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Mars

Mars shows directed force: the capacity to cut, compete, defend, pursue and act before consensus has formed.

Conflict is one expression of Mars, not its whole meaning. The same placement can describe courage, stamina, technical precision or the clean use of anger.

52 sourced claims: 50 traditional , 1 modern , 1 contested

The planet in celestial magic

The chart meaning above and Agrippa's magical names are different kinds of information. Read the Mars planetary-magic page for its nature, numerical-square intelligence and source-specific angel lists.

Square intelligence: Graphiel

Agrippa's first-list angel: Khamael

Qabalistic association

In Hermetic Qabalah, Mars is assigned to Geburah (Severity). Follow the name to see the sources for that place on the Tree.

Reading the placement 1 sourced claim
Function in a chart

Mars shows directed force: the capacity to cut, compete, defend, pursue and act before consensus has formed.

Conflict is one expression of Mars, not its whole meaning. The same placement can describe courage, stamina, technical precision or the clean use of anger.

Sources (1)
  1. Christian Astrology — Book I, chapter XIII, ‘Of Mars, and his several significations’

    Read at archive.org ↗

Traditional source

Function in a chart: Mars shows directed force: the capacity to cut, compete, defend, pursue and act before consensus has formed.

  1. Christian Astrology — Book I, chapter XIII, ‘Of Mars, and his several significations’

    Read at archive.org ↗

Traditional character 1 sourced claim
Traditional signification

Lilly’s Mars signifies soldiers, surgeons, smiths, heat, sharp instruments, contention and acts requiring boldness.

Historical language is paraphrased rather than silently modernised.

Sources (1)
  1. Christian Astrology — Book I, chapter XIII, ‘Of Mars, and his several significations’

    Read at archive.org ↗

Traditional source

Traditional signification: Lilly’s Mars signifies soldiers, surgeons, smiths, heat, sharp instruments, contention and acts requiring boldness.

  1. Christian Astrology — Book I, chapter XIII, ‘Of Mars, and his several significations’

    Read at archive.org ↗

Use in planetary magic 6 sourced claims
Method and election

Agrippa places Mars images in Mars's hour, with Mars rising in a martial face. The figures carry a sword or lance.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XL, ‘Of the Images of Mars’

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional source

Method and election: Agrippa places Mars images in Mars's hour, with Mars rising in a martial face. The figures carry a sword or lance.

  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XL, ‘Of the Images of Mars’

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional aims

He says they were made for courage and success in war or conflict. Some of his examples also use martial force to inspire fear or cause harm.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XL, ‘Of the Images of Mars’

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional source

Traditional aims: He says they were made for courage and success in war or conflict. Some of his examples also use martial force to inspire fear or cause harm.

  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XL, ‘Of the Images of Mars’

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Planetary nature in Agrippa

Agrippa connects Mars with courage, anger and conflict. His Mars list includes fire, iron, sharp plants and fierce animals. Martial images are intended for strength and victory, but the book also allows for harmful uses of that force.

Summarized from Agrippa's account of the planet and the things he places under it.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book I, chapters XXII and XXVII

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional source

Planetary nature in Agrippa: Agrippa connects Mars with courage, anger and conflict. His Mars list includes fire, iron, sharp plants and fierce animals. Martial images are intended for strength and victory, but the book also allows for harmful uses of that force.

  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book I, chapters XXII and XXVII

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Intelligence of the square

Graphiel

Printed at 325, the square's square total.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XXII, names answering to the numbers of Mars

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional source

Intelligence of the square: Graphiel

  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book II, chapter XXII, names answering to the numbers of Mars

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Planetary angel in Agrippa's first list

Camael

This is Agrippa's first list. He gives another list in the same chapter; neither list names the square intelligences.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book III, chapter XXIV, first list of angels over the planets

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Traditional source

Planetary angel in Agrippa's first list: Camael

  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book III, chapter XXIV, first list of angels over the planets

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Agrippa's alternative list contested

Zamael

Agrippa gives this alternative name a few lines after his first list. These are not the names printed with the squares in Book II.

Sources (1)
  1. Three Books of Occult Philosophy , English translation, J.F., London 1651 — Book III, chapter XXIV, alternative list beginning 'Now there are some'

    Read at esotericarchives.com ↗

Astronomical context 1 sourced claim
Astronomical context

Mars is the outermost of the rocky planets and the first planet beyond Earth’s orbit in the traditional sequence.

