The Mars square Neptune aspect reflects a conflict between personal assertion and the higher mind. This can result in a number of unproductive complexes because the higher mind is extremely abstract and represents: imagination, dreams and mythological or archetypal meanings which exist to inspire us to search for meaning in everyday life.
Main characteristics
People with Mars square Neptune are usually inspiring, hypnotic speakers as they combine passionate feelings with symbols that have deep meaning for people: it can also make for truly skillful natives who can sway any audience to action and belief.
All these natives are sensitive to the moods of people around them. Furthermore, Mars square Neptune people have a tremendous power of suggestion, which they must learn to handle responsibly because they are not aware of the depth of their powers.
Internally, these natives can suffer deep confusion when it comes to their own motivations. They are capable of devising schemes they forgot they made, or spiraling deeply into problems with their own self-assertion. The problem has to do with incompatible energetic levels between the two planets.
Hypnosis and spell casting
As a means of projecting expression and emotion, these natives are hypnotists. Through music, dance, film and any type of performance that connects the audience to pure emotion. Politicians and preachers with this aspect can move crowds and accomplish miracles and revolutions.
They express the natural martian impulse to impose their will and project their power through the fantasy mechanisms of Neptune, even if they are not quite aware that this is what they are doing.
Mars square Neptune natives are so skilled at casting a spell that they are indeed fully responsible and must develop full awareness of how their words affect others. If they gain consensus in a group, people with this kind of configuration in their chart are responsible for the actions of the whole group.
However, these natives must understand that they are not a deity or a messiah and can use this gift for good or possible evil. Because Neptune is involved, the natives might be entirely wrong or completely deluded, and the masses could be led into error. They simply do not know, or understand, their own strength: it is clouded and diffused by Neptune, but this does not mean it is not there.
Deception
With Mars and Neptune, a little deception goes an extremely long way. Their power is expanded and disseminated into the air like a magical solution and magnified by the natives' deepest desires.
These natives may find themselves acting much more dishonestly than they intended, or not acting at all on their strongest convictions because they are unsure of how to proceed or what they want from the situation. They may not want anything from the situation, but enjoy the fact that their magical ability to persuade people is getting results.
Externally, these natives may occasionally find themselves deceived or their boundaries trampled. This can result in these natives being taken advantage of or insulted before they even realize what has happened, and then must live with the aftermath of not defending themselves when it was appropriate to do so. This can lead to passive aggression.
Relationships
The combination of Mars in Neptune usually makes extremely attractive and charismatic natives with the tendency to bring all eyes in the room towards them. However, with the square this can exacerbate the challenges, because this will make them all the more hypnotic when they are doing their magic.
Mars is the planet of aggression; paired with Neptune, the planet of projection, it can sometimes bring about undeserved distrust, aggression or envy from others. During childhood, it can make these natives natural targets for bullies. With the square aspect, the attention can be more negative than positive, especially when something goes wrong.
It is unlikely that even the highest awareness can mitigate all the negative possibilities of this configuration. However, awareness can help a lot. These natives must guard against using their gift for the wrong reasons.
Communication
The phantasms they create with their words are harmless enough in their head, but can result in actual damage to themselves and others if they are not paying attention to the possible consequences. This is one of their hardest lessons, since convincing and influencing others comes so easily to them.
They must be told that they are responsible for the welfare of the people around them and that their power lies in leading them out of danger. Artistic expression of any kind can bring martian drives to the surface safely in a constructive way, and that expression is another undeniable gift inherent in the aspect.
Another good practice would be for them to train themselves to narrate personal negative or hurt feelings. Managing and understanding anger is a great concern, and even if they do it through tantrums and outbursts of pure emotion, it is really much better than the alternatives. Tears are less helpful, as they often drown the impulse to assert oneself.
Activities
Dancing, martial arts, sailing, ice skating and other noncompetitive forms of sports and movement can be extremely balancing and therapeutic practices. Using Mars to do things such as movement gives it a chance to operate naturally without the dissipation of Neptune.
Conversely, using Neptune for art, meditation or prayer accomplishes the function of Neptune. This can spark a synergy between the two energies that can even out and sometimes completely untangle other difficulties associated with this aspect. Their alchemical nature is almost sure to get them into trouble at one point or another. It can be helpful to realize that these natives are operating with forces much larger than themselves, both internally and externally.