Mars in the 12th House

Libido planets Mars and Venus exert only superficial, transient influences in partnership relationships and are decisive factors only in rare cases. We will see this below when examining the mutual aspects between partners. Only when the libido planets of both partners form more or less exact major aspects to each other is it highly likely that sex is the main binding force. But when the libido planets of one partner aspect any of the other planets of the other, sex is not so dominant. The latter occurs much more frequently. Libido planets play different roles in the charts of men and women. In a man’s chart, Mars symbolizes the libido of the person himself and is therefore included in his "self" image. If the libido planets are in the 12th house, one can reasonably speak of a monastic or hermit-like disposition. Sexual life is surrounded by numerous prohibitions that make the person very anxious. Sometimes these prohibitions take the form of narrowly understood dogmas that impose a complete taboo on sexuality—a position still common today in some circles of society, especially in remote rural areas. For example, exorcism is still practiced, which can sometimes kill those it is meant to help. This is an extreme version of the moral condemnation of natural desires inherent in the 12th house. The fear of everything sexual, leading to the suppression of sexual desire, can exert a powerful influence even in childhood. It will force us to seek refuge and consolation in the inner world of fantasy, where our religious concepts, mixed with repressed sexual needs, are projected into images, acquire their own identity, haunt and terrify us. We create an imaginary world where demons and angels dwell, sometimes imbued with such energy that they seem about to become autonomous beings capable of possessing us. Such deep-seated anxiety sometimes develops when there were powerful suppressive influences during the years of maturation—for example, if the father and mother were very afraid that their child would violate sexual taboos and, at the slightest sign of such danger, subjected him to harsh punishment. Needless to say, such a parental stance is driven by their own fear of social condemnation, i.e., the threat to their own existence. Sometimes such manifestations of Mars or Venus in the 12th house—and even more often the Moon—are found even among representatives of the upper social classes, and the psychological mechanism of suppressing emotions and instincts here is naturally the same. But the 12th house is mutable and thus stimulates the libido planets. All mutable houses foster curiosity about the external world and heighten sensory receptivity. However, in the 12th house, this responsiveness is prohibited, and so it often manifests in various forms of compensatory behavior. Any personal sexual activity must be strictly private, requiring tightly closed doors. We absolutely need a partner with a similar astrological predisposition who will understand and share our stance. He or she must respect our need to preserve privacy at all costs in intimate situations. Generally, in the 12th house, we do not seek to assert our sexuality unless we veer into the opposite extreme—prostitution. This possibility exists equally for men and women and carries the risk of complete loss of psychological integrity. Such people are well aware that they may end in a mental breakdown, yet consciously or unconsciously they do not stop before this risk. With Mars or Venus in the 12th house, we seek a companion who is quiet and silent. Always ready to help others, we may choose for marriage a partner who is socially beneath us, and the greatest happiness for us will be if we can help him and at the same time satisfy our emotional need for closeness and companionship.

Imagination. Your fantasies are characterized by primitive persistence. Heat fills your dreams. They serve as a vessel for life images of masculinity, shaped in the process of human evolution. Though it would be absurd to assume that all your fantasies involve aggression or battles, such a tendency does exist, so even kind dreams may call upon the masculinity within your soul. Crisis, confrontation, conflict, danger, desire—these are all symbols of your imagination. The task is to recognize and connect with these images for more effective action in real life. Particularly important here is the transition from daydreams to ordinary conscious life. Diffused intuition. You want to receive intuitive messages right now, immediately. Yet you resemble an athlete performing a special task within a team. Most of the time, you remain on the sidelines, waiting to be called into the intuitive game; you pace back and forth like a substitute player, never knowing in advance when you will be asked to score the winning goal, yet understanding that you must be ready to play if a crisis arises. Curiously—if you surrender to the guidance of your intuition, you "blossom" in a crisis. Try to control your ego, and you will lose yourself. The task is to allow yourself to go where you must destroy demons. Withdrawal or solitude. You struggle to deal with anger—both your own and others'. Openness and directness in such motivating emotions can bring destruction, so they tend to take root deep within the soul. You feel them most distinctly when alone. This trait may work against you in situations requiring conscious action, yet it can also work in your favor in a crisis, serving as an additional source of energy. Physical activity is mysterious, almost meditative. You work brilliantly on your own, behind the scenes, but you are hindered by rigid deadlines and schedules. Still, you can achieve brilliant success by reviving the ruins of "plans that once held great promise." The task is to use solitude to establish contact with the source of your energy. Touch it, then bring it into your real life. Selfless assistance. You are repeatedly drawn to situations where energy boils beneath the surface. You may find yourself involved in confrontations not of your making, for you act as a lightning rod for the release of pent-up, blocked, or unrecognized forces. Your own desires are often not controlled by conscious will. This can lead to aimless floundering with no outcome, or, equally, it may mean fulfilling an extraordinary mission, much like a commando executing a secret operation. The lead dog of your team listens to the voice of the higher master and, at the right moment, raises the team and sends it in the right direction; at other times, it may simply lie down and sleep, ignoring your shouts of "Forward!" The task is to connect with assertive energies when they arise, regardless of how they manifest; allow them to express themselves without forgetting the ultimate goal—peace of mind. "Past lives." You have not achieved the quality of masculinity in past lives. Perhaps you were a man or interacted with men without completing what you started together, and this now manifests in this life. Drive, anger, vigor, action, and desire—all these have been insufficiently understood or embraced; old patterns must be uncovered before you can attain wholeness. Based solely on a planet's position in a house, it cannot be said definitively which past rhythms are surfacing now, yet the sign ruling the house and aspects to Mars will help resolve this. The task is to hold accumulated energies, then release them in situations requiring powerful yet controlled explosive expressions of energy.

