Mars in Cancer: "Motherly", In More Ways Than One...

You may not have felt Mars' move to Cancer on Wednesday August 3, but the Planet Earth surely did.  One look at the front page of any web site or newspaper is enough to bring back the angst that took up so much of our attention in the spring of this year.  The world's economy is in a state of panic and government leaders are being taken to task for dastardly deeds committed over the course of a lifetime. Does this sound familiar?  Maybe it should, for Mars is activating the Canrdinal Axis, the point that affects events all over the world.  I really do wish I could print a prettier picture, but those images of waves washing over the coast of Japan and blood in the streets of capitals across the Middle East are hard to erase.

When people first learn about astrology, they work with simple combinations and say things like: "Mars (aggression) is in Cancer (tenderness), so people will be less aggressive than they might be otherwise."  I don't agree with this at all.  When I see a planet go into a sign, it immediately gets me thinking about how that planet will react to being in the sign.  In the case of Mars in Cancer, the combination won't necessarily be all that pleasant in any way.

Mars is a fiery energy; one that isn't easily expressed in any way besides physically.  Cancer provokes emotion - not the kind that's refined through deep meditation, but the kind that comes from knee-jerk reactions.  Many Cancer people are overly sensitive; and because they are also very protective, the presence of Mars in this sign encourages everyone to abandon the idea of taking well-considered and deliberate action, and simply reacting to what's going on.  People's emotions come right out of them, sometimes without their permission.  This is the kind of situation that can lead you to getting punched in the nose for saying something that wouldn't have raised an eyebrow when Mars was in just about any sign.  Mars will remain in Cancer from August 3 until September  so during this time it's wise to develop some skills for coping with it.

Probably the best thing we can do is spend enough time alone so we can at least identify our feelings.  As we do this, we come to understand what changes we need to make.  We also stand a better chance of taking a higher plane perspective of events in our lives, and acting out of a healthy combination of head-processed and heart-felt analysis, rather than knee-jerk or gut reactions.  We can also be vigilant about getting into physical activity and processing emotions such as anger and frustration in more constructive ways.  Other feelings, such as love and pride, should be expressed openly and without any kind of restriction.

Getting back to the world at large, let's talk about Mars as a trigger for events.  First, I looked at the chart for the ingress of Mars into Cancer, and found it will have special impact in England, S[ain and West Africa. As Mars moves further in to make aspects with other planets, we will certainly begin to get news about these and other hotspot areas around the globe.  Here is a list of dates to look out for, the planets that will be in action, and what kinds of activity they may incite:

August 9: Mars Square Uranus - accident proneness, plus violence directed at oppressive forces.  Can also indicate sudden seismic activity.

August 10-11: Moon conjunct Pluto, Mars square Pluto : Transformative events, usually through an exercise of power - also, plans and strategies to take or keep power.

August 25: Mars square Saturn : thwarted efforts, difficulty in executing intentions; separations and interruptions.

With the several powder kegs we have in the world, it is up to us to decide to take the road of wishing for the best and visualizing peace and harmony in our hearts.  We must also protect our own interests, and strive to be as self-sufficient as we possibly can. Mars in Cancer may not be all that easy to handle this time around, but when we wake up and see what we can do to help ourselves and the rest of the world, we are doing our part to stop it from doing more damage than it should.

Mars in Cancer will be a Mother all right; but maybe not the kind that cuddles and coos to us.  Wake up, take stock of how you can help - and make things better!

To learn more about the Aries Axis and how astrology connects to world events, read this article.