Cancer II: Creating Sacred Spaces
In this installment of my series on the 36 decans of the Zodiac, I’ll be focusing on Cancer II, the second decan of Cancer. What differentiates this decan of Cancer from the other two is its planetary rulership by Mars and Mercury. Mars adds a protective, action-oriented energy to Cancer’s emotional nature, while Mercury brings in themes of communication, understanding, and connection. Together, these planetary influences create a decan that is focused on safe spaces, emotional boundaries, and the ability to nurture relationships through clear and meaningful interaction.
In the video below I explore how these energies play out in the real world by looking at the charts of two people with prominent planets in this decan: Carl Jung and Megan Markle. We’ll also explore the tarot card associated with this decan, the Three of Cups, and look at some ancient esoteric wisdom to add depth to our understanding.
Transcript (modified and expanded)
I’m continuing my series on the 36 Decans of the Zodiac today with the second decan of Cancer. Cancer is a water sign, and all the water signs deal with emotions and how we connect to other people—how we relate to those around us. Cancer is ruled by the moon, so all three decans of this sign are tied to lunar energy. This energy is intuitive, maternal, and nurturing. It’s about helping things grow and thrive. Cancer is also a cardinal sign, which means it marks the beginning of a season. Cardinal signs are all about initiating things—they carry this natural quality of starting something new.
So that’s the general energy of Cancer, but what about this particular slice of the sign, from 10 to 20 degrees? What makes it different from the other two decans? Well, we can distinguish it by looking at its planetary rulers, Mars and Mercury. Mars brings drive, protection, and action, while Mercury adds an emphasis on communication and understanding. We can also look at the tarot card associated with this decan, the Three of Cups, as well as some ancient esoteric wisdom to help us unpack its meaning. In this video, I’ll also explore two examples of people with important placements here: Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst who worked with archetypes and dreams and had a somewhat mystical side, and Meghan Markle, whose Mars in this decan highlights her protective instincts and ability to take action. So, there’s a lot to dive into.
I hope you enjoy the video. If you do, feel free to like and subscribe—it really helps others find my content.
Planetary Rulers: Mercury (Chaldean Order) and Mars (Triplicity)
If you’ve been following along with me through the decans, you know we always start by looking at the planets that rule the decan, along with the ruler of the overall sign, to get a sense of the energy at play. For Cancer II, we’re working with the moon, Mars, and Mercury. So, what happens when we blend these energies?
As I mentioned earlier, the moon represents the intuitive side of ourselves. I went into more detail about this in my video on Cancer I where I discussed the Moon’s energy compared to the Sun’s, so I’ll link that below if you’re interested in a deeper dive. But in general, the Moon’s intuition comes from its role as the receiver of the Sun’s light. It’s not a direct or outward energy—it’s about receiving, holding, and reflecting. The Moon is tied to the material and physical world, as opposed to the Sun, which is more connected to the spiritual or the essence of life. The Moon relates to our embodied existence—it’s about nurturing, allowing things in the physical world to grow and thrive.
Now, when we add Mars to the mix, we bring in energy related to defense and protection. Mars is the god of war, yes, but in this context, it’s more about setting boundaries and creating safety. As Austin Coppock points out in his work on the decans, this part of Cancer leans more toward protection and boundary-making than outward aggression or warrior energy. It’s about creating a space where the outside world is held at bay.
Finally, we have Mercury. In Greek mythology, Mercury was Hermes, the god of communication and the messenger of the gods. Mercury traveled between the underworld and the heavens, delivering messages and facilitating connection. He’s also the trickster, associated with language, wordplay, and the kind of insights that happen during deep conversations.
When we bring all three together, this part of the Zodiac is about creating a sacred, protected space where growth can happen. It’s a place for deep conversations and meaningful connections, but also a space of nurturing and safety. Here, what is growing—whether it’s a person, an idea, or something else—isn’t quite ready to face the outside world. It needs care, boundaries, and protection in order to thrive. This part of Cancer holds that energy of creating and safeguarding the conditions where something new can emerge and take root.
And we’re going to see this idea play out in Carl Jung’s philosophy. I’ll share several quotes where he talks about the consulting room or therapy room as a safe, protected space. It’s a place where the therapist and client can have these deep conversations, allowing the self—or the deeper part of who we are—to emerge. This ties into Jung’s concept of individuation, one of his central ideas, where we grow into our fullest, most authentic selves.
Ancient Texts
Now, moving on from the planets that rule this decan, we’ll also look at some ancient esoteric texts that describe the "face" of the decan. Some of these texts can be a little repetitive, so I’ll just highlight one or two of them. The first is from the Picatrix, an ancient text that’s both magical and astrological. The Picatrix describes this decan as “a woman with a beautiful face, wearing a green wreath of myrtle on her head. In her hand, she holds the stem of a plant called the water lily. She is singing songs of love and joy, and this is a face associated with playfulness, wealth, joy, and abundance.”
