Cancer

One can make many negative puns about the Cancer zodiac sign, but in astrology, they are reputable for being anything but that. People who have this particular sign are well known for their boundless creative power– they can interact with the world and draw inspiration even from the dust particles around them.

The Cancer zodiac sign is also known for their loyalty towards their friends. Not only will they give them works of art, but they will also see to it that they are well taken care of as long as they are within their social circle. They will dote on them and ask for their feelings on matters, making them great companions.

Of course, their mood can also be easily shaken as a result of this emotional affinity. They can seem quite random in this regard, so they might need some time for other signs to read. Patience will go a long way in dealing with this sign, and as long as you have plenty, there will be no problems.

Symbolism and Myth

The history of the Cancer symbol is rich and full of historical value. Although the dominant sign is the crab, there have been many iterations throughout the centuries. In Egypt, for example, what passed for “Cancer” wasn’t the crab but the scarab. Such a creature was revered for being the symbol of infinity and immortality.

The Babylonians, on the other hand, considered Cancer to be the equivalent of the ferryman Charon in Ancient Greece. Cancer served as a means to bring people over to the underworld so that their souls may rest — or suffer — in the arms of death itself.

In more modern times, however, the Crab has become the symbol of this illustrious sign– the pincer being its primary offensive weapon and the shell itself being the shield. The crab is a territorial animal that effectively signals their strong loyalty and family ties– virtues that make it a perfect fit for the Cancer zodiac sign.

Modality, Element, Season

Cancer and Cardinal Modality

The Cancer zodiac sign is of cardinal modality. In principle, this means that they are the exemplars among all the Water signs. This may well be so because they are the vectors of positive emotion all throughout. They also have a unique brand of leadership that focuses not on a central authority but on collective and individual feelings.

However, even as individuals, one should not be so quick to underestimate them. They are true creatives in every sense of the word, often bringing with them certain greatness in their line of work. For example, they can create vivid images of the world around them or create captivating stories that can make even the most hardened people on earth weep.

Cancer and the Water Element

Another characteristic of the Cancer Zodiac sign is their unique attachment to the water element. In astrology, water is a sign of both adaptability and emotion. In terms of raw adaptability, this is due to the fact that they are able to ride the waves of life– or be swept aside by it. Come what may, they will always have something in mind for the occasion– and Cancers are considered to be generally invested people.

However, just as they are able to ride the challenges of life and make use of their emotional reserves for greater things, so too are they capable of being destroyed by these two things. When this happens, they can be overwhelmed in a more severe way as compared to the other water signs. This requires the Cancer zodiac sign to be delicate and precise.

Cancer and the Summer Season

Within the birth chart, the Cancer dates are situated between June 21 and July 22. These dates also herald the start of the summer, making it Cancer season. After the fire signs have done their job in waking the whole world, Cancer and all the other summer signs are tasked with maintaining this momentum. In this case, therefore, it is only fitting that the task is commenced by the Cancer zodiac sign.

Cancer, after all, is the sign of emotion that serves to effectively amplify the feelings left over by the Spring Season. By reminding the people around them of the purpose and feelings of momentum, everyone around them will be motivated to push forward with their plans in life. 

Their creative powers will also serve to amplify this in their own way and add further to the durability of the Earth signs, the temper of the Fire signs, and the freedom of the Air signs.

Planetary Relationships

Each planet has a certain relationship to each sign as regards their weaknesses and strengths. In this way, there is no difference for Cancer here. Here are the planets involved in the Cancer constellation:

Cancer and the Moon

The Moon is the heavenly body that dominates the Cancer zodiac sign. In astrology, the Moon’s importance is explained by the fact that it reflects the Sun’s light as it passes on earth. It serves as an adequate metaphor for the Cancer’s own reflective nature: they serve to amplify the feelings of everyone around them.

Additionally, the Moon also dictates the tides of the Earth due to its magnetic pull. This shows Cancer’s powerful effect on the people around them as their actions can influence their emotions.

Cancer and Mars

As a planet, Mars can at times be neutered by Cancer. This is due to the fact that the former embodies martial energy and relentless ambition, while Cancer represents a combination of every emotion– including the opposite of all these– serenity and peace. 

That aside, Mars is represented by the fire element, while Cancer is seen in water. As a result, Cancer effectively neutralizes Mars and can sometimes serve as a foil to signs that follow it, especially the fire signs.

Cancer and Jupiter

Being the planet of hope and blessing, Jupiter has a likewise thriving relationship with Cancer. This in turn fuels the Cancer horoscope. Together, they have two functions. First, Cancer can take blessings from Jupiter to give themselves an even greater advantage in life and enhance their leadership qualities.

Secondly, it helps increase the ability of other signs under the Cancer’s astute leadership to finally make progress by helping them unlock their own instinct for victory and prosperity.

Cancer and Saturn

Saturn— the ringed planet– is the epitome of organization, and can therefore run counter to Cancer’s more creative and emotion-centric personality. There is a possibility for these planets to unite if Cancer is able to adjust to the rigors of personal self-discipline and rigid scheduling, but this can be exceedingly hard.

