Mars Retrograde in Cancer: Egg-pocalypse Now

December already feels much longer ago than it really is, yet many of us feel that we are going backward. For a change, the planetary culprit is not Mercury retrograde (Rx), but Mars Rx, which began its long, slow, stumbling dance back-assward on 12/6. Until 1/6, Mars was in Leo; not the best sign for Mars to transit, but by no means the worst, though Mars in Leo did form two dodgy oppositions to Aquarius planets (Venus and Pluto) during the holiday season. This could've led to confusion re friends with benefits, "situationships," and other dynamics that confused the heart, the head, and the nether reaches throughout the end-of-year festivities.

But that is ancient history, at least until Mars reenters Leo and opposes Pluto again. I am here to discuss what Mars is up to now. Traditional astrology maintains that Mars in Cancer is in its "fall," i.e., debilitated, even more so than Mars in the Venus signs of Libra or Taurus. This is because the sign of Cancer, though Cardinal (i.e., able to start things and lead), is ill suited to the nature of Mars. Ruled by the Moon, Cancer is indirect, sensitive, subtle, reflective, intuitive, and moody; none of those traits are associated with the go-getting, aggressive, straightforward MO of warlike Mars. Mars retrograde in any sign unfortunately indicates a period of time in which bullies prevail.

On 1/6 (a day that may or may not live on in infamy in the US), Mars slipped back into Cancer. On 1/15, Mars opposed the Sun in Capricorn (which manifested in the L.A. fires and the loss of Capricorn genius David Lynch), and on 1/23, just three days after Inauguration Day in the US, Mars sextiled Uranus in Taurus. A sextile presents as opportunity for revolution; unfortunately, in this case, the revolution is unfolding on the wrong side of history, and the Fourth Estate (the free press) has been bought, sold, and muzzled. It is worth mentioning that the United States of America is a Cancer Sun, as well as Elon Musk, the power behind King Trump (much as I hate to mention it, being a Cancer Sun myself). The Project 2025 architects and executors are feeding on our fear and suffering (as David Lynch put it, garmonbozia, which looks like the worst creamed corn imaginable). With Mars retrograde in the sign of its fall, the US is being attacked (Mars) from within (retrograde). I also tend to believe that any planet Retrograde must deal with its shadow side, although since the sign is Cancer, any confrontation is more like a moonwalk. Also on 1/23, Mars opposed Mercury, marking the beginning of the purge of federal employees, who were pressured to resign or simply fired via email, as well as Trump issuing executive order after executive order on acts designed to isolate the US from the rest of the world and not help a single non-billionaire American.

A fittingly grim metaphor for Mars Retrograde in Cancer is the avian flu that has rendered eggs, if you can even find them anymore, a luxury good. This is because the sign of Cancer rules eggs, and an afflicted Mars can lead to health issues (specifically fever, inflammation, and "attacks"). If this flu spreads to cows, look for the same thing to occur with dairy products (also Cancerian foods). And now that the US has been withdrawn from the WHO and the CDC now stands for Censored Denied Communication, we are flying blind and are vulnerable (Cancer again!) to infectious disease, including a new pandemic. But worry not: soon an anti-science, anti-vax ex-junkie with a worm in his brain will head the Health Dept. and we can all sleep better at night.

Today Mars trined Saturn in Pisces, with the Moon in Cancer heightening the intensity. A trine is the most harmonious aspect, since the two or more planets are of the same element (in this case, Water), but the planets involved in this trine are at odds with each other: if Mars is the motor, Saturn is the brakes. Saturn, which is structure, rules, discipline, and authority, also does not do so well in dreamy, escapist, boundary-free Pisces. I am just hoping that for a change, the news (or whatever sane-washing articles pass for the news) does not turn my stomach.

Speaking of which, if your stomach has been more sensitive than usual, you can thank Mars in Cancer. I happen to have this placement natally, and I have had more upset stomachs in the past month than in the past year.

