In early 2019, you might be accused of living up to your name: “Crabby.” But for good reason. The year kicks off with an overwhelming emphasis on your partner.
“Others” are a big deal now, and you tend to feel responsible for them. That’s not all negative. Maybe you’re just starting to appreciate the work involved in “partnering up.” You may have been the driving force that brought a partner into your life, but now you need to deliver because it’s locked in. No more squeezing the produce. You can’t afford to be super-sensitive and back out at the first obstacle; you have to make it work.
If you’re single, the unrelenting emphasis of your solo quest, of the absence of a partner, could be causing you distress. That you must go it alone is a bitter pill, and one you’ve resisted swallowing for the past year.
This is perhaps not the happy news you were hoping for, but it’s the start of a reset that’s overdue and sorely needed. It’s probably best to acknowledge that relationships have been a sticking point for more than a year – since Saturn entered your solar house of partnership in December 2017. Traveling through the sign of Capricorn, Saturn is in the sign that it rules and will remain there until December of 2020. That means Saturn has a free hand to test you, especially when it comes to relationships. Your partner isn’t just stealing the limelight; s/he might be placing heavy demands on you because they themselves feel overwhelmed. Your tendency to protect your loved ones means your partner’s burdens often become yours.
But know this is subject to change. Much of what goes on when Saturn first enters a sign is a dismantling of sorts. Saturn kicks down old structures and inspects the foundation of everything that he touches. That means your partner’s health, wealth or disposition could be tanking. About midpoint through Saturn’s transit of a sign, the planet of trials and tests assists with rebuilding, encouraging you to create a more honest and enduring approach to relationships.
Yes, it’s true that you “mother” others, but few understand it’s because you want to be mothered in return. Yet, you seldom get nurtured in the way you so masterfully nurture others. Now, with Saturn in the picture, your expectations are more in line with reality. You’re growing up, maturing and learning to nurture yourself. Call it relationship “adulting.”
But in the meantime, what’s the best antidote for Saturn? Accepting reality, being willing to learn, and establishing boundaries.
Through all your partner’s demands, criticism and neediness, one question is being asked in all sorts of different ways: How much do you want to be in a relationship? To what lengths will you go, what will you sacrifice and how much will you put up with? Is any relationship worth the struggle? Would you be better off on your own?
As you attempt to answer those questions, you may receive some cosmic help in the form of five eclipses in 2019. Eclipses are notable catalysts for Cancers, as they involve your ruling luminary, the Moon. And eclipses will be especially important to you in 2019, as four of the five eclipses in 2019 directly impact your solar house of partnership, affecting not only your relationships but also your approach to life, perhaps even your appearance. This can’t help but usher in changes – some welcome and others surprising and potentially upsetting.
A solar eclipse on Jan. 5 might bring an important letter or email concerning your partner’s ambitions. The news triggers a serious or authoritative response. Your partner could be asked to shoulder more work responsibilities and in doing so, might pull you into her or his quagmire. This could be an opportunity for you to employ some tough love strategies and say “no.” If not, don’t worry, there will be other tests later in the year.
Two weeks after the first eclipse, on Jan. 20, a total lunar eclipse at 1 degree of Leo takes place. This could potentially bring disturbing news about finances, either concerning yours or those of your partner, involving financial transactions or investments that took place six months prior (on or around July 20, 2018).
Having your security threatened and potentially that of your family is one way to get a Cancer’s attention. Think of how Cancerian actor Harrison Ford responded to such threats in nearly every movie he made, when he became the Godzilla of family defense?
While there may be serious overtones to the January eclipses, they might well be accompanied by artistic or poetic outpourings. Thanks to a sextile from Neptune to Saturn, you might even be drawn to spiritual leanings that help you deal more positively with the stink bombs that Saturn is inclined to drop in your path.
Neptune will sextile Saturn exactly on Jan. 31, June 18 and Nov. 8, and in so doing, bring a form of planetary support to Cancer by teaching you that responsibility can be good for you. Neptune inspires acts of service and gives you the ability to make your dreams come true.
In addition, the moon’s North Node has returned to your sign in 2019, pulling back the curtain on your spiritual lessons, some of which are rooted in events that occurred 19 years ago when the North Node was last in your sign. In some respects, it may feel like a fated year where you’ll meet people who change your life during moments of profound synchronicity. These chance encounters provide just the kind of reassurance you need, knowing that your challenges serve a purpose.
Instead of judging or feeling judged, this is the year you will get down in the pit and learn how to deal with difficult times and situations. Those born in the summer, when the “livin’ is easy,” often have an innate confidence that the universe provides for them and gives them what they need. Children of the Moon can be quite uncomfortable when they find themselves challenged or having to work through quandaries. But we all need some difficulty to truly become better human beings. Cancers, famously known for their thin skin, will get to toughen up this year.
Your real commitment is to yourself, your authentic self, not the roles you play on autopilot. Not even “the good mother” role (oddly enough, if you have kids, you may find you’re not getting along with them right now). As the year progresses, you start to see that you do have a choice about your role, your responsibilities, your partners and children. You get to be yourself and that includes occasionally being pissed off. But look for that realization to sink in later in the summer, not right at first.
The silver lining is that after years of upheaval and instability, there can now be more predictability in your professional life. You still have something to prove but it’s on your terms, not while the rug gets pulled out from under your feet. In addition, you may discover a more benevolent hand in your daily grind, including the offer of travel and conferences, especially prior to April and after mid-August. If you’ve experienced health challenges, there may be mentors or teachers who can inspire you and help you to overcome bad habits.
The July 2 solar eclipse in your own sign brings to a head a partnership challenge that’s been going on for a year. But you’re noticing that this time around, you’re in a better position to respond to any sudden demands because you are feeling more your authentic self.
On July 16, a lunar eclipse involving Saturn and the North Node has you looking back six months to a heavy partnership concern that is now making you question whether or not you should remain together. You’ll start to jettison what’s not working for you. Or your responsibilities and obligations might just jettison you.
The planet of communication, Mercury, is retrograde in the sign of Leo during the July 16 eclipse. The planet happens to be touching the exact point of an earlier eclipse on Jan. 20, rewinding the lessons of January. It’s giving you the chance to see the problem as if you, not your partner, were calling the shots, especially as they relate to your finances. If you didn’t construct your boundaries and create a plan for security then, you get a do-over now.
Despite the eclipse and retrogrades around your birthday, the period from June 22 to July 22 is a time when you get to be your real self. Your confidence returns, and you know you can handle any situation.
By December, you could feel the burdens around partnership beginning to lift. There’s perhaps a feeling that much was learned and now you’re making sense of it. It’s not so much serious business.
As more levity and understanding takes place around the idea of partnership, a final solar eclipse on Christmas Day sets a direction for 2020. If your relationship has survived, you will be able to make some magic together in the time ahead. You may even tie the knot, if you haven’t already.
If, through the course of the 2019, your partner has flown the coop, your faith that everything will be OK begins to ebb back into your soul. And based on what you’ve learned in 2019, singletons now may be less hesitant to invite a healthy relationship into their lives.
While 2019 may have given you the right to be “crabby,” it’s also helped you master being strong, being self-assured and creating healthy boundaries in partnerships. Plus, as the crab, you’ll always own the secrets of the deep.
By Jerre Wroble
