Mars Enters Cancer for a Complex and Potentially Frustrating Transit Through the Sign of its Fall

Mars leaves Gemini for Cancer on July 13 at 8:22 a.m. CST, and it will transit the sign of the crab until August 27.

This is the planet Mars (war, aggression, action, will, direction, assertion, instinct, sexuality, desire, masculine/yang energy) taking a more roundabout tack through Cancer, the sign of its fall.

At first glance, Mars seems to be at odds with Cancer in almost every way. Mars is direct, identifying and moving toward goals in an immediate way. Cancer is indirect, taking a shuffling sideways stance as it sidles up to each new scenario. Mars is about desire and what we ultimately want. Cancer isn't always so sure what it wants, having to feel it out for some time before action can be taken. Mars is the warrior and (often) the taker of life. Cancer is the mother and the giver of life. Mars is masculine, hot, hard, demanding. Cancer is feminine, soft, sweet, and food and home-loving more than pure action-loving.

This illustrates the trickier expression of Mars through the sign of Cancer, and you can understand why Cancer is considered the sign of Mars' fall. By contrast, Mars is considered exalted in earth sign Capricorn, a more direct, concrete, and goal-driven sign.

There's one thing to keep in mind during the transit of Mars through Cancer, however: the crab has claws, and it's not afraid to use them. Rather, it might be afraid to use them, but it will use them if pushed to do so, if no option is available for retreat.

With Mars transiting Cancer, people can be more emotionally triggered than usual. They can be less rational and more easily drawn into conflicts that play on their emotions. People's actions will be rooted to how they feel in an immediate way during this transit. This creates emotionally-based behaviours that can be extremely ineffective, diffusing physical energy. And this can be capitalized on by the state to advance its agenda.

Security of home and of loved ones are generally of utmost importance to Cancer, and it will fight - hard and viciously - if it feels that security is threatened. True to its indirect nature, Cancer will also allow others to do the fighting for it so long as it can keep its head in its crabshell. You can see, for example, how Cancer Sun nation the U.S. of A. convinced citizens that Iraq was to blame for the attacks on the World Trade Centers on September 11, 2001. Despite no links to the group that claimed responsibility and no proof of "weapons of mass destruction," many U.S. citizens still believe the abomination that was brought down on the cradle of civilization was just.

You can also see how people in that Cancer Sun nation continue to be triggered and manipulated to accept deadly force and war against anyone labeled "terrorist" by the state. (I would be considered a terrorist under the currently accepted definition, and possibly, you would, too.)

We can expect continued emotional manipulation this summer (mostly through media propaganda) as clashes between the people and the "Global Governance" state are ramped up. Watch the sociological dynamics closely and make sure you are not being drawn in emotionally (Cancer) against your ultimate will (Mars).

As Mars enters Cancer, it forms a conjunction to Jupiter, which is at lunar apogee, conjunct the astrological symbol Black Moon Lilith. Mars adds some juice to the Jupiter-Black Moon Lilith conjunction, requiring action and assertion in relation to the dark, denied feminine experience on this planet.

If you are already skilled in the navigation of Black Moon Lilith territory, you could advance quite effortlessly under this conjunction. If you are currently unaware of Black Moon Lilith issues or energy, you may find July and August - and the entire year-long transit of Jupiter through Cancer -  challenging.

The Mars-Jupiter-Black Moon Lilith conjunction in Cancer, strongly in effect into early August, indicates fights (Mars) related to beliefs (Jupiter), particularly those beliefs that have an underlying edge of misogyny and rage against women (Black Moon Lilith).

With Jupiter involved, there is a religious element to the proceedings. This particularly relates to the denied female experience (Black Moon Lilith) within religious/belief constructs. We have to keep an eye on the religious and cultural stories/beliefs coming up and playing out now with a particular emphasis on the downplaying, whitewashing, and suppression of women.

Jupiter relates to myth, story, truth, and wisdom. As the religious and cultural stories have been written mostly by men within patriarchal constructs, the portrayals of females within those stories and the archetypes we've been persuaded to swallow stemming from them are woefully inadequate.

