Pertho’s Pronouncements
Perthro Pathfinder April, 2012
March is for Mars….and he’s diligently watching me….
This month, as it was customary to the ancient Romans, I have chosen to honor the god Mars, and to describe to you what he means for MY life. Now, you may not be reading this in the month of March, but I’m writing it here at the end of March, so it counts lol.
The month of March was named for Mars, and in the Romans’ day, it was the first month of the year. They held festivals on several keys days of the month, honoring him, and they held special war dances to herald the beginning of the war campaign season. While he is known for being the god of war, and though his personification in the Roman culture “borrowed” him from the Greek god Ares, he was not altogether known as a violent and savage god as was Ares, rather, he was a god of agriculture, bringing life to crops by staving off the hostile forces of nature. Some symbols of Mars are the wolf, the woodpecker, and the lance.
Having spouted off that little tidbit of information about Mars, now let me tell you about how I myself see him. First, I do see him as a Roman general, one of those with the big gold helmet with the red feather plumes, and wearing a cuirass of gold, and that thing that looks like a skirt, with several leather “strips” hanging just above the knees. He’s a physically well built man, somewhere between 35 and 40, and has a large sword sheathed at his side.
He’s certainly the poster boy for a god of war, but with MY Mars, he doesn’t enjoy going to war, he doesn’t derive any sick pleasure from watching human beings kill each other, but he DOES see war as a means to an end, a means to peace. Sometimes a war or conflict is required to correct an injustice, to free an enslaved people, and to overthrow anyone who is hoarding resources that should be shared amongst many people. In modern life, as in my own, I see him as one who oversees much smaller conflicts, even ones inside my own mind, wars I have with myself. He is a stickler for the use of logic along with emotion to be the driving force behind his actions, and he often shows me that in most cases, being overly emotional about a given situation most often leads to further trouble. He’s shown me that there is a time and a place to stand up for myself, and not to always be so passive and accommodating, just to keep the peace. Sometimes that “peace” is no peace at all, if I myself am not satisfied inside.
I find it ironic that he has such a large part in my life, me being a decidedly emotional person, except for the fact that he is here to teach me about myself, and to show me how to be a better person, one who is more complete, more “whole”. I have often been caught up in the emotion of a situation, whether with another person or inside myself, and have found his guidance invaluable when I’m not sure how to react. I like to tell myself that I have a duality to me, that I am logical most of the time, and only emotional on rare occasions. But, logic and emotion go hand in hand, and if both are used properly, one can have a very rewarding and educational experience along any path one’s life may lead.
That is his lesson to me. To deal with conflict, no matter how big, or small, from the mindset of what is both logical AND emotional. It’s neither healthy nor beneficial to eliminate one or the other, nor is it wise to try to shut one down completely, just because it’s not pleasant. Logic may dictate one course of action, but emotion may turn a situation in a completely different direction. Neither is good or bad, both are vital, and the wisdom is to know which to use in which proportion. My entire life this time around has been a lesson in this, and I am thankful to have Mars along with me on my journey.
