We all know that person in our lives who was nurturing in sort of a pushy way. Maybe it was Uncle Dave who made you sing a song on your birthday under much protest, or he gave you presents that were always sensible, like wool socks at age 7. Did he make you walk home in the snow to teach you what his life was like as a kid? Or it might have been that summer romance from years ago that didn’t quite make it long term, yet fond memories remain. They gave you tips on your appearance, like which colors to wear even if you’re simply stepping outside to get the mail (perhaps just a little more advice than you need). They know what you like to eat and will decide for you what to order at the restaurant. There is something comforting about this; who doesn’t like attention, but occasionally we need to step out on the porch and get a bit of fresh air apart from this over-attentive lover.
Quite often this is evidence of Mars and the Moon blending together or knocking heads. The combination of warrior and nurturer brings many manifestations. It means tough love, but it also means, “I love you a lot lot lot!” Or it can mean, “I’m one attorney who will reduce your opponent to tears and wow will I feel good about it!” This is all colored, of course, by the strength of these planets in the chart and their relationships to other celestial bodies. With more intense relationship by close degrees, it can mean “I don’t want you to be social at all. Stay home with me and you are mine.” It may also indicate the person will suffer secretly, hiding problems for your sake (they think) because their love is so powerful. Many lovers will take a bullet for each other, but this one will take the bullet and you won’t even know it.
The moon is the unconscious mind, in addition to being the nourisher. So this adds all kinds of possibilities. The Mars/Moon person may leave empty coffee cups in the bathroom year after year, despite the fact that you graciously suggest that some habits can be changed. To make it more interesting, they don’t understand why the habit continues. You mention it and they give you sort of a blank look or a shrug. The very thing that troubles you becomes the thing that they do even after serious discussions. And in the end, does it really matter? The coffee cup is no great offense. But the feeling of being ignored is more serious. This is where self-awareness of our planet influences is a key to healthy relationships. We need to know where our blind spots are and once everyone understands the nature of this blind spot, the tension evaporates. We also know what areas we need to work on, probably a little harder than most other people. Somehow we carry on, and we all get older and hopefully more forgiving of each other. Astrology is one way to really understand life’s bullets and coffee cups.