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Mars, Scorpio and Aries

Mars with sword and shield, an angel above, looking heavenward. Translation: "Mars - It appears between Jupiter and the Sun. The main house is Scorpio, the lesser main house is Aries". Engraving by N. Dorigny, 1695, after Raphael, 1516.

This post was supposed to be an answer to an anon's ask, but I decided to make it a post, because it was getting long. They expressed confusion about the opposition between Scorpio and Taurus and the similarities between Mars and Scorpio, because they find it easy to see the stereotypical martial qualities in Aries, but not Scorpio. I suppose Scorpio is one of the most confusing signs to understand these days because of how distorted the information got, after modern astrology tried to make Pluto its ruler. The dismissal of Mars from Scorpio, and the association of Pluto, is even more distorting when you consider that Scorpio has always been considered the main house of Mars. This is one of the biggest issues with the modern transaturnian planets as rulers, they take the meanings of the traditional planets, which already had taken care of all the symbolism, but now they are made empty, or at least kinda mediocre. Manilius told us that "the Scorpion presides over arms" (Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, book 4, p.253) and it has a lot more to do with war than Aries. Aries is a point of equilibrium because it marks an equinox, it is when life triumphs over death and it carries solar meanings very strongly, as much as martial ones. The equinoxes are not about the actual time of war, although Aries can show a glorification of war, or rebellion, a fighting spirit. All Aries I know are political militants. But it has a lot to do as well with work, sacrifice, purpose, breakthroughs and pioneering; and on its more solar side it's about the victory of light over darkness, renewel, reason, the intellect¹ and spirit. Of course it's still a hot place and it's still a brutish sign, and yes, the wrong Aries can very much enjoy fascism. But Scorpio doesn't stay behind on the martial significations at all, at least in traditional astrology.

“By virtue of his tail armed with its powerful sting, wherewith, when conducting the Sun’s chariot through his sign, he cleaves the soil and sows seed in the furrow, the Scorpion creates natures ardent for war and active service, and a spirit which rejoices in plenteous bloodshed and in carnage more than in plunder. Why, these men spend even peace under arms: they fill the glades and scour the woods; they wage fierce warfare now against man, now against beast, and now they sell their persons to provide the spectacle of death and to perish in the arena, when, warfare in abeyance, they each find themselves foes to attack. There are those, too, who enjoy mock-fights and jousts in arms (such is their love of fighting) and devote their leisure to the study of war and every pursuit which arises from the art of war.” (Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, p.239-240)

The most basic opposition between Scorpio and Taurus is that one is the height of autumn and the other is the height of spring. This already says a lot, because Scorpio then will have to do with death, and that's also indicated by the Moon's fall there. Taurus exalts the Moon, while Scorpio depresses it.² The Moon, as the closest body to Earth is associated with the goddess Fortuna and represents materiality, organic life. While her exaltation in Taurus is a representation of prosperous life, a healthy body, flowers blooming, the earth giving its fruits etc, her humiliation in Scorpio is a straight foward representation of death, organic deterioration, decay, that's why we see Scorpio ruling the excretory organs, and Taurus the neck, through which we consume our fresh food. Scorpio rules the residue and dead things we don't want. When things rotten they get toxic, so naturally Scorpio rules toxic substances in general, venom is just one of them. The fall of the Moon also suggests sickness, any kind of injury to the body and ill health, and Mars causes "pestilance" according to probably all the hellenistic astrologers, it's no wonder that he rejoices in the 6th house.

It is true that Scorpios deal with taboo or underworldly stuff, but not because it's ruled by Pluto, but because of its rulership over everything that gets discarded, hidden, or it's undesirable, disgusting. Interestingly, the mesopotamian god associated with the planet Mars was Nergal, who was a god of war and disease, but also of the underworld. The book Babylonian star-lore by Gavin White is an amazing book that's been on my whishlist for the longest time which adresses this, but it's very pricy. Fortunately, excerpts from the book are available on the website skyscript (at the end of the page) as short articles for each of the constellations. In the Scorpio one, he talks about how Scorpio was a war sign:

"In astrology the fortunes of war can be predicted by comparing the ideal time of the Scorpion’s rising – in month 8 – to the actual time of its first appearance: ‘The Scorpion rises in month 8: If this star rises early: the king will go about proudly; he will subdue his enemies. If this star rises late: the kings of all lands will start hostilities against the king’. When warlike planets such as Mars are present in the Scorpion the forecast is predictably dire: ‘If Nergal (Mars) stands in the Scorpion: a strong enemy will carry off the land; Enlil will give his weapons to the enemy; a few enemy troops will defeat my numerous troops’. One of the worst predictions in the whole corpus of celestial omens must be: ‘If the Plough (Mars) [notice the plough as a Mars object] comes close to the Scorpion: the ruler will die by the sting of a scorpion’."

It's also interesting to me how he talks about the association of the scorpion to the seeding season and Manilius shortly described this in the first citation as well. After all, this is the natural process of autumn, while the leaves fall, everything dies and all organic matter rot on the ground, what remains is manure, and the seeds that will generate new life. Agrippa tells us that the seeds are "fiery because of their generative spirit" (Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Book 1 chapter 7. Eric Purdue's translation). I would say they're ruled by Mars because they come from death and deterioration and they're a tiny container for life after death. Manilius talks more about the seeding aspect of Scorpio:

“When the Scorpion uplifts the stars which shine at the end of its tail, the man then born with the blessing of the planets will enrich the world with cities and, with robes hitched up and driving a team of oxen, will trace the circuit of the walls with curved plough; else he will level the cities which have been erected and turn towns back into fields, and produce ripe corn where houses stood. Such will be his worth and such the power which is joined thereto” (Manilius, Astronomica, 1st century AD, p.267)

This shows the more introspective nature of Scorpio, the way this is about building a strong defense, a strong prospect for life, instead of attacking forcibly, living fearlessly and sprinting towards life. Interestinly, he also does the opposite, he's a builder and a destroyer.

