Mars Placement: Meaning and Traits for All 12 Houses of the Zodiac

Astrology is much more complicated and involved than a simple Sun Sign, which is what people are talking about when they say, “I’m a Cancer,” or “I’m an Aries.” It’s easy to determine your Sun Sign because it’s based solely on the day you were born. Everyone with the same birth date has the same sun sign in Western Astrology, regardless of the year. However, there are also other important elements of the natal astrology chart, which is a picture of the sky at the moment you were born. Your full chart, including your Mars placement, requires more information than just date of birth—you need to know the exact time and place of birth as well.

A full natal chart includes information about the sign of each planet, in addition to its placement into one of 12 houses on the chart. Each house represents a different area of life. Having a planet in a certain sign in a certain house means the qualities of that planet and sign may show up in that area of your life. The placement of a planet gives you even more information about your traits and tendencies in this lifetime.

What Does Mars Represent in Astrology?

Mars is about your physical action in this life. How do you get what you need? How quick are you to anger? How do you like to have sex? How do you show your passion? What drives you in the physical realm? These are a few of the questions that Mars can answer.

Mars is named for the Roman god of war. While he is often considered an analog of the Greek God Ares, Mars was a bit different. He was more predictable and was a force that worked towards peace (though it was always through aggression) rather than a destructive and unpredictable God like Ares. To Ancient Romans, Mars’ anger had logic behind it while Ares’ behavior may have seemed a little more random to the Ancient Greeks. So, Mars in astrology is about your purposeful action and aggression. It is how you show up to work in the world. But it’s not random. It’s about how you work towards a goal and how driven you are.

Mars Placement: Meaning of Mars in Each of the Houses

Mars Placement in 1st House

1st House Ruling Sign: Aries

1st House Ruling Planet: Mars

What the 1st House Rules Over: The self, personality, appearance, overall approach to life

Having Mars in the 1st House means you are a “doer” and a leader. You wear your heart on your sleeve in a certain way. When you have a project or something you’re passionate about, it’s hard for you to hide how you really feel about it, and what you think of others’ input. However, when it comes to emotions about other things, you easily shove them aside. Exactly what you are passionate about will depend on your Mars sign.

You are a natural leader, and you usually get what you want. When it comes to romance, you are very comfortable making the first move and are likely assertive in the bedroom as well. You have big starter energy. You come up with new ideas easily but may need others help to finish them.

One difficult aspect of this placement is simply that you can be a bit of a bull in a China shop. You may be relentless in your quests to get what you want, which can cause you to seem insensitive to other people. Learning a bit of diplomacy may help you with this. In addition, you may need to learn when to step up and when to step back and let someone else take the lead.

Mars Placement in 2nd House

2nd House Ruling Sign: Taurus

2nd House Ruling Planet: Venus

What the 2nd House Rules Over: Possessions, personal values, money, daily habits (especially habits relating to work and efficiency)

A 2nd House Mars leads you to be very methodical in your productivity. The benefit to this is that you will see almost every project to fruition, no matter what types of roadblocks or difficulties you encounter. You are not the quickest, but you work hard. This is a very realistic and practical placement. You don’t allow yourself to dream about things that seem outlandish or impossible. Generally, this keeps you grounded, but it can cut you off from bigger opportunities.

While everyone cares about money, you probably have a more complicated relationship with it than most. Your doingness in this lifetime is related to your strong desire for security. This can lead to a severe work-life imbalance. Security is important but so is your health and happiness. If you find yourself being sucked into a vacuum of working and doing, other areas of your life, such as friendships, family, and romance may suffer.

Mars Placement in 3rd House

3rd House Ruling Sign: Gemini

3rd House Ruling Planet: Mercury

What the 3rd House Rules Over: Learning, communication, wit, intelligence, siblings, neighbors & neighborhood, how social you are

People with a 3rd House Mars often talk a lot. If this is you, you may be known for your witty tongue and sharp critique. You are not big on fighting—physically. However, you love a debate. When you talk, people listen. You have a way with words and the way you are passionate when you speak draws people in. However, throughout your life, you will have to learn that not every conversation is a one-person show. You’ll need to learn to let other people talk, and how to truly listen—not just to wait for someone else to finish speaking. You must also be aware that not everyone loves to debate as much as you do. You’ll find your audience eventually, but some people might take your good-hearted debates as arguments.

