Mars: your drive and courage
Mars is the planet of energy, action, courage and desire. Its sign in your chart shows how you go after what you want, how you compete and how you handle anger.
The full deep dive
The planet itself
Mars, the red planet, orbits the Sun about every two years and spends around six weeks in each sign, longer when it turns retrograde. Mars rules Aries and, traditionally, Scorpio.
What it means in your chart
Mars describes your drive: how you take action, stand up for yourself, play sport, compete and pursue what you desire. It also shows how you express anger.
By element
- Fire signs: direct, fast and fearless.
- Earth signs: steady, determined and enduring.
- Air signs: strategic, argues with words.
- Water signs: driven by feeling, protective and persistent.
Good to know
Mars turns retrograde about every two years for around ten weeks, a time when plans may stall and energy turns inward.
See also The planets in your chart.
Sources and perspectives
- Robert Hand, Planets in Transit
- Stephen Arroyo, Astrology, Psychology and the Four Elements