Aries on the other hand starts spring. "Spring" is a Mars word, it's a sudden jump upward or forward, a sudden appearance. Everything in Aries is about that, you could say, the cardinal fire of the strike of the match. It's what the Sun does at the spring equinox, it crosses a line and starts winning over darkness, slowly becoming stronger. All the animals suddenly get out of their hiding to enjoy the season.

As Gavin White points out, the Ram in babylonian astrology was the "Hired Man", but that's a little ambiguous because of the translation, it could possibly mean both:

"At face value, the Hired Man represents the ‘hireling’, an agricultural worker employed to bring in the springtime barley harvest. But with a little scholarly latitude, the name can also be understood as the ‘sheep of appeasement’. The two-fold significance of the Hired Man relies on the identity of man and sheep, which is neatly expressed in the cuneiform writing system where the two different signs used to write ‘man’ and ‘sheep’, can both be pronounced as “lu”. This pun appears to be entirely purposeful, as it expresses the dual nature of the constellation – to signify the barley harvester and the first-born lamb of spring (a similar duality of farming and herding symbolism is also found in the lore surrounding the Bull of Heaven)."

It's like the result of the seed sown during Scorpio season: new life is born. But it's also a sacrificial animal, here we see a little lamb, or a free worker, and not a violent ram or a warrior. Although all Aries stories involve heroism in a very classical masculine manner (a lot of times very *fascist aesthetic vibes*, Joseph Campbell indeed was an Aries through and through), because Aries starts the Sun's journey through the zodiac, the supposed "masculine"³ principle. Aries are fearless, militants and strong willed, but it's just the start, a spark, a little lamb, a promise of a strong ram.

In Mesopotamia, Dumuzi was the god associated with the Hired Man. Dumuzi has humble origins as a human and a shepherd, and he becomes king and then a god of shepherds and agriculture associated with plant-growth, which happens rapidly in the spring just like the continuous growth of the ram's fleece. One important thing about Dumuzi is that he's Inanna's consort and has an important role in her story about her descent into the underworld. She sends Dumuzi to the underworld in the end after finding him enjoying a lavish life on her throne, instead of mourning her while she was down there. This plays on the dynamic of the seasons and of the Sun with Venus, which is Inanna. And we can tie Aries and Scorpio lore with this story, as Dumuzi has to go to the realm of the underworld for the other half of the year.

Dumuzi is "the spirit of life" and he knows his destiny is death, he even tries to escape it, and he can't, but just like the Sun he triumphs over darkness again and again, always reborn in the spring as the new lamb. Life always wins death.

Manilius also writes beautifully about Aries in a way that reminds me of these meanings. I really like the way he reminds us of Athena as patroness of Aries and of her weaving work. Weaving is always closely linked to the weaving of destiny, mainly seen in the symbolism of the Moirai:

“The Ram, who is rich with an abundance of fleecy wool and, when shorn of this, with a fresh supply, will ever cherish hopes; he will rise from the sudden shipwreck of his affairs to abundant wealth only to meet with a fall, and his desires will lead him to disaster; he will yield his produce for the common benefit, the fleece which by a thousand crafts gives birth to different forms of gain, now workers pile into heaps the undressed wool, now card it, now draw it into a tenuous thread, now weave the threads to form webs, and now they buy and sell for gain garments of every kind; no nation could dispense with these, even without indulgence in luxury. So important is this work that Pallas herself has claimed it for her own hands, of which she has judged it worthy, and deems her victory over Arachne a token of her greatness. These are the callings and allied crafts that the Ram will decree for those born under his sign: in an anxious breast he will fashion a diffident heart that ever yearns to commend itself by its own praise. (Astronomica, Manilius, 1st century AD, book 4, p.233)

"When the Ram emerges above the surface of the waves and the curve of his neck appears before his horns, he will give birth to hearts that are never content with what is theirs; he will engender minds bent on plunder and will banish all sense of shame: such is their desire for venture. Even thus does the ram himself rush forth with lowered horns, resolved to win or die. Not for them the gentle ease of a fixed abode with none but peaceful cares; it is ever their delight to travel through unknown cities, to explore uncharted seas, and enjoy the whole world’s hospitality. The Ram himself gives you evidence of this: once furrowing a trail through the glassy sea, he tinged it with the gold of his fleece, when on his back he carried Phrixus, bereft of his sister by fate’s decree, and brought him to the banks of the Phasis and to Colchis”. (Astronomica, Manilius, 1st century AD, book 4, p.263)

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¹ We forget how intellectual the solar signs are. The opposition of Aries and Libra is even funnily seen in philosophy, among Enlightment thinkers (like Descartes, Spinoza, Kant) and their most severe critics (such as Nietzsche, Foucault, Feyerabend), for example. The Sun represents the intellect and rationalism, but the Scales put everything in question.

² But it's interesting how Taurus doesn't depress anyone and Scorpio doesn't exalt anyone. All the other signs where a planet is exalted, another planet will have its fall there. I don't remember which of the ancient astrologers justified this (someone please tell me if you know), but they say something along the lines of wherever Fortune is exalted nothing can fail and wherever Fortune is humiliated, nothing can prosper.

³ I put that in quotes because those traits have been traditionally assigned to a sex and a gender, but I don't believe in that kind of categorization of humans and planets.

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