Mars transit to Aries: 27th June - 10th August 2022

So, here I am, breaking my promise of not returning to this blog before JupiterRx (28th July). Though astrology is a tremendously passionate hobby, I realized I was spending too much time on blog-writing, and so, decided to curtail it to smaller and less frequent pieces -- with the obvious aim of getting other stuff done. But hobbies don't work that way! Greater and stronger than you, they call and control you, rather than you deciding when to engage with them. Today, I am back with a small analysis for a fraction, or small portion of the Mar-Aries transit between 27th June and 13th July -- approximately 15 days. 

This fragment of time is specially pivotal, as the 3rd gaze of SaturnRx falls upon Aries till 13th July. After that SaturnRx transits into Capricorn, and shifts his 3rd gaze to Jupiter in Pisces. Though Jupiter is presently in his own house in Pisces and quite strong, he is debilitated in Capricorn. SaturnRx in Capricorn with his 3rd gaze on Jupiter will remind the latter of those bygone days of 2020 and 2021 when Jupiter, debilitated, conjoined with a strong Saturn in Capricorn. Issues from those times in life could re-emerge now, helped by SaturnRx's focus on unfinished business. This reminder will also, perhaps, bring back older concerns about Corona regulations. 

But I am digressing! This entry is not about SaturnRx in Capricorn, but SaturnRx in Aquarius and its 3rd gaze on the Mars-Rahu conjunction in Aries from 27th June till 13th of July. This is not an easy conjunction. It begins with Mars going into the Gandanta zone first, and remaining there till 30th June and a little beyond that. Saturn, debilitated in Aries, harbors an enmity with Mars who in contrast, rejoices being in Aries, his Mooltrikona house. There is a slight exception to Saturn's enmity of course, when he allows Mars to gain exaltation in Capricorn (Saturn's own ordinary sign). As part of his jaundiced-eye effect on Aries, Saturn curbs Mars's buoyancy, enthusiasm, aggression, sense of initiative, and forthright go-ahead spirit by giving rise to obstructions, failures, surgeries, and accidents. Though the conjunction between Mars and Rahu in Aries forms an Angaraka Yoga that crazily aggravates Mars's already enormous speed and potential for action in Aries, Saturn creates impossible pressures for this Mars with his 3rd gaze. 

This is a time of peak frustrations, impatience, work pressure, and stress. Don't plan anything big in his period, as plans may go awry and can be subjected to small accidents. Blood-pressure and heart patients need greater care, and surgeries can be precipitously planned. This is a time for small wounds, infections, swelling, blood-loss, and instrument-oriented medical remedies and healing, assisted by Ashwini Nakshatra that falls in the Gandanta, and beginning zone of Aries in pada-1, and is presided over by Mars himself in the Aries Navamsa. This is right next to Revati Nakshatra that is at the very end of Pisces, and whose pada-4 heralds the same Gandanta. Revati pada-4 though in Pisces Navamsa is presided over by Mercury, and this combination sometimes leads to discords and disagreements. This is also a time of extreme heat, forest fires, and sleepless, warm nights, apart from an increase in army and military action, recruitment, strategic learning and training, and social unrest. Feeling easily insulted and humiliated over trifles, and feeling extremely competitive and ambitious besides, can make this a time of taking great care.   

Though Mars is an auspicious planet (Mangal), his dry, irascible, impatient, and fiery nature, is easily provoked. He is angered quickly, and that makes him a powerful malefic. He proffers tremendous merit and success in professions allied to sports, military, strategy, finances (banking), and real estate -- especially when placed in Upachaya houses like the 3rd, 6th, 10th, and 11th. As Mars is a 'bachelor' deity, he hates romance, marriage, and softer fragile relationships. It bores him. He brings suffering in relationships, though he does well with sex, especially if he takes it as a sport that is achievement and goal-oriented. That proclivity can sometimes make Mars cruel and egoistic in personal relationships (remember Akash from the movie "Dil Chahta Hai"). 

Predictably, Mars does well with classical music that is strongly rhythmic in nature (percussion), but hates all that soulful, gazal, and shayari stuff, that has you mooning around with a glass of Roohafza in hand, rustling in Muslin. More likely to invite you to a rowdy football match, rounds of beer, and good natured cussing, Mars is a tricky planet. He matures at the age of 28 and is amenable to self/ -discipline after this age -- in the sense of going from rough street-fighting to playing sports with complicated rules. And yes, Mars adheres to rules quite strictly. Rules allow him to play better and more aggressively, and he accepts and learns this discipline from Saturn, especially in Capricorn. Despite his proclivity to destroy emotional, romantic, love relationships, he strengthens, duty, service, devotion, and support-giving structures after 28. So, he can be good for strong (arranged) marriages. 

