Mars

Mars is the planet of action, drive, and assertion. Your Mars sign shows HOW you go after what you want — Mars in Aries is direct and impulsive; Mars in Cancer is indirect and protective; Mars in Capricorn is patient and strategic. Mars also rules anger (how you express frustration), sexual energy (specifically the assertive/initiating side, where Venus rules the receptive/attractive side), and physical stamina. The house Mars occupies shows the area of life where you most readily take action and where you're most likely to encounter conflict. Mars has a roughly 2-year cycle and a retrograde phase that comes around every 2 years — those retrogrades are often felt as periods where forward motion stalls and you have to revisit how you've been pursuing a goal.