Mars is now in Cancer, and is here to stay. Because of the upcoming retrogradation, Mars will spend much longer in Cancer than usual. That is, until April 18th, 2025, with just a brief detour through Leo.
This is a big deal.
Normally, Mars hangs out in a sign for about 2 months, and 2 months of Mars in Cancer would be pretty standard. But this time, Mars is here for almost 6 months, which means it’s going to dig much deeper into Cancer themes like nurturing, protection, and emotional security.
Cancer Vs. Capricorn
Cancer is traditionally seen as the mother, while Capricorn, its opposite, is seen as the father.
Of course, this is symbolic – Cancer isn’t literally our mother, and Capricorn isn’t literally our father. These signs represent those core energies we associate with care, security, and structure.
Cancer is the energy that nurtures, protects, and cares for us unconditionally. It’s the force that allows us to embrace our inner child, to be cared for without any strings attached. The purest expression of Cancer is a flowing stream, full of life and nourishment.
Cancer embodies the instinct to give, nurture, and safeguard life. Every species, from insects to birds to humans, shares this maternal drive to care for and protect their young.
On the other side of the axis, Capricorn represents our instinct to grow up and become self-sufficient. Our Cancer caretakers can’t shelter us forever, so as we mature, we learn the skills and discipline to stand on our own, eventually becoming nurturers ourselves.
Capricorn is the instinct to leave behind the nest and forge our own path. Capricorn teaches us – often the hard way, thank you Saturn – to take responsibility for the life we want to create.
The purest expression of Capricorn energy is like the goat standing at the top of the mountain. She didn’t get there to dominate or show off – she reached the summit by climbing it, one step at a time.
Her sense of control, security, and accomplishment is simply the natural outcome of that steady, determined capricornization process.
Cancer And Capricorn – The Yin/Yang Of Our Individuation Process
Of course, the journey of individuation – becoming our truest selves – is rarely smooth or simple.
Still, our sense of fulfillment and success in life depends on how well we balance and integrate these opposing forces: Cancer’s nurturing and emotional security with Capricorn’s drive for self-sufficiency and responsibility.
There’s no secret here – if you’ve ever done therapy, you know that no matter what brought you there initially, the conversation eventually circles back to your parents.
The root of most of our challenges often traces back to early dynamics that shaped our outlook on life.
Cancer and Capricorn represent the yin and yang of this balance: receiving the nurturing and resources we need (Cancer), and finding the structure and direction to express ourselves uniquely (Capricorn).
If we simplify it, most of our struggles come down to two key dynamics: either mommy or daddy issues – or both.
While Pluto in Capricorn has been guiding us through our daddy issues since 2008, the Cancer side of the axis hasn’t received as much attention – aside from the yearly Cancer season in June-July.
But with Mars’ extended stay in Cancer, we’re about to get a deep dive into unresolved nurturing and caregiving dynamics.
Mars in Cancer Opposite Pluto In Capricorn
Mars in Cancer’s slow pace will create ongoing tension as it opposes Pluto in Capricorn.
This tension starts building in October, peaking on November 3rd, 2024, when Mars (at 29° Cancer) directly opposes Pluto (at 29° Capricorn). This opposition at a cardinal anaretic degree promises to be especially intense and transformative.
And that’s not the end of the story. Mars retrograde will oppose Pluto again on January 5th, 2025, and once more on April 27th, 2025.
While these final oppositions shift to the Leo/Aquarius axis, all the aspects Mars forms while in shadow are still tied to the Mars retrograde in Cancer cycle and symbolically linked to the unresolved themes of the Cancer-Capricorn axis.
Mars-Pluto oppositions are intense. Both Mars and Pluto represent power and control dynamics, which can lead to a battle of will, where our boundaries and determination are tested.
Mars vs. Pluto – The Impossible Situation
During a Mars-Pluto opposition, we attract – consciously or unconsciously – the “impossible situation,” a scenario so dramatic, so intense, that it irrevocably changes our outlook on life.
The “impossible situation” will likely be a scenario that repeats a deeply unconscious dynamic from our childhood.
If we were to analyze most of our life choices – like the people we surround ourselves with, our relationship patterns, career paths, or belief systems – they often reflect an unconscious effort to process and transcend early childhood or parental influences that shaped our core identity.
These formative experiences become embedded in our psychological wiring, shaping how we think, feel, and act, and influencing the beliefs we carry and the outcomes we experience.
Until we fully understand and integrate these patterns, we tend to repeat them throughout our lives – again and again.
Pluto in Capricorn’s ‘daddy issues’ have revolved around learning how to step into our own authority by dismantling and radically transforming outdated structures and power dynamics. Pluto in Capricorn has been giving us tough love since 2008, teaching us resilience and self-reliance.
Pluto in Capricorn has also revealed some harsh realities – not all the ‘grownups’ have good intentions. Not all leaders are role models. Not everyone in power acts in our best interests.
Life is a jungle where people compete for limited resources. If you’re not strong, if you’re not strategic, you might not survive. If you snooze, you lose.
Mars In Cancer – Mommy Issues
Mars in Cancer brings a different set of challenges, ones that strike at the core of our emotional security and dig deep into our vulnerabilities.
No matter how loving your upbringing, there were likely moments when those meant to protect and care for you fell short, for various reasons.
As children, we need care, nurture, food, and support. These aren’t luxuries; they are essential for survival. Just as birds are instinctively driven to build nests and feed their young, our caregivers have a biological responsibility to ensure our well-being.
When this process doesn’t go smoothly, we simply don’t have the necessary foundations to become well-rounded adults.
It’s not a lost cause – if we didn’t receive that support early, we can learn to build those foundations later in life. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge the damage. Every time we needed support and didn’t receive it, a wound was formed, which could limit our ability to reach our full potential.
During Mars’ transit through Cancer, take some time to reflect on how you nurture yourself.
Perhaps this prolonged Mars in Cancer transit will take you on a journey to heal your inner child. You may need to mourn it first. Then, take good care of it. Then, re-parent it.
This process of self-nurturing and healing will eventually bring you the inner security and emotional strength that may have been lacking earlier in life.
And at the Mars-Pluto opposition, which will peak in early November, pay attention to anything that makes you angry, to anything that makes your blood boil.
The opposition aspect is our psyche’s way of surfacing unconscious conflicts by projecting them onto others or external situations.
Whatever triggers us, whatever makes us angry, whatever stirs up deep emotions is an unconscious wound making its (clumsy) way into our awareness.
Ultimately, these emotions – whether pain, anger, or resentment – need to find their way out.
Not by throwing a fist or crying like a baby (Cancer), nor by trying too hard to act from a higher self, maintain rigid control, or put other people down (Capricorn).
Somewhere, halfway through the Cancer/Capricorn spectrum, lies our truthful, empowered, emotionally and socially-conscious expression.
Astro Butterfly School Courses 20% OFF
As part of the Astro Butterfly 10-year celebration, we are offering a 20% discount on all our courses.
Some of the psychological-oriented courses are Planets And Psyche, Aspects And The Hero’s Journey, Transgenerational Astrology, and Chiron – Your Deepest Wound, Your Greatest Gift.
The technique-oriented courses are Signs Vs. Houses, Introduction To House Rulers, Deciphering Aspects In The Natal Chart, and The Professional Astrologer.
If you click on the individual course links, the 20% discount code is already applied. If you don’t see it, you can manually apply coupon ASTROBUTTERFLY10 at checkout. Promotion ends on September 30th, 2024.
The post Mars in Cancer – Mommy Issues first appeared on Astro Butterfly.
