I’m not talking about little green men or Marvin the Martian. I’m talking about the character of 2019. The New Year came in on a Tuesday–day of Mars–and Mars is the driver’s seat this year, in Aries.
Find your Natal Mars sign here.
Mars rules Aries (as well as Scorpio) and is exalted in Capricorn. You may be feeling “on fire”–are you passionate or getting burned? Mars is about drive, confrontation, taking action and making war. Aries energy confronts challenges, individuates and shows strength.
“Mars in Aries”–the fight for you, the fight for your individuality, your authenticity, the fight for your passion, the drive to do it your own way. (Cue Frank Sinatra, “I did it my way”).
The New Year had Mars in Aries at nearly 0 degrees–so this a very much like lighting a match. The fire you may be feeling is fresh, new. There’s a quality of newness. It’s the fire of fire–acting for the sake of acting. It’s a year to make your will known and heard–and act on your will.
The year did start with a waning moon and waning moon years are about deep emotional let-go-s. (Cue Frozen). You’re not letting go with resignation though. It’s not giving up. That Tuesday, Martian, solar start says you’re letting go to get in alignment with your true will. There’s just stuff you don’t want to carry around anymore so you can move faster and stronger towards what you truly want. You want to travel lighter.
If you have natal Mars in Capricorn, Aries, Scorpio, Sagittarius or Leo, you’re on fire right now and feeling this Mars energy. Remember this feeling as Mars transits through other signs this year and you may be feeling down or deterred. Hold on to this passion that you’ve started something new with this year.
If you have natal Mars in Libra or Taurus, it’s okay if you’re not feeling the passion right now. Honor any burnout you may feel. Honor that little voice that says “be careful”. Things may be moving too fast and too recklessly for you. Bide your time. Take the long view. You’re being choosy about whom and what to fight for and that’s okay.
If you have your natal Mars in Cancer, Mars influences you less than other planets. Be careful of passive aggressive tendencies, though. Don’t rain on someone else’s parade. You may not see what the fuss is about. When water confronts fire you get steam or hot water. You can heal or hurt. You get to choose.
If you have natal Mars in Aquarius or Gemini, don’t get swept up in someone’s passion project to the point you neglect yourself. Have a plan and work the plan, but don’t get relegated to being the sidekick. Likewise, where there’s smoke there’s fire. Your “early warning” radar is on high alert. Trust your hunches. Fire energy needs air to fuel it and smoke is the product of fire. You’ll be very in tune to the rhythms of this year.
If you have natal Mars in Virgo, you also have to guard against getting swept up in someone else’s passion project to the detriment of yourself. The energy here is like lava–hot, but when it cools, creates new ground and new stones with which to build. Managing your temper, especially if you’re in a habit of biting your tongue to keep the peace, could get challenging in a Mars years.
If you have natal Mars in Pisces, you may feel left out or out of sync. The pace at which things are transpiring may irk you. When you’re feeling pushed or not in the driver’s seat, imagine a peaceful waterfall, the water surrendering to gravity, with a bright rainbow dancing against the cascades of water. You are that rainbow–a sliver of beautiful light in constant movement.
Other insights:
Mars itself, the actual planet, becomes a big topic.
People are not afraid to fight in a Mars-driven year. Unfortunately, this means more potential for conflicts, especially in countries that are ruled by Aries, like England. The Brexit debacle is exacerbated by this Mars energy. We are also attracted to politicians with military experience, especially combat experience.
Athleticism and athletes draw more attention this year, especially in individual sports, like tennis, boxing and golf. Expect a big headline or two, especially in boxing, since the tendency of Mars is to want to draw blood. Lots of luck for fire sign boxers this year, especially when the matches are happening during Aries, Leo or Sagittarius season. Even the Rams might get some extra astrological love this year, since Aries is the ram.
Mars rules any kind of weaponry, from guns to pepper spray. The gun control debate will be in full swing, especially pertaining to the “individual’s” (Aries) right to bear arms (Mars)”.
The pertinent tarot cards are The Emperor (Aries) and The Tower (Mars). Emperors by their nature are autocrats and rule by force. The Tower indicates an act of God, or a sudden insight or revelation, shaking people from their lofty and exalted positions and the tower is on fire.
In this year, if someone seems entrenched or immovable or has consolidated their power to the point they’re too comfortable, it’s likely a sudden shock or unanticipated event will throw them. Expect the unexpected, especially when it seems like someone may be invulnerable. In the traditional image, it’s two people who fall off the tower, so it’s likely the Emperor and an enabler fall off. If you look at the original Rider-Waite image, in defiance of gravity, one of the persons falling off the tower still wears a crown–like an emperor.
Likewise, there’s a lot of ego energy to go around this year and a sudden insight or misfortune may knock the ego and force us to grow spiritually in ways we don’t think we need to. The more positive side of this is that we may get the flash of insight we’ve needed for years if we’re spiritually ready for it. Instead of being punished in the tower, we may get the lightning bolt of insight (Mars) to rule (Aries) over ourselves with confidence, compassion and dignity.
Happy New Year! The red planet is red hot this year. Use this energy to your advantage!
Is the healthiest version of me thin? Not necessarily. Is the healthiest version of me a certain set of measurements. Nope. What is health then, in a world that fat shames, peddles diet pills, counts calories and reduces women’s value to measurements?
Do you have plans to do something nice for yourself today? Self care is an important part of well being so be sure to take some me time . So often we lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle and daily routine that we can’t hear that small inner voice that keeps us fresh, creative and ready . To be your best you, you must honor that voice!
Kristin West 