If you have siblings, with Mars in the 3rd House, it’s likely you fought with them a lot, but in a way, that is how you show love. When you’re mad, you like to fight with words, and you know how. You have to be careful because your words can certainly hurt people. You may prefer to fight through writing, like e-mail or texting, because it gives you a chance to choose your words wisely. Writing out your feelings when you’re upset may also help you to speak more diplomatically during a later confrontation.

Mars Placement in 4th House

4th House Ruling Sign: Cancer

4th House Ruling Planet: The Moon

What the 4th House Rules Over: Ancestors, home, family, motherhood and mothering, roots

This placement means you are likely to become aggressive in the name of protecting your home or family. You may also have a tendency to fight with your family members. If you had a peaceful and happy childhood, you likely feel aggressively towards them because you want the best for them and want to protect them. If your childhood was more tumultuous, the aggression may come from earlier traumas.

Outside of family and close friends, it is hard for you to share your feelings with others. In fact, you may actively try not to show your emotions, which can be draining. Because of this, you need a private space where you can let it all hang out. You feel most comfortable when you are in control of your home environment. If you choose to live with other people, you probably prefer to be in charge of household routines. It takes the right combination of people for this to work.

Mars Placement in 5th House

5th House Ruling Sign: Leo

5th House Ruling Planet: The Sun

What the 5th House Rules Over: Playfulness, fertility, procreation, romance, vulnerability, creativity, expression

With Mars in the 5th House, your aggression comes out in dramatic flairs. When you’re upset you let people know about it, and their attention can soothe your anger. In your daily activities, you like a challenge and a competition. You’re likely to change passions easily because your passion is held by what brings you the most pleasure at any given moment. In a way this is good. You tend to live in the moment and don’t worry too much about the future. However, it’s hard for you to complete something if it’s not something you want to do. And everyone has to do some things they’re not crazy about every now and again.

It’s easy for you to get wrapped up in yourself. You love to share your passion du jour with others, but you may forget to ask them about themselves and their interests. Tension may develop when this happens over and over in a relationship. In terms of romance and sex, you love to be pursued. You prefer to be adored and are happy to adore your partner only after you are certain of their admiration.

Mars Placement in 6th House

6th House Ruling Sign: Virgo

6th House Ruling Planet: Mercury

What the 6th House Rules Over: Habits, health, structure, logic, organization, service

When you combine Mars and the 6th House, the result is a hard worker. You might work yourself a little too hard, and not just for money. You tend to be of service to those around you. Friends and family benefit from your generous nature, but you must remember to take care of yourself as well.

In addition to working hard, you also have high standards when it comes to work. You expect the same standards from everyone else and can get angry when they don’t compare. Criticizing others won’t get you very far in most environments. You need to learn how to work with others and accept them for how they show up. You may also have some kind of savior complex, believing you can show people the way if only they will learn what you have to teach them. This dynamic can lead to unhealthy relationships. For this reason, some people with Mars in the 6th House prefer to work for themselves. That way they don’t have to worry about other people not working up to their standards.

Mars Placement in 7th House

7th House Ruling Sign: Libra

7th House Ruling Planet: Venus

What the 7th House Rules Over: One-on-one relationships, partnerships, marriage, business partnerships, contracts

People with Mars in the 7th House are motivated by finding a relationship. You may feel a bit directionless, depending on your Mars Sign. The airy energy of the 7th House and Mars’ strong fiery passion don’t always lead to confidence and assertiveness. You may seek a partner who is more assertive than you are to guide the way. With the right partner, you may find your own motivation and assertive side. However, you have to be careful not to pick someone who is too domineering or controlling.

With projects or work, you prefer to work within a group. Having a clearly defined role and the encouragement of your colleagues is a big help to you.

When it comes to sex, you are quite passionate, but you likely see sex only as part of a loving relationship. It’s hard for you to have casual relationships.

Mars Placement in 8th House

8th House Ruling Sign: Scorpio

8th House Ruling Planet: Traditional: Mars; Modern: Pluto

What the 8th House Rules Over: Sex, death, intimacy, other people’s resources, loans, taxes, inheritances

People with Mars in the 8th House tend to have an intense drive to do what they have set their sights on. If this is your Mars placement, you seem tenacious and committed. Internally, you are very emotionally invested in your work. It is a part of your identity. When you do well, you feel great. However, a failure can take you off your path and make you depressed. It is hard for you to deal with setbacks. You may react harshly (towards yourself) to criticism at work or a project that doesn’t work out. Remember, if something doesn’t work, it’s not the end of the world. We learn from our mistakes and do better the next time!

