Mars in the 1st House: Meaning by Rising Sign
The short answer
With whole-sign houses, Mars is in your 1st house when it is in your rising sign itself: Mars in Aries for Aries rising, Mars in Libra for Libra rising, and so on for all twelve rising signs.
What Mars in the 1st house means
Mars describes your drive, and where you're willing to push. In the 1st house of self and how you come across, that plays out through you, your body, your appearance, the first impression you make.
The 1st is one of the four angular houses, the corners of the chart, where planets tend to show as events other people notice. Its natural sign is Aries, so Mars here takes on some of Aries's concerns whatever sign it is actually in.
With whole-sign houses, Mars sits in your 1st house when it is in your rising sign itself: for Aries rising that means Mars in Aries. A transit of Mars through one house lasts about 2 months, because that is how long Mars usually stays in one sign.
Which sign puts Mars in your 1st house
Find your rising sign in the left column. If your Mars is in the sign beside it, your Mars is in the 1st house.
| Your rising sign | Mars in the 1st house |
|---|---|
| Aries rising | Mars in Aries |
| Taurus rising | Mars in Taurus |
| Gemini rising | Mars in Gemini |
| Cancer rising | Mars in Cancer |
| Leo rising | Mars in Leo |
| Virgo rising | Mars in Virgo |
| Libra rising | Mars in Libra |
| Scorpio rising | Mars in Scorpio |
| Sagittarius rising | Mars in Sagittarius |
| Capricorn rising | Mars in Capricorn |
| Aquarius rising | Mars in Aquarius |
| Pisces rising | Mars in Pisces |
How long a Mars transit of the 1st house lasts
Mars stays in one sign for about 2 months on average, so a transit of Mars through your 1st house lasts about that long: as little as about 38 days and as much as about 8 months across the charted years.
About the 1st house
The 1st house of self and how you come across: you, your body, your appearance, the first impression you make. Its natural sign is Aries.
How the houses are counted
Houses here use whole-sign counting: your rising sign is the whole 1st house, the next sign the 2nd, and so on around the zodiac. Many astrologers use Placidus or another quadrant system instead, which can move a planet close to a sign boundary into the neighbouring house. Either way you need an accurate birth time, because the rising sign changes about every two hours.
Mars in the other houses
Mars in the 2nd house · Mars in the 3rd house · Mars in the 4th house · Mars in the 5th house · Mars in the 6th house · Mars in the 7th house · Mars in the 8th house · Mars in the 9th house · Mars in the 10th house · Mars in the 11th house · Mars in the 12th house
Other planets in the 1st house: Sun · Moon · Mercury · Venus · Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune · Pluto
Is your Mars in the 1st house? Vera reads it with the rest of your chart.
House placements need a birth time. Vera casts your chart from your birth details and reads your Mars in its real house, sign and aspects.