Boundaries on the Spiritual Path – Mars in Capricorn
Capricorn. Capricorn. Capricorn. With Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, the South Node and now the Sun and Mercury in Capricorn, it can feel like we have had a full dose of Capricorn (and this will continue for much of 2020). That is the same sentence that we began the last newsletter with and the theme continues this month as Mars enters the sign of Capricorn.
However, the addition of Mars moving into Capricorn can provide some of the needed antidote for this Capricorn infused time of life with one phrase:
Mars in Capricorn:
The Guardian of Boundaries
Mars will move into Capricorn on February 16 and
remain until March 30, 2020.
For those of you with an ear toward Mercury Retrograde, you are correct that Mercury in Pisces will turn retrograde just a few hours after Mars enters Capricorn. Since Mars is the slower moving and more powerful planet, focusing on the message of Mars transiting Capricorn and not letting Mercury distract might be the best strategy for gaining awareness during this time.
Mars in Capricorn
Each astrological archetype has many themes. At The Traveler’s Well Astrology, our focus is to provide clients with tools of awareness that support each soul’s spiritual journey through life. Spiritual growth in our daily life takes place as we align awareness with action, while remaining conscious and present moment to moment.
Boundaries are an essential tool on the spiritual journey and, for each healing pathway we walk on our journey, boundaries are often one of the best medicines. As we discuss Mars in Capricorn that will be the focus.
Traditionally, when we think of Mars, we often get lost in the concepts of anger and conflict and aggression and war. These attributes are the lesser qualities of Mars. As we broaden our understanding of Mars, we recognize that we are working with a very instinctual energy that wants us to take wise, action in the world.
Mars acts in his own self-interest, instinctually without thinking. In a spiritual sense, this means that we are acting in the world day to day from an empowered place where we honor our feelings and needs by being very clear on our boundaries: what we can impact, what we can’t impact; what we want to say yes to, what we want to say no to; and what we can do, what we can’t do.
In Capricorn, Mars will join Jupiter, Saturn and Pluto – a powerful combination that will both amplify and clarify the intention of Mars in Capricorn: Guardian of Boundaries.
What are boundaries? Simply put, boundaries in the spiritual sense, help us to know when to decide:
YES
to situations and circumstances
that are in alignment
NO
to situations and circumstances
that are out of alignment.
As recommended reading over the next month, we recommend The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz and The Mastery of Self by Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. The Four Agreements is an essential body of work that can reinforce a commitment to boundaries and, if you have not read the book or, if you have not read it in a while, this would be a good time to sit with that book.
Let’s dive in and explore:
- Empowered versus unempowered beliefs
- Empowered action and setting boundaries
Empowered Versus Unempowered Beliefs
While the energy of Mars wants to be a warrior-like, a guardian, we often are not able to quickly and easily align with and embrace that energy minute to minute in our life. Limiting beliefs and unconscious thought patterns often prevent us from taking action and being decisive and we might not even realize this is happening because we are so accustomed to acting in a certain way.
The energy of Mars is meant to be projected externally in the form of actions and agreements, not indecision or inaction.
While we don’t want to focus solely on the realm of our childhood pain, we need to recognize the hidden ways it influences our life day to day. For some, this is minimally invasive and, for others, this is a full-blown invasive energy.
A child has no strength in the world of adults and, as with so many things, the quality of our early childhood environment exists along a spectrum:
In childhood, our caregivers may have been
very functional and demonstrated and supported
our ability to learn empowerment.
Hence, boundaries come easily.
Conversely, our caregivers may have been
dysfunctional at some level,
in which case we felt unempowered.
Hence, boundaries do not come easily for us.
Where the unconscious remnants of childhood pain persist, we need awareness so that we can grow beyond the pain and resistance. This pain persists in the form of limiting beliefs, unconscious associations, people pleasing, perfection: an unempowered state where setting boundaries can also be painful.
