June 21st the Sun moves into Cancer for the solstice, the birth of summer.  Do you know much about this mystical sign ? You will feel it soon enough with the Sun, Mercury and Mars in the sign.  Cancers are said to be the deepest of all the signs. They represent the Imum Coeli - the bottom of the chart.  Cancers will FEEL their way through every situation. They remember or are imprinted with stories, news, information in an emotional and photographic memory type of way. They may not be able to cough up the dates and times or facts of a situation, but they WILL remember all the subtle nuances of the situation and will have empathy for the people involved, have imagined what it's like to walk in the other's shoes, and will have synthesized their assessment based on all these levels combined. Sound complex ? they are!   Cancer is the sign of the Mother.  Men and women are parental toward others. They are either the child or the parent in every situation - not as easily the equal. They need to nurture and be nurtured.  

Cancers are known for their distaste of conflict  as well.  So when Mars -planet of action, passion and aggression- is in this feminine sign, it isn't comfortable or well expressed. Cancer will hold  everything inside until they blow up, flip out, panic or cry etc.  They won't just tell you straight up like an Aries, or Capricorn.  They won't be diplomatic or weighing all sides like a Libra.  They will absorb all the data and emotion, hold it all in and mull it  over as to how best to help or save the situation without conflict.  Sometimes they achieve it.  They can artfully show so much tenderness that it can diffuse a fight.  Or, if this fails, they just might go from calm to super diva - scolding or listing everything they have kept in the storehouse unsaid. 

Mars in Cancer is  deep and indirect. Like the crab in Nature, it moves sideways.  This says everything about their conflict and communication style, as well as the way they go about getting what they want.  They don't go for it directly - they manipulate the situation to suit their needs...very well.  It can take a long while to see through this aspect  because at first they will make you feel that you wanted the same thing they do, or that you were consulted...but you really weren't. They feel out all sides, and suggest things here and there, maybe use a splash of subtle guilt, and voila!  it all happens on their schedule.  It's sort of like the more sophisticated version of watching your cat sniff all around the room feigning curiosity when you KNOW they are coming for your plate.  

To really make he best use of a period of Mars in Cancer, its' good to remember that people will be emotionally motivated. They will have an agenda and won't say it outright. They will be needing more care and tenderness than usual, and may also be willing to give this more than usual as well. Philosophical conversations are more possible as they love to delve deeply into a subject - in privacy with someone they trust. Intimacy is the nicer possibility of this aspect.  If you are dealing with someone who is being outright manipulative or passive aggressive though - and you surely will during this transit at some point - the best solution is to state your boundaries clearly and quickly, in a easy going casual tone at first. Be friendly but don't allow any games to start that will be hard to untangle later. 

Neptune is also retrograde now for the next six months, making this a summer of delving deeper and trusting our intuition to guide us more than ever.

Happy Solstice!