Dude, "At rest" was perfect! Those exact words just have never come yet and I didn't realize those are the ones I've been searching for. Thank you so much! It's clearly the vibe we work with when we do traditional astrology but I've never thought to iterate it so succinctly.

That is the other half of Mars, and it's described by his relationship to Scorpio. Aries is where Mars bursts forth into action with the energy that he has gathered and Scorpio is where he gathered it. Aries is expected attacks while Scorpio is unexpected attacks. Scorpio relates to so many things and even digestion is one of them. Mars has a traumatic interaction with his own anima when he moves through Scorpio and there are a bunch of themes relative of course to gathering and keeping (power struggles), plotting, being wary, manipulating, taking, using, avoiding, obsessing or engaging dynamically and potently, plotting, being in denial, etc. or, finding confidence, honesty, genuine power, the ability to be fully aware and present in a chaotic and mortally unfriendly universe where survival is a constant battle, genuine humility and the capacity to know when and where to share freely what derives from natural power. Bruce Lee is the perfect example of how Mars rules Scorpio. That guys chart compared to what he accomplished in his life ... and why ... f***king brilliant. He succeeded on his quest to feel so deeply and purely into himself so as to be able to consciously direct the development of his CNS and white muscle/quick twitch fibers and demonstrably use energy and mental focus concepts like Qi and prana allude to. To know himself confidently in every moment, no matter what was happening. And he did it to be a good guy, help, teach, and protect others. F***king brilliant. And be famous and liked. He said to be like water. He always knew exactly how to find rest even in the middle of the quickest movements. Always fully focusing exactly between rest and action. People that teach the kinds of philosophies he continued always insist one must find the strength in their stillness before finding it in their movements. Whether martial arts or meditative, that's what people with mastery have known.