First, Mars is definitely the planet which rules and controls the physical vehicle. Mars appears first of all as the orthodox ruler in Aries, the sign in which the first move is made toward bringing about objective manifesta­tion, or physical incarnation. In Scorpio, the results of all the struggles carried forward during the seemingly endless pilgrimage around the zodiac or wheel of life are brought to a point of climax.

             The Tibetan

             Esoteric Astrology, p. 210

The energy of Mars works to establish a sense of difference and space between ourselves and others so that the process of individualization may take place. This way of personal development leads eventually to a conscious merger with our inherent Divinity. It is the transformative and regenerative potency of Pluto, however, that stimulates those quantum leaps in consciousness—often through some very difficult crises in life—resulting in true evolutionary growth.

Mars is the planetary ruler of Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, which states, “I am, therefore I am.” It is through Aries that the nascent sense of uniqueness between individuals begins to manifest. Initially, Aries represents the separated ego as it functions through the actions of the personality. Initially, Aries represents the creative Will of Divinity in action. Mars, as a planet of the Sixth Ray of devotion, functions primarily through the astral or desire nature of the lower self. It then promotes through Aries the following four basic desires:

1. The desire for recognition.

2. The desire for new experiences.

3. The desire for response (to one’s self-assertions).

4. The desire for penetration into matter (sex).

The last of these desires is very complex, as it is through the urge for sex that the personality seeks its immortality in physical form. This is clearly impossible, as all physical forms die. From the level of the personality, this obsession with personal mortality then becomes the primary struggle of the Mars-ruled individual. As all personality-centered people are ruled by Mars, the obsession with sex and death—and by extension, with materiality—becomes a collective human condition. It is this condition that is eventually transcended through Scorpio and its ruler, Pluto.

It is through the gates of the heavenly Scorpion that the war of transmutation of consciousness takes place. It is in Scorpio and the eighth house of its natural rulership that the desires and values of the personality have to be reoriented to the needs, desires, and values of the higher interests of humanity. The sense of the separated self then has to die, and what is reborn is the Disciple aware of his or her role as a world server. This latter state usually takes place after the intense desires and needs of the lower self are distinctly challenged by the experiences of ordinary life and the individual finds him or herself face to face with the demands (and love!) of the soul.

The power of Pluto may be experienced as a driving, subconscious force. As this force gradually comes to the surface of consciousness, it unlocks its particular lessons through some radical and totally transformative activity. Unlike Mars, whose energy is immediate both in the passionate rise of desire and in its climactic and often violent release, Pluto’s presence originates in a far deeper, subterranean source.

Pluto operates like a snake shedding its skin. The old surface must give way to the pressing urgency of the animal’s physical growth. The older skin cannot withstand the rising pressure of the newly forming epidermis and cracks open. The serpent then must enter a period of dormancy, one in which it may rest from this intense crisis of growth. Its inner and outer energies need a time in which to stabilize and balance. Once this is accomplished, it may then continue in its life process with its new skin intact. Even though its coat is bright and shiny, the start of yet another eventual shedding has already begun deep within the cells of the animal. Thus Pluto works, so that we may shed our psychological skins, unlocking our patterns of non-regenerative self-repression. Once such a negative habit pattern is released, we are then able to transform an inferior focus of self-expression—usually in the form of a sexual, emotional, or material obsession—into a more positive facet of our life.

We can also state the nature of Pluto as analogous to the travels of a subway train. You (the personality) are waiting at your subway station (the external life experience) for the subway train (the inner impulse for growth) to arrive. You know that the train is somewhere along the 150 miles of its track. You also know that the train is taking on and discharging passengers (your psychological impressions) as it goes along. You don’t know who the vast majority of the passengers are, but you do know that they are part of the train’s purpose. Finally, the train stops and discharges its contents and brings you a message. Sometimes—often—the message is distressing. It requires that you enter the train and continue your journey without your baggage! Yet with courage you enter the train and allow it to take you to your next, unknown, destination. You cannot continue on the Path without some element of risk to the personality. After all, some part of the personality has to “die” and be left behind.

The revelation of the nature of any deep transformation is preceded by tension. In terms of the spiritual path, it is also preceded by a sense of loss, emptiness, and loneliness. As a transformational agent, Pluto is indeed a force of upheaval and, by the short-sighted, given the reputation as a “malefic” influence in the horoscope. But we must view Pluto’s effects from a more holistic approach in order to perceive its relativity to a greater process of unfolding.

The vibrations of the planet Earth tend toward stagnation. Its intense gravity works to crystallize matter and fix energy in the illusion of stability—then watch the Earth quake! The Earth is very closely aligned to the sign Taurus, as Venus, the exoteric ruler of that sign, is the Earth’s older and more evolved planetary “sister.” Venus, as the ruler of the Fifth Ray of Right Human Relations, is also the Earth’s mentor and guide. Pluto, ruler of Scorpio and polar opposite to Taurus, represents the balance necessary to produce increasingly more evolved materialization of the personality. Thus, Taurus is the richness of the Earth, while Scorpio, through its ruler, Pluto, serves to mine and refine the harvest of this great, earthy wholeness.

