Mars in the 8th House: Meaning by Rising Sign
The short answer
With whole-sign houses, Mars is in your 8th house when it is in the sign 7 signs on from your rising sign: Mars in Scorpio for Aries rising, Mars in Taurus for Libra rising, and so on for all twelve rising signs.
What Mars in the 8th house means
Mars describes your drive, and where you're willing to push. In the 8th house of shared money and intimacy, that plays out through joint finances, debt, tax, inheritance, and what you only say in private.
The 8th is a succedent house, the part of the chart concerned with what you build up, keep and rely on. Its natural sign is Scorpio, so Mars here takes on some of Scorpio's concerns whatever sign it is actually in.
With whole-sign houses, Mars sits in your 8th house when it is in the sign 7 signs on from your rising sign: for Aries rising that means Mars in Scorpio. 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 8th house
Find your rising sign in the left column. If your Mars is in the sign beside it, your Mars is in the 8th house.
| Your rising sign | Mars in the 8th house |
|---|---|
| Aries rising | Mars in Scorpio |
| Taurus rising | Mars in Sagittarius |
| Gemini rising | Mars in Capricorn |
| Cancer rising | Mars in Aquarius |
| Leo rising | Mars in Pisces |
| Virgo rising | Mars in Aries |
| Libra rising | Mars in Taurus |
| Scorpio rising | Mars in Gemini |
| Sagittarius rising | Mars in Cancer |
| Capricorn rising | Mars in Leo |
| Aquarius rising | Mars in Virgo |
| Pisces rising | Mars in Libra |
How long a Mars transit of the 8th house lasts
Mars stays in one sign for about 2 months on average, so a transit of Mars through your 8th house lasts about that long: as little as about 38 days and as much as about 8 months across the charted years.
About the 8th house
The 8th house of shared money and intimacy: joint finances, debt, tax, inheritance, and what you only say in private. Its natural sign is Scorpio.
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 4th house · Mars in the 5th house · Mars in the 6th house · Mars in the 7th 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 8th house: Sun · Moon · Mercury · Venus · Jupiter · Saturn · Uranus · Neptune · Pluto
Is your Mars in the 8th 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.