Mars entered Libra yesterday as I began my vacation. You would think that Mars ( the god of war and aggression), would become the diplomat when in the sign of the scales, but you would be wrong. The fullest expression of Mars requires an ability to directly manifest its force without equivocation or debate, and in Libra it can become confused and unable to accomplish anything. That is why Mars is classically said to be in its “detriment” when in Libra. According to classical astrological rules, a planet is weaker when in the sign that opposes the sign which it rules, and because Mars is the ruler of Aries, the opposite sign is Libra.

In Libra, Mars has a tendency towards prevarication and indecision, both of which weaken the ability to get things done which is the essence of Martian energy. However, with the War God’s attention turned towards alliances and the finer things in life as desired by Libra, there could be a renewed effort to forge alliances rather than achieve dominance through October 23. Fortunately, Mars won’t be getting into any conflicts with other planets during its trip through Libra which may help to bring out his best qualities rather than his worst. Over the past few months when Mars went through Leo and then Virgo we saw Mars conflicts with Jupiter, Saturn, Chiron, Neptune and most recently Uranus and Pluto and we can certainly use a break!! However, Mars WILL be a player in the New Moon and solar eclipse of September 22 when it conjuncts the Sun and Moon which will all be in Libra, adding a strong energetic component to the eclipse cycle.