Ibn Ezra also describes this decan, portraying it as “a beautiful maiden with pleasant speech.” The Beginning of Wisdom. Again, we see the influence of Mercury here. He mentions that she wears a myrtle crown on her head and holds a wooden stick in her hand. She desires wind and music. There’s a sense with this decan that those with important planets here can experience abundance and good fortune in their lives.
We know that, in addition to Mercury, Mars, and the moon being connected to this decan, Jupiter is also tied to it because Jupiter’s exaltation degree is here. An exaltation degree is the place where a planet is happiest, where it’s elevated and honored the most. Jupiter, as the planet of abundance, expansion, optimism, and good fortune, is exalted in Cancer, and specifically in this decan. So, we can expand on this idea to say that people with planets or placements in this part of the zodiac may experience good fortune when it comes to wealth and abundance.
Even the two examples I gave reflect this. Carl Jung, while not wealthy in his own right, married into wealth. That financial stability allowed him the time and resources to develop his system of analytic psychology. Meghan Markle, on the other hand, had financial success from her acting career but significantly increased her wealth after marrying into the royal family.
Tarot, 3 of Cups and “Abundance”
In addition to exploring ancient texts, I always include the tarot cards connected to each decan. For this one, we have the Three of Cups. In the Hermetic Kabbalah, threes are connected to the Sephira Binah, which represents expansion and the dynamic opening toward something new. If we examine the Three of Cups, we see three young maidens, which is significant. There’s a youthful, even naïve quality to this decan, reflecting something that’s not quite ready to emerge into the world but is in the process of growing. The maidens are dancing in a circle, their arms intertwined so closely that it’s hard to tell whose arm is whose. They hold cups in the air, and cups, of course, represent water signs in tarot. The card conveys a sense of celebration, joy, and connection.
3 of Cups, Rider-Waite Tarot
This joyful energy ties back to this decan’s themes. Mercury is present, guiding communication, while Mars creates a safe, protective space for those conversations to flow. People with energy in this part of the zodiac may become therapists or others who create safe, nurturing spaces. But it’s also about those who have a gift for fostering loving, supportive environments for friends to connect. This decan is all about the kinds of conversations we have when we feel safe—when we can share parts of ourselves that are still developing, testing out ideas or emotions without fear of judgment.
Think of a backyard gathering with friends, where you’re enjoying each other’s company, sharing stories, and having deep conversations in a relaxed, protected space. That’s the energy of the second decan of Cancer.
But then there’s also the idea—when we bring in the Crowley deck, or rather the Thoth deck, and talk about it—this is the Three of Cups card, which is called Abundance. Crowley, when discussing this part of the zodiac, points out the presence of pomegranates in the card. The pomegranate seed connects to the myth of Demeter and Persephone, which Crowley highlights. To really deepen our understanding of this decan, we need to see it as representing a seminal stage in relationships. It’s the young maiden—everything is protected and safe, providing the freedom to grow. But it’s not a mature love yet. This is the phase of life where we’re shielded, like children, still untouched by the outer world.
3 of Cups, “Abundance,” Thoth Tarot
This idea ties into the myth of Demeter and Persephone. In the story, Persephone is a young maiden who goes out to pick narcissus flowers. Hades rises from the underworld, abducts her, and takes her to his realm. She eats three pomegranate seeds, which binds her to the underworld forever. In this act, she undergoes a transformation, maturing into the queen of the underworld and the bride of Hades. Her mother, Demeter—the goddess of agriculture—becomes enraged by the violation of Persephone’s innocence. In her grief and fury, Demeter halts all growth and life on Earth, demanding her daughter’s return. Eventually, a deal is negotiated, marking Persephone’s movement between two worlds and her shift from innocence to experience.
I bring up the Demeter-Persephone myth because it helps us understand this part of the zodiac—Cancer—as the first of the three water signs. As we move through the water signs, we see the maturation of emotional energy. Cancer is about me—my emotions, my growth, my safe space. By the time we get to Scorpio, it’s about you and me—the struggle with life-and-death questions, desire, and deep emotional connection to another person. And finally, Pisces, the last water sign, is about the vast, oceanic connection to something greater than ourselves.
Even though this progression is a bit deep and advanced, I think it helps to see the zodiac as a journey, where the signs don’t exist in isolation. They reflect the evolution and maturation of each element as we move through them.
If you have planets in this part of the zodiac, it might be helpful to reflect on that. There’s something here about protecting the right of the individual to connect to a deeper part of themselves and to grow into who they’re meant to be—a process Carl Jung described as individuation. There’s this “mama bear” energy in this decan, about ensuring that people, young children, creativity, or even fragile ideas, are nurtured and given the space they need to develop.
