Mars in the 4th House: Meaning by Rising Sign
The short answer
With whole-sign houses, Mars is in your 4th house when it is in the sign 3 signs on from your rising sign: Mars in Cancer for Aries rising, Mars in Capricorn for Libra rising, and so on for all twelve rising signs.
What Mars in the 4th house means
Mars describes your drive, and where you're willing to push. In the 4th house of home and family, that plays out through home, family, where you are from, and your private life.
The 4th 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 Cancer, so Mars here takes on some of Cancer's concerns whatever sign it is actually in.
With whole-sign houses, Mars sits in your 4th house when it is in the sign 3 signs on from your rising sign: for Aries rising that means Mars in Cancer. 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 4th house
Find your rising sign in the left column. If your Mars is in the sign beside it, your Mars is in the 4th house.
| Your rising sign | Mars in the 4th house |
|---|---|
| Aries rising | Mars in Cancer |
| Taurus rising | Mars in Leo |
| Gemini rising | Mars in Virgo |
| Cancer rising | Mars in Libra |
| Leo rising | Mars in Scorpio |
| Virgo rising | Mars in Sagittarius |
| Libra rising | Mars in Capricorn |
| Scorpio rising | Mars in Aquarius |
| Sagittarius rising | Mars in Pisces |
| Capricorn rising | Mars in Aries |
| Aquarius rising | Mars in Taurus |
| Pisces rising | Mars in Gemini |
How long a Mars transit of the 4th house lasts
Mars stays in one sign for about 2 months on average, so a transit of Mars through your 4th house lasts about that long: as little as about 38 days and as much as about 8 months across the charted years.
About the 4th house
The 4th house of home and family: home, family, where you are from, and your private life. Its natural sign is Cancer.
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 1st house · Mars in the 2nd house · Mars in the 3rd 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 4th house: Sun · Moon · Mercury · Venus · Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune · Pluto
Is your Mars in the 4th 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.