Mars Into Cancer

Mars Into Cancer - Protection

"You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through."

— Rosalynn Carter

We reach a point, this week, when 'the rubber hits the road'. A need for follow-through was indicated by last Monday's Capricorn New Moon (2:26 PM PST 9° Capricorn). By following through on our individual vision this week, there will be significant hope for dramatic breakthroughs under next week's Cancer Full Moon (January 13th, 2025 2:28 PM PST 23° Cancer/Capricorn). But, as we begin the week, there is still a rather foggy environment, suggested by Mercury's square to Neptune and the return of Mars into Cancer on Monday. Once in Cancer, Mars heads towards a trine to Neptune, which won't complete until early next week. The developing Mars-Neptune trine teases us this week with glimpses of inspiration but the return of Mars in Cancer also shifts our focus towards safety and security. Mercury left the shadow of its last retrograde period last Thursday and has quickened its pace — and our minds — significantly. Once Mercury passes the square to Neptune, it moves into Capricorn (on Wednesday). Our minds begin to clear, which helps to stabilize some of the week's emotional, reactive confusion. However, we need a great deal of endurance in order stay focused enough to quiet this week's 'noisy' environment. A Sun-Chiron square, also on Wednesday, seems to stir up some of the residual power-struggles from last week's Mars-Pluto opposition, creating tension in our attempts to fully demonstrate the validity of our insights. We are likely to run into unforeseen circumstances which further test our endurance. Things do not turn out as we have planned them and we will need to adapt in order to maintain or regain our footing. Broadly, we are being given an opportunity to blend our past experiences with new inspiration this week. We may find ourselves distracted by a sense of fatalism — a feeling that we lack any control over where 'fate' is leading us. A fuzzy sense of direction needs strong reliance on faith, intuition and basic adherence to principles. The Lunar Nodes shift at the end of the week from the Aries/Libra axis to the Pisces/Virgo axis, setting the tone for the next 18 months. We may begin to believe that there is a need to sacrifice some of our individual principles. But maintaining personal integrity is paramount. The most clear support we will find involves making connections with others — like-minded individuals who can help us determine the best way forward. Reliance on faith and compassion will help us to stay focused on what can be gained through new approaches and help us avoid getting lost in an abyss of concern over what has been lost, what is missing, or what is seemingly 'out of place'.

There is a great deal of stirred up energy on Sunday but not much direction. The unsteady energy may produce a feeling that we lack any control over where 'fate' is leading us. Feelings are chaotic on Monday and attempts at communication are vague and confused. Insecurities produce a feeling that we need to protect what is 'near and dear'. 'The rubber hits the road' on Tuesday. Follow-through is needed when we have an opportunity to make our case or 'take our shot'. Our thinking slows on Wednesday, at least enough to stabilize some of the week's emotional, reactive confusion. We see renewed power struggles. Things don't turn out as planned on Thursday. We get a taste of developing inspiration that will need a great deal of endurance to manifest. We face a renewed challenge to balance optimism and pessimism on Friday. Our sense of direction is rather 'fuzzy'. The fuzzy sense of direction continues on Saturday. We need a strong reliance on faith, intuition, and basic adherence to principles.