Mars conjunct Eros

[hodad]

Hello there I would like to learn more about Mars conjunct Eros in the natal chart.I have this placement in Taurus in the 8th house.What could be some of the manifestations of this aspect? All that comes to mind at the moment is that the person (me) would be very sensual and have a high sex drive.Mars being in the 8th house would also add a Scorpio element to the mix.That seems like it would add up to a lot of passion! But how would you define passion in the context of Taurus and the 8th house? Besides sex! Since these are both highly charged planets/asteroids I am wondering what they are like when combined.Super charged? Would just like to learn more about Mars conjunct Eros in general.
This combo opposes Neptune in the 2nd.That adds another element into the mix----

[Kim Falconer]

Hi Hodad,

Mars/Eros can express through passion, yes. It's not necessarily going to be sex though. Here is an excerpt from my Eros Reports to give you a background on my take, particularly how these energies differ, and how they may combine.

Eros in Aspect to Mars

And observe how in valor not even the god of war withstands him [Eros]; for we hear, not of Love caught by Ares, but of Ares caught by Love--of Aphrodite. The captor is stronger than the caught; and as he [Eros] controls what is braver than any other, he must be bravest of all… --Plato

Traditionally, Mars, or the Greek Ares, was the god of war. He arose from a primitive vegetation god and developed first into Ares, brutal, blood-thirsty, battle-crazed and not terribly successful. The Roman Mars was somewhat more refined, having the qualities of strategy and honor as well as barbarian vigor. Mars was a lot more popular than Ares, who was shunned by gods and mortals alike.

Although the savage nature of Ares was disdained, the Greeks did not mind calling him forth when they needed his interminable courage.

Ares, exceeding in strength, chariot-rider, golden-helmed, doughty in heart, shield-bearer,… unwearying, mighty with the spear, O defence of Olympus, …stern governor of the rebellious, leader of righteous men, sceptred King of manliness,… Shed down a kindly ray from above upon my life, and strength of war, that I may be able to drive away bitter cowardice from my head and crush down the deceitful impulses of my soul.”

The astrological Mars symbolizes a raw energy that gets us up out of bed every day to face the world. It protects us, hopefully, from becoming a doormat by igniting the will to be, to do, and to achieve. Whatever the desire, Mars is what goes out and gets it.

“Mars can represent brute force, blind rage, impetuosity and reckless abandon, but it can also be understood as a kind of healthy aggression—the positive impulse to comprehend and master the external world.” --Howard Saportas

Mars, Ares and Hephaestus

The ancestry of Ares and Mars is uncertain, with reports claiming Zeus as the father in some versions and Hera as the sole parent in others.

“Lastly, he made Hera his blooming wife: and she was joined in love with the king of gods and men, and brought forth Hebe and Ares and Eileithyia.”

Later myths suggest Zeus gave birth from his own head to the “bright-eyed Tritogeneia [Athene] who delights in tumults and wars and battles. Hera, furious that he could create an offspring without her, bore Hephaestus “without union with Zeus,” seemingly out of spite.

Now appears Hera gave birth to Hephaestus aparthogenically, but according to Homer, he was one of her children with Zeus. To complicate matters further, Ovid claims Juno [Hera] conceived, not Hephaestus but Mars by the help of the goddess Flora, again without the aid of Jupiter [Zeus].

It is possible that Mars is the offspring of Hera’s anger and retribution alone having not the benefit of unity as his origin. Hephaestus, in this case, may be more closely related to Mars as he also is named the offspring of the great mother goddess, without the aid of the opposite sex.

Hephaestus appears as a kind of ‘positive’ shadow Ares. He uses his brute force to forge implements of battle and thunderbolts for Zeus. He works with iron, Mars’s metal, and creates the finest crafts, teaching his skills to mankind. He is an ingenious inventor who has the honor and respect of most the Olympians. He is also the lawful spouse of Aphrodite. Ares has only the Olympian’s distaste and the affair with Aphrodite is illicit.

