When trying to understand Mars and Venus think of the elements of fire and water, water is receptive and passive, it takes another force to move it. Fire is an upward and outward moving element that burns in a straight line destroying everything in its path. Water is non confrontational and will endeavor to go around things rather than confront them directly. Water will receive anything that is thrown into it like a stone but fire will boil the water if stronger. If water is stronger it will put the fire out. Mars is the archetype male energy that is active, aggressive and goal seeking. It shows the nature of the energy we project outwards into the world. Venus is the archetype female energy and governs our ability to receive emotion being receptive and cohesive in nature.

Mars is a fiery and even violent energy when strong and shows our ability to get the job done and soldier on in life. The principals of Mars are force, intensity, will, drive, passion, independence, determination, courage and self confidence. If overly strong Mars can lead to violence, domination and a willful character that will ride roughshod over more sensitive souls. If weak in a male horoscope it can reveal lack of sexual strength and masculine traits. If overly strong in a woman's horoscope it can indicate a bossy and dominant personality. Mars rules the muscular system and Mars in usually well placed in an athletes horoscope. Mars with Mercury shows good timing and hand skills and the aspect of Jupiter expands the energy of Mars and directs it effectively. In the mind Mars sharpens the intellect and makes it logical and perceptive as fire illuminates the mind and gives it discrimination and insight. The aspects of other planets on Mars will show whether the benefic or malefic sides of Mars predominate.

Venus is the planet of harmony and cohesion and can reveal the nature of our aesthetic tastes. The principals of Venus are love, beauty, refinement, luxury, sexuality, attractiveness and elegance. A well aspected and positioned Venus brings out the positive principals of harmony and peace and can show a refined and well balanced emotional nature. If afflicted it can show a narcissistic character who is overly pleasure seeking. In a woman's horoscope a strong and well placed Venus can indicate beauty and elegance. In association with Mars it can reveal a very pretty woman but Mars usually heats up Venus and can indicate strong sexual passions. Sign and house placement is very important before jumping to conclusions about this. A strong well aspected Venus in a mans horoscope can indicate who intuitively understands women and has natural charisma when dealing with them.

With both Mars and Venus it is very important to see if they have a hard aspect of Saturn as this will modify them markedly. Mars and Saturn in particular can be a bad association, especially if they both have a connection with Venus or any of the houses of relationships.

At an elemental level we can therefore see the fire and water elements representing male and female sexuality should be balanced for a harmonious interaction. If we look at the glyph for Mars, it is symbolic of an erect Penis pointing upward like a burning fire. The glyph for Venus represents a Vagina and is downward pointing as water only moves in a downwards direction unless powered up by another element such as fire or air. The man is fire and woman is water, the male must take the active role in that he must penetrate the woman in the sexual act.

These energies are actually reversed in the alchemy of the sex act as a mans semen has the characteristics of water and Venus as it is sweet, thick, creamy and cool. A woman's sexual secretions are of a fiery nature as they are hot and sticky. Venus is called Shukra which literally means semen. Mars and the sign Scorpio relate to the heat of a woman's uterus and Venus and Libra relate to a mans semen. Scorpio is the mans erect penis and Libra the woman's vagina.

Venus is the planet of love, kindness, happiness and the pleasure received from sex. In conjunction with Mars it is with the planet of goal seeking energy but also violence, anger, passion and abuse. Mars shows an energy that is seeking a result. Mars is a planet that projects its energy in order to attract other people's energy back. Fire can nurture us and keep us warm, it can also destroy us and others if left to burn out of control. A highly charge libido if not satisfied in a male can lead to a slow build up of tension and anger that can have drastic results at times. The term "crime of passion" is closely linked with Mars as Mars is the planet of passion and violence. The sex act itself in the animal kingdom is often preceded by violence or a contest between males where the stronger male will get the spoils and mate with the female while the loser is left to look elsewhere.

Men with a strong Mars project an athletic, vigorous but sometimes aggressive and violent energy if the Mars is badly placed. Women with Mars and Venus in conjunction seem to project a subtle energy that makes them extremely sexually attractive to a male. Venus represents the vagina and Mars is its heat. Mars is the penis and Venus is the semen. If we look at the language men and women use when talking about sex it shows the language of the elements. A man will say a women was hot when talking about good sex, he will use Mars terms. A women is more likely to use Venus like terms like he was kind and sweet, or a gentle lover. A man will need to "fire up" to get an erection and even the crude sayings for ejaculation are filled with Mars like principals like "shooting the load" etc. The language of sexuality is saturated with terms that relate directly to Mars and Venus.

Venus is the karaka of love and kindness and also the karaka of marital happiness. If it is in conjunction with Mars the planet of fights, arguments, wars etc., is it any wonder people with this conjunction have a lot of trouble in relationships. This is also a point for strong passions, or passions that are not easily satisfied. Venus is the planet of harmony and this conjunction makes love matters lack harmony. It of course must be determined by house lordship and sign placement before any simplistic explanations are given.

Mars rules the 1st house of the head in the natural zodiac and Venus rules 2nd of the face and eyes. Mars and Venus in conjunction can make a women extremely beautiful with magnetically attractive eyes. Combined with a well placed waxing Moon and you can have a very sexually attractive girl. This shows why in Hindu astrology a strong Mars in a woman's chart is looked on with fear and must be balanced by a strong Mars or Venus in a mans chart. If not, a man cannot put out the fire of a women's passion she will eventually reject him or get so angry and frustrated with him, she seeks fulfillment with other men. A man must preferably have both a well aspected Mars for physical strength and a well placed Venus representing his semen.

In Hindu astrology the Kuta system in particular shows how in the past a great emphasis was placed on matching people of the right temperament and sexual strength. The ancients were well aware of the importance for physical and emotional satisfaction in a relationship.