Did you ever wonder why March is called March?
It’s named after Mars, the God of War….the idea of war which brings peace and stability. He was also an agricultural guardian. Wikipedia describes his essential nature as follows –
Virility as a kind of life force (vis) or virtue (virtus) is an essential characteristic of Mars. As an agricultural guardian, he directs his energies toward creating conditions that allow crops to grow, which may include warding off hostile forces of nature. As an embodiment of masculine aggression, he is the force that drives wars – but ideally, war that delivers a secure peace.
(also in that wikipedia entry is a surprisingly large list of different Celtic gods associated with Mars!)
In my 12 monthly themes, March is the month of strength and assertiveness. It’s interesting that March comes immediately after February, which is the month of Love. One of the key myths surrounding Mars is the story Mars and Venus……and interesting coupling of love and war!
Most of my life, I’ve lived in the presence of a castle (Apart from 4 years in Ayrshire, I’ve lived in either Stirling or Edinburgh), and these ancient castles embody for me the quality of Mars – there is something strong, constant, assertive and stable about them, especially as both Stirling and Edinburgh castles are built high on rocky outcrops.
I’m always keen to consider the positive aspects around me, and as I think of Mars, I think of strength and assertiveness. We need clear boundaries. We need to be able to say “no” when it is appropriate, and we need the strength which gives us both healthy defences and the resilience we need to stay well.
So, here’s my focus for this month. How do you build the strength of your vital force so you can be resilient, healthy and flourishing?
Heroes Not Zombies 
“How do you build the strength of your vital force so you can be resilient, healthy and flourishing?” I wonder how many of us would like a prescriptive answer for this? Especially so after a long wet winter? Any answers?
Hi Liz, don’t know about a prescriptive answer, but there are certainly common themes to explore. Our charity, The Vital Force, is about to deliver a four part series called “Let’s Make Health”. We’re delivering it first of all over the four Tuesday evenings of March in the Falkirk Business Hub. After that, we’ll run it elsewhere and also see about making an online version
[…] March, the month which is named after Mars, has become, for me, the month to focus on strength. […]