Mars seems to have some attributes of each. He is still the god of war and violence, yet he has honor, skill and repute. Instead of, like Ares, an illicit affair with the goddess of love, Mars takes her, like Hephaestus, as his wife. Perhaps Mars is more a mingling of both Hephaestus and Ares, thus sharing an origin as well as a spouse.

The archetype of Mars may then be better understood by seeing his light and shadowed components in the two figures of Ares and Hephaestus. In this way the wounded side of Ares, for Hephaestus was crippled and homely, is portrayed, as well as his honor and ability. Ares was often seen as incompetent and hardly invincible. He lost challenges to his ingenious sister Athene, got himself stuffed into a jar by giants and fought and lost along side the Trojans. He was reckless and courageous and not often successful.

Mars in the astrological chart can be all of these things. He can be a part of us that is rash and daring, or overbearing and obnoxious. He can get the job done, or he can completely over do it. The one thing Mars can not do is avoid the darts of Eros. Mars awakens like a thunderclap when he is linked to the god of love.
Eros in aspect to Mars means more heat, more fire, more passion and more urgency. Even in the patient and plodding sign of Taurus or the cautious sign of Cancer, Mars linked to Eros throws discretion on the floor along with his trousers. Mars takes action and with Eros involved, it is going to be immediate.

When Eros is in conjunct to Mars it may be difficult to distinguish between force of will and erotic desire. The need to assert and affirm our existence may be entwined with the need to merge and transform with the other. It can create great confusion. As soon as Mars is awakened, there is a drive towards distinction and individuality. If Eros is in aspect to Mars, it will awaken as well with an antithetical need to merge and blend and be transformed.

The square, opposition and inconjunct aspects may bring out the dilemma even further. The rift between the desire to assert and the desire to merge may be so wide that projection goes rampant. When identified with Mars, we may push away Eros, forcing it to appear in a besotted. Conversely, if experiencing the longings for erotic union, the desired other may willful reject our offer of love. The first step in resolving this kind of dilemma is recognizing how it manifests in the outer world, then perhaps we can come to terms with creating an inner balance that acknowledges both divergent drives.

Eros in aspect to Mars can effect the way one initiates projects, or goes about achieving set goals, creative or otherwise. There can be a knightly and charismatic edge to relating, nothing so obvious as batting eyes or kissing hands, but effective none the less. This subtle eroticism lingers even after the beloved has left the room, or hung up the phone.

Mars can add a lot of energy to the sexual desires, or Himerus, the constant attendant of Eros and Aphrodite. It is possible that Eros has a refining effect on the urgent and untamed drives of Mars, yet Mars may have just the opposite effect on Eros. This combination can suggest that the gateway to erotic union is paved with fights, arguments and power struggles. The trip may be stormy, yet the levels of intimacy possible, once through the battlefield, are deeply profound.

Two offspring of Ares are the shield piercing Panic and Fear. When Eros is in aspect to Mars, the way to intimacy must get past these children. The fear of loosing control and autonomy, and the panic associated with the lowering of defined boundaries or the loss of power, can send us fleeing for shelter, or into a rage of hostility. Taping into the courage of Mars to explore the realm of intimacy may take a strong and conscious effort.

The vain and cruel side of Mars—Ares’ throne on Mt. Olympus had a covering of human skins—must be reckoned with before Eros can lead him to the depths of love and transformation. With Eros in aspect to Mars, any unconscious anger and resentment will likely come to the surface in the midst of an erotic union. Finding ways to express the backlog of anger, and subsequent deeper feelings, may go hand and hand with exploring the realms of intimacy.

Plato felt that the arts of creativity were sacred to Hephaestus and that it was Ares’ job to protect those sacred arts. As challenging as the combination of Eros and Ares may be, nothing is gained by subduing or denying this drive for will and assertion. The power of will protects the creative process and willingly balanced with Eros, it can open the doors to transformation.

“We all agree that temperance is a control of pleasures and desires, while no pleasure is stronger than Love: if they are the weaker, they must be under Love's control, and he is their controller; so that Love, by controlling pleasures and desires, must be eminently temperate.” --Plato

In that the child of Ares and Aphrodite is Harmonia, such harmony is possible through love and union.