I was woken telephonically around midnight by a neighbour who was standing at the entrance to our complex together with security guards, policemen and another resident of our complex who we have been trying to have evicted for months. She had blood streaming down her face and I thought I had stepped onto a movie set. What I could piece together is that she and this male resident arrived home at the same time, had words and then he walked up to her vehicle and punched her in the face. It is likely that an excessive intake of alcohol was involved on one or both sides and the situation I was confronted with was surreal, although the ugliness of it invaded the dream-like quality. She was finally taken to the hospital in an ambulance and it transpires she has a broken nose and received at least four blows to the head from this man.

I parked her vehicle, went to feed her animals and then endeavoured to get some sleep which was a fruitless exercise. What I did achieve by closing my eyes for those few minutes was to experience a flash of insight when the image of the current Mars Venus configuration entered my thoughts. An incident that had occurred a few weeks ago highlighted this thought pattern as well. In the early hours of the morning one of our security guards called me as the door to another neighbour’s house was ajar and the unit was in total darkness. The woman’s handbag was lying on the floor with all the contents strewn around it and no one answered our calls. We eventually found her passed out drunk on her bed so we simply exited and closed the door. Why am I contacted by the guards and neighbours when there is a crisis? The fact that I am a trustee on our body corporate is possibly a reason but I think that my dependability and consistency are the main culprits. I do not drink alcohol nor partake of any medicine chest treasures nor of what injudicious people call “recreation drugs”, so if I am phoned at an ungodly hour I may be a bit peeved but all of my faculties are firmly intact.

The Natural Rulers of Brothers and Sisters

Mars is currently in his own sign of Aries so he has dignity and he receives Venus by detriment. Venus is in Aries where she is ruled by Mars and is in detriment. Both exalt the Sun, another male principle and neither receives the Moon, the female matriarch. Although they are not closely aspecting they obviously behold each other. We know that for any current planetary configuration to affect us personally it must make an aspect to planets in the radix but I am not looking at what transpired from that perspective, I am simply assessing the two planets and what they rule in a universal sense. Mars is the war lord, the part of us that rallies to protect us, the part that displays passion, violence and aggression and he is pure, raw testosterone thus a powerful male feature in our charts. He is essentially strong and powerful in his own sign of Aries which is cardinal fire – volatile, quick to take action and engage in combat and impulsive - the fiery nature of Mars is best expressed in the sign of Aries. The lesser malefic has all of the essential tools at his disposal to manifest his true nature of war mongering.

Venus, a female principle, is the complete opposite to Mars, loving, soft and tender and she is the author of mirth and jollity for heaven’s sake, so she is everything that Mars is not. A Venus in detriment is not a pretty sight however, and somehow we view an intoxicated man as being socially more acceptable than a drunken woman. Venus in detriment has the ability to behave extremely badly especially with regards to the man made and carnal pleasures of this world, but she has no external armour and an assault from the warrior Mars can crush her soft shell. Mars in Aries wishes her harm as he receives her by detriment and he has all the weapons with which to do so as she is ruled by him whilst in Aries. The debility of Venus in Aries also indicates that all things Venusian will possibly not manifest in a positive manner at this time – they are vulnerable to engaging in debauched and unscrupulous behaviour and to unpleasant things happening to them.

Mars and Venus in a Natal Chart

All men have Venus in their charts and all women Mars, but sometimes the behaviour of the two genders does add some credibility to the book title that we may be from two different planets. The condition of these two planets in the radix will determine how they manifest as will the temperament of the native through which these planets must pass. However, it is safe to say that unless a woman is ingesting anabolic steroids or is trained in combat, her innate instinct will not be to physically assault someone instead of trying to communicate or negotiate. It is the same for men – unless there are extreme factors that undermine the Mars, rendering him virtually powerless (which will be displayed in the radix as one of those guys who has sand kicked in his face in the comic books that I read as a child), his basal instinct will still be inclined towards the action of Mars as opposed to the softer options of Venusian traits.

If the Mars is depicted as a puny victim, this in a male chart could still be highly dangerous – when that intrinsic urge to fight manifests it will possibly do so in the most frightening of ways. It is for this fundamental biological reason that we are shocked when a woman is discovered to be a serial killer or a sexual deviant – this goes against the grain of giving and sustaining life and the nurturing qualities that women are meant to possess. This does not mean that women cannot be aggressive nor men loving, we all partake of both of the essences, but fundamental behaviour is programmed into our DNA and it is the natal chart together with external circumstances that determine how Marsy or Venusy we become as we evolve through life.

