GLYPH MEANING The crab’s claws symbolize the protective and clinging nature of Cancer.
ARCHETYPES The mother. The nurturer. The protector.
DATES June 21–July 23*
HOUSE Fourth
POLARITY Negative
MODALITY Cardinal
ELEMENT Water
PLANETARY RULER Moon
*the dates represent the first and the last possible day when the Sun can be in Cancer and may vary slightly depending on the year
CHARACTERISTICS
Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac. As the first water sign, Cancer represents the ocean – the source of life in constant motion. In the sign of Cancer, the soul is learning how to create emotional safety and provide comfort for themselves and others. Cancer helps the soul develop these traits with their kind, sensitive, and loving nature.
More than anything, Cancer likes to nurture, offer support, and help both people and projects grow and evolve. Emotions run very deep for Cancer and they find it impossible to ignore that side of themselves. They are in touch with their emotional states, as well as very sensitive to other people's emotions. These qualities make Cancer an excellent caretaker. If you are going through a difficult time, they are the best person to help you. Cancer knows how to offer comfort and encouragement and make people feel better because they are so compassionate and caring.
Happy family life is essential to their wellbeing and Cancers feel very unhappy if they don't have a healthy family unit to lean on. A broken family or discord among family members affects Cancer deeply and if anything like that happens in their childhood, they never really get over it. They often choose to remain in the place where they grew up, or they live close to their relatives. They are also very protective of their home and loved ones. If you make a snide remark about their family member/hometown/country of origin, you will regret it.
In relationships, Cancer is equally devoted to caring. They like providing a loving environment and making sure their partner feels comfortable around them. They value intimacy more than anything, and they prefer to be physically close to their partner and their loved ones in general. This sentiment also extends to their friends, who are treated by Cancer like family members. If their friend is in need, Cancer will be the first one to offer them a meal and a bed for the night. When it comes to the people they care about, their compassion and love are boundless.
On the negative side, Cancer is very withdrawn. They have a hard outer shell and they keep a lot to themselves. They can come off as aloof and standoffish, but they are only trying to protect their sensitive nature. It's not easy for them to open up and it takes them a while to accept new people into their life. Once they do, they will always care about them. They also have trouble letting go of people because it's hard for them to let go of an emotional bond. Breaking ties or losing a loved one is very painful for them. Sometimes they take things too far and mourn the end of a relationship for too long. Betrayals are especially heart-breaking for Cancers and they never quite recover from such things. They often cling to old resentments because they can't let go of the fact that someone hurt them. They need to accept the situation and move on for their own sake.
Cancer doesn't do well in emotionally tense situations and they typically avoid them if at all possible. When they are involved in a conflict, they first withdraw because they need time to process what is going on. Then they try to figure out what is the best way to respond. This internal process can take a while, and in the meantime, they will give you the silent treatment until they are ready to talk. Sometimes they prefer to believe their paranoid imagination instead of confronting their partner and talking about things that bother them. Because of their sensitivity, they need a partner who understands their need for solitude and for processing their feelings on their own before discussing them.
They can also have some issues with co-dependence and clinginess. Sometimes they take their caretaking too far and start to smother people. They want to do everything for their loved ones, but this is not always healthy. Cancer mustn't let others take advantage of their generous nature and they must make sure they take care of themselves as well. They can be prickly, moody, and broody when they are unhappy. Because they are so sensitive, they can easily pick up other people's emotions and mistake them for their own. They need to find a way to decompress regularly, or things might become too overwhelming for them, which could potentially lead them to depression. In general, it is recommended Cancer regularly spends some time alone.
The biggest life lesson Cancer has to learn is related to their need for emotional security. Secretly they worry about it all the time. If they are not spending time with their loved ones, they start to doubt the stability of the emotional bonds they share with them. Sometimes this makes them manipulate others to confirm that the affection is still there. They try to make other people take care of them, spend all their time with them, or give them all their attention because it makes Cancer feel they are still loved. If they hold on too tightly, however, the danger is, they will suffocate the people they love the most. If they demand their loved ones spend all their time and energy on them, they will also restrict their personal growth. Cancer wants to support others, that is why they must let go a little. They also need to learn how to separate themselves from their family so that they can discover who they are as an individual.
Cancer needs to look to its opposite sign Capricorn and learn that it is possible to build security in a different way. Capricorn understands that it's important to keep our emotions in check and not let them overwhelm us. Instead, Capricorn is focused on building a career and having a life outside of their family. They find security in setting personal goals and achieving them. They feel their best when they become valuable members of society because, in that way, they can be supportive not only of their loved ones but of the world at large. Cancer should take this lesson from Capricorn. They need to learn that they are more than just a family member. A family is a group of people who love us and support us so that we can become the person we are supposed to become. They do not define us as a person. By letting go of them, Cancer can become valuable not only to their family but to so many other people. This is the most loving and caring sign of the zodiac. They can use these qualities in professions where they can help others grow and evolve. At the same time, they will do that for themselves and build their sense of inner security. Cancer can become their best self when they learn that they must nurture themselves first and that time or distance cannot break close emotional ties.
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