Astronomical description, not an astrological meaning.

Sources (1)
  1. Solar System Exploration — Solar System Exploration; Mars overview

    Read at science.nasa.gov ↗

Modern source

Astronomical context: Mars is the outermost of the rocky planets and the first planet beyond Earth’s orbit in the traditional sequence.

  1. Solar System Exploration — Solar System Exploration; Mars overview

    Read at science.nasa.gov ↗

Correspondences 47 sourced correspondences
Attested correspondences for Mars
Relation To First attested
Metal Mixed-metal alloy 175 CE
Metal Iron 1249 CE
Metal red Brass 1509 CE
Day of the week Tuesday 211 CE
Planet of Khamael 1509 CE
Ruled by Scorpio 130 CE
Attribution of The Tower 1888 CE
Planetary angel in Agrippa's first list Khamael —

All 47 on the map As a table The planets table

What the astrologers said about Mars in the houses

Opinions, not this study's and not findings. These were published around 1900 by astrologers writing for a Theosophical readership, and most English astrology since has been reading them. They are quoted rather than restated so the distance stays visible, and each one names its astrologer and its page.

  1. Mars in the first house

    Mars in the first house shows shortness of life and scars on the head or face; in the second poverty and troubles;

    Rosa Baughan, The Influence of the Stars, p. 267 — T. Fisher Unwin, London, fourth edition, 1889 · Project Gutenberg, ebook 42889

  2. Mars in the fifth house

    Mars in the fifth house denotes a very unsettled and inharmonious home life, in which discord and disputes are frequent.

    Alan Leo, How to Judge a Nativity, p. 174 — Modern Astrology Office, London, this printing 1928 · The 1928 printing, scanned

  3. Mars in the seventh house

    Mars in the seventh house when afflicted denotes quarrels and unpleasant conditions in the marriage state.

    Alan Leo, How to Judge a Nativity, p. 187 — Modern Astrology Office, London, this printing 1928 · The 1928 printing, scanned

  4. Mars in the eighth house

    Mars in the eighth house indicates a liability to a violent or sudden death. If much afflicted this is a very evil position, but Mars alone in this house will not kill the native, although the end whenever it comes will be sudden and after an illness of short duration or by shock or accident.

    Alan Leo, How to Judge a Nativity, p. 198 — Modern Astrology Office, London, this printing 1928 · The 1928 printing, scanned

  5. Mars in the ninth house

    Mars in the ninth house denotes an over-enthusiastic nature with regard to religious and philosophical subjects, and tends to destroy reason or to allow impulse and desire to overrule the mind. If much afflicted it gives fanatical, irregular, bigoted or sceptical opinions on religious matters; if well aspected a zealous and enterprising mind.

    Alan Leo, How to Judge a Nativity, p. 204 — Modern Astrology Office, London, this printing 1928 · The 1928 printing, scanned

  6. Mars in the twelfth house

    Mars in the twelfth house denotes strange and unfortunate adventures, in which grave dangers to the native are to be apprehended if he is shown to act more from impulse than reason; to decide this the position and aspects of Mercury must be studied.

    Alan Leo, How to Judge a Nativity, p. 228 — Modern Astrology Office, London, this printing 1928 · The 1928 printing, scanned

Leo's house book does not delineate every planet in every house, and this study refuses any passage whose scan has a word no dictionary holds. Where a house is not listed above, one of those two is why.

Who is quoted here, and who is not

Two astrologers, both writing around 1900: Alan Leo, whose How to Judge a Nativity is the only one of these books arranged as a lookup table — a paragraph per planet per house — which is why everybody copied it; and Sepharial, who arranged the same material by the question a reader brings rather than by placement, so only a few of his judgements stand alone well enough to quote.

William Lilly is not here, and not because he was not asked. Christian Astrology (1647) is the most important book in English on the subject and this study holds it as a text already — but every scan of it is long-s blackletter, and the OCR renders the title of its own first book as “An Introduci ion to Aftrologje”. There is nothing in it a reader could trust a quotation from. Ripley's Compound of Alchymy and Anderson's Constitutions get the same answer elsewhere in this study, for the same reason.