By Jude Ponton, DC, MAc, LAc, and Paul Ponton, MAc, LAc,
Senior Acutonics® Practitioners and Teachers
Mars represents the Warrior archetype. This archetype possesses the capacity for combativeness, ambition, self-preservation (will and ability to survival) and getting what you want. Mars is the personification of Yang energy, the masculine, and sexual energy. It fuels the energy for competition, drive, ego and taking action. Mars is the energy we use when we project ourselves, and our personal power out into the world.
Physically Mars corresponds to muscles, blood (especially red blood cells), the head, the sympathetic nervous system, the male urogenital system, the inflammatory processes and the adrenals. In Vedic medical astrology, we also find a correspondence to the bone marrow.
In most astrological systems, Mars is cast as a bad guy, malevolent energy, because of the aggressive war-like attributes to the archetype, with references to the bloodthirsty soldier attributes associated with Mars. This malevolent energy then affects the astrological house that it shows up in for the chart, as well as affecting the signs and planets it is currently influencing in its transit through the solar system. This is a one-sided view that doesn’t take into account the positive influences derived from the archetype. For example, Mars warrior energy also acts to enhance the warrior defensive energy of our immune systems. It provides the energy to overcome our inaction and lack of movement forward. It balances a flagging ego. It gives us the drive to achieve goals in our personal and professional lives. It is the energy that helps to activate the fight or flight mechanism for survival.
In Acutonics® we acknowledge the power of Mars in clinical use. We choose forks to combine with Mars that mitigate and balance Mars energy. The most common combination is with Venus. Venus energy softens and balances Mars’ yang aspects. Mars and Venus are a perfect balance of the polarity of yin and yang. We often use Mars and Venus on the Huato Jiaji points for empowering the nervous system in a useful way. Mars and Venus are also useful for balancing the yin (nucleus) and the yang (vortex aspects of the chakras. The Mars/Venus 5th applied to the 5th chakra helps to activate the creative energy of this chakra. For bipolar conditions, which are often related to Kidney yin and yang weakness and instability, we can use Mars/Venus 5th on the Ren Mai and Du Mai as well as on UB 23 (Shen Shu). For other Kidney yin and yang imbalances (such as you may see in menopausal symptoms) Mars and Venus can be useful on UB 23 and KID 3 (Great Ravine). Applying the Mars fork to SJ 5 (Outer Gate) and the Venus fork to P 6 (Inner Gate) helps to balance outer and inner energies.
To align with personal power, Ohm/Mars 2nd can be used on the 3rd chakra. This combination will also help to ground the assertive and outward energy of Mars to create an appropriate expression of that power.
Mars/Earth Day 5th applied to SP 6 (Three Yin Intersection), ST 36 (Leg Three Li) and UB 17 ( Diaphragm Shu , the influential point for blood, located 1.5 cun from the lower boarder of the spinous process of T 7) is useful to build blood. The combination of Mars and Earth Day is also helpful in treating muscle atrophy, applied to points or generally in the area of the atrophy.
For blood stagnation manifesting as bruising use Mars/Zodiac 3rd around the periphery of the bruise and in the field over it. This combination can also be applied to LI 4 (Union Valley) to move stagnant qi in the head manifesting as headache.
Mars energy can be an important ally for harnessing the vitality, vigor and activating energy of the Warrior archetype.