On April 23, 07:49 AM ET, Mars leaves Gemini and enters Cancer, emphasizing the energetic shift from Yang to Yin we have been already experiencing.
While Mars in Gemini is highly mental, constantly preoccupied with learning, communicating, and understanding the environment, when Mars enters Cancer he brings us into the deep realms of feelings and emotions. We detach from the thinking mind and start relating to our urges, impulses, and desires through the filter of the emotional body.
Mars will be in Cancer until June 11. During the upcoming weeks, we are encouraged to channel our energy and vitality into emotionally fulfilling pursuits and to connect with our inner authority, to be able to take action from a grounded rather than impulsive place.
Mars enters Cancer: Connecting Actions and Emotions
Mars is traditionally considered in fall in the sign of the Crab, as the ruler of Aries is exalted in Capricorn, the opposite archetype. This means that Mars doesn’t work as we have been conditioned to expect when traveling through Cancer.
Mars is about action, decision, aggression, sharpness, and instinct. Mars illustrates how we act, defend, attack, and protect. Mars is about opening new paths, separating from the old, creating new opportunities, changing direction without looking back. The ruler of Aries and, traditionally, Scorpio doesn’t like to wait excessively before making a move, while Cancer as an archetype requires time to process feelings, let go of attachments to the past, and establish a sense of security before taking action.
Cancer correlates with our inner world, with our habitual emotional reactions, with our experience of home and family, and with how we nurture both ourselves and others. This sign teaches us to embrace our inherent vulnerability and insecurity and reminds us of the importance of creating a safe space where we can process and integrate our emotions.
While Mars is in Cancer, we have a chance to learn to channel anger and aggression through alternative outlets. We are encouraged to become aware of the connection between our emotions and our actions and to process emotional energy through the physical body.
Mars enters Cancer: the Need for Safety
Mars in Cancer is indirect and cautious. This transit highlights our need to feel safe and secure before taking any initiative. While Mars is in Cancer, we tend to avoid direct confrontations and conflict and prefer to keep the peace. Yet, we need to be careful of not sacrificing our desires for the sake of a false sense of harmony.
During this transit, we may feel tempted to indulge in passive-aggressive or manipulative behaviors to have our needs met. When the Cancer archetype is emphasized we naturally feel more aware of our sensitivity and vulnerability. Our fear of being hurt and our need to protect ourselves and our loved ones may prevent us from fully opening to life, and may generate a sense of ongoing suspicion and mistrust relative to others’ motives and intentions.
When Mars enters Cancer, our need for a safe space where we can process and understand our emotions is maximized. Being able to self-regulate will allow us to take action from a clear and grounded space. Reacting impulsively, moved by our emotions, can be easier than usual: during this transit, we tend to perceive life very subjectively and we may take things more personally than we normally do.
Mars in Aspect: Honoring our Sensitivity and Channeling Energy Wisely
During his journey through Cancer, Mars will square Chiron in Aries, sextile Uranus in Taurus, trine Neptune in Pisces, and oppose Pluto in Capricorn. Mars square Chiron, exact on May 11, may emphasize the need to take action to address unhealed wounds from our past, and reveal a conflict between our emotional needs and our desire to take action and move forward. Insecurity relative to not knowing how to process information that is triggering us may highlight the need to review our approach to healing and self-development.
On May 12, Mars will sextile Uranus in Taurus: their harmonic alignment reflects unexpected opportunities to move forward in our self-actualization journey. Our need for adventure and originality will increase. Keeping an open mind and being willing to experiment will help us make the most out of the chances we get even if we don’t immediately understand their purpose. The water trine between Mars and Neptune, perfecting on May 31, supports the creative exploration of our sensitivity, sexuality, and emotional states. This aspect promotes a compassionate attitude and spiritual inclinations, enhances our attunement to our intuition, and our connection with subtle energies.
Mars opposite Pluto, exact on June 5, indicates the maturation of a cycle that started with the Mars-Pluto conjunction of March 23, 2020, that happened at 24° of Capricorn. This aspect is likely to bring up themes that first emerged around this time. Oppositions bring things to a head, promoting clarity and revelations. Mars opposite Pluto marks a turning point in our collective and individual evolutionary development and shows us something we need to become aware of. Mars-Pluto contacts are intense aspects, often associated with anger and conflict. This alignment may reflect power struggles and social tension: we may feel that our desires are being repressed and that our natural self-expression is being blocked by someone who has authority over us. Our energy levels are likely to increase around this time, and it is crucial to channel this extra energy wisely, as it could easily erupt in unhealthy ways.
Mars enters Cancer: Emotional Self-Development
The God of War may feel uncomfortable in this soft and sensitive lunar sign, yet this transit has a purpose. Cancer is a Cardinal Water sign: when a planet enters the sign of the Crab we are beginning a new process, a new phase of growth, relative to emotional self-development and maturation. With all Cardinal archetypes, we are embarking on an unfamiliar journey, and we learn as we go.
With Mars in Cancer, our energy levels, our physical vitality, and our sex drive will be directly dependent on our emotional state and quite more changeable than usual. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, the fastest celestial body in the sky. During this transit, we have a chance to gain a better understanding of ourselves and our feelings, and we are encouraged to express our emotions through activities involving our physical body. The journey of Mars through watery Cancer is a time to tune into our inner world, deepen our embodiment, and hone our capacity to attune to the ongoing ebbs and flows of our emotional states.
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