An 8th House Mars makes you very sexual. This is the house of sex, after all. You view sex as another way to learn about people and a great way to get to know them. However, sex is not a casual thing for you. In all your relationships, including friendships, you are intense and prone to jealousy. However, you are also someone who doesn’t reveal your innermost thoughts, so people may not realize this about you until they become very intimate with you.

Mars Placement in 9th House

9th House Ruling Sign: Sagittarius

9th House Ruling Planet: Jupiter

What the 9th House Rules Over: Higher education, wisdom, religion, philosophy, long-distance travel

If you have Mars in the 9th House, you have an expansive relationship with doingness. You are motivated by learning and trying new things. What you like to learn about may depend on your Mars sign. However, you are also motivated by the meaning behind things. You want the work you do in the world to feel meaningful to you. It doesn’t have to be in a direct service-oriented way, like what motivates a 6th House Mars person. In fact, you likely find meaningful action from something that focuses on the bigger picture.

You are passionate about big projects but likely have difficulty breaking them down into smaller steps. You might be better suited as a visionary or manager who oversees others who do the more detailed work.

With sex, you are game for just about anything. You may have fun in casual relationships, but just like everything else, you want your sexual encounters to have a deeper meaning. That could simply be learning about a person, but eventually, you may desire a deeper connection.

Mars Placement in 10th House

10th House Ruling Sign: Capricorn

10th House Ruling Planet: Saturn

What the 10th House Rules Over: Career, public image, structure, social status

Success looks different to everyone. With Mars in the 10th House, you’re likely nearly obsessed with your personal version of success. For some this is tackling the workplace and climbing the corporate ladder. For others it is achieving everything needed to have a life completely devoid of workplace entanglements. Still others want to be a stay-at-home parent and consider that the pinnacle of their personal success. In whatever route you choose, you are a natural leader, and you like a challenge. However, you have to be careful not to make more work for yourself by seeking out the most grueling route.

Depending on the rest of the chart, some people with Mars in the 10th House are like certain reality-show personalities. “I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to win.” While you need a solid home base to jump off of, your motivation is mainly your dreams of success. Your friends are likely connected to your work. You may also have a tendency to think you are better than others who do not share your vision of success. However, you likely don’t mind rustling some feathers as long as it doesn’t jeopardize your success.

Mars Placement in 11th House

11th House Ruling Sign: Aquarius

11th House Ruling Planet: Traditional: Saturn; Modern: Uranus

What the 11th House Rules Over: Friends, innovation, disruption, modern technology, humanitarianism, groups

If you have an 11th House Mars, you are a great innovator in your work. You work well with a group but for different reasons than people with a 7th House Mars. Rather than requiring someone else to help you find your passion, your passion is other people. Your motivations include helping other people get along, making friends, and completing something for the good of a group or even society. Even though you generally like working with a group, you are also a little competitive. But this competition is part of what helps you be more productive. It’s a friendly type of competition, not a vicious or personal one.

You are also likely an out-of-the-box thinker, mainly when it comes to action. You are likely to think of new solutions to problems at work. As an 11th House Mars person, you are also more willing to try something unconventional. You also bring this unconventional thinking into the bedroom. You’re more than open to trying anything new in that realm.

Mars Placement in 12th House

12th House Ruling Sign: Pisces

12th House Ruling Planet: Traditional: Jupiter; Modern: Neptune

What the 12th House Rules Over: The subconscious, afterlife, endings, aging, escape

With Mars in the 12th House, it is hard for you to find your motivation. What motivates you is deep in your subconscious mind, and it can take some work to find it. You might float around trying different things looking for your passion. You are not naturally aggressive, and you may even simply go along with what other people want, simply because it’s easier than figuring out what you want to do. You have little drive to finish projects but can do so with the help of others. Working in a group is also good for you, similar to 7th House and 11th House Mars people.

It may take you some years to find a way to voice your anger in a healthy way. That’s not because it’s not there. In fact, it may be present very intensely. However, it is so intense that it feels like you might explode if you let it out. You can relieve some of this pressure by learning to be assertive, rather than aggressive. This can also help you to avoid passive-aggressive behavior that is brought on by resentments.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © WR Studios/Shutterstock.com

WATCH: Sharks biting alligators, the most epic lion battles, and MUCH more.

Enter your email in the box below to get the most mind-blowing animal stories and videos delivered directly to your inbox every day.

Thanks for subscribing!