Your Mars placement indicates how you execute a plan. By sign and by house it tells us where, how, and with whom you will act with courage and conviction, energy and enthusiasm, impulsiveness and impetuousness, fearlessness and ferociousness.

On December 7th, 2013 Mars moved from Virgo into Libra for an eight month stay. Libra is sign of the Lover, the Peacemaker, the Statesmen, the Counselor, the CEO of Civil Discourse, the Debate Team Captain of Diplomatic Overtures, and the Department Chairman of Smooth Charm. This is the sign most associated with fairness, elegance, romance, and marriage. With the planet of courage in the sign of relationships, people with Mars in Libra are often quite enthusiastic about figuring out how two people can get on the same page, intellectually as much as emotionally. Their relational enthusiasm stems from coming into this life with “a soul desire to learn the art of healthy intimate conflict” astrologers Steven and Jodi Forest tell us. (Source) The challenge with this placement is that “intimate conflicts” are often the Achilles heal of Mars in Libra. According to astrologer Stella Hyde, “Mars in Libra is the Mars placement most likely to be caught with its pants down and in no position to fight.” (Source) Bill Clinton is a Leo with Mars in Libra and a near textbook one at that. (Chart) He trained as a lawyer before moving into politics. He’s known primarily for his life long marriage to Hilary as well as his smooth charm and suave maneuvering. He’s also spent much of his adult life either caught up in intimate conflict or answering for having been caught with his pants down.

It’s probably no coincidence that Clinton’s impeachment trial before Congress for lying about his intimate relationship with Mrs. Lewinsky began on December 19th, 1998 when Mars was transiting through Libra. (Chart) Symbolized by the scales of justice, Libra is associated with the court system. It’s famously the sign of marriage but this means it’s also the sign of divorce. Check the natal chart of any attorney practicing divorce law for longer than 10 years as there is a good chance he or she has Mars in Libra. To illustrate: using its premier date as its date of birth the documentary Divorce Corp, an expose of the marriage-divorce industrial complex, has Mars in Libra. (Chart)

Astrologer Raven Kaldera associates Mars in Libra with the myth of King Arthur. (Source) Reading through Kaldera’s description it is difficult not to notice a number of similarities between Arthur and Bill Clinton, notes added in italics:

Like Arthur, romance is often the Libra warrior’s downfall. Arthur inherited a kingdom torn by religious (political?) differences; the older pagan faith (the Democratic party?) was clashing with the newer, more aggressively spreading Christian religion (the Republican party?) and it was his job to keep the peace. He called himself a good Christian knight but kept a pagan wizard (Al Gore?) by his side as an adviser; he married a Christian woman (Hilary?) but had an affair with a pagan (Monica?). By the end of his reign not only was there no peace, but neither side trusted him . . . (Source)

The Oslo Accords that Clinton brokered between the Israelis and the Palestinians were signed on September 13th, 1993. Not surprisingly, the chart for the Accords has a Mars/Jupiter conjunction at 17/21 degrees Libra. (Chart) On the upside, the famous image of Clinton standing behind Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat as they shook hands embodies much of what is wonderful about Mars in Libra: former warriors who have put down their weapons in order to make peace. The image even has a structural resemblance to the scales of justice that are the symbol for Libra:

While Libra is considered the sign of balanced civility, it is also the sign that can project the image of balanced civility even as hostilities continue to mount behind the scenes. The image of Clinton standing behind Rabin and Arafat as they shook hands was great looking (Libra) at the time but we all know that the peace was, at best, short lived. As a number of informed commentators have pointed out, historians of the future will likely see the event as more photo-op than actual peace deal.

Speaking of photo ops, people Mars in Libra often love photography. Mars indicates what turns a person on so if you’ve got your eye on somebody with this placement make sure they get a glimpse of that recent photo of yourself out at the ballet or opera. If there’s a beautiful person (or two) in the photo with you and a Lexus Rx in the background you’re guaranteed to get a response from Mars in Libra. People with Mars in Libra also tend to be quite photogenic themselves. Both Kate Middleton and Prince William, for instance, have Mars in Libra and you’ve seen how great they look together.

