The Warrior Returns

By MELANIE REINHART

The 'red planet' Mars will appear to go backwards from May 11th to July 19th, 2001

Astrologically, the sign of Sagittarius has much to do with Vision, and will be activated by Mars from February 14th until September 8th. We are reminded in the Bible that vision is not a luxury but a survival necessity¹ and the forthcoming planetary patterns bring an opportunity to bring vision into our lives. Astronomically, when a planet is retrograde it appears to pause, then to loop back on its own orbital path, like a solitary ice-skater swooping elegantly in outer space.² In our inner space, then, this movement will be reflected as an opportunity to 'loop back' - to reconsider, reorient and realign ourselves with our deeper sense of purpose.

The meaning of Mars

The planet Mars symbolizes the Warrior within, the pioneer, engaging with challenge, adventure and conquest. It is impulse, action, self-assertion, competition; Mars also addresses rivalry, aggression, anger. It represents the drive to express ourselves, to impress others, to dare, to battle the odds and to win; it is vitality, motivation, energy. Mars is conflict and the creative management of it; Mars knows how to fight, oppose and contest, but also how to reconcile and make peace, how to lose gracefully as well as win joyously.

Images of Mars Named after the Roman god of War, who was primarily associated with abundance and agriculture, and only secondarily with warfare, the planet Mars symbolizes both ploughshare and sword, both traditionally made of iron, the metal linked with this planet. The god Mars had two squires, named Honour and Virtue, just as the planet Mars has two moons. In Latin, the word virtus means virtue, goodness, bravery; vir means a man of character, courage and valour, and so links with the word virile, virility; virago signifies a female warrior. The Samurai expresses spiritual warriorship through a profound understanding of energy; many martial arts are derivatives of this archetype.

Mars in the solar system

Mars is the first planet outside the Earth's orbit, with Jupiter as its outer neighbour. Jupiter and the Earth could be seen as a polarity: the limitless horizons of the sky (Jupiter) and the limits, cycles, seasons, beginnings and endings which characterize life on Earth. The question 'Who is Mars serving?' highlights a dilemma which is revisited approximately every two years, during the retrograde phase. To serve ones highest ideals (Jupiter) for the protection and enhancement of life on Earth engages all the positive qualities of Mars, and to allow ourselves to be fuelled by greed, separatism and unbridled lust (negative Jupiter) for the satisfaction of our cravings, attachments and aversions (negative Earth) will engage its worst. Mars is the principle of Action, and the real 'battle' is how to orient to Right Action. The sword is one of discrimination and penetrating investigation of the truth.

Mars in Sagittarius

Mars' transit through Sagittarius is a prime opportunity to set intentions, make decisions, to let fly the arrows of aspiration, and to 'honour' our knowledge of what Right Action might mean in our own life. Not pandering to what others find acceptable, desirable or admirable, but listening to what we truly feel deep in our own cells - this is perhaps what 'Virtue' means. Jupiter rules the sign of Sagittarius, the zodiacal location of the search for truth, meaning, spiritual and philosophical congruence; it is the appetite we feel for knowledge direct, experiential and intuitive rather than read in books. Sagittarius is the sign of the Visionary, the Pilgrim, the Sage or Disciple wandering with inner intent, on a journey whose itinerary will include solitude, companionship, joy, hardship, visits to shrines and sacred places. The straight road of the heart will be followed, though the outer journey may meander.

The purification of Will

On June 12th-14th, Mars contacts Jupiter and the Sun/Earth axis, focalizing intensely the above question 'Who or what am I serving?'³ In addition, our warrior pilgrim meets up with the planet Pluto and also the centaur Chiron. As the planet of Transformation and Lord of the Underworld in the Greek pantheon, Pluto's processes are intense, purgative and bring the need to let go, inwardly or outwardly or both. In March, there is an intense build-up of about one week leading up to the 18th when this process catalyses. Intense struggle is possible during this time, precipitating situations into their next stage, which will unfold through until late August when they will reach turning point. March, the month of Mars, is a time to tread carefully around the sleeping tigers of our own and others' rampant egos, to keep our inward focus and alignment strong, and to let go of the urge to engage with useless conflict.

Mars conjuncts Chiron the Wounded Healer three times, on May 2nd, May 29th and August 24th, potentially bringing healing to our Mars; we may be shown at these times where is the Will in our lives, and this is not always comfortable to see. For unless we can see where and how we give our power away and learn to retrieve it, this power cannot be put to the service of anything or anyone and we will remain frustrated and angry, which are negative Mars experiences.

The Galactic Centre

Our entire solar system with its planets, moons, asteroids and other mysterious objects, orbits around a still greater centre, that of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, visible as a band of densely packed stars. It is a spiral galaxy, with four arms embracing a centre said to contain a large black hole, and is located in the constellation of Sagittarius. As it takes our solar System an estimated 200 million years to revolve once around the Galactic Centre, this journey stands as an enduring image of Eternal Pilgrimage.⁴

The Royal Road

The Milky Way symbolizes the straight and royal road of kingship, inner and outer, and in medieval England was called the Way of St James, himself the patron saint of pilgrims. Indeed it has been seen in many different cultures as a celestial pathway, a Way of Souls, a spirit road, or ceremonial walkway.⁵ The pilgrimage of Mars will cross the Milky Way from about April 21st until the end of May, and then from late August until about September 8th. Our desire to re-discover our true inner centre, to re-align with it, and to remember Who We Are will be stimulated, and as the cosmos hears our call we will be answered accordingly. ++

Endnotes

'Where there is no vision, the people perish' Proverbs Ch29, v18. See the article 'Dark Fire' (Autumn 1999 issue of Caduceus) for additional information about the sign of Sagittarius.
See the article 'Mercury's Magical Mystery Tour' (Autumn 2000 Issue of Caduceus) for additional information about the phenomenon of retrogradation.
For those interested, the data is as follows: Mars opposite Jupiter 12.6.01 18.01 BST; Sun opposite Mars 13.6.01 18.46 BST; Sun conjunct Jupiter 14.6.01 13.38 BST.
See www.encyclopaedia.com/articles/08482.html
See www.indigogroup.co.uk/edge/royalrds.html

(Caduceus Issue 51, Spring 2001)