Tracking My Transits: Mars Opposition Sun

"Tracking My Transits" is a new Astrological Journal Series that I am going to try my hand at documenting and sharing for your educational and entertainment purposes :) When I go through notable or archetypally pinpoint transits, I want to be able to point at this and that in my chart and show you how that came to manifest in my life, so that you can begin to make your own relationships to the archetypes of the planets and how they may show themselves to you from time to time through a significant transit. 

Today's Transit I will be focusing on is the recent 'Mars Opposite Sun' Transit 

I just experienced this last weekend. 

Mars is most stereotypically the Planet of the Warrior Ares.

It is the principle of assertion, outward directed energy, and personal drive.

It is how we go about getting what we want in life.

It is our defense system, how we protect ourselves.

Instinctive and Spontaneous, Mars is fundamentally competitive 

and concerned with the will to survive. 

Base level expressions of Mars result in pure aggression

More evolved levels of Mars may express more as self-assured decisiveness 

in making decisions.

Sijo James W. Demile (right)

The Sun is the Heart of the Solar System, our Source of energy and vitality.
our center of gravity and consciousness, it is also a masculine principle,
predictable, reliable, and direct. Both the Sun and Mars convey qualities of Heat.
Positive expressions of the Sun convey nobility, honor, integrity, and personal authority.
Base level expressions can come off as arrogant, prideful, and narcissistic.

Oppositions tend to be period of tension, but they can also simply be moments where we come face to face with things and situations that arise outside of ourselves, rather than internally originating.

So naturally, this weekend, I attended 3 back-to-back Martial (Mars-Martial) Arts seminars taught by none other than one of Bruce Lee's original students (from his Seattle years)

 Sijo James DeMile, who happens to be the founder of a branch of martial arts 

that he developed with Bruce

- Wing Chun Do -

(a modified version of the traditional Wing Chun)

In terms of Annual Profection,  I've been living in -A year of Aries- (ruled by Mars),
and just about as soon as the new year began, for the first time in my life I started training in the Martial Art of Wing Chun Do. So this whole year has had the flavor of Aries/Mars energy going on throughout it. But it wasn't until this weekend, and Mars transiting Opposite my Natal Sun that I was able to experience such an intensified version of this Martial energy.

Chris Blanke's Jiu Jitsu Studio in Toledo, OH

My Sun is in the 5th house natally, making the opposite house the 11th which rules groups and societies, so Mars transiting my 11th house brought with it a much greater connection to the larger society functioning within the martial arts world. The 'Kwoon' that we train in here in Michigan at Ambrose Academy is actually a pretty humble sized yet completely sufficient establishment, but this weekend I traveled down to Toledo

and was introduced to a much larger studio,

filled with much more archetypally Martian Men.

Mars/Sun is a relationship that also has a lot to do with Self/Ego, (and there are both positive and negative expressions and uses of the Self/Ego.) This weekend, Sijo DeMile spoke to us a lot about the importance of feeling good about yourself, who you are, and being excited about your own life.

He spoke about a certain type of selfishness in his relationships that drove his decisions on whether to keep someone in his life and work out their issues head on,

or to cut someone out.

(Mars can also rule separations and things which 'cut')

But this wasn't a 20 something guy talking to us about being selfish for your own sake, Sijo DeMile has spent 80+ years of life evolving and perfecting his art of healthy selfishness and self-defense in a combination which has elevated it

to a much more philosophical and evolved level.

(The Sun also represents a spiritualizing energy that purifies and evolves by it's fire)

Sijo James W. DeMile and Me

Overall this Transit has been really helpful in facing some of my insecurities as a 'man' myself, it has helped instill a confidence within myself that I am worthy of defending myself, holding my ground, and standing up for my own truth. It has taught me about the importance of my subjective experience and perspective in very practical ways, 

not to the extent of pushing it upon others, 

but in the sense of self-defense from external forces, 

which is what a healthy expression of Mars can be all about.

We all need a well-rounded Mars expression to keep us safe and healthy (Mars also rules the Immune System, our body's natural defense mechanism against invading pathogens).
We need Mars to go after what we want out of Life, to feel good about ourselves and the actions we take in the outside world. Suppressing or ignoring our Martian drives
will only lead to frustration, anger, and rage,
while working with Mars allows us to be confident and decisive
about our direction and purpose in life.

Click Here for to hear a full interview from Sijo DeMile with John Kay

                                   
For More Information on Wing Chun Do visit: http://wingchundo.com/