Mars's predictability can be used against him, to channelize his aggression to greater good, mobilized at a higher level. Mars is represented by Tuesday, and presided over by the deities Skanda-Kartikeya or Murugan, and also Hanuman. Mars sits on a ram, wears the color red and is represented by a triangular shape. His face glows dull, and opaque red like the coral gem, that can be worn (the gem cut in a triangular shape) in case Mars is debilitated and simultaneously auspicious and well-placed in your chart. Don't wear a coral, if he is simply debilitated, because the coral in this case will only increase this debilitation (and suffering). He needs to be well placed in your chart too, as a functional benefic (more like the scenario of Mars in the 8th in Leo or Capricorn). Mars (Mangala), Vishnu's son, is also known by other names like Bhauma or Kuja indicating to the Earth, his mother. He was born when Vishnu in his Varaha avatar rescued the Earth by lifting her out of the cosmic waters, where she was drowning. He is also known as Lohit or Lohitanga that refers to his ruddy complexion and body. As Mars settles into Aries with Rahu by month-end, controlled by SaturnRx's 3rd gaze from Aquarius; working hard, not cutting corners, not taking risks, not breaking rules, and not leaving things to chance, apart from minimizing accidents in every way possible, will go a long way in damage control in the long run. 

No post on Mars is complete without discussing the much feared Mangalik or Kuja Dosha. While Mars confers gain in military, surgery (medical field), banking, and real estate, his placement in vulnerable positions in the chart may be challenging for love/ romantic relationships. Though he affects every house to some extent with his placement, due to his aggression, his power is considered to be especially uncontrolled (Mangalik Dosha) in the 1st, 4th, 7th, 8th, and 12th houses. Some of this maleficence is reduced of course, if the Mangalik placement is in positions where Mars is strong, like in Capricorn (exalted), Aries, Leo, and Scorpio, Sagittarius, and to some extent Aquarius, where his power can be beautifully channelized through the Dhanishta Nakshatra. Pisces is OK too, though Pisces, being a water sign, also thwarts Mars with too much domestic coziness, and hot-chocolate in front of retro TV shows. While this, after coming from Aquarius, can initially feel relieving, the situation changes as Mars begins inching towards the Gandanta zone between Pisces and Aries, becoming argumentative, irritable, and looking forward to entering his Mooltrikona sign, Aries. In this period of Gandanta restlessness and imbalance, too much domestic coziness may start feeling stifling, and laced with flareups, nit picking, and snarky comments. 

Apart from the general 7th gaze, Mars confers protection through his 4th and 8th gaze, especially if the houses he gazes upon are his own houses, or houses whose lords he is friendly with. But to some extent, Mars can challenge relationships in every house, wherever he is placed: 1st house (makes the native aloof, argumentative, and tactless, and can lead to divorce), 2nd house (the native speaks too bluntly within extended clan networks, community making him unpopular), 3rd house (the native dominates colleagues, siblings, associates, neighbors and co-workers -- making him good from a managerial side, while entailing a lot of silent hard work without delegation -- this is that guy in your marriage function who does all the tasks, except marrying you), 4th house (irritation with maternal, parental, wife's affection and control -- leading to risk taking, divorce, truancy, mishaps and accidents), 5th house (anger and unnecessary chastisement of children -- strict parenting), 6th house (ferocity against enemies, adversaries, and defeating diseases and debts -- this is a good thing), 7th house (harsh speech with wife/ divorce, business partners, allies), 8th house (harsh speech with marital family/ divorce, and proneness to accidents and illness), 9th house (harsh disagreements with teachers, seniors), 10th (aggressive and influential public persona formation -- a good thing as this placement accords tremendous leadership), 11th house (cronyism at times, friendships with benefits with mentors and senior colleagues -- can be a good thing as networking truly helps professional growth), and 12th house (disputes in foreign lands/ marital home/ imprisonment/ divorce/ and-or accidents). I know I have written divorce too many times above, but strictly-speaking, it is not necessary in every case. What I have however observed is that Mars often delays marriage.

In terms of zodiacs, Mars is good friends with the Luminaries (though he is debilitated in cancer), and with Jupiter. Since he is a sportsman and warrior, he feels too claustrophobic and restless at home in Cancer. Born with a debilitated Mars, the native does not feel good with family intimacy and finds it clawing. Sometimes, children with such placements run away from home, or insist on sleeping separately -- they definitely do well abroad, when away from their natal homes. Some of this debilitated energy can be channeled by encouraging the native to take up home building/ -renovation tasks at home that entails internal repair, and construction. Give this guy a separate garage where he can tinker around with all the expensive tools and gears he buys, as he almost rebuilds and restructures the home from within. It keeps him busy, and he can be really creative. But apart from this developing situation in Cancer, Mars does well in Leo, the houses he himself rules (Aries/ Scorpio), houses ruled by Jupiter (Sagittarius/ Pisces), and very specifically in Capricorn. He is OK in the beginning parts of Aquarius in Dhanishta too -- extending the Capricorn love over there for a bit. 

