Point and counterpoint
From Wikipedia, “In its most
general aspect, counterpoint involves the writing of musical lines
that sound very different and move independently from each other but
sound harmonious when played simultaneously”
“It is hard to write a
beautiful song. It is harder to write several individually beautiful
songs that, when sung simultaneously, sound as a more beautiful
polyphonic whole. The internal structures that create each of the
voices separately must contribute to the emergent structure of the
polyphony, which in turn must reinforce and comment on the structures
of the individual voices. The way that is accomplished in detail
is...'counterpoint'”
There is a word that describes the type of
harmonic interaction between sounds that are independent and
different. That word is interdependent.
The beauty of interdependence is that each
element can exist and thrive on its own. However, when these
individual factions are combined, they create something beautiful and
of value while each still remain unique and independent of the other.
Interdependence is what we strive for in healthy
relationships and effective teams. Relationships and collaborative
effort are a personification of Mars in Libra at its finest.
We
don’t often talk about Mars in Libra being in its finest though, do
we? We hear more about the fact that Mars finds himself in detriment
in Libra. And, when first experiencing or learning about transiting
Mars in Libra it’s often easier to express the simpler, less
refined, more passive elements of the placements.
I’ve described Mars in Libra as being the
person who will smile to your face while stabbing you in the back.
This is a possible manifestation. Mars in Libra is often accused of
keeping up appearances in lieu of expressing anger or fighting. I
will argue that point. Sometimes, Mars in Libra puts up the
appearance in order to get them further down the road toward what
they want. It’s not so much that Mars in Libra gives a crap about
what you think---that’s Mercury in Libra’s job. Mars in Libra
does; however, worry about what actions you may take that could
thwart them from getting what they want because what is “wanted”
is exactly what motivates Mars in Libra to start with.
Mars
in Libra is militant and strategic. He doesn’t have to do much,
because he’s going to leave the actions mostly to you. In a way, it
looks as if Mars in Libra is a reactive and/or passive placement—and
it can be. However, usually what is happening is he is leading your
actions through his own and will then respond to you in kind. Most of
the time, he has already weighed out your possible reactions and will
base his future actions on the choice you make. But, he’s going to
make darned sure to put you in a situation where you make the choice
that is conducive to his own best interests. Do you understand what
I’m saying? Mars in Libra will set you up without you even
realizing it. He will spark you to act, provoke you in a way that you
do something that either justifies his next action or leads to the
action he wants to take.
That,
in and of itself, is Mars’ downfall in Libra. Actions should be
based and driven from your core, not dependent upon what someone else
chooses to do. But, in a militant and strategic realm, anticipating
your opponents move and planning your counterpoint is exactly the way
to go. As you can probably tell, this can be good or bad depending on
your position.
An
Officer and Gentleman was my favorite movie as a child. That’s
right. It wasn’t ET, it wasn’t some cartoon. It was this. I have
Mars in Libra.
Pay
attention to what the Drill Instructor (Foley) says in the clip, “I
will use any means, fair or unfair, to trip you up.” Also, listen
to what he says about the “local girls” who only have one thing
in mind, “To marry themselves a naval aviator.” Mars in Libra.
Every. Bit. Of. It.
Mars
in aspect to Venus is motivated (Mars) by what it wants (Venus). This
is true of Mars in Taurus, as well. However, Mars in Taurus is more
inclined to just not budge until he gets what he wants. Or, to keep
trudging forward in that regard...it becomes all about the person’s
momentum with the fuel behind that drive (or the stubborn absence of
it) being the shiny Venus object (money, love, something of tangible
or intangible value).
Mars
in Libra will throw out concepts like “compromise” when in a
dispute. It will also throw out words like “fair” and “justice”
and pin them as reasons for their chosen actions. The thing that gets
lost in that translation is the true meaning of compromise.
Compromise
is “an agreement or settlement of a dispute that is reached by EACH
SIDE making concessions. That “each side making concessions” part
is usually what is lost. Whenever someone says to me, “You need to
compromise,” I laugh. Compromise is not something you can reach on
your own. However, if you talking about compromise as a verb and not
a noun, it then becomes, “the ability to listen to two sides in a
dispute and construct a compromise (back to the noun’s meaning)
acceptable to both.” Still with the action of compromise there
exists the original meaning of the word that implies ALL parties are
going to be called to give something up in order to get what they
want.
Keep
that in mind when Mars in Libra throws compromise in your face. Turn
and ask all parties involved what they are also willing to surrender
in order to achieve whatever goal it is. Do not just seek what you
are going to have to give up.
