Mars in Cancer: A Deep Dive

When Mars is weak, as it is in Cancer, the need for strength feels even greater, but we are challenged as we deal with a lack of motivation to just do it.

Mars represents our courage and strength; our ability to destroy the things that make us feel weak.

​When Mars is weak by transit, as it is in the sign Cancer, the wind can be taken out of our sails, but we could just as easily overcompensate by paddling hard!

We feel less sure of ourselves and our direction while Mars transits Cancer, so taking down the sails and taking it easy may not be such a bad idea.

We must be mindful of any frustration building up from the lack of direction and motivation, and engage with the Mars impulse more consciously to avoid getting frustrated. The more we engage with it consciously, the more we can work with our deeper, instinctual motivations; why we feel the way we do in the first place. The less we engage with it consciously, the less control we have over our reactions.

Oftentimes, when Mars is weak we may overcompensate. Michael Jordan and Serena Williams both have Mars placed in sidereal Cancer in their birth charts, and are good examples of this overcompensation.

Competition is one way this is expressed, or any kind of achievement, as we push even harder to overcompensate for a sense of lack. Let’s face it, if we need to show everyone how powerful we are, are we really that powerful?

Real power comes silently, without any bluster or bravado. When weak, we may feel the need to dig even deeper, even if it is cancelled due to other configurations.

Anger
Most people are uncomfortable with their anger, but even more so when it comes to other people’s anger. When Mars is in Cancer we can get very uncomfortable indeed. Those with Cancer prominent are especially sensitive to this, yet may have to deal with it while Mars visits their sign.

The Moon and Mars have an interesting relationship. They remedy each other. The Moon calms the impulsiveness of Mars, while Mars stirs Moon types into action. However, the Moon’s sign (Cancer) debilitates Mars, and we feel less geared towards decisive action, while Mars’ sign (Scorpio) debilitates the Moon, making us feel vulnerable when subjecting the mind to the worst case scenario. Although this tactic is a means to gain emotional strength, the mind is subjected to a bleak forecast in the process.

The complexity between the Moon and Mars is expressed more obviously when someone with Cancer ascendant meets with someone with Scorpio ascendant. This can be seen in the Moon-type impulse to comfort, calm and soothe the Mars-type drive. This drive is mostly based on fears for Scorpio, and a necessary course of action, which can be interrupted by the Cancer impulse to wander, just like a stream of water, here and there. Mars types wish to make it from A to B as quickly as possible, making them feel unmotivated and unfocused around Cancerians. The Cancerian can feel unsafe around Scorpio, but unable to express their feelings as the Moon is debilitated in Scorpio.

When Mars is in Cancer, feelings can override actions, leaving us feeling frustrated at the lack of motivation. You might say to yourself, ‘I know I must do this thing, but I just don’t feel like it’. While this is something a Cancerian can make use of to become more productive as Mars visits their sign, Scorpios finds this very frustrating, and, well, debilitating.

Mars’ other sign, Aries, and those with this sign as the ascendant, are even less impressed with the lack of direction and motivation, although they may not even want to get involved with the emotional issues in the first place — that is, until Mars transits Cancer!
​
Rage
We can just about deal with our own anger, oftentimes burying it deep, but when someone else expresses theirs, we feel it inappropriate, removing them from society if it is expressed in the most extreme ways and acts of violence. Rage and physical violence are at the extreme end of the spectrum of what Mars is capable of expressing. And just because it’s in its weakest placement in Cancer, that doesn’t mean Mars cannot express rage.

Imagine you were to feel repressed your entire life; perhaps if you have Mars in Cancer in your birth chart, chances are you will explode at some point, either lashing out at those who you perceive are suppressing you or fueling self-abuse when you cannot find the strength to stand up for yourself.

Anger is obviously a necessary step in keeping ourselves safe. However, if anger is not dealt with initially (and it rarely is) the energy builds into a hot mess. Anger is a messy emotion which is why successful boxers are in control of theirs. If someone stepped over the mark with you and you did not say anything, you may be able to shake off if it happens once.

But what if they do it over and over, and you do nothing about it?

Mars reflects our ego’s needs. If you feel others are not paying attention to your needs; worst still, they seem to be deliberately obstructing you, you may get irritable and angry with them.

At the first stage, the impulse of Mars is to simply state your case: ‘I need to have this, and I need it now’. However, because we are taught from a very early age to suppress what we want all the time, most of us have an innate problem with getting what we want — all the time.

A mother says to a child, ‘Yes, you can have that, but not that’, or ‘You can have that if you do this’. The natural time cycle (naisargika) of Mars is between the ages of 1 and 3 (the ‘terrible twos’), when we are figuring out who we are separate to our care givers (Moon), and seeing how far we can push them to get what we want. This is why Mars and the Moon have such a complicated relationship. We need a caregiver to put healthy boundaries in place, but we also need our freedom to do what we want, when we want to. ​
​

Remedy
If Mars is all about becoming strong, why does it work against us so much? Well, the simple answer is: we don’t know when to quit!

​Mars is seen as a malefic planet for good reason. The word used to describe it’s impulse is tamas, a Sanskrit word which could be translated as ‘dark’, ‘inert’, or ‘dull’. Although you may think of Mars as anything but ‘dull’, an important distinction to be made is that the process of destruction itself is what is referred to — even if we are destroying something which needs to be destroyed. It would be just fine if we were to perform an action which made us feel strong and let that be that. However, we sometimes cause just as many problems as we solve when we rub others up in the wrong way, or overdo it to the point of exhaustion — another indication of tamas.
​
When two ducks meet and have an altercation, they simply go on their way with a shake and a shrug. I would suggest becoming more acquainted with your anger, finding healthier and more productive ways of expressing your rage.​

Many go to the gym for this very reason. Others end up having arguments. Either approach will get you in touch with your anger. Personally, I prefer to use my anger to fuel my physical disciplines which are ultimately more productive.

Being by the sea is also helpful, and why a seaside holiday can do wonders. Swimming is one of the best ways to express Mars in Cancer, as you negotiate the ebb and flow of life when navigating the tides.

Breathing exercises, such as the alternate nostril breathing technique, brings calm, balancing left-brain logic with right-brain instincts.

​Logic itself can be seen as a type of violence, forcing opinions on others who may not see your logic. Breathing through the left nostril corresponds to the right hemisphere of the brain and is seen as the cooling, lunar channel. This plays an important role in subtler aspects of negotiation, taking others’ feelings into account, despite your own needs.

This type of sensitivity is needed during Mars’ meandering through the soft-centered Cancer.