Mars does not do well in Venus (Taurus/ Libra) and Mercury (Gemini/ Virgo) related houses, and has explosive results when in conjunction with Ketu. A person with Cancer ascendant and Mars-Ketu combination in the Mangalik-Dosha houses, may end up getting separated from home, homeland, family, spouse, and children, unless a benefic like Jupiter aspects this Mars-Ketu conjunction. That is then, a seriously powerful Neech-Bhanga, since Jupiter is exalted in Cancer. While a Mars-Rahu conjunction induces battling too, he confers health/ accidents/ sudden challenges/ feeling insulted and humiliated in the Dushthana placement unless in a Vipareet Raj Yoga situation. A person with a Mars-Rahu conjunction in a placement where Mars is exalted, or receives a benefic gaze from Jupiter, is a "people's person". Do not make the mistake of ever giving this native a well-stocked garage full of tools and fuels -- he may accidentally blow it all up. This person, apart from being a scientist and a strong rationalist, runs together and at the helm of firebrand social, and intellectual causes -- organizing political rallies, managing a political drama and film club, organizing social demonstrations, singing along and organizing social-causes-related songs set to a military beat, raising public-awareness campaigns, mobilizing youth groups in poorer localities, managing events, leading the crowd, and facilitating and performing for that crowd. A person with an auspicious Mars-Rahu conjunction is a good manager/ military general. Remember that duo in the movie "Band Baja Barat"? Tremendous hard work and energetic success, well-deployed and channelized towards public goal-oriented managerial tasks. But at the same time, not really romantic and even harsh in their communication, counterbalanced by sexual chemistry, a bro-feeling spousal friendship, intense ego, and volatile anger.

        

The Mars-Rahu conjunction in Aries on 27th June 2022 is thoroughly intensified as the two draw physically closer by August beginning. This conjunction will urge and provoke Mars, and exacerbate his energies uncontrollably, even as Saturn with his 3rd gaze will curb Mars-Rahu. While this may be frustrating and increase work pressure, it may not be a bad thing. However, this SaturnRx controlling gaze ends on 13th July, resulting in a collective sigh of relief emanating from Aries. You are mostly on your own after 13th July, with no control over the Mars-Rahu party. And it is therefore, also here that you need to be careful, as there will be no support from Jupiter either. Jupiter sitting in Pisces, 12th from Aries, is busy reeling under Saturn's 3rd gaze from 13th July onward. Check if Mars in your natal chart is looking favorably at Aries with his 4th or 8th gaze. That would help you in the period after 13th July, to keep your balance, especially if you are a teenager or in your early 20s, with too much partying perhaps increasing the chances of unfortunate, pre-marriage reproductive situations necessitating medicinal/ surgical intervention. My humble advice: please desist from getting into fights and accident-prone, drugs-alcohol related situations at this time. At work, don't completely commit or desist, and don't be blunt. This is a strong period, with many upheavals and many a change in plans. Please don't get irritated, though the energy-high that you are on at this time may provoke you to 'let go' with emotional expression. Don't let go, and don't avoid people too noticeably. Instead, smile affably, don't pick up the bate, step back internally, listen, and think hard, while continuing with the steady support and work input you provide your colleagues. Not everything and every situation is negative. Tread wisely, and with foresight and awareness, you will make a lot of gains by channeling Mars.       

  

Finally, all said and done, I like Mars a lot. Because Mars is a powerful malefic, he is misunderstood. Though aggressive, Mars is also innocent and enthusiastic. He is without malice in his heart, and quite emotional and naive, though egoistic. It is his innocence itself that makes him lovable, and amenable to discipline from higher-up mentors. With their support, he is able to control his anger and channelize his rashness. He listens to his higher ups, or his own wise self, and though he turns out to be the good guy in the end, he can sometimes feel lonely, emotionally conflicted, silenced, and misunderstood. Too much close proximity stifles him, and he constantly dreams of running away and being/ traveling alone. Though I am not hot on Yoga, doing Yoga will help in regaining self control and discipline during this Mars transit. You do need to control your irritation and impatience. If not yoga, then join a dance class with loud music, or a weekend hiking club, or even extreme sports, if you are into that kind of thing!