Image: Imagine this collage as two hysteroscopic views of Mars in Cancer
It is hard to imagine right now because he has been in the same sign since August, but Mars is going to leave the quick, verbal, assessing sign of Gemini and enter the snuggly womb of Cancer next Saturday in most time zones! This shift deserves its own treatment because it’s a crucial part of two larger patterns. First, both of the planets that describe difficulty, Mars and Saturn, have been in a special, supportive relationship to one another since August, and will be moving from air signs to water signs more or less together, where they will continue to help one another out. Water displaces, envelops, and conforms. It is heavy, it flows, it’s subject to gravity. It is always finding its way to more of itself–it craves wholeness. In astrology, the element of water has come to symbolize our emotional depths. So with both planets that describe difficult things in water signs, everything might feel heavier or more emotionally difficult until late May when Mars enters Leo. This shift toward heaviness comes just in time for Mars to steward two eclipses–one in Aries April 20 and one in Scorpio May 5. We particularly want to know what resources Mars has for managing these eclipses, which you can imagine as big, rhythmic pulses of change that happen twice a year. And, well, Mars has a hard time in Cancer. Mars is the god of war, and Cancer is about creating cozy, nurturing conditions for fragile new life. Astrologers say that Mars is in his fall in Cancer. And planets in fall can tell stories about, well, definitely falling and being pushed down or powerless. Astrology is so literal. But they can also tell stories about overcoming and redemption, particularly in a natal chart because a person has a whole lifetime to figure out how to live with a difficulty, and then perhaps even turn it into an asset.
We can’t choose our fate, but we can choose how we relate to it, and this Mars in fall story is not just going to affect the 6-8 weeks Mars spends in a sign. This Mars is going to start one 2-3 year long eclipse story, the Aries-Libra eclipses are beginning in April, and end another. So, what’s a good Mars in Cancer story? And what resources does this Mars in Cancer have? I think the key to relating to the next couple of months well is going to be taking advantage of Mars’ supportive relationship to the master disciplinarian, Saturn, and enacting the best Mars in Cancer you can. Passive aggressiveness, the silent treatment, and toxic stews of resentment stinking up the whole house are all very Mars in Cancer. But so are the apocryphal mother lifting the car off of the baby, the surgeon taking the tumor out of the uterus, and The Mandalorian. The question before all of us is: Are you going to fight the nurturing fight, or do that thing couples counselors call “offending from the victim position?”
If you’re an Aries rising, consider the spiritual growth that comes from facing conflict in the family or at home lovingly and as openly as possible, despite feelings of powerlessness.
Taurus risings, remember that the whole world can hear anything you say or write, and monitor those little interactions with baristas, emails, and social media closely for tone.
Gemini risings, you could fight for the right to be paid to do the work you love, instead of assuming that someone else needs to make that decision.
If you’re a Cancer rising, try to trust that the difficulty you're getting from school, the law, or a wisdom tradition do not mean that you are a bad person, and do something productive with them.
Leo risings, meditate. Meditate every day for at least 20 minutes until May 21.
Virgo risings, can you treat all of your relationships, even the strangers who follow you on social media, with the care that you are learning to give your closest partnerships?
If you are a Libra rising, can you rest more or do fewer tasks, so that you can take on more action and chaos in your public life or career?
Scorpio risings might be learning a lot from romance or their relationship with their children that applies to the challenges you’re getting from teachers, traveling, or the law.
Sagittarius risings, you have been getting serious about your home or family lives. It is possible that anxieties, debts, and soul contracts can be addressed in this work.
Capricorn risings, say less and observe more when conflict comes up in your closest relationships. You will notice how many of your own stories you’re bringing to the fight, and how little they have to do with the other person's actions.
Aquarius risings, you will be working hard to start something new. Take advantage of the way a prudent budget can productively limit the scope of work.
And if you’re a Pisces rising, get serious about going to the studio, sitting at the desk to write, or otherwise putting yourself in front of creative work every day.
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