Mars in Cancer

Planetary news this week: Aries New Moon at the Equinox, and Pluto in Aquarius

Astrological update for the week of March 20-27, 2023

art by Lightstar on Deviant Art

This week we have three planetary bodies changing signs, including a zero degree Aries New Moon at the Equinox. This is a whirlwind of planetary motion, so hold onto your hats and prepare to let go.

There are times when we can create our own present and future, and times when we can exert power over the workings of the Universe. This is not one of them. This week in particular, with so many intense planetary energies blowing a new wind into the workings of the world, the very fabric of our experience is being altered and will change the way the future unfolds. This is a week for self-care: for calming our nervous system, for strengthening the bonds of our relationships, for taking care of the physical body through nutritional attention and physical activity. (This is because of several Ceres aspects I’ll discuss later in this article.)

Aries New Moon and Vernal Equinox

Whether we are in the northern or southern hemisphere, the March equinox marks an equal balance of light and dark midway between the Solstices. These are turning points at the zero degree point of the cardinal signs which mark the change of seasons. When one of these turning points occurs at a syzygy (new or full moon), the alteration effect is magnified and that is what we see here. We are at the edge of the first sign (Aries), ruled by Mars (action), at a time when the light begins to dominate over dark.

The chart for the New Moon is pretty potent: the Aries Sun and Moon are opposed by Ceres (integration of body, mind and spirit). Four planets […]

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By |2023-03-20T08:55:07-04:00March 20th, 2023|Uncategorized|4 Comments
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The astrology of Selma Blair and the Mars factor of MS

Embed from Getty Images

UPDATE!  Selma Blair kindly provided her birth time after reading and approving this post: 8:45 am. I’ve written a great deal over the years about the way the energies of the personality, as reflected in the natal chart, affect our health. The planetary position of Mars in the chart seems to have a great deal to do with ailments of all kinds including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other such immune system disorders. The way in which we respond to our health problems are also connected to our Mars placements. Mars in the birthchart shows the ways in which we assert and defend ourselves, and how we process anger and resentment.

A reader turned me on to the work of Dr. John Sarno who writes on this very subject from a medical perspective and if this topic is of interest to you I suggest you do a Google search for his work.

In any case, Selma Blair has been in the news for the past few years due to her advocacy for sufferers of multiple sclerosis and that is another disease in which I have found a connection to Mars.   Mars is a fire planet, and fire is the element of action and initiation – it creates the drive and ambition that inspires us and stimulates desire and need.  When a chart lacks the fire element, or if there is a strong Mars that is afflicted by a challenging aspect from Neptune, Saturn or Pluto without other supporting factors, the  fire energy is more difficult to express and can back up into energetic blocks in the body.  You can read more about that in this earlier post.

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But let’s get back to Ms. […]

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By |2021-08-29T07:27:15-04:00August 25th, 2021|Health & Healing, People|16 Comments
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5.11.21 – Taurus New Moon, and a little bit of OUCH with Mars square Chiron

art by Patricia Ariel

The exact alignment of the Sun and Moon in Taurus (see yesterday’s post if you missed it) culminates this afternoon at 3 pm EDT/7 pm GMT with a burst of energy for a new beginning.  The solilunar cycle takes us through all twelve zodiacal experiences, beginning with each New Moon.  Today we begin the Taurean adventure into a grounded connection with the Earth and all of the pleasures offered here.  Delicious foods, tactile enjoyment of hugs and fine fabrics, a sense of comfort and security are the gifts of Taurus and today begins a new cycle in which we seek to incorporate these joys into our own lives.

There is a bit of a rough start though, with Mars in Cancer squaring Chiron in Aries.  There is a bit of a double whammy here, because Chiron in Aries is ruled by Mars, and here they are squaring off for battle.  Mars is our independent streak, the part of us which craves excitement and action and is willing to fight for what matters to us.  Mars is in Cancer now, where the aggressive energies are dampened by the watery feelings of Cancer – it becomes more difficult to face hard situations directly and there is more of a passive aggressive way of handling problems.  With Mars squaring Chiron for a day or two everyone’s feelings are more easily hurt; old wounds are easily triggered and a harsh word can cut more deeply.

If we approach this with consciousness and compassion, we can find ourselves releasing an old feeling or pattern which has lingered for years, helping us to clean the slate and make a new start under the New Moon.

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By |2021-05-11T07:54:39-04:00May 11th, 2021|Planetary news this week|2 Comments
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4.22.21 – The challenges of Mars in Cancer, April 23-June 11, 2021

art by Sheri Howe

Mars is in Cancer every two years or s0, and because Mars is the planet of aggression and drive it is not very comfortable in the emotional sign of Cancer.  When anger and emotional sensitivity combine there can be one of two results:  at its best, we are more sensitive and nurturing of others (Cancer) in taking our own needs into consideration (Mars).  But Mars is by its very nature a self-centered planet and this rarely occurs, so more often we become angry (Mars) at the need to watch out for the feelings of others (Cancer).  While Mars is in Cancer, emotions are heightened and there is much more sensitivity evident in the world around us. Mars is said to be in its fall in Cancer and has difficulty expressing its warlike nature directly. Often anger and irritations tend to be suppressed and burst out inappropriately or with frustration.

Mars in Cancer also increases our drive to nurture, often through food, and to protect those less fortunate than ourselves, so we are likely to see a big push toward philanthropy over the next few months and perhaps an increased desire to feed the hungry. Sometimes our own frustration can masquerade as our frustration with the fates of others around us, and as with all water signs it can be somewhat difficult to know whose emotions are whose under this influence. Cancer’s main concern is with emotional security, and Mars in Cancer wants to erect solid boundaries with which to secure the heart.  Mars will be in Cancer until June 11, 2021.

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By |2021-04-23T07:51:59-04:00April 23rd, 2021|Planetary news this week|0 Comments
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The 2019 Sagittarius Full Moon and the Galactic Center

The Galactic Center, currently at 27 degrees Sagittarius, is the rotational center of our galaxy – like the Sun, which is the center of our solar system and the major astrological factor of personal significance, the Galactic Center is the force that binds the galaxy together.  Astrologically and symbolically, the Galactic Center is the heart of the Universe – the soul of wisdom for our solar system and our species of humanity as well as all of the other planetary systems and species that may exist in the farther reaches of the Milky Way.

This week’s Full Moon is at the Galactic Center, suggesting potential for a portal of awareness and insight at this time.  Sagittarius is the sign of exploration and adventure, but also the sign that seeks meaning and truth.  Under this Full Moon, we can expand our awareness and the limitation of our own ideas and achieve greater understanding that can help us in very practical ways.

This Full Moon experience is irritated by a complex planetary system involving Mars, the planet of drive, motivation and war.  Mars is in emotional Cancer right now and the rumblings of anger and frustration may be more difficult to access.  But Mars aligns with Mercury (the mind and communication) at this Full Moon, heightening the intensity of our conversations and making arguments and disputes more likely.  This is exacerbated by a stressful opposition from Mars and Mercury to both Saturn and Pluto.  Saturn represses and attempts to block these energies, and Pluto blows them up in order to transform them into more productive pathways of personal evolution.

When the planetary energies are this intense, there is no point in trying to avoid them.  Instead, we can pay attention to […]

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