Mars is making its way through the last degrees of Gemini, and will ingress Cancer on Saturday at 9:22 am EDT. This change of gender for the planet representing the male principle brings up questions about ‘maleness’. Gemini, like all air signs, may technically be classified as a masculine sign, but its ruler blurs the lines of gender identity just enough to make things interesting.
Mercury, ruler of Gemini, is said to be rather androgynous. And of course, Gemini is a sign marked by duality. That duality takes many forms, but can sometimes come through as some level of bisexuality (or having two distinct and contrasting sexual wavelengths/personas). Mars in this sign tends to be verbally agile, energetic and mechanically minded. But raise your hand if you look at Mars in Gemini and think, ‘Boy, that looks like some hot kink in the bedroom that could go both ways if it could just focus its energy’.
Which brings up a question: how static is the concept of maleness? Is it only ever that aspect of us that is driven, action-oriented, penetrating, dominating and assertive? Does ‘maleness’ give up something of itself when it allows a wider spectrum of desire or manifestation?
This weekend, Mars moves from an androgynous sign (in terms of its ruler) to possibly the most feminine sign of all: Cancer, which is ruled by the Moon and stands for emotions, nurturing and home. The Moon is even a symbol of women’s menses, which roughly follow the Moon’s cycles (albeit with great variation).
What happens when the planet of maleness enters the sign of ultimate femaleness? Traditional texts tend to emphasize Mars’ tendency to get overly emotional, and to have none of its typical outward ‘fight’, instead holding things in and ‘steaming’. But steam, when applied with focus, can be very powerful and propulsive.