Mars makes his way home to Aries and joins the Sun (conscious will), Jupiter (expansion), Uranus (freedom) and a newly retrograde-Mercury (communication) in the sign of Aries. It's been 2 years since Mars has visited his home sign.

Mars is the planet of action, energy, and movement. He represents our physical drives, aggression, passions, anger, self-assertion, confidence, and the motivation behind our efforts. In Pisces, Mars is compassionate, passive, discerning. Mars' excited energy feels subdued in Pisces so, his transit in Aries is a welcome change and homecoming. The sign of Aries is governed by Mars.

In Aries, Mars is confident, willful, eager to get started, and is driven by passion. At best, Mars in Aries is enterprising, gets things accomplished, a leader. At worst, pushy, impulsive, quick-tempered.

While Mars is in Aries, we are urged to just do it! Hush with the excuses. Quiet down the fears. Quit waiting in vain for help or promises of support. Mars in Aries reminds us that we are more than capable, that we are the masters of our own destiny, and that the action/power of one is sometimes what it takes to make change happen. Be self-reliant. Be assertive. Be your own leader. Act upon your own volition.

Mars enters Aries on April 1 at 9:51 p.m. PDT (April 2 at 12:51 a.m. EDT) and will stay through May 11th. While in Aries, Mars will align with the following celestial bodies (all dates reflect North America Pacific time zone; allow +/-2 days for life span of influence):

• April 3 ~ Mars conjunct Uranus. Nothing is as it seems. Openness to unconventional solutions, even to the most common problems. Pushing for one's desires. Aggressiveness. Unpredictable behavior. Be extra careful when traveling, even short distances. Also today, the New Moon in Aries with both Sun and Moon conjunct Jupiter and oppose Saturn-rx.
• April 11 ~ Mars square Pluto-rx. Power struggles. Everyone wants to be the boss/everyone seems bossy. No one seems to want to listen or reason or discuss. Tempers fly. No one wants to budge. Standstill. Agreeing to disagree. Elsewhere in the sky, Mercury-rx conjunct Jupiter and conversations/ideas can easily be blown out of proportion.
• April 18 & 19 ~ Mars oppose Saturn-rx and Mercury-rx conjunct Mars. A chance to get things accomplished. Commitment and hard work are required, though. Simply starting something without a good plan will most likely fail when obstacles present themselves. Think first before acting.
• April 30 & May 1 ~ Mars conjunct Jupiter. A little braver to try out something new. More optimistic of succeeding or arriving at desired results. Believing in the dream coming true. Making a go of things. Elsewhere in the sky, Venus oppose Saturn-rx.

How might Mars' transit in Aries manifest in your world? Look to the Aries-ruled house/s in your birth chart. Match the sign with the house cusp/s on your birth chart. Use the list of zodiac sign below to identify the Aries zodiac sign on your birth chart then click here for an explanation of Mars transiting those solar and/or natal houses.

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For those without a birth chart, you may use your Sun sign or Rising/Ascendant sign, if you know it. Look for your Sun and/or Rising Sign below then click here for an explanation of Mars transiting those solar and/or natal houses.

• Aries-Sun or Aries Rising ~ 1st House
• Taurus-Sun or Taurus Rising ~ 12th House
• Gemini-Sun or Gemini-Rising ~ 11th House
• Cancer-Sun or Cancer-Rising ~ 10th House
• Leo-Sun or Leo-Rising ~ 9th House
• Virgo-Sun or Virgo-Rising ~ 8th House
• Libra-Sun or Libra-Rising ~ 7th House
• Scorpio-Sun or Scorpio-Rising ~ 6th House
• Sagittarius-Sun or Sagittarius-Rising ~ 5th House
• Capricorn-Sun or Capricorn-Rising ~ 4th House
• Aquarius-Sun or Aquarius-Rising ~ 3rd House
• Pisces-Sun or Pisces-Rising ~ 2nd House

Alternatively, you may cast your own birth chart at alabe.com for use as reference -- birth date, time, and place required.

Are you celebrating a birthday? Schedule a session for a Solar Return (birthdays) or 3-Chart Package Reading (detailed natal & overall outlook for the next 12 months). Or give the gift of insight. Have a question or need a quote for a more customized reading, ask me here.

What significance do planets, signs, and houses have in astrology? Planets have the function, the job to do. The style/manner they will use get that job done is defined by the zodiac sign they occupy. Where in our life the job gets done is determined by the house the planet occupies/transits. So, when Mars (aggression) is in Aries (bold), he is more assertive than when he is in Cancer (sensitive). When traveling through the 10th house (professional life), he may bring his confidence and motivation in matters relating to our career. While in the 11th house (friendships), we may be more inclined to having our social calendar packed with activities. Having the foresight for what may be coming up or receiving confirmation on what may be happening now are ways astrology can be beneficial ... as above, so below.

Related articles:

• Transiting Mars in Natal Houses
• Current Planetary Transits
• Solar Returns Explained ~ your personal year
• Sun in Aries ~ March 20 to April 20, 2011
• Mercury in Aries ~ March 9 to May 15, 2011
• Mercury Retrograde in Aries ~ March 30 to April 23, 2011
• Venus in Aries ~ April 20/21 to May 15, 2011
• Jupiter in Aries ~ January 22 to June 4, 2011
• Uranus in Aries ~ March 11, 2011 to 2018/2019

Fire - image credit and copyright to matthewvenn via flickr.