A Journey with the Navagraha (part 2): Kuja- Mars

From The Ancient Temples to Your Eight Fields of Living

KUJA- MARS

OM KUM KUJAYA NAMAHA

The Mars Yantra that I created and took with me to the Mars Temple to be charged with the energy.

The Warrior - Adventurous, Courageous, Energetic

Mars is masculine, bold, passionate, intense, and governs the WILL of the human experience.

Mars governs the aspect of our human experience that allows us to take action, to overcome any challenge, to surmount all obstacles. You need the energy of Mars to overcome fear and muster up the will and courage to create change in your life.

Mars is the energizing force of creation, the primal force of nature. Yet, Mars is patience and precision. The powerful inner knowing of when to be still and when to act.

Mars is the gracefulness of a crane standing quietly on a lakeshore striking its prey fastidiously.

Mars is the fire walker. The climber who summits Everest. The fluid grace of a Tai Chi practitioner.

The quarterback who ‘gets in the zone’ of stillness and focus to create a pass with such precision that a receiver catches it easily 40 yards down field.

Mars is the courageous mother, like a Mama Bear, who takes action to flee with her children from danger.

Mars is the spiritual warrior, using the will to conquer primal drives to surrender to the supreme will.

Mars is the terminal cancer patient finding the will to carry on.

Mars gives us the power to turn potential enemies into friends. Using humor to ‘disarm’ any opponent.

And yet, just like any of the Navagraha, Mars has dangers - overaggressiveness and insensitivity to others.  Fear replacing courage with acts of violence. Passions of conquests instead of fellowship. War and murder are nothing but misdirected Mars energy.

Mars Yantra from The Yantra Oracle Deck by Sarah Tomlinson

But, at the same time, we are culturally obsessed with images and media expressing Mars. We are bombarded with stories and movies of superheroes rescuing humanity. We elevate athletes to hero status and spend our weekends rooting our favorite sports teams.

Particularly in the United States, we pride ourselves on individualism, climbing the ladder to success, and achieving status over our peers. We focus on strength and power as positive attributes, which they can be, if used in harmonious ways and not directed to suppress others.

At this time, humanity is experiencing an epidemic of misaligned and unbalanced Mars energy.  Some say “there is too much Mars (masculine) energy on the planet!” This creates more fear and avoidance which will separate us from using Mars’ positive and aligned energy. In fighting the shadow of Mars, we can become combative ourselves, feeding the very division we seek to overcome.

Durga Mural at the Mars Temple

I would argue we need the more of the harmonious expression of Mars’ energy.  Like Durga, the Mother Goddess, striking down the demons on the battlefield, we too need Mars’ energy to conquer our own demons and elicit positive change. Without Mars, there is no impulse of the will to take action. There is no fearlessness.

My teacher, Swami Kaleshwar, used to say we need both, love AND power, bhakti and shakti. Mars is that power which is the energizing force needed to create a more compassionate world.

The Navagraha are not outside forces acting upon you, but reside within you. They are a part of you. Mars can be too bold, too bloody, too intense for some—and the question is: why? What is Mars mirroring to you in your own life?  Perhaps you are wanting to change but fear prevents you from stepping into the unknown.

KEYWORDS FOR MARS:  Passionate, Intense, Bold, Willful, Adventurous, Risk-Taking, Courageous.

MESSAGE FROM MARS:  Exert your will to overcome obstacles. Be bold, be adventurous, yet vigilant to danger.

THE TEMPLE

Vaitheeswaran Koil is located in a small town Vaitheeswarankoil near Mayiladuthurai, Mayiladuthurai district the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

This temple, like eight of the nine, is a holy site to worship Shiva or the aspect of the divine that is pure consciousness, and here, specifically, as the god of healing.  Prayers in this temple are thought to cure that which is believed to be incurable.

According to the myth, Mars was severely afflicted with leprosy and reverently prayed to Lord  Shiva to ease his pain. Pleased with Mars’ devotion, Shiva cured him.  In gratitude, Mars took up residence as one of the Nine (Navagraha) in this temple.