From a previous post on the Sagittarius New Moon (ruled by Jupiter) last December:

"Unfortunately, the men who created and furthered the myths missed about 50% of the story. They missed the herstory of the history, as they say. This is the case with Greek and Roman mythology as well as with much of the standard religious and spiritual imagery of the day. We're working with partial archetypal truth at best and straight up patriarchy-approved fabrication at worst, and we have to understand how detrimental these power-imbalanced units of cultural transmission can be...

[I]t's time to re-write many of the stories one woman at a time, with the female/feminine voices - the real ones, not just the easily swallowed and non-threatening versions - equally strong, equally prevalent, equally important. It's time to bust out of the word-woven chrysalises of these old men and into our own stories. The real stories...

The feminine wisdom and knowledge that needs to be integrated is white hot and will shake things up considerably. It requires something of people. It makes people uncomfortable at times. It's not about being pretty or demure or seductive. It demands its rightful place - nothing more, nothing less."

With Mars lighting up a Grand Water Trine and a cardinal t-square this July, things are going to get hot, triggered, and feisty. These aspects are an indicator that we can expect continued attacks against women's reproductive rights by the Old Boys Club pseudo-religious version of reality trying desperately to cement itself during transiting Pluto in Capricorn. We can expect moves to be made by the patriarchal hierarchies to increase control on all fronts. The nuclear family unit, keeping people neatly tied up, occupied, and under control, will continue to be promoted as the only truly acceptable way to go...

All this requires that women in particular stand up, speak out, and exert themselves on the issues that really matter to them, rather than allowing others to fight in their stead.

As Mars, Jupiter, and Black Moon Lilith transit the first decan of Cancer, they form both a highly flowing and easy configuration - a Grand Water Trine - and a more challenging, clashing, frictional configuration - a cardinal t-square.

The Grand Water Trine involving Mars, Jupiter, and Black Moon Lilith in Cancer has the summer ease and good vibes flowing from July 17 to 22. Our actions pick up support, movement, and even a transcendent quality from beneficial contacts to Saturn in Scorpio and Neptune in Pisces. Progress toward our goals can fall almost magically into place. Things long-desired, especially related to family, those who feel like family, home, and emotional foundation, are now within reach in many cases. New directions dig in under these trines, as long as we've earned the advancement.

A new sense of family is emerging for the astrological Aquarian era, and this Grand Water Trine gives us an understanding of the ways in which family can expand beneficially to include non-blood and non-marriage ties.

Don't get too hooked on the ease of the Grand Water Trines, however. We're going to need all their good vibes, faith, and momentum in order to get through the more challenging cardinal t-square configurations immediately following - not to mention the series of cardinal Grand Crosses forming between August 2013 and April 2014.

Mars conjuncts Jupiter on July 22, bringing to an official close the spring/summer of 2013 Grand Water Trines. (The good times are fleeting, y'all.) Mars will then zip ahead of the Greater Benefic in the zodiac and move headlong into cardinal t-square territory.

Mars forms an opposition to Pluto in Capricorn July 27 and a square to Uranus in Aries July 31. If you had forgotten the hardcore, do-or-die undertone on this planet currently, this cardinal t-square will remind you.

The influence of Mars in Cancer indicates a protective desire. We are acting all over this globe to protect our families, our communities, our regions, and our countries from the stranglehold of fascism and from another planned World War. With Cancer, there is a particular focus on the fight for our food supply against chemically-treated and genetically-modified corporate food production.

Corruption within our institutions (Pluto in Capricorn) is reaching the surface, triggering rage, movement, and action (Mars) among the people. All over this planet, people are in revolt - externally, internally, or both.

The Mars-Uranus square July 31 indicates further hot spots and uprisings percolating throughout this month, but you have to remember that, despite the Uranian influence, this is pretty much expected - and planned - by the powers that be (Pluto in Capricorn). The ongoing battles, protests, and uprisings between the people and the state may seem spontaneous, but they aren't. We're being intentionally squeezed and squeezed and squeezed under transiting Pluto in Capricorn and the series of squares to Uranus in Aries. There is only so much people will tolerate, can tolerate, and this is clearly understood by the forces doing the squeezing.