I also really wish that project managers would read this so they can stop pushing untenable deadlines on their teams. The combination of winter sluggishness (yes, the days are lengthening, but it's been a cold, snowy winter for many of us) and Mars retrograde can really put a damper on one's energy levels. If there was any justice at all, we could all hibernate or take a break for the next two weeks, until Mars finally turns direct on 2/23. But that is simply not the gung-ho, powering-through American Way.

What about protesting in the streets? If you insist, but with Mars doing anything in Cancer, call your elected officials from the comfort of your home instead.

If I sound unpatriotric, I am not. I am upset, tired, and in mourning for what America has turned into, thanks to the fact that 1/3 of eligible citizens did not cast a vote and a plurality voted to reinstate (against their own self-interest) a twice-impeached failed-businessman personality-disordered felon for a variety of reasons ranging from low information (e.g., the promise of lower gas and grocery prices) to delusion (Trump has learned his lesson, doesn't roll with Project 2025, and will surround himself with good, smart people) to racism (not wanting a Black woman to be president) to wanting a strongman to Make America Even Crueler Again. We are now a third-rate Banana Republic that soon won't have a single ally left in this world, which will probably make certain other strongmen dictators very pleased indeed.

And this is really for another rant that around 11 people will read, but we in the US (and probably other increasingly right-wing countries as well) haven't seen anything yet. Once Neptune leaves Pisces and enters Aries this spring, the fun will really begin.

Jupiter Conjunct Pluto, Round Two: The Return of the Coronavirus That Never Left

Jupiter and Pluto posing in a sea of Covid-19
Collage by T. C. Gardstein

As I predicted in a post from this spring, Mars transiting Pisces unleashed a whole lot of trouble concerning action (Mars), the emotions (Pisces), and public health (the domain of the opposite sign of Virgo). Around the time that Mars entered the final sign of the zodiac in mid-May, many countries and states within the US began opening up, in many cases not meeting the US government's own guidelines. Unemployment (represented by Pisces, since the opposite sign of Virgo represents employment) continued to climb (a key factor in the premature reopening of the US). The death of George Floyd on Memorial Day brought a few weeks' worth of emotional yet largely peaceful social justice (Pisces, the sign where Jupiter is exalted) protests all over the world, peaking in early June, when Mars formed a difficult square to Venus retrograde in Gemini (itself a placement that would seem to encourage backing away from social distancing). After a spate of looting and problems with the police, NYC was placed under curfew for about a week for the first time ever, just prior to its first phase of officially emerging from the lock down. This city is now midway through the much-vaunted Phase 2, when it is possible to dine at restaurants with outdoor seating, get elective medical procedures, get your teeth cleaned, go back to the office (though many companies are moving slowly on that), and either mask up or not, depending on how and where you roll (in my neighborhood, not so much).

From my perspective as an astrologer in New York City, mid-May through June was (and still is) a perfect storm for what many are calling the second wave of Covid-19 (epidemiologists beg to differ, as the virus has not receded enough to end the first wave, but it's clear that many people have stopped listening to scientists). The storm broke shortly after Mercury turned retrograde in Cancer (6/18), with the Solar Eclipse on the heels of the 6/21 Summer Solstice (which was the Winter Solstice for the Southern Hemisphere). It is inevitable that Mercury retrograde must backpedal, creating delays and second thoughts; countries that had apparently gotten the virus under control, including Australia and Germany, were dealing with new outbreaks, while many cities of the US that had escaped the initial onslaught in March and April, such as Houston, Miami, and Los Angeles, were at risk of becoming the next New York City. As of yesterday, recently reopened bars (represented by Pisces), acknowledged to encourage the spread of the virus among relatively young, healthy people who would then infect others, closed down again in the new hot spots.