With my Mother, Cathy at the gate of The Mars Temple

In a word, the experience in this temple was intense and yet, in many ways, the most playful which is an interesting juxtaposition. The entry was grand with a rolling RED carpet, so auspicious for Mars. We visited this temple on a Tuesday (Mars' day) and it was quite busy with devotees seeking Mars’ blessings as well as to offer rituals and bathe in the waters to receive miraculous healing.

In alignment with Mars’ energy, our group split up immediately upon entry through the gates taking independent action to experience this temple. I split off with a small group that was set to experience the VIP treatment and we were assigned a priest to guide us through the grounds. Taking what I can only imagine he thought was a short cut to Shiva, we pushed against the flow of the devotee traffic, literally ‘battling’ the crowd in an effort to stick together.

It felt like a competitive game to see who could break on through.  We kept close contact with the priest for fear of losing him in the crowd.  He opened a gate, blocked others from entering, and told us to sit.  It was only upon looking up that I realized what was happening. We were having a direct darshan (seeing, beholding) of Shiva. The energy was so powerful and overwhelming that an emotional response was inevitable.

Offering of Fire - Ghee lamps at the Mars Temple

The fire element was palpable and present in nearly every direction. Mars is the fiery, red planet and uses fire as a tool for action and transformation.

The energy of the temple certainly commanded purposeful action to ensure you approached each deity and did not miss any place of reverence.

Hanuman (the Monkey God) is the presiding deity of Mars and it is through Hanuman’s grace that a warrior uses the fiery intensity of Mars with harmonious intentions. Hanuman controls the misaligned energy of Mars that causes war and aggression. He is the embodiment of both Love (Bhakti, the Moon) and Power (Shakti, Mars). 

Auspiciously, the Mars temple was the only one of the Nine where we saw monkeys. The monkeys were crawling up the high gopuram (temple tower) and around the Mars shrine itself. 

Children pointed to the monkeys and called out “Hanuman! Hanuman!” It was quite profound to have a Hanuman darshan at the Mars Temple as a reminder of the power of Mars to take action towards compassion.

How Does Mars Affect You?

The Ancient Ayurveda system describes The Eight Fields of Living: Physical Health, Vitality, Dharma, Creative Play, Career, Relationships, Desires, and—most importantly—Spirituality, or your Spiritual Path.

Each of us carries a unique cosmic blueprint. Within it, the Navagraha—the nine planetary forces—each govern a specific field of living, shaping the distinct expression of who you are.

Depending on which of the Eight Fields of Living Mars governs in your personal blueprint, reveals how aspects of The Will, Courage, Action, and Passion naturally guide your life.

The Eight Fields of Living:  Creative Play

The Field of Creative Play governs your creative gifts and how you express yourself creatively in the world. The Navagraha that governs this area of your life is also responsible for how you best re-create or play to rejuvenate your creative efforts. In our society, play is often dismissed as fool hearty and it undervalued, yet we are always striving for better work-life balance and creativity is a necessity.  Creativity is how we express our humanness and we each have our own unique approach.

Mars happens to govern my Creative Play and, as such, when I am inspired creatively, I take action nearly immediately. I can become impatient if the creative flow is stalled or if others are uninspired to join me to make my idea blossom. The Field of Creative Play is also how one relates to children, yours or others, as the most creative act we can perform is having children.  This means that I instill independence and encourage my children to follow their passion no matter the obstacles - they can literally do anything. It is a fiery parenting style.

Mars also governs Melissa’s Creative Play and she recently shared this:

Melissa at the Mars Temple

In my Field of Creative Play, Mars brings a lively, competitive spirit to how I recharge and create.

I’m energized by games, challenges, and activities that spark a little friendly competition.

The best play for me is active, engaging, and full of laughter—winning is fun, but the real joy is in the excitement of the challenge.

DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW MARS GOVERNS YOUR LIFE?

If you are curious to discover where Mars and each of the other Nine Forces reside within your Eight Fields of Living, I invite you to schedule a personal consultation. Your blueprint is entirely unique — and profoundly revealing.  Book your session here.

CONNECT TO THE ENERGY OF MARS