Libra is known as the peacekeeper of the Zodiac but don’t let this fool you into thinking this sign can’t or won’t fight. Astrologer Hazel Dixon Cooper tells us, “Like Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde, the Libra Mars personality can change without warning from harmony-seeking to confrontational. Verbal confrontation excites as much as physical contact.” (Source) Like many people with Mars in Libra, Bill has been known expend so much energy trying to maintain that sense of balance that he eventually just snaps, as he did during this appearance with Fox News reporter Chris Wallace:

Mars in Libra also comes up a lot in the charts of people or events that involve fighting (Mars) between equals (Libra). Mixed Martial Arts superstar Gina Carano, for instance, has Mars in Libra. (Source) Some of the physical fights she’s been in are just as knock down and drag out as the political and legal fights Bill Clinton has found himself in.

Dr. Richard Gatling – inventor of the Gatling gun, the precursor to all modern machine guns – has a Mars/Mercury conjunction in Libra. (Chart) Gatling’s original goal was to design a weapon so horrific that people would come to understand the futility of warfare. This would usher in a new era of peace he thought. Obviously things did not work out as he had hoped.

When you think Mars in Libra think of “a duel” (Mars) between equally matched opposites (Libra) It can be a duel between a politician and a journalist broadcast on television, a duel between two martial artists in a boxing ring, a duel between gun fighters under the blazing sun of the Western frontier or a duel between nation-state super powers out in the icy coldness of outer space. Sputnik, the Russian satellite that set off the decades long “Cold War” between the US and the USSR has a tight conjunction between Sun, Mars, and Jupiter all in the early degrees of Libra. (Chart)

Using its release date as its date of birth, the film Star Trek: Wrath of Khan has Mars at zero degrees Libra. (Natal Chart) The duel between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Khan (Ricardo Montalban) portrayed in the film is a great metaphor for how Mars at 0 degrees Libra will often express itself: an absolutely explosive (Zero Point) confrontation (Mars) between equally matched opposites (Libra), both of whom are seeking to reset the balance of power in their own favor. The trailer for the film will give you a great feel for just how confrontational Mars in Libra can be. Take particular note of how the characters played by Shatner and Montalban are engaged in battles so pitched it almost seems like they’re a married couple fighting it out in divorce court:

As far as actual couples fighting their differences out in divorce court, it should be noted that the hit television show Wife Swap has a Mars/Jupiter conjunction at O degrees Libra with the Sun not far behind at 4 degrees Libra. (Chart) If you’ve ever seen the show, or even just clips online, it has Mars in Libra all over it: people from seemingly opposite (Libra) backgrounds fighting (Mars) over balance of power (Libra) issues. Here, for instance, is an episode where a “pirate” family swaps wives with a “hyper-organized” family:

You’ll also find Mars in Libra in the charts of people involved in restoring the balance of power between the genders, races, and classes. Sue Tompkins tells us, “The capacity to fight other people’s battles makes this an excellent placement for the law and for any vocation which involves a drive for reconciliation.” (Source) Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela both have Mars in Libra. The chart for the Amistad slave revolt, later portrayed in the 1997 Stephen Speilberg film Amistad, also has Mars in Libra. (Chart)

For most people reading this article, the current transit of Mars in Libra is going to express itself in Libra’s favorite arena: one-to-one partnerships. Mars indicates the methods we use to solve problems. When in Libra – an air sign – Mars solves problems by clearing the air. Whatever his faults, Clinton’s marriage is not a bad example of how Mars in Libra works. One can only imagine the number of “air-clearing” discussions that he and Hilary have had to last as long as they have through all that they have.

About the Author: Matt Savinar is a California licensed attorney (State Bar #228957), voluntarily inactive as of June 2013. He can be reached for questions, comments, or consults at his contact page.