Today is Tuesday, Mars’s day and a good day to talk about the warrior general.
Often called a malefic because its energy can be extremely destructive when not placed optimally in a chart. (But, who really has optimal placement?) And even when placed in its exaltation and in an angular house, its aggression, drive, ambition and ruthlessness can be overwhelming for the native as well as for others.
So, an exalted Mars is less of a malefic whereas an afflicted Mars is more of it. An afflicted Mars in the angular houses?! Oh dear!. This is the native who does not know when to give up the good fight, or digs in their heels when surrendering would benefit them more, or who brings the battle tank when a small knife would have sufficed. They don’t know when and how much to assert themselves and when to flee. (Fleeing or evasion is an important part of war).
Mars is a general, not a petty fighter. The general makes his appearance in a war, not at a trivial online argument. A powerful general knows when to attack and when to retreat. It’s all about the timing. That’s why Mars is exalted in Saturn’s sign of Capricorn. Because Mars in Capricorn knows the value of timing.
The value of timings brings up the value of self control. How to subdue your Martian energy when you’re not at war. Because, Mars is on standby for war. All the time, every time. If its not a war against the world (1st house), its a war against you (7th house), a war within family (4th) and a war against authority figures(10th house). These houses are angular and thus leave the locus of control with Mars to initiate the war. Or, better still~ be on the offensive. An angular dignified or exalted Mars has the potential to embody Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’ better than any other planet in the zodiac. However, very often, this potential is not realised as the native might lack the very critical ingredient of self control.
In the succedent houses (2,5,8,11), Mars is still powerful and uses its own resources at war, some of which could be subversive and hidden(8th house Mars).
Placed in the cadent houses, Mars is almost always on the defensive, which can be discouraging. Imagine having to constantly defend yourself from perceived attacks! That shit can get exhausting. And then to have Mars in Taurus, Libra or Cancer in a cadent house? This post may written for you.
What does Sun Tzu say?
The below is an abbreviated list from my own readings. I highly highly recommend reading the whole book “Art of War”, especially for the ones who have Mars in Cancer or Pisces as these natives find it very challenging to suitably express the energy. This is my reference: “Sun Tzu on the Art of War, translated from Chinese by Lionel Giles. M.A.”
For those who are interested in Jyothish, it is remarkable to observe the correlations between Sun Tzu “Art of War” and the expression of Mars in Dhanistha Nakshatra (its exaltation).
5 essentials for victory:
He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.
He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.
He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks
He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.
He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.
Here’s 32 of his rules? aphorisms? from his book “Art of War”
- All warfare is based on deception.
2. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.
3. If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him.
4. If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.
5. If his forces are united, separate them.
6. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected.
7. These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand.
8. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.
9. It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy’s one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack him. if twice as numerous, to divide our army into two. If equally matched, we can offer battle; if slightly inferior in numbers, we can avoid the enemy ; if quite unequal in every way, we can flee from him. Hence, though an obstinate fight may be made by a small force, in the end it must be captured by the larger force.
10. If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
11. The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy.
12. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.
13. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it.
14. Security against defeat implies defensive tactics ; ability to defeat the enemy means taking the offensive.
15.Standing on the defensive indicates insufficient strength; attacking, a superabundance of strength.The general who is skilled in defense hides in the most secret recesses of the earth; he who is skilled in attack flashes forth from the topmost heights of heaven.
16. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage.
17. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy.
18. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.
19. In all fighting, the direct method may be used for joining battle, but indirect methods will be needed in order to secure victory. Indirect tactics, efficiently applied, are inexhaustible as Heaven and Earth, unending as the flow of rivers and streams;
20. As applied to the falcon, it seems to me to denote that instinct of self-restraint which keeps the bird from swooping on its quarry until the right moment, together with the power of judging when the right moment has arrived.
21. Energy may be likened to the bending of a crossbow; decision, to the releasing of the trigger.
22. Therefore the clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy, but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.
23. By holding out advantages to him, he can cause the enemy to approach of his own accord; or, by inflicting damage, he can make it impossible for the enemy to draw near.
24. Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend ; and he is skillful in defenw3e whose opponent does not know what to attack.
25. If we do not wish to fight, we can prevent the enemy from engaging us even though the lines of our encampment be merely traced out on the ground. All we need do is to throw something odd and unaccountable in his way.
26. By discovering the enemy’s dispositions and remaining invisible ourselves, we can keep our forces concentrated, while the enemy’s must be divided. So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong and to strike at what is weak.
27. Like water, taking the line of least resistance. Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions.
28. We cannot enter into alliances until we are acquainted with the designs of our neighbours.
29. Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.
30. A clever general, therefore, avoids the enemy when its spirit is keen, but attacks it when it is sluggish and inclined to return. This is the art of studying moods. Disciplined and calm, to await the appearance of
disorder and hubbub amongst the enemy: – – this is the art of retaining self-possession.
31. The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy’s not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.
32. There are five dangerous faults which may affect a general: (i) Recklessness, which leads to destruction; (ii)cowardice, which leads to capture, (iii) a hasty temper, which can be provoked by insults (iv) a delicacy of honour which is sensitive to shame (v) over-solicitude for his men, which exposes him to worry and trouble.
umbarta.com 