Mars in Cancer
On Friday April 23rd, Mars enters Cancer. Cancer represents our physical and emotional body. Growth, security, home, mothers, life giving forces. It is the archetype of the Nourishing Waters™. Knowledge of the needs and desires of mortal beings. When we forget these needs, we can forget our humanity, our connection with Nature, and ourselves. Cancer remembers and brings us back to ourselves over and over again.
Mars can’t be bothered with such flowery nonsense.
Mars in water means going from swift to slower, and in Cancer our motivations are more emotionally entangled than usual, affecting how we engage with ppl, places, and things. Narratives and stories can weigh us down if we hold onto them past their expiration and this is especially true under these skies (thanks to the wise IG@tattoedyoga who shared the weighty narratives concept with me recently).
Another image that comes to mind when I think of Mars in Cancer is the Prince from Sleeping Beauty trying to hack through a labyrinth of ever growing-thorny vines, overwhelmed in his attempt to rescue Aurora. He makes it, but not without struggle. The worst part, he assumed Aurora needed rescuing, and really she was just taking a disco nap.
Mars in his fall. Don’t get lost in stories.
This entanglement of emotions and volition can have a spectrum of outcomes, like a drive to protect (mars) the vulnerable, or yourself (cancer), or a tendency toward desire to cut (mars) emotional ties (water) with our closest loved ones (cancer). Or both, because polyvalent meaning!
*** PRACTICAL ADVISE TO LIVE YOUR BEST LIFE UNDER THIS SKY***
Aligning with this sky means choosing* to slow down (*because when we maintain a sense of autonomy, it’s less irritating, right?). Mars reflects symbolically what the amygdala is responsible for physically. The amygdala is a region of the human brain managing primal instinct, fight/flight type responses, and anger. Consistent meditation practice has been shown to turn down the activity in the amygdala over time, reducing anxiety as a bi-product. I don’t know about you, but I’m going to work on this, and I think Mars in Cancer time is a great opportunity to practice.
With our emotions driving our motivation to do, there will be days it’s hard to get going. Sometimes we do need to take that as an indication of rest needed. Other times, we can benefit more from addressing the draining feeling, and then giving ourselves the care needed (that we often neglect). Put in another way, examine the feeling(s), then following up immediately by giving ourselves what we need to feel supported. This is essentially Tara Brach’s adaptation of the RAIN method of emotional mindfulness that focuses on not only acknowledging and realizing what is happening inside of us, but also facing it, and then actively engaging in care via self-acceptance and self-compassion. In my opinion, the last step is what helps process and heal, instead of simply (but importantly) being in awareness.
Here are some questions to help prompt what’s going on inside and how to hold space for yourself. Mars stirs up the waters in Cancer, making it hard to see the bottom. Try sitting still for a minute before asking yourself:
Do I have a biological need like food, rest, or managing a discomfort?
Do I need to spill some ink into my journal?
How bad do things need to feel before I do something about it? Why am I waiting?
What (healthy things) would make me feel better/less anxious/more confident right now?
Then → Actually do those things. Right then if possible. If you can’t, commit and put it in your calendar to attend to in the near future. ||
It’s a lot of words, but in practice this process takes as short or as long as desired. The hard part is catching yourself in a moment and doing it. Sometimes I will waste more time by neglecting myself into a state of ineffective restlessness then stopping myself and doing this exercise. Sometimes it takes a few minutes of reflection and sitting still. Sometimes I need to say fuck it for the hour and take a bath. Depends on the thing and the day.
This isn’t about productivity and being able to recover and “get back on that horse”. This is not about that. Do it in the name of self-preservation, practicing self-acceptance, putting yourself first, taking time for yourself...and reap the bi-products of being able to move on, feeling better than you did, and maybe even having metabolized things that felt “stuck”.
Mars in Cancer is about taking the less aggressive path, sometimes against our wishes. However if we can lean into this instead of fighting it, we choose to be more efficient with our energy. This can be the wise application of force. The challenge for Mars in Cancer is having the tolerance and patience to let things happen in a less-martial way, on a less-martial path. Mars likes taking the quickest direct route if possible, and only a circuitous one if dictated by strategy. Counter to this, Mars in Cancer has his route chosen via momentary perceptions or intuitive clues. This leads to a longer-game Mars that can carve into rock over time like a mighty river, taking an unfathomable quantity of power over time that can’t be appreciated by our brains. It’s a paradox, soft things dictating the shape of harder things, but this is the case, per Lao Tzu, Tao vibes hopefully leading us along the Way into June.
If this is all happening in your 11th house, these issues may be affecting friendship or how you relate to community. If it’s in your 2nd house, it could be how our internal state affects your spending or self esteem...6th house, how you manage your daily routines and requirements.
I hope I’ve provided some helpful things to play with during this transit. Enjoy!
Image Description: A slightly decayed red-brick wall covered in thick ivy draping down from the top of the frame. There’s an arched doorway on the left holding only shadow, and to the right the words “Mars in Cancer” are written in white capital block letters.