Mars – The Planet of Action

Mars is the planet of action — plain and simple. The energy we put forth in the world is related to Mars. Our actions are very black-and-white. We are either doing this or doing that. Why we are doing them, what they mean, etc. is a different matter. But every action is clear. It is what is. This is the nature of Mars, to act toward a goal. Not to question it, (Mercury and Jupiter) and not to get distracted or stop to enjoy ourself along the way (the moon and Venus). No, once we set our mind do something there is a reason for it. Mars is interested in clear and decisive action, oriented toward a goal, based on a need, a preference or principle. We have many ideas and feelings but take only one action at a time.

Mars does not not define our goals, he acts upon them. Generally it is the interplay between Mercury and Jupiter, illuminated by the Sun, that define our goals. When we use Mars to act, we are fine. When we use Mars to speak, we are in trouble because Mercury is the one who speaks best — Mercury likes to have fun, likes to tell jokes, likes to play, enjoys the interaction. Don’t you enjoy talking to people like that? Mercury move sideways, Mars moves forward. When Mars is talking there is impatience, perhaps irritability, even anger or violence. “Who has time to talk, I’m busy”.

It is black-and-white with Mars. Most conversations, ideas and people are not black-and-white. When Mars is defining our long-term goals we are in trouble. Jupiter is the best to determine our long-term goals — long term goals should be based on teachings, what we have learned, a larger vision. Mars is in the moment, impulsive. We only act in the moment, but our principles need to be based on more than our momentary needs. “You are either helping me reach the goal or in my way.” This is Mars logic. It is very effective for getting things done, but not very effective for much else.

This black-and-white powerful nature of Mars aligned with a worthy cause is an unstoppable force. Mars is the most important planet for Hatha yoga. The courageous, simplistic approach to life is what eventually allows us to put into practice what we know is right, because in many ways life is very simple – it IS black-and-white. We are always faced with a choice to either honor what we know is right and do the right thing or slide on our principles and do what is easiest, or the most convenient for whatever reason. Usually the reason we slide is because it is harder to do the right thing, we have to suffer if we are to put into practice what we have learned.

For instance, we know it would be best for us to get up at 6 a.m. and do some meditation, breathing exercises, yoga to start our day. But, ” boy this bed feels good and I did yoga three days ago”, sound familiar? The same is true with food and other sensual choices. This is the interplay between Mars and Venus. A powerful Mars will get up out of bed early and do the right thing. Mars is willing to suffer for our principles. In fact Mars is willing to die for principles, that is why Mars is also related to warfare. Even when it comes to arguing, it is the same idea. It is much easier to make a nice and go with the flow. But Mars is where we draw the line — it is where we are willing to suffer and bring suffering upon others because of what we think is right. That is his job. Defining what we actually think is right is someone else’s job, mainly Mercury and Jupiter. But based on the whatever we think is right, Mars will act.

The nature of each planet is to do one thing very well and everything else quite poorly. But that is OK, you only need to perfect one energy and that will open up every other one. What typically happens is people tend to overuse their stronger planets as a way to compensate for the weaker ones they are neglecting; rather than use each appropriate energy when necessary.

Sam Geppi has over 20 years of Vedic Study and experience. He is a Hatha Yoga instructor and certified Vedic Astrologer and Teacher through the ACVA (level 2) as well as author of “The Ascendant”.
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Is It Really Possible To Play The Piano By Ear?

Playing by ear is the ability to play a piece of music (or, eventually, learn an instrument) by simply listening to it repeatedly. The majority of self-taught musicians began their education this way; they picked up their instrument and began playing an easy melody from a well-known song, slowly picking out the notes as they went along. And even after these musicians master their instruments or a particular song, playing by ear still plays a large role.

Many pop and rock bands don’t play or write their songs based on sheet music, they figure the songs out by playing by ear. It’s even common among non-musicians. Ever sit down a piano and mindlessly pick out the tune to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? What about grabbing a guitar and suddenly finding yourself playing the opening licks to “Smoke on the Water”? That’s playing by ear. You’re able to play part of the song just because you’ve heard it so often.