THE ASPECTS BETWEEN

MARS AND PLUTO

All the aspects between Mars and Pluto partake of certain shared characteristics. Primarily these involve the ability or inability to assert one’s will or individual power toward personal or transpersonal goals. Although these two planets are intimately related in their urge to regenerate the energies of life, they tend to operate from two distinctly different perspectives. Mars usually functions from the standpoint of the personal ego, while Pluto is actually a vehicle for the refinement of the personal ego so that it may more closely be aligned to the Will of the Soul—which is the Will to Love through the development of consciousness.

All people on the Path of the evolution of consciousness are tested in terms of the use of their sexual energies and the expression of their desire nature. A time always arrives during their life for transformation and refinement. Those people with strong Mars/Pluto or Aries/Scorpio charts will experience this testing ground—more like a “burning ground”—in no uncertain terms. The easy aspects between Mars and Pluto may be somewhat helpful in the raising of the kundalini, the “serpent fire” of one’s dynamic life force, from the lower to the upper centers of the human organism (the chakras). The presence of such a trine or sextile between these two planets, however, is no guarantee of any easy passage through this vital transformative test. It is not just the sexual direction of the ego that is in question here; it is the conscious direction of the creative will which is truly on trial. The hard aspects between these two planets show that the karma involved in their linkage and interplay will be that much more challenging to achieve. But the more difficult the battle, the sweeter the victory! If there are no major aspects between Pluto and Mars in the horoscope, look for their house placements. Usually, the house position of Mars reveals the region in the life where the testing of the desire nature will take place and the position of Pluto shows where the transformation of these desires is likely to occur.

Mars conjunct Pluto: This contact signifies a drive to win out over any and all adversities. There is a need to dominate and exert power in the house in which the conjunction is found in the natal chart. Often there is a never-ending font of energy (especially if the conjunction is found in the fire signs), although this font will be somewhat curtailed should the conjunction be in a difficult aspect with Saturn (including the conjunction). A trine or sextile from Saturn to this conjunction will enhance the ability to bring discipline and direction to the focus of the expression of the desire nature. In the more evolved person, this same combination will bring positive focus to the direction of the creative will.

Mars square Pluto: People with the square are known to have extremely violent tempers. At the very least, they tend to hold back their aggressive—or creative—urges and live under a great deal of tension as a result. In a sense, this aspect acts as a time bomb, constantly opening the way by wiping out what has already been established, but suddenly and usually without a hint that such destruction is about to take place. Very often, plans and projects are aborted, making a continuum of steady growth rather difficult to achieve. When it is used positively, this aspect can be a clearing house for personality traits and life circumstances that are no longer desirable to the higher self. The need to modify the intensity of the release of one’s personal power or self-destructive urges is most important to cultivate.

Mars sextile or trine Pluto: The harmonious links between these two planets do not lessen the sometimes fanatic approach to the attainment of one’s objectives. They just allow these goals to be reached with less inner and outer tensions. Excessive efforts at arriving at one’s targets in a way that is more balanced and integrated within the context of one’s entire life seem to be characteristic of the fluid aspects between Mars and Pluto. If this planetary connection is linked by aspect to the Sun (or to the ruler of the sixth house of health), there seems to be a very positive effect on the ability for the individual to recuperate quickly from any illnesses.

Mars inconjunct Pluto: Two of the most common male sexual problems are premature and retarded ejaculation. In the first case, the tension required for the proper release of sperm (life energy) does not build up sufficiently. This inhibited sexual activity does not allow for the needed prolonged contact between the two people involved, thus restricting intimacy and the potential growth of relationship. If the premature release of the seed inhibits regenerative activity and the development of interpersonal bonds, so does the holding back of the seed. Retarded ejaculation, or in extreme cases, total frigidity in women or lack of ejaculation in men, does not permit union. Both conditions are indicative of the denial or inhibition for the possibilities of emotional contact.

I am using this analogy to the sexual process, as the inconjunct aspect between Mars and Pluto may work in either of these two ways; it may also alternate between both forms of this type of dysfunction. This is not to say that a man with Pluto inconjunct Mars in the natal chart suffers from one or the other malady. But it does mean that people of either gender who have this aspect in their natal horoscope often miss out from achieving a clear and precise culmination to their creative urges. This occurs either through holding themselves back too long from the expression of their desires and the moment passes when such release would be effective. Or they release their intent and desires before they have had the time to build up sufficient tension; thus they have no real power when such intentions are released.

It should be remembered that proper timing is very important to the martial temperament. In their extremes, Aries is known to let go too soon and misfire, while Scorpio holds on too long and finds him or herself blocked and frustrated. When these two signs and their ruling planets work in harmony and balance, then the creative impulses of life have a clear opportunity to manifest for the individual’s highest good.