In terms of “fairness” and “justice,”
what is usually lost in those matters is the fact that what I deem as
fair may be different from what you deem as fair. What I think is
“just” may not align with what you think is “just.” Someone
with a heavy Pluto influence in their chart may believe that it’s
fair to burn your house down and kill your entire family because you
cut them off on the freeway. Is that fair? Probably not if you are
the person that cut the Pluto person off. But, to the Pluto person,
yeah…that seems fair. The terms of what is “fair” and what is
“just” are both subjective (based or influenced by personal
feelings, tastes, or opinions) which brings me to my next point about
Mars in Libra.
What happens when subjective information
interferes with objective decision making? Well, we call that
projection, my friend, and that is Libra’s forte’. Any planet in
Libra has the power to project. Now, we have the psychological
definition of projection and that applies too. But, what I’m mainly
talking about is the assumption that everyone carries the same
subjective data as you do and therefore also assuming that other
people are basing their decisions on the same thing you base them on.
This is not only immature (as it is often observed in children) but
is also faulty. I doubt very seriously that you could find one person
whose life experience has led them to the same collection of
subjective data as you.
You
may find people with similar experiences. You may find people who
have one or two similar subjective values. But, a carbon copy? No. I
don’t see that happening.
An immature expression of Mars in Libra will
base his evaluation of what should be done solely on how he thinks
the “other” feels (subjective) about something. Mars in Libra
may actually try to be above board and be fair but doesn’t realize
that everyone doesn’t see “fair” or “just” the same way he
does.
Ah, but the skilled Mars in Libra will know a
little bit more about your subjective data. Mars in Libra has not
obtained the detective like capacity of Mars in Scorpio yet. However,
he has an inkling of what drives you even if he can’t put the
psychologically motivated “why’s” behind it just yet. Mars in
Libra can charm (another Venus/Mars trait) his way right into you
giving that away to him by asking the simple and predictable
questions of, “What do you think?” “What would you do?” “How
do you feel about it?”
Did you think Mars in Libra was
really that indecisive and unsure about his own
actions that he was relying solely on the importance
of your opinion in the matter? *shrugs* Maybe during
the initial interaction, he was. But, don’t think
for a minute that your response was forgotten or
discarded. No. Libra is an Air sign. It is the realm
of the mind, memory, data storing, ideas, concepts,
information, and thinking. Whatever response you gave
(whether Mars in Libra’s intentions were true to
form initially or not) was stored for later use. You
have just given a part of yourself away with your
answer and Mars in Libra may pull that back up at a
later date in order to further manipulate the
situation in an effort to get what he wants. How do
you think he knows what exists “on the other hand”?
How do you think he is able to walk around in the
shoes of the “other” so easily?
Strategy.
Check and mate.
The other form of psychological
projection also exists with Libra (and Mars in Libra)
in that the inner desire is denied and therefore
projected onto something else. That can be dangerous
at times. It can also lead to paranoia. Everyone is
not out to get you. It is you that is competing here
but you just don’t want to admit that to yourself.
Just because you are not willing to admit it doesn’t
mean it is not there. It just means you are allowing
it to exist on the face of someone or something else.
Be
careful when sizing up that someone is “out to get
you” and make sure you don’t have some suppressed
anger yourself with Mars in Libra. Is your own anger
too ugly for you to look at? Are your own motives so
shady that you aren’t willing to admit them to
yourself but can see them on everyone else? Just a few
thoughts to consider. And, good ones, I think since
Saturn is also in Scorpio and we are to be learning
about our shadows. You know? We discovered the
projection issues with Saturn in Libra, right? So,
with Saturn in Scorpio we are figuring out the
psychological root causes of these which is very often
found in our shadow selves.
It's
also possible to attract (Venus) through your actions
(Mars). Realize that the efforts you put out there
will often bring similar actions toward you sometimes
wrapped in a different package of circumstance. This
can be beneficial! If you push out loving actions then you could very well receive loving
actions in return. If you help others, you too may
receive help.
These
are just a few of my initial thoughts on Mars in Libra.
There is more to come.Here is the most recent
Hi Michele :) It can be very much like a hall of mirrors. I was thinking about my own motivations the other day and what actions it is that I truly strive for. Not every Mars in Libra native or everyone who experiences this via transit plays this way. What I've described (largely) is the shadow side. And, I did so to raise awareness. In that, if anyone is experiencing this, I want them to know that's not the best expression.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite mode of operations? To have someone you can collaborate on a project with. You work side by side, carrying equal sides of the load and produce a successful joint project. I can, and often do, work alone. I can delegate and be the boss. But, I so much prefer having a partner (Libra much?) and being able to have a counter and accessory energy to work with. That is the brilliance of Mars in Libra. I don't want to rule or run something. I want to work together. And, that is part of the higher expression of this transit.