Considering that the first Jupiter-Pluto conjunction occurred on April 4, right around the peak of the horror show in NYC, it does not take an astrological genius to see that the second Jupiter-Pluto conjunction, exact on June 30, is bringing more of the same to other cities. The US is in particular trouble, however. On July 1, as borders reopen in the European Union with Saturn about to retrograde back into Capricorn, it is almost certain that the EU will put the US on its no-fly list. Just a few days later, on July 4, the US has its Solar Return, which features a Lunar Eclipse and an approaching square between Mercury retrograde in Cancer and Mars in its ruling sign of Aries (a classic aspect of arguments that can turn violent).

I will write in more detail about the US's 244nd birthday, but with transiting Saturn in the Solar Return retrograding back over the US natal Pluto this summer, it is conceivable that there will be localized (if not nationwide) lock downs and walk-backs, as well more restrictions and separations from first world countries that view the US with a mixture of pity, concern, frustration, and revulsion. Fortunately, Saturn will turn direct before it forms another conjunction with transiting Pluto (as we had on January 12 of this year -- the day that the genome of Covid-19 was made public), but we will experience a third Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in mid-November, which would seem to indicate a second wave as well as turmoil in the US concerning the presidential election.

In case reading this post is tempting you to stick your head in a toaster oven, I am still optimistic that the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction at 0 degrees of Aquarius in mid-December will bring positive new developments, since it is clear to me that Saturn at 0 degrees of Aquarius (where it was in late March and early April of this year, and where it is currently) is a crucial factor for this particular pandemic. Aquarius rules groups of people, revolution, science, and technology. With Jupiter joining Saturn there at the end of this year, perhaps humanity will step up to the plate and evolve in a, well, humanitarian way instead of dying out or handing the keys over to robots whose AI tops our collective IQ.

Happy Birthday, USA: Reflections on Its Sagittarius Ascendant

"America: love it or leave it." This blunt, black-and-white sentence is an eerily apt summation of the USA's natal chart. Given that there has been much debate in astrological circles regarding the most correct and accurate chart to use, I put forth the proposition that only a nation with Sagittarius Rising would leave the above sentence as its calling card...plus, of course, its currency, which states "In God We Trust." Although this motto was only added to US currency during the Civil War, once again, only a nation with Sagittarius Rising would so overtly endorse this viewpoint.

You may well be asking why specifically Sagittarius on the Ascendant, as opposed to the luminaries (i.e., Sun and Moon) or other planets in this sign, would result in the USA's having a blunt, religious persona. This is because the Rising Sign is the face, the front door, the window dressing, the first impression a native imparts, whether the native is an individual, a business, an event, or a nation. The Ascendant does not necessarily show what lies at the native's heart: first impressions often can be misleading (e.g., we all know people who come across as cold and standoffish, yet have vulnerable, tender souls).

Certainly, the USA has shown the world both the positive and negative traits of its Sagittarian face ever since its birth on July 4, 1776. The freewheeling, pioneering adventurer; the tendency toward excess (in eating, drinking, drugging, gambling, spending, or sexing, depending on the era) combined with an equally extreme self-righteous, moralistic attitude, regardless of political, religious, or philosophical affilation (i.e., "My way or the highway.")

The mutability of the sign of Sagittarius makes possible to give the paradoxical message that you are welcome to come from anyplace in the world to join America's gigantic melting pot, pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and succeed on your own highly individualized terms...but only if you come during a time of economic expansion and laid-back goodwill that America periodically cycles through. (Not now, in other words.)

With Sagittarius Rising, the ruler of USA's chart is Jupiter, which is placed in Cancer and conjunct Venus in the 7th House of partnerships. Thus the importance of home, mother, apple pie, and marriage, along with emotional patriotism (Cancer as a sign is extremely loyal and can only be reached via emotional appeals, not logic).

If there is still any doubt that the USA has 13 degrees of Sagittarius Rising, think back to August 2001, when the the Saturn-Pluto opposition fell exactly across the Ascendant and Descendant...setting the stage for 9/11.

Tune in very soon for an extended forecast for Amerca's Solar Return and important progressions for the upcoming year!