It’s not always easy to know where to start. How do I know what placement is tied to what problem? Or, if you know a bit about astrology already, you may be aware that a certain planet is giving you some trouble… But what can you do about it?
This article is here to give you a place to start with the tools that will help you figure out these answers yourself. If someone is an expert in a topic that confuses you, isn’t the best remedy to ask them directly? For each planet, I will give you the basic signification that it holds, and potential issues that may arise. I will also explain how to pacify relations with planetary charity (donating time, money or objects to a cause that’s ruled by the planet in question), before giving you suggestions on how to set up your planetary altar (a dedicated space with symbols of the planet/deity that you can pray to & ask help from). Let’s dive in!
Mars Essential Info Sheet
Name: Mars, Ares, Shiva…
Day of the Week: Tuesday
Night of the Week: Friday Night
Sect (time of day where it’s at ease): Night
Domicile: Aries, Scorpio
Exaltation: Capricorn
Detriment: Libra, Taurus
Fall: Cancer
House of its joy: 6th house
Number associated: 5
Symbolises: energy, fighting, war, protection, destruction, aggression, separation, severance, warriors and soldiers, physical effort, sharp objects (knives, swords), fire, blood, irritation, heat, discord, anger, murder, iron.
Parts of the body: the head, blood and the genitals.
Colours: red
Determining Whether a Planet Needs Remediation
Using the system of “essential dignity” as established in traditional astrology, we can examine whether a planet has resources or not to enforce its agenda (do things according to its nature) based on certain factors such as the sign & house it’s in, the aspect(s) it makes to other planets, its speed, visibility, etc. There are a lot of factors in order to assess what a planet is up to, and whether it’s free to act or not. So when I say that a planet is “exalted” or “fallen”, it doesn’t mean “good” or “bad”. It means: the planet is in a position to enact its nature, or it might be a bit more constricted. It’s all nuanced, so keep that in mind as we explore possible remediation for a certain placement!
Mars: the Concept
Mars is easily identifiable as the "red planet" in our solar system. Because of his colour, Mars has had a long tradition of being associated with blood, and by association with activities that cause blood to spill: fighting and war, but also things that severe and cut in general (surgeons are ruled by Mars) and iron, which in high concentration produces the colour red.
Mars is one of the two "malefic" planets in the tradition, meaning that Mars is connected to things that make life unpleasant and uneasy. But why is that? According to the Greek temperament system, the malefics (Mars and Saturn) represent imbalance: Mars is an excessively dry and hot planet, while Saturn is excessively dry and cold.
As a result, Mars makes things difficult for us because he is disruptive: excessive and intense, he breaks through things and "overheats" us, making it difficult to live harmoniously. The unpleasant things represented by Mars (anger, violence, conflict…) are all intense and difficult to control, to the point of being "too much", like boiling milk that would spill out of a saucepan. In order to remediate Mars, we have to understand that this is not a nature we can fight or block (like brushing tensions under the carpet or ignoring the elephant in the room), only find appropriate outlets for, like a highly pressurised stream of water.
This is why Mars is exalted in Capricorn: in a strategic, pragmatic Saturnine earth sign, Mars can pour his dynamic energy into constructive projects. The energy exerted by Mars finds an appropriate conduit, ans his vigour and strength become an asset.
Because Mars is excessively dry and hot, it is thought that he will cause more issues/the most complicated problems in a native’s life when placed in a day chart (when the Sun is above the horizon). On the contrary, the night is Mars’ preferred "sect" (time of day), because it is thought to cool him down, thus diminishing his malevolent abilities. The following advice can benefit everyone, and particularly those born during the day as they are more susceptible to get bothered by Mars.
Mars Issues & Remediation
As Mars is a malefic planet, he can cause a wide range of issues in the birth chart either because of the Mars placement itself (excessive anger, irritability, "lashing out" at others, or conversely struggling to speak up or defend yourself or others), or because of Mars’ affect on other planets, either natally or in transit (ex: Mars opposing the natal Moon = issues with the mother, difficulties with finding appropriate emotional or physical nourishment).