If we grew up in a primarily dysfunctional environment, we learn to make others happy, or to blend in just to feel safe. When we do that, we unconsciously make our feelings less important than our safety, meaning we are willing to sacrifice our own self-interest to others: we don’t set boundaries.
The energy of Mars is an external energy that is meant to be directed through action into the world versus forcing this energy inward in order to stay safe.
The energy of
Mars
turns
inward
when
we feel unempowered, frustrated, angry.
During this transit, you may want to become the observer of your actions:
- Do you say yes, when you mean no?
- Do you problem solve for other when you aren't even asked?
- Do you avoid taking action or making decisions for yourself, but are always ready to help others?
- In avoiding taking action or making decisions, do you fall back on comfortable patterns of energy? For example, if you avoid action while at the same time reinforcing a ‘stuck’ energy that makes you feel safe, this is sign that you may be falling into a trap of unconscious patterns.
- Are you more often angry and frustrated than actually doing things?
- How comfortable are you establishing a boundary and taking actions that are based on your own self-interest?
- If you have typically been a people pleaser and you establish a boundary, you may experience good results or your boundary may be resisted. Are you prepared for either result?
Empowered Action = Setting Boundaries with Your “Yes” and “No”
Mars in Capricorn actually wants us first to acknowledge our feelings. Wow!
That may not seem to fit our perception of Mars, but it is the truth. Mars acts instinctually from what he feels.
So, Mars wants us to honor our feelings and when we feel insecurity, frustration or anger, to learn how to express ourselves both comfortably and confidently.
For the roughly six weeks when Mars is in Capricorn, spend some quiet time exploring your feelings. Reflect on times in the day when you felt insecure, frustrated or angry. Is there a common theme? Is there a place in your body where the discomfort arises?
As you explore, you will likely find that there is a connection between the external events and your internal state of being. This is so important. When you identify the external trigger, this awareness provides you the opportunity to identify your feelings and your habits in the face of events.
One of the lessons of Capricorn is that you can’t always control external events as some things are just beyond your control. An obvious example is when you think, “I wish it wasn’t raining today”, knowing that you have no capacity to command the rain to stop.
A less obvious example might be, “I wish this person wasn’t so mean to me”. But just as you have no power over the weather, you have no real power over other people, which is a boundary. As Don Miguel Ruiz, Jr. says ‘my power extends only to the tips of my fingers and my NO is as powerful as my YES.” Setting a boundary to that which we can't control or impact relieves anger and frustration.
The only person you have control over is yourself. You can decide things for yourself. Yes! You get to be the guardian of your boundaries! You get to decide when to say “yes”, these circumstances are acceptable to me and you get to say “No” these circumstances are not acceptable.
Your Yes and your No are your boundaries. Mars in Capricorn wants you to first recognize your feelings, especially those that have been repressed, and second to be the guardian and assert your Yes or your No.
Becoming the “Guardian of Boundaries”
begins with setting boundaries:
your “yes” and “no”.
As you explore your feelings and begin to experiment with being the guardian of your boundaries, it will feel uncomfortable. Change is uncomfortable! Why? Because you will be using energy differently than in the past. Mars wants you to be courageous in the face of discomfort.
When you first set boundaries, it will feel unfamiliar because you won’t know for sure what the outcome will be. Know that as you practice setting boundaries, that you will recognize that life feels better – one step at a time.
Becoming the “Guardian of Boundaries”
requires being
OK
with some discomfort.
When you are aware of your needs and assert the “Yes” and “No” of your boundaries both consciously and without frustration or anger, you will begin to see that your energy flows more freely. Learning to say “Yes” to the flow of supportive energy and “No” to unsupportive, limiting or frustrating energy is the role of Mars in Capricorn.
For the next six weeks, explore the role of boundaries in your life. Consider setting the boundaries that honor your feelings and explore asserting your “Yes” and “No”. In the process, see if the flow of energy in your life leads to feeling, one step at a time, more comfortable and more confident.
Ahimsa
:
“You should not harm yourself
or allow yourself to be harmed by others”
