Mars, Bringer of War

By Alex Miller

Mars has been working overtime this week!  The planet associated with war, weapons and armed conflict sparked two conflagrations in the Mid-East as it moved to conjoin the degree of the February 17^th Solar Eclipse, activating its potential for evoking world-shaking events.  On February 26^th, long-simmering tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, heated by the unchecked use of Afghanistan as a safe haven for terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, boiled over into cross-border fighting. On the 28^th, the US and Israel began joint military operations against Iran, even as ongoing peace talks showed signs of progress in obtaining Iranian assurances that they would not develop nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump issued a late-night video statement to Iranians, consumed for months by anti-regime demonstrations that have been violently repressed by the government, assuring them that “the hour of your freedom is at hand.”  He also warned Americans that this would be an operation extending over days, and could result in US casualties.  Airstrikes against military and nuclear targets in Iran have been responded to with Iranian missiles directed at Israel and other countries in the region.

The Lede:  Mars’ exact conjunction with the eclipse degree (28 Aquarius), also conjoined the US natal Moon (27 Aquarius), provoked action from a position already under extreme stress via the concomitant square (90 degrees) from Uranus (27 Taurus).  Uranus rules shocks, surprises, and controversial acts, as well as governing explosions generally and airstrikes specifically.  With Mars and Uranus now in square as well, the energy is volatile and erratic, made all the more so by dwarf planet Makemake (12 Libra), in sesquiquadrate (135 degrees) to each, forming a Thor’s Hammer pattern (1), a symmetrical alignment with serious implications for karma and destiny. 

In Brief:  The day of the attack on Iran also featured an exact conjunction of Venus and a retrograde Mercury, which symbolizes the repeat (retrograde) of diplomatic negotiations (Venus) for an agreement (Mercury) on Iran’s nuclear ambitions.  Ironically, the precise joining of these two coincided with reports of breakthroughs in forming an understanding between the parties, now hopelessly disrupted by the conflict.

Deep Dive:  The Sun (9 Pisces) is conjoined by Damocles (4 Pisces) and asteroid BAM (1 Pisces), with Damocles representing the looming threat or peril, about to descend at any moment; and BAM an acronym that phonetically approximates the onomatopoetic term “bam!”, the sound an explosion makes.  While a recent build-up of US military power in the region, and several “teaser” statements from Donald Trump about possible armed intervention to ensue, argue against this as a “surprise attack,” the timing was indeed unexpected, coming on the heels of word of progress in nuclear negotiations. 

This solar grouping forms a T-Square (2) with asteroids Bombig (8 Gemini) and Bellona (12 Sagittarius); Bombig (“bombing” without the “n”) is another reference to the airstrikes, and Bellona is named for the Roman goddess of war.  Bellona rests exactly atop the US natal Ascendant, depicting the world’s largest superpower marshaling its military against a perceived threat.

Key players in the drama are also present in celestial form.  An exact pairing of asteroids Jerusalem, named for the Israeli capital, and Irani, an adjectival descriptor of Iran’s people (both at 22 Sagittarius) is exactly squared the Mercury/Venus pairing, providing news (Mercury) regarding the next phase of conflict (square) between these traditional enemies.

Israel at a crossroads is portrayed by asteroid Israel (9 Cancer) in exact trine to the Sun, and itself at station (2), indicating that a vital turning point has been reached, something momentous, with far-reaching implications.  Israel turned direct on the day before the conflict broke out, signaling the Jewish state’s readiness to move ahead with long-laid plans.

As well, Pluto (4 Aquarius), which governs expressions of raw power, opposes (180 degrees) a precise combination of asteroids Washingtonia and Bomben (both 6 Leo), suggesting the order to bomb (Bomben) issued from the US capital (Washingtonia).

The Mars placement (28 Aquarius), in addition to its conjunction with the US natal Moon, also opposes Donald Trump’s Mars (26 Leo)/Ascendant (29 Leo) conjunction, heightening his aggressive tendencies and public image (Ascendant) as a warrior or champion (all Mars attributes).  Israel’s natal Mars (28 Leo) is also drawn into the conflict, with transit Mars in semisquare (45 degrees) to the Sun of the Islamic Republic (11 Aries).

Notes:  (1) A Thor’s Hammer is a pattern in the “fated” class, similar to a Yod, formed when one planet or point lies in sesquiquadrate (135 degree) aspect to two others, which in turn are squared (90 degrees) each other.  There is a karmic debt to be paid, a predestined circumstance or condition to be endured, seemingly without conscious intent or volition.

(2) A T-Square is a dynamic pattern composed of two or more planets in opposition (180 degrees), each squared (90 degrees) a third.  It represents stress and conflict, with the fulcrum point (at the square) offering a possibility of resolution.

Sources:  reporting from NBC News, AP, Wikipedia; chart data from serennu.com

Title Image Credit:  drawn by ChatGPT