Belline · Card #35 · ♂ Mars
Enemies
“Adversaries identified, opposition organised, the Mars-driven encounter with those who oppose you”
Enemies is Mars (♂) in his most socially adversarial expression — the energy of direct opposition, where two forces meet in open conflict and each seeks advantage over the other. Unlike Betrayal (12), where the harm comes from within the circle of trust, or Malice (33), where the ill will is covert and petty, Enemies describes the relationship of open adversaries: people who are known, whose opposition is declared or at least not hidden, and whose interest in the querent's failure is genuine and active. In the classical Belline tradition, having enemies is not necessarily shameful — Mars understands that anyone who stands for something will attract opposition. The demagogue, the prophet, the entrepreneur, the artist, the political reformer: all attract enemies in proportion to the strength and challenge of what they are doing. The absence of enemies may paradoxically indicate that the querent is not making sufficient difference in the world to be worth opposing. The Martian quality of this card is significant: Enemies is a card of direct, open confrontation. Unlike Saturn's cold malice, Martian opposition is fierce but honest — you know where you stand with your enemies. This clarity, however uncomfortable, is preferable to the hidden opposition of Malice and the intimate betrayal of Betrayal.
General Meaning
Enemies in a reading signals that there are people or forces in the querent's environment who are actively opposed to their interests, goals, or well-being. The opposition may be personal (someone who dislikes or envies the querent), professional (a competitor who plays to win rather than to the rules), or institutional (a regulatory body, a legal adversary, an organisation whose interests conflict with the querent's). The card invites honest assessment: who are these adversaries? What is their power? What are their motivations? What strategies are most likely to be effective in dealing with their opposition? The Martian tradition does not counsel retreat in the face of opposition — it counsels intelligent engagement, the development of strength and strategy adequate to the challenge. In some readings, Enemies appears not because specific individuals are hostile but because the environment itself is adversarial — a competitive industry, a political landscape, a social context where the querent's values put them at odds with the dominant culture. Here the 'enemies' are systemic rather than personal.
Positive aspects
In a positive position, Enemies indicates that the querent has the strength, strategy, and support to deal with the opposition they face. Mars's own energy — courage, directness, tactical intelligence — is available to the querent in sufficient measure to prevail. The adversaries, though real, will be overcome. The card can also indicate that the enemies have become visible and identifiable, which is a form of progress: knowing who and where your opposition is allows you to address it directly rather than defending against shadows.
Challenging aspects
In difficult positions, Enemies signals that the opposition is serious, organised, and may have access to resources or influence that gives them a genuine advantage. The querent should not underestimate the challenge or proceed without good counsel and adequate preparation. The card can also indicate that the querent has made enemies through their own behaviour — through actions that were provocative, unfair, or careless of others' interests. In these cases, understanding the source of the opposition may reveal that some form of restitution or changed behaviour is the most effective strategy.
Meaning by Domain
Love
Rivals for a romantic interest, former partners who remain hostile, third parties who are actively working against a relationship. Can also indicate a relationship in which the parties have become adversaries to each other — when love has curdled into open hostility.
Career
Professional rivals, competitive colleagues, organisational adversaries, a market competitor who plays dirty. Legal or regulatory opposition to a business venture. The whistleblower's enemies within an institution.
Health
The enemy within: a serious illness understood through a martial metaphor. Can also indicate that external adversaries are causing health damage through the sustained stress of conflict.
Spirituality
The adversarial forces in the spiritual life — not external demons but the internal opponents of growth: fear, pride, complacency, and the parts of the self that prefer the familiar comfort of stagnation to the Martian challenge of genuine development.
Finances
Financial adversaries: competitors who are actively working against the querent's business interests, legal opponents in financial litigation, regulatory bodies hostile to the querent's financial activities.
Enemies in Combinations
Enemies specifies the source of opposition and challenge in its surroundings. With Betrayal (12), the adversary was once trusted — a former ally has become an active enemy. With Malice (33), the opposition includes both covert ill will and open adversarial action. With Lawsuit (34), the conflict has become formal and legal. With the Blue Card (1), divine protection is active — the enemies will ultimately fail. With Intelligence (21), the querent has the strategic intelligence to outmanoeuvre their adversaries. With Enterprises (23), the opposition is targeting a specific initiative — the project must be protected. With Peace (27), a truce or reconciliation is possible — the adversarial relationship may be transformable.
Key combinations
Historical Note
Mars as the ruler of Enemies is among the most ancient and consistent attributions in Western astrology. The Roman Mars was the god of war — of organised, external conflict between defined parties. This directness distinguishes his domain from the more covert and interpersonal territory of Saturn's Malice: Martian enmity is declared, enacted in the open, and resolved through contest. In 19th-century France, the concept of 'enemies' carried both personal and political weight. The revolutionary tradition — which divided society into adversarial classes and political factions — made the identification and management of enemies a pressing social and personal concern. Cartomancers reading this card in the 1840s-1890s were addressing clients who lived in a society where political affiliations could create genuine enemies with real power to harm.
FAQ
Does Enemies mean I'm in danger?
The card identifies opposition, not necessarily physical danger. The level of risk depends on who the adversaries are and what resources they have. Surrounding cards show the severity of the situation and the querent's capacity to address it effectively.
Should I try to avoid my enemies or confront them?
Mars is the planet of direct engagement — the Belline tradition generally favours intelligent confrontation over indefinite avoidance. Avoidance gives enemies time and space to strengthen their position; confrontation, conducted with good strategy and adequate support, tends to resolve the situation more effectively. But the approach should be strategic, not impulsive.
Can Enemies refer to my own inner adversaries?
Yes — in psychological readings, particularly when the spread is focused on the querent's inner life, the card can describe internal forces that work against the querent's growth and flourishing. Fear, self-sabotage, and the internalised voices of past critics are all 'enemies' in this internal sense.
How is Enemies different from Despotism (35)?
Despotism describes a power imbalance in which the querent is controlled or oppressed by someone with significantly greater authority. Enemies describes more equal adversarial opposition — rivals, competitors, or open antagonists who are working against the querent but do not necessarily have power over them. Both are Martian or Saturnian in character, but their dynamics differ significantly.
For advanced readers: what does Mars's dignity in his own signs (Aries and Scorpio) tell us about this card?
Mars is most powerful in Aries (direct, fierce, straightforward) and Scorpio (strategic, penetrating, willing to go to the heart of the matter). Applied to this card, Martian dignity suggests that the most effective response to enemies depends on which Martian quality is most available: in an Aries reading, bold direct confrontation works best; in a Scorpio reading, strategic depth, patience, and the willingness to understand what truly drives the opposition will prove more effective than frontal assault. The experienced reader will sense which quality is called for from the spread's broader context.