Playing by ear is a valuable technique for many musicians; learning songs based solely on hearing them is a great way to understand song and chord structure. In fact, a great number of rock and pop musicians learned to play their instruments this way. Instead of picking up a book or taking lessons, they concentrated on figuring out the notes and rhythms to a song until it was mastered. Then they moved on to another song. And another. Gradually, they learned their instrument just by playing by ear — and in the process learned how to effectively structure a song in that particular genre.

Playing by ear is also beneficial in helping a musician develop his or her own style; sure, they’ll at first mimic the style of the song they’re imitating, but the amalgamation of the music that they’re playing by ear will help them create something distinctive, something indicative of them only.
Though classical musicians are generally educated based on tons of music theory and sight reading, some methods rely on playing by ear. The Suzuki method of musical training, for instance, claims that learning music is the same as learning a language; it’s acquired by years of hearing it, eventually coupled with formal training. Just like we pick up our language by listening to our parents and subsequently attending school, we can learn music by playing by ear and later taking formal lessons.

So can the average person ever hope to play their piano by ear? Maybe not to the degree that some extremely talented musicians do, but anyone can learn enough about the basics of playing by ear if they learn the following skills:

Being able to hear a tune and have a general sense of the contour of the melody — when the tune moves higher or lower as the song progresses.

Learning to chart that melody contour either on paper or in their memory.

Learning to match the melody to appropriate chords.

Playing by ear is really a combination of of three factors:

1. Using your tonal memory to recall music you have heard:
2. Using your ears and fingers to help you reproduce what you recall;
3. Using “melody contour” (the “shape” of the tune), “chord structure” (how to form the chords on the keyboard to match the tune), and “chord progressions” (the path chords take as they move through a song).

Obviously, the first 2 steps you can take more or less by yourself — you can mentally rehearse recalling a particular tune; you can sit at the piano for hours and through trial and error pick out tunes, chords, and rhythms. But the real key to playing by ear is learning how to chart the shape of a tune, learn how to construct chords, and then determine the likelihood of chord progressions — in other words, which chord comes next.

When you get an understanding of step three, you will be in a MUCH better position to understand and profit from steps one and two!

For more info on playing the piano by ear, please go to

Example of Haiku Poems

If you’re looking for a good example of haiku poems and you want a more modern example, look no further! Sure, it’s easy to find haiku examples of Basho, Issa, and Buson – the old Japanese masters. But what about what haiku poets are doing today? Here, for your reading pleasure are a few examples of modern haiku.

Haiku Example Poem #1

Hot June day –
an otter
slips into the sea

In this haiku by the author’s book “Seashore Haiku,” we have something that is a good example of a haiku poem and is modern in style. It’s modern because it does not follow the 5-7-5 syllable rule invented by the Japanese. But it does retain the haiku sensibility. That is, it’s a short poem about nature. It’s descriptive and speaks in a present tense style. Broken down into it’s component parts, this haiku consists of a fragment “Hot June day” and a phrase “an otter slips into the sea.”

Haiku Example Poem #2

Fall afternoon –
the sound of a woodpecker

tapping

In this haiku poem example we have a snapshot of an event taking place sometime in Autumn. From the author’s second book “Bird Haiku,” this snapshot of nature takes the reader into a scene. In this instance, it’s not what’s observed but what is heard. Haiku are at their best when they take the reader into the picture. Here, we get the sense of being in the woods. We’re not told where but we know that woodpeckers spend most of their time in the forest.

Haiku Example Poem #3

Dry gray branches
surround the robin…

winter thaw

In this haiku poem, also from “Bird Haiku,” we have a different arrangement. Here the phrase comes before the fragment. The majority of haiku poems start with the fragment first. But we can also compose them phrase first. It’s all about artistic sensibility – whatever sounds and reads the best to the person creating the haiku.

So here we have three examples of haiku poems that are modern in style.

Edward Weiss is a poet, author, and publisher of Wisteria Press. His 2 books “Bird Haiku” and “Seashore Haiku” are now available and he is currently working on a third. Get haiku in your inbox! Sign up for our FREE daily haiku service at