Chart Examples
Now, let’s look at chart examples of Carl Jung and Megan Markle, both who have important planets in Cancer II.
Carl Jung
Let’s start with Carl Jung. Jung had his Mercury and Venus in Cancer in the 6th house. Mercury rules the decan and has added dignity here. I have some interesting quotes from him about the idea of “sacred space,” which is really what this second decan of Cancer is all about. He referred to it as the Temenos. In ancient Greece, a temenos referred to a sacred, enclosed space that was set apart for religious purposes, such as a sanctuary or a precinct dedicated to a deity. It was a space that was "cut off" from the ordinary world and dedicated to the sacred.
Jung, at his core, was a therapist, but he was so much more than that. He started out working closely with Freud, and for a while, they were collaborators—Freud even saw Jung as something of a protégé. But eventually, Jung broke away because his ideas took him in a completely different direction.
Jung wasn’t just interested in the mind from a clinical perspective—he was fascinated by the deeper, symbolic layers of human experience. He explored mythology, religion, dreams, and even alchemy, searching for universal patterns and truths that connect all of us. He’s the one who introduced concepts like the archetypes—universal symbols or themes that show up across cultures and in our own personal lives—and the collective unconscious, this shared reservoir of knowledge and experience that we all tap into, whether we realize it or not.
But what really set Jung apart was his focus on wholeness. He believed that each of us has an inner guide, which he called the Self—a centralizing, spiritual energy that can help us find balance and purpose in our lives. He saw the process of connecting with this inner guide as a journey of individuation, where we integrate all the parts of who we are—the good, the bad, the conscious, the unconscious—to become our fullest selves.
Jung’s idea of the Temenos, or sacred space, ties into all of this. He believed that healing and transformation happen when we create a container—a protected space where we can connect with that deeper part of ourselves. For Jung, the consulting room was an example of this. It wasn’t just a place for a therapist and client to talk; it was a sacred space where a “third presence”—a kind of sacred energy—could enter and guide the process.
And this idea of the “third” ties back to the threes, like the Three of Cups. The second decan of Cancer carries this energy of creating a sacred space where something new—a deeper connection, a new understanding—can emerge. It’s different from the first decan of Cancer, which is more about the symbiotic relationship, like the deep bond between a mother and child in the Two of Cups. The second decan is where we move beyond that, opening up to something larger and more expansive.
Again, that’s a little deep. But if you’re interested in Carl Jung’s work and some of these ideas, there are a lot of great books out there. One I’d recommend is Murray Stein’s book on the midlife transition—it’s called Midlife. It’s a really good place to start if you want to understand this idea of the calling of the Self—the way the Self draws us back to ourselves, inviting us to explore something bigger within.
Here are some of Jung’s writings on the notion of Temenos:
In the 12th book of the Collected Works, Jung states:
"The therapeutic process takes place in a bounded psychic space, a kind of temenos in which the patient and the analyst form a dyad. This creates a magic circle in which the transformation can occur."
Then, in The Practice of Psychotherapy, he says:
"The consulting room must be a place where the patient feels secure, where they can lay bare their innermost thoughts without fear of judgment. This magic circle allows the unconscious to emerge and be worked on."
And then, in Psychology and Alchemy, he says:
"The patient, by voluntarily telling the doctor his most secret thoughts, emotions, and fantasies, creates a kind of temenos around them, a magic circle, a protected space where the inner contents can be safely worked through."
And that last paragraph—the whole idea where the patient can tell their most secret thoughts, emotions, and fantasies—that’s Mercury, right? This communication aspect of the second Decan of Cancer, where it's about creating spaces where we can speak and feel safe speaking.
Meghan Markle
And then we have Meghan Markle, who has her Mars in Cancer II. We’ve talked about Mars ruling this decan of Cancer and how it’s more about creating a barrier that blocks out the outer world—the world that might judge you or attack you for what you think or how you’re trying to grow. It’s that classic mama bear energy, and Meghan Markle really embodies that.
You can see this in what happened in 2020. When she was dealing with all the negativity in England—feeling judged by the royal family—she and Harry made the decision to move to the United States to protect their son. They spoke a lot about wanting to create a space where he could just be a kid. In fact, they chose not to give royal titles to either of their children, specifically so they wouldn’t have to carry all that external pressure. It’s about giving them the freedom to discover who they are and to individuate—that idea of individuation we’ve talked about.
On top of that, the home they built in California is well-known for its extraordinary security system. They’ve created this protective space where paparazzi and outsiders can’t intrude on their children. Again, it’s about making sure their kids can grow up in an environment where they can thrive without judgment—just like Jung’s idea of the sacred space.
Yeah, so I think that’s enough for now. I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, don’t forget to like and subscribe, and I’ll see you in a few days for the third decan of Cancer.