As I said before, Mars represents an excess of dryness and heat. Mars issues can make us feel "unstable" or not grounded, a feeling that you can "lose it": this can manifest in anger, but also in fear and powerlessness, the feeling that our ability to protect ourselves and others or to fight back against injustice has been taken away from us (for example for those with Mars in Taurus, Libra, Cancer).
Because Mars is an active, penetrative force, it needs appropriate outlets to pour its energy into (if in excess) or a safe space to develop and experiment with this energy. Those of us who have had systematically negative displays of anger or rejection can often find it hard to accept the Martial energy within us. But all of us deserve protection and the right to defend ourselves, to expand ourselves outwards. Mars remediation can help us find the "warrior within", to accept that we deserve a space to be bold, to be bold and excessive at times, abrasive even. Let’s discover how to best honour and build a relationship with Mars!
Mars Remediation Steps
Planetary Charity
Where to start? If you want to understand Mars better, planetary charity is always a good idea. By donating money, time or objects to a cause ruled by the Mars, you “appease” him and do a gesture of good will. The optimal scenario is to do this on the planetary day and hour of the planet in question. For Mars, Tuesdays (day of Mars) and/or Friday nights (night of Mars) are best. In order to track the planetary hour, you can use Google to find a planetary hour calculator or use an app (TimeNomad is a free app that lets you display planetary hours, which start & end will vary depending on your location, time of year etc.). Planetary charity is sort of like bringing cookies to your neighbours: by offering something and making an effort to build a relationship with someone, they are more likely to see your good intentions and help with with whatever you need (and pacify relations when necessary!)
For Mars, you can donate money or time to: soldiers, veterans and war equipment (for example in Ukraine), victims of war, the surgery department of a hospital and those who need surgery, boxers and those who fight, donate your blood to a blood bank, buy or sponsor the work of metalsmiths.
If you donate money, it doesn’t have to be a big amount, but it’s best to give money or objects in a multiple of 5, on a recurring basis (for example, setting up a recurring donation of $5 to a charity which helps refugees and war survivors every Tuesday or Friday night).
Mars Altar
The next step is to set up a Mars altar, if you feel compelled to do it. By building a Mars altar, you will be able to directly address Mars and all its avatars to give you advice and provide assistance with whatever issue you may have. You can have a dream the next day, or a conversation with someone that will bring answers you are looking for: that’s the planet/deity’s way of helping! Here are instructions on how to set up a Mars altar:
Use a red cloth (paper is also fine), according to your preferences, and put it on your altar.
Put five candles (red or white) on your altar. You can engrave them with the symbol of Mars.
Put objects that evoke the image of Mars. You can print out an image of a painting or sculpture of Mars, for example the god Ares. Mars objects include knives and sharp things, animal claws, and images of wolves, bears, woodpeckers and scorpions (all Mars animals).
Iron is the traditional materials associated with Mars, so you can put objects made of this on your altar. For Mars stones: bloodstone, red jasper and red agate are all good choices.
With a red pen, draw the symbols of Mars, his planetary square, as well as Agrippa seals on paper (see attached file).
Get incense. I like to use incense sticks (you can buy an incense stick holder for that). For Mars, I like to use dragon's blood
For offerings, basil, peppercorn, spearmint and chili are nice options! A glass of Fireball whisky is also nice.
For planetary charity, you can spend time or do things veterans/soldiers, donate to the war in Ukraine, talk or spend time with prisoners/in prisons or in care facilities. Make sure to donate money in multiples of 5 if you do. Donating money to services for people with serious burns is also an effective form of remediation!
On the planetary day (Tuesday) or night (Friday night) and hour of Mars, once your altar is ready, light the candles and incense. You can then say the Orphic Hymn to Mars (Ares). Once you're done, present your offerings to Mars, and you can then respectfully ask for what you wish for. Mars rules over combat and victory (for peace or war), fighting, separation, protection and courage. Once you're done, thank Mars and meditate on his image on your altar. And you're done!
Consistency goes a long way, so doing this for even 5 minutes every week is better than a big ritual every other month!
You will find a prayer (the Orphic Hymn to Mars) below, as well as symbols to put on your altar. You can also devise your own prayers and symbols if you prefer!
Thank you for taking this Martial journey with me, I hope it can be a useful starting point for a blossoming Mars pratice! ♂