Circumstances in South Africa Today

I can only comment on South Africa as I haven’t lived abroad for many years and I am of the opinion that many South African men are emasculated. There are a variety of factors contributing to this – social, economic and political – but one of the most blatant is the change in women and their status in a patriarchal society such as ours. The epoch of active feminism and “women’s lib” did much to highlight and improve the plight of women but also caused irrevocable damage. The residue of this period is that we now have a breed of women who want to behave like men instead of women. The female essence should be celebrated, not changed, and celebrated on an equal footing with the male essence. Somehow during the women’s lib period it was forgotten that although we are equal, we are different, and rightly so. That said, even women who realise this eventually, through the circumstances of being alone, single parents, sole bread winners, etc toughen up as these factors require more of a Mars stance than a Venusian one. If there is no brawny male in your immediate vicinity to pick up that heavy table, change your flat tyre or confront a badly behaved neighbour, you simply learn to do it yourself.

This makes it hard for these women to find a partner (of the masculine kind) as Mars certainly doesn’t desire another Mars (unless he is homosexual which is different); he requires a tender and loving Venus on his arm. What men do not realise is that the tough Mars stance is a facade and that internally the Venus still exists but is not honoured or accessed as she should be. Many of these women then begin to believe they are invincible, such as my neighbour, and their Mars, despite whatever condition it is in the radix, is accessed so often that it has free reign to behave impulsively and irrationally. For a woman to engage in abusive conversation at midnight (or any other time) with a man who has a history of erratic behaviour is idiocy but this does not condone physical violence from the man’s side, it is inexcusable. Our post feminist, post apartheid (pick any “post” that fits) cross to bear is that men who hold no authority or power in salient areas of their lives - by that I mean amongst other men - assume these tyrannical positions in their love and social relationships with women - aggression and violence are often a result of the emasculation.

The Sun and The Moon

The Moon’s phases are determined by her position in relation to the Sun. There are more profound reasons for this than what I am about to allude to, but in light of this article it fascinates me that when she has the most light at Full Moon, she is in opposition to the Sun. The Sun is the major male principle, the Moon the feminine, and these two luminaries are a dynamic feature of any astrology chart immaterial of which type of chart is being delineated. The Sun and the Moon are joined together as one when she is at New Moon and posited here she has no light. Of course we know that she only reflects the light of the Sun, she has no natural light of her own but I am confident you understand my line of reasoning. So when they become “one” at the New Moon Sun conjunction, she has no light and when she is displaying herself in all of her ethereal glory, she opposes him.

Many men today still believe that a woman’s place is in the home, at their side, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, submissive and so on, and women who break away from the mould to forge an individual path still pay the price – an opposition, although bringing the two parties together, does so with regret or to split them apart again. This mind set is obviously culture dependant but in South Africa it is prevalent especially in the rural areas – women have to hide their contraceptives as they are forbidden to take them by their husbands. I noted this when I observed the policemen during the incident. They were respectful towards the assailant and treated my neighbour as if it were her fault that she had been abused – maybe she had provoked it, maybe she hadn’t, but once again that does not justify physical violence perpetrated against a woman half your size. The fact that this man was not arrested will still be investigated, but it is apparent to me that as women, we have to be far more careful than we actually are.

Using Your Venus Not Your Mars

It is physiologically impossible for a woman to have as much physical strength as a man – once again I am not referring to GI Jane or Lara Croft versus computer geek – our muscle fibres knit differently, we lack the bone density of men and no matter what we weigh our strength to weight ratios are different, and we all prefer to weigh “less”. One of the four cardinal virtues is prudence and as women we should possess and utilise the gift of foresight. Even though we may be more intelligent, more astute and better versed in the art of war than a particular adversary, it is simply foolish to try and engage in physical encounters (of the unpleasant kind) or to place yourself in a situation where you can become a victim of abuse.

Venus is a coquette, she knows exactly how to use her feminine wiles to achieve her goals and it is this aspect of her that we should call on when faced with a life threatening situation – I am told that tears work wonders! This behaviour will obviously be inappropriate for some situations where the only recourse is to try and physically defend yourself, but as the instinct to survive is fundamental to us as a species – apply the more intelligent option where possible.

Conclusion

A dignified Mars used correctly is a glorious sight to behold; conjure up an image of a knight cantering off bedecked in his armour with his flag held high and his lance at his side. Sadly knights appear to be extinct. It is no wonder that trashy paperback novels are such a success – think of Mills and Boon or Barbara Cartland – they all invoke this image of Mars, of a strong and powerful man who does what God intended him to do - to defend those that he loves, to fight for them at all costs even at the risk of his own personal safety, and then there is the obligatory ravishing of the maiden. A tall order? I don’t think so.

We have accumulated enough testimony providing proof of these brave warriors from past and present times to justify this myth. Yes knights engaged in their fair share of pillaging and raping of damsels but their essence and intent were Godly – they were motivated by a higher cause. I find it very hard to imagine a knight trotting up to a maiden and punching her in the face. I say let us be totally “anti” feminist in this regard and summon the vanquished knight who sat round Arthur’s table pledging to uphold all that was good and just.

Am I deluded? Possibly but I can’t help humming the song by Paula Cole “Where have all the cowboys gone?” And if anyone tells me to “Brokeback Mountain” I will engage my Mars and bop them over the head!