Such a person strives with all his might to help the suffering and unfortunate. Often he becomes a good chief physician of a hospital or a deserving of appreciation and gratitude as the head of a prison. He keeps secrets well, and therefore can succeed in the role of an investigator or auditor. A strong connection with law and justice is possible. Energy is quickly depleted. When a planet is damaged, there is a tendency to suppress violent emotional reactions. Often such people unconsciously become in opposition to the generally accepted order and social system, offering them significant resistance. This often results in depression, suicidal tendencies and accidents. The actions and aspirations of such a person are strongly influenced by the dynamics of the subconscious. In marriage and creativity, such people gravitate towards loneliness and isolation from the world. They strive to act secretly, trying to avoid open resistance from the environment. They carefully hide their motives, desires and views, and there is a tendency towards secret love affairs. They like to work in large institutions where they can get lost and successfully hide their individuality. The defeat of the planet indicates a tendency towards behind-the-scenes struggle and secret conspiracies. There is a high risk of imprisonment in a prison, hospital or psychiatric clinic. Such a person needs to more often be given space for intensely restrained aggression, otherwise it deforms mental structures. There is a great danger of exposure to slander and scandals. The treachery of their enemies allows them to exploit weaknesses in reputation and weakness in prestige. There may be a lack of sincerity and objectivity. Troubles, in particular damage to the body and restriction of freedom, are associated with excessive impulsiveness, the activity of secret enemies and a tendency towards meaningless adventures. The early years of such a person are marked by many difficulties, difficulties and troubles. Intense and strong feelings prevail over the mind and manifest themselves very early, causing unbalanced nature and excessive conceit. Such a person often has to travel. The misfortune may be caused by a subordinate or an employee. There is a great danger of false accusations and slander. Troubles are often associated with anonymous letters and secret denunciations. The defeat of the planet is manifested in increased irritability, hostility towards one's own family, exposure to robbery and theft, and the danger of restriction of freedom. There is a high risk of violent death and suicide. Rashness in decisions, hot temper and aggressiveness in actions are very dangerous. Such a person is obliged to develop honesty, nobility and a sense of justice. Often this aspect is associated with strange injuries, poor health, accidents and some kind of physical disability. Such a person needs to beware of scandals, clashes, financial collapses, fraud and self-deception.

Sisyphus. This person feels their loneliness as soon as they begin to exert their strength and expend energy. It seems to them that the world and people turn away from them at that moment, and they do something clearly wrong, or not the right thing, or at the wrong time. At a low level, the person either falls into an energetic depression or tries to force their efforts, still doing something and proving themselves to others. In fact, they attempt to break through the wall that arises between them and the world as soon as they try to penetrate it by force. However, the world resists, sometimes displaying aggression that precisely matches the person’s own aggression, which the latter usually does not understand and curses their cruel fate. In this case, the person’s secret enemy is hidden subconscious programs operating on raw energy, particularly subconscious aggression; what it is directed toward will be shown by the aspects of Mars, its dispositor, and the rulers of the 12th house. If Mars is in a tense aspect to Neptune, strong phobias and uncontrollable outbursts of rage are possible, the causes of which should be sought in the areas indicated by Mars’ aspects. This Mars position gives a pronounced victim complex: either the person channels their energy entirely into high vibrations, becoming a creative and highly intelligent nature while fully transforming their aggression, or they energetically sacrifice other people without regard for their interests and feelings. In the intermediate variant, they vacillate between these two types of behavior, as a result of which they regularly become the victim of external aggression and various people themselves, cursing themselves for their softness and concessions; whereas in reality, they need to sort out their repressed but unformed aggression, understand what it is connected to and toward whom it is actually directed. It is very important not to completely deny their lower nature within themselves but also not to identify with it, and to understand that if a person hates themselves, they will not be able to love anyone else. Working through this Mars position is connected with the sacrifice of their hard labor, which the person will find difficult to accept, but having made the sacrifice according to all the rules, they will feel great relief. In any case, they enjoy mysterious actions, behind-the-scenes activities, and detective genres.

This generally indicates a difficult and hazardous year, full of experiences, disappointments, disillusionments, secret sufferings, and fears. Depending on the aspects, it may indicate death in the person's surroundings, multiple conflicts, misconceptions, rebellion even against oneself. Illnesses, loss of the organism's energy. Secret enmity with people described by the natal house into which solar Mars fell. Thoughtless, chaotic actions, contrary to something. Unexpressed motivation for actions, lack of foresight in actions. Often indicates voluntary exile, a desire for seclusion, a life far from human eyes. Negative Mars aspects only exacerbate the unfavorable indications, up to forced imprisonment, deprivation of freedom, deportation, exile, persecution, blackmail. Immoral lifestyle, hidden cruelty, criminal designs.

Actions and aspirations are influenced by the subconscious. They love loneliness in work and other activities. The desire to act in secret, the desire to avoid open resistance. The desire to hide one's desires and views, secret sexual adventures. Working in large institutions where you can hide your identity or lose it completely. Very often it is difficult for you to assert yourself, to be direct, to show will, achieving what you want. Although you may have a lot of energy and strength, you lack confidence or simply the desire to put yourself and your interests first. You are probably very unselfish, working in the interests of other people rather than your own. You give up on your wants and needs too often and are likely to be secretly very angry, which thwarts your most beautiful aspirations.

Loss of a marriage partner, inclination to adultery, dental disease, and unreasonable expenses are very likely when Mars is placed in this sinful house. These people have difficulty keeping promises, have trouble sleeping, and if they are women, have problems giving birth or getting pregnant. They often get bored and change partners or their surroundings in search of new experiences. There is a difficult time in their life when they need to save money. They may expend considerable effort in serving others or in charitable activities.