Mars is the energy that allows us to pick fights worthy of our time, appropriately defend our boundaries with others and assert ourselves in the world. A bad mars can act out of emotional frustration, rather than logic. As a result, all the wrong battles are chosen. Fighting lacks a sense of dignity and devolves into petty squabbles and meaningless altercations where, at the end of the day, nothing gets fixed and the problem is not solved. There is a lack of productivity with a weak Mars, and a lack of character — the inability to defend one’s principles.
We have to be careful to not get drawn into battles out of emotional reactivity (as is always the case). Especially during this transit.
Mars, which entered into Cancer on April 23rd, can feel like any slight will set us off. It’s harder to stick to routine, stay principled on our path through life or fight for our individual rights and autonomy. Life can feel like it is out to personally hurt us and is trying to wound us. Because Cancer is about the home and the heart, and Mars is about going to war and agitating things, it is a rough point for our emotional state.
Things to Do During This Transit:
- Do disciplined work on the emotional body
- Improve your home life or living situation
- Find indirect ways to get to what you want
- Find ways to make your will more receptive to intuitive flow of the cosmos (water element flows)
- Find ways to adapt to your circumstances (the Moon – ruling Cancer – is all about adaptability, waxing and waning)
Mars’s Journey Explained
As Mars exits Cancer (June 11th, 2021) and enters into Leo, it will gain more dignity, conviction and strength. In this sign, he starts the journey towards exaltation in Capricorn. This transition out of the emotional movable waters of Cancer begins when it enters into a sort of limbo state, the steam or confusion that arises when water meats fire symbolize this. After this brief period, it moves through the kingdom of Leo, ruled by the regal and light-giving Sun. That’s quite a large step out of the defensive and sensitive Cancer. Mars becomes focused on fighting to prove something and display their authority, identity and individuality. He then gets to work on the details of life in Virgo and balance out his will with the needs of others in Libra, etc. As it moves closer towards Capricorn, Mars’s (competition, war, energy, logic, willpower) energies will be more readily expressed in harmony.
Mars, when it transits out of exaltation through Aquarius towards its home position of Aries, and its eventual debilitation in Cancer, provides a feeling of moving away from any interest in the qualities of Mars: fighting and defending universal truth. The strongest home position for Mars is Scorpio, because it allows for the heat of Mars to calm down and become focused enough to calculate an attack from a place unseen (Scorpio’s stinger tail) — choosing the most logical manner of directing energy. It provides emotional courage or spiritual-psychological strength to face the inevitable blows of life. Mars in Aries, although in his home, can be immature and consumed with impulsively fighting battles with other people.
In the meantime, while Mars moves through Cancer, the energy to eliminate the negative things in our lives will be harder to do. We’re just not feeling it at the moment. How he performs this month will depend on Mars’s lord, the Moon. Is it waning or waxing, full or new? Is it in Taurus, Cancer or Scorpio? Recognizing this will define how Mars will behave during his quick 7-week-transit here.