It's inspiring and wonderful to see people standing up to fascism and to deadly state control all over this planet. Human beings are proving their intelligence and genius despite horrifying and ongoing campaigns of mind control. Despite the erosion of their health and biological systems via radioactivity, GMO contamination, toxins in the water and air, electromagnetic pollution, chemtrails, and a variety of other methods. Just understand that, to a great extent, this is being managed and controlled on a macro level, so don't take your eyes off what you're doing and what you can do in the future on the micro level...

Jupiter in Cancer opposes Pluto in Capricorn August 7 and squares Uranus in Aries August 21, creating a slow burn cardinal t-square in effect for most of August. This brings beliefs, religion, myths, stories, cultural knowledge, and wisdom - particularly with a dark feminine bent - strongly into the fray. Women's wisdom, feminine wisdom, wisdom from the soul - especially the kinds that threaten the current establishment - are our guiding lights.

The Jupiter-Uranus-Pluto cardinal t-square becomes a cardinal Grand Cross at the end of August, and this kicks off an eight-month period when the Grand Cross is the dominant configuration. Spicy, dicey, and potentially very challenging.

There will be waves of acute pressure and stress under these Grand Crosses during which we will be forced to make moves, to make decisions, and to take charge while things are coming apart at the seams all around us.

The lesser benefic and relationship planet Venus enters Libra on August 16, forming the first cardinal Grand Cross August 23 - 27. This is four 90-degree square aspects (frictional, clashing, dynamic) from bodies in all four cardinal signs (leadership, initiative, new direction).

Mercury in Libra forms the second cardinal Grand Cross September 13 - 19.

The Sun in Libra forms the third October 1 - 12.

Mars enters Libra December 7, 2013 until July 26, 2014 for an almost eight-month stay in the sign of the scales (its detriment), including a retrograde period from March 1 to May 19, 2014.

This transit activates the Uranus in Libra, Neptune in Libra, and Pluto in Libra generations in new ways for the astrological Aquarian era, as well as anyone with a strong contingent of personal planets in Libra.

Mars will form its first cardinal Grand Cross moving direct between December 23, 2013 and January 8, 2014.

The second cardinal Grand Cross will be an exact formation, blisteringly potent, forming April 21 - 24, 2014 with Mars Rx in Libra, Jupiter in Cancer, Uranus in Aries, and Pluto in Capricorn all on 13 degrees of the signs.

So things are getting tight by the end of July on the cardinal square front, and this tension squeezes us and keeps on squeezing right through April of 2014.

Our personal circumstances are being shaken up and transformed via pressures from the macro level. Structures are morphing on every possible front over the next two years. We are in a state of change, shift, flux, and we're trying to position ourselves well within it. We will be required to make major, life-altering decisions within this state of flux, or those decisions will be made for us. Understand this and make whatever proactive moves you can to stay out of the cardinal Grand Cross chaos and crossfire.

These are epic transits, these are epic times, and we are being placed in epic roles within them. We will be required to stand up, to take the lead, and to make courageous decisions that affect many people under these Grand Crosses. With the strong influence of Black Moon Lilith, this will particularly be required of women and men with a marginalized perspective.

With Mars in the sign of its fall until the end of August, we can expect thwarted wills and frustrated desires to be a part of the scene. Things will not necessarily go according to plan, as our personal actions (Mars) are tied inextricably to broader sociological and political forces (Uranus/Pluto). What we want may not be what is wanted for us, from us, or through us by the universe. Or it may not be time to get what we want. This is going to make a lot of people very pissy and short-tempered, especially if they don't have the astrology as a navigational map.

Cancer has an innocence about it, but people can use this innocence (or pseudo-innocence) to fight or to avoid things that need to be dealt with during Mars in Cancer. Passive aggressiveness, denial, emotional manipulation, avoidance, and the use of family connections can all be fighting tactics during this transit, as can an aggressive desire to be seen as the most caring, the most loving, the most nurturing, the most motherly.

Mars in Cancer is a slippery placement at times and can be difficult to deal with. Understand the different pacing toward goals, accept the roundabout way, and know that the big picture is much bigger than we can even grasp at this point in time.