Mars: The Misunderstood “Malefic”
Astrology often paints Mars as a “malefic” planet, a bringer of conflict and tension. This label can feel reductive and misleading, especially when we consider Mars’ potential to cultivate courage, drive, and self-empowerment. While it’s true that Mars often points to areas of stress in our lives, labeling it purely “malefic” misses the evolutionary potential hidden within those challenges.
Mars’ position in your natal chart can reveal areas where stress demands courage. It’s not about punishment or doom but rather an invitation to develop resilience. Yet, astrology’s historical tendency to focus on Mars’ “dark side” perpetuates the myth of its malefic nature. The truth is more nuanced, as my own journey demonstrates.
Mars in My Chart: A Focus on Communication
In my chart, Mars plays a prominent role as the traditional ruler of my Scorpio Ascendant. It’s also sextile to my Aries Moon, intensifying its influence. Positioned in Aquarius in the 3rd house and conjunct Mercury in late Capricorn, my Mars is deeply tied to communication themes. Mercury and the 3rd house both highlight speech, writing, and learning, amplifying Mars’ impact in this area of my life.
On one level, this placement has shaped my professional life. I’m a writer, teacher, and counselor, perpetually immersed in the world of words. But Mars’ role hasn’t been without its challenges. My early years were marked by significant fears around speaking and communication. Today, those fears are long gone, replaced by a love for public speaking and teaching.
Childhood Challenges with Speech
In childhood, my Mars issues manifested as communication difficulties. According to my father, I experienced a strange regression around age four. After developing speech normally, I reverted to “baby talk,” leaving my parents so concerned that they considered consulting a child psychiatrist. Though I resumed typical speech development eventually, the incident hinted at a deeper, hidden stress.
Later, between ages 10 and 11, I underwent speech therapy to correct a lingering inability to pronounce the letter “L.” This challenge had been with me since preschool, as evidenced by my inability to properly pronounce my aunt Laura’s name—she was always “Wawie” to me. By puberty, these impediments had largely resolved, but my hesitancy to speak in class lingered for years.
Hearing Loss: Mars’ Continued Influence
As Mars rules communication and is conjunct Mercury in my chart, listening became another avenue for its influence. Hearing loss began impacting me in my early 40s, eventually necessitating hearing aids. Technically, I’ve lost about 50% of my consonant-recognition ability, making conversation challenging in noisy environments. Masks during the Covid pandemic revealed just how much I relied on lip-reading—a subtle adaptation to this lifelong Mars theme.
Hearing loss, like my childhood speech struggles, has been a source of stress. Yet, it’s also taught me to adapt and advocate for myself, whether by seeking medical solutions or setting boundaries in social settings. These are quintessential Mars lessons: facing challenges directly and learning to assert one’s needs.
Mars as a Teacher, Not a Tyrant
Astrology often limits itself to describing the difficulties associated with planetary placements, leaving clients feeling like victims of their charts. But Mars teaches us about strength, courage, and action. My own journey—from a hesitant child to a confident public speaker—illustrates this growth. By choosing to confront fears and embrace proactive solutions, I’ve reduced the stress Mars brings while growing stronger in the process.
The Karmic Roots of Mars Challenges
Evolutionary astrology helps us uncover the deeper reasons behind our challenges, offering a lens of purpose and growth. In my case, Mars rules my Scorpio south node, and it squares that point almost exactly. These configurations suggest past-life themes of violence, speech-related trauma, and authority struggles.
My first spiritual teacher, Marian Starnes, provided insight into this karmic story. She foresaw my hearing struggles long before they began and shared a vision: in a past life, I had “closed my ears” to escape the torment of hearing others scream. Over time, I came to understand this imagery as part of a broader karmic pattern.
One key lifetime emerged through my explorations: during the Spanish conquest of Mexico, I had misused language to justify acts of violence. This misuse haunted me, leading to a karmic backlash that included both my speech struggles and my hearing loss. My refusal to hear and my fear of speaking were rooted in this unresolved history.
Healing Through Awareness
Reclaiming my voice has been a central theme of this life. The fears and limitations tied to my karmic past initially stifled me, but with time and effort, I’ve transformed those experiences into sources of strength. Evolutionary astrology has been instrumental in this process, helping me understand the roots of my struggles and empowering me to move beyond them.
For anyone facing their own Mars challenges, the key is to remember that these obstacles are opportunities for growth. Whether it’s about standing up for yourself, advocating for your needs, or facing fears, Mars pushes us to evolve. By confronting its lessons head-on, we can transform stress into strength and fear into empowerment.
Emotional Clues to Karma
Our strongest karmic clues often lie in exaggerated emotional reactions. Feeling disproportionate fear, anger, or sadness in specific situations can point to unresolved past-life experiences. For example:
- Losing $20 and feeling panicked about financial ruin may reflect a past life of poverty.
- Feeling intense jealousy over minor interactions might stem from past experiences of betrayal.
- Cringing at aggressive drivers could tie to a sudden, violent death in another lifetime.
Such reactions are worth exploring through the lens of astrology, particularly the south node, its ruler, and related aspects. These symbols offer a roadmap to understanding and healing karmic wounds.
Final Thoughts
Mars, often misunderstood as a malefic force, is better seen as a teacher of courage and resilience. My journey with Mars has included speech challenges, hearing loss, and karmic reckonings, but it has also taught me the value of self-empowerment. By embracing these lessons, I’ve transformed Mars’ stress into a source of strength.
Through the wisdom of astrology—and the deeper insights of evolutionary techniques—we can all uncover the hidden purpose behind our challenges. Understanding these patterns not only fosters healing but also cultivates compassion, self-forgiveness, and personal growth. Those are Mars’ true gifts, waiting to be discovered by anyone willing to face its lessons head-on.