The Martian: Warrior & Builder of Action

Before drawing their portrait, it is essential to put paid to a stubborn cliché. Astrological tradition long reduced Mars to war, destruction and military conflict. Yet statistical astrological studies (notably those of Michel Gauquelin or André Barbault) have demonstrated a fascinating reality: while Mars is indeed present in great soldiers, it is just as dominant in high-level athletes, great surgeons and company directors.

The true essence of Mars is therefore not destruction, but Combativeness, Decision and pure Action. To be a good surgeon, you need the audacity to cut into flesh to save a life. To be a great athlete, you need the rage to win. The Martian is above all the man or woman who refuses stagnation.

The Martian's intellect burdens itself with no frills. While they have neither the carefree quickness of the Mercurian nor the long patience of the Saturnian, the Martian possesses a formidable intellectual quality: absolute pragmatism.

Their mind is oriented towards positive, tangible data, immediately applicable in everyday life. When they study a subject, they carry out an automatic and instinctive sorting: they retain only what is useful to achieving their goals. Grand, nebulous theories bore them.

If they take an interest in more esoteric or abstract fields (such as astrology or philosophy), it will never be out of mere intellectual curiosity, but always with a question in mind: "How can I use this to better steer my life or reach my goals?"

In their relations with others, the Martian is a wholehearted, direct and spontaneous being. With them, you always know where you stand. Their frankness is total, sometimes even too blunt, for they detest hypocrisy, innuendo and social niceties.

This is a fundamentally "fast" temperament. If there is a problem to solve, the Martian does not dither: they roll up their sleeves. This is the helpful, loyal friend par excellence, the one you call in the middle of the night when everything collapses, for they will never spare themselves any effort.

Their weak point? Impatience and anger. If they are attacked or unjustly criticised, the Martian explodes. Their bursts of anger are impetuous, volcanic, and their words can be cuttingly aggressive. However, unlike the Plutonian or the Saturnian, the Martian holds no grudges. Once the storm has passed and the fight is over (always fought fairly if their Mars is well aspected), they move on, light of heart.

The Martian's love life mirrors their temperament: impetuous, fast and burning. They are far more carnal and passionate than sentimental.

In love, they do not beat about the bush. If they desire someone, they will go straight for it, fully owning their wants. This ardour, this self-confidence and this vital force are, moreover, their best assets in seduction. They care very little about "what people will say" or social conventions.

In a relationship, they need things to move quickly. It is often they who make the major decisions (marriage, buying a house) without hesitating. If they start a family, they will be its natural head, embodying a protective authority.

For their relationship to last, it is ideal that they unite with a partner possessing a strong Lunar dominant (for gentleness) or Venusian dominant (for diplomacy). Such profiles will naturally admire the Martian's strength, and in return the Martian — often exhausted by their professional battles — will find in the home the one haven of peace where they agree to lay down their arms and show an immense tenderness.

Make no mistake: the Martian's destiny is never a long, quiet river. Unlike Jupiter or Venus, Mars is not a "planet of luck". The Martian obtains nothing by chance; everything they own they have earned by the sweat of their brow, through relentless work and countless battles.

Fortunately, where other signs would give up in the face of adversity, the Martian catches fire. The obstacle is their best stimulant. They possess an audacity, a courage and a resilience that command absolute respect.

Professionally, the modern world no longer offers them many epic battlefields (except in military careers). Today's Martian will therefore find an outlet for their powerful energy in trades requiring decision, force, or the use of sharp, metallic instruments:

• The medical field: surgeons, dentists, emergency doctors.
• Command: company directors, works managers, independent entrepreneurs.
• Hard matter: engineers, sculptors, metalworking craftsmen, brilliant mechanics.
• The physical body: professional athletes, firefighters, stunt performers.

If they suffer a reversal of fortune or a dismissal (often due to an impulsive act or an impatient stroke of recklessness), they will always rise again. Their vitality is indestructible.

The harmonious Martian woman is one of the most fascinating figures of the zodiac. She is the Powerful Woman, the modern Amazon, the indomitable entrepreneur.

Endowed with unfailing courage, she is capable of moving mountains. If fate imposes ordeals on her (widowhood, separation, financial crisis), she will face all her family obligations without ever feeling sorry for herself. In love, she is an exceptional life partner: she does not stay in her husband's shadow — she stimulates him, encourages him, even "boosts" him in moments of doubt. It is often said of her that "she is the woman who would know how to save the crew on the Raft of the Medusa."

If Mars is very dissonant in her chart, cohabitation becomes a hell. Combativeness turns into aggressive jealousy and continual quarrels. Unjust, brutal in her words, rejecting any form of gentleness she judges as weakness, she becomes incapable of sociability. Her love stories are often fields of ruins, and she risks exhausting herself in vain battles all her life.

Physically, the Martian gives off an immediate impression of power, density and nervous energy. The body is literally built for action:

• General bearing: a complexion that highlights the muscle mass, even at rest. The torso is often longer than the thighs, with prominent pectorals. The whole gives a sense of strong rootedness, ready to spring. The stature is often above average.
• The face: it radiates an impression of angularity. The complexion is vivid, sanguine, and flushes easily under the impact of emotion. The chin is square, strong-willed, a symbol of stubbornness.
• The gaze: the eyes are dark, wide open. But what is most striking in the Martian is their fixity: when they listen or when they confront, they hold the gaze with a bold intensity, sometimes hard and aggressive, beneath thick, arched eyebrows.
• The details: the head is often held back, proud and lofty. The nose is strong (sometimes aquiline) with broad nostrils flared by the breath of action. The voice is strong, rough, sometimes gravelly. Their gestures are always decisive, ample, which some astrologers humorously call "devastating gestures", so much space do they take up when they speak.