In general, it is difficult for the Cancer zodiac sign to adapt in situations where they feel emotionally trapped and forced to act a certain way, making it a definite foil to Saturn.

House Rulership

The Houses of Astrology play an important role in defining the limits and strengths of each astrological sign. For the Cancer zodiac sign, there are two significant houses that come to mind. These are:

Third House: The House of Interaction

The Cancer zodiac sign is surprisingly adept at communication. Though they may not be ruled per se by Mercury, the planet of communication, they are nevertheless blessed with this skill, owing to the fact that they are creative characters. What they can’t communicate with their mouths, they’ll often do so with their artistic prowess.

And when they do make their point from an artistic view, the results are nonetheless astonishing. The results are enough to ensure that anyone gets the message, and the way they do this is often in the style of poets and painters: show, don’t tell, making it even more effective.

Fourth House: The House of Community

The other house within the domain of the Cancer zodiac sign happens to be that of community– the Fourth House. Primarily, this is due to the fact that Cancer people are family-oriented, with an eye towards keeping the cohesiveness of the group by increasing their emotional connection.

In fact, they are so adept at keeping the family together that they are usually the ones who mend differences at work, school, or even at home. When their siblings hurt them, it is they who reach out first and often give way, resulting in differences being settled all the more quickly.

Personality

The Cancer zodiac sign has plenty of personalities on account of their emotive nature that it is actually quite difficult to name them all. However, there are some dominant themes that one can latch onto whenever they think about their crabby pals. Central to Cancer personality is their emotional attunement to other people and their ability to perceive feelings.

This sense of perception also makes them sensitive to stressors around them. This makes them particularly useful at work as they are able to pacify conflicts before they can even start. They have an almost radar-like sense of the crowds and people around them that they end up becoming really useful in keeping morale high, particularly in tense situations where every person has to look out for the other.

However, this does mean that they also can be more destructive than other people due to the fact that they feel more emotions than most, especially when things aren’t under control. Mitigating this is the mission of both Cancer and everyone around.

Strengths 

One of the foremost Cancer traits is their imagination. It serves as the foundation for many of the Cancer zodiac sign’s signature strengths. Through their vast reserves of creativity, they are able to shape the world and the people around them in some way, making sure that their influence is long-lasting and solid all throughout.

Aside from this, they are also remarkably consistent. This comes from the fact that they are emotionally-invested personalities. When they commit to something, they are able to lock on to not just the goal, but also the feelings that led to them committing in the first place. They never lose their purpose in the heat of battle.

As a result of this consistency, the loyalty of the Cancer zodiac sign borders on unyielding. They won’t turn on their friends at all and will maintain their bonds with them even as they go their separate ways in life. A relationship with a Cancer sign is often lifelong, and even though it’s not always the case, they will still keep their place in other people’s hearts long after it’s over.

Due to their emotional capability, they are also capable of persuading people into believing their side of any story or point of view. They have a certain charisma about them that comes only from being able to read people’s feelings and emotions, as well as being able to harness such emotions for their own purposes. This is truly a great power indeed that allows them to succeed in friendships and in their career.

Lastly, they also have strong instincts and gut feelings. They are able to tell if something goes wrong by emotion and intuition, and more often than not, the results are astonishingly consistent. This makes them capable of changing directions as the times demand without any problems.

Weaknesses

Though Cancer is blessed with many strengths, they can often have their own problems, too. In this case, their very emotional drive can sometimes be a problem in some situations. They may be sensitive to other people’s needs, but once pushed to the limit, they can snap and be just as emotionally negative. 

This negativity can be corrosive to their relationships with other people and could potentially cause them to lose friendships. Aside from this, they can also become distracted when the situation becomes too tense. They are always worried about fixing problems, so when something goes wrong, their priorities might shift as well.

They can also be too careful about themselves socially. Just like the crab, they are wary of other people’s intentions, and will often try to squeeze as much information as possible about people before they make any contact or friendships with them. This can make them feel like they’re loners, even though they’re usually not.

With their emotions on high alert, they can also have a rather cynical, negative view of life. They tend to assume other people’s motives and see the world in their own, negative way. This can sometimes dampen their ability to cheer themselves up and even their ability to converse, and give the impression that they are too high-maintenance.

Ultimately, this makes them suspicious of everything around them. They will not show such thoughts in public; such is their social adaptability at work, but when you get to know them, you will see that they will often depend on you for strength as they are sometimes unable to figure out the world around them.

Friendships with this sign, therefore, are truly essential in helping them change their perspective of the world, which while at times astute, can also be problematic in the long run. Their suspicions mean they might miss opportunities, and because of this, they can truly feel alone.

Love and Romance

In terms of love and romance, Cancer has a natural aversion to fire signs. Though signs like Aries are naturally adept and extroverted, their tendency to be insensitive and selfish in their desire to pursue their plans runs in direct contrast to the more humane, loving approach of the Cancer signs.

When they bond, they might hang out and have good chemistry initially, but the problems that govern this emotional imbalance could possibly offset whatever benefits there might be to having a relationship. It could be especially poisonous on Cancer, since they thrive on the power of emotion.

As for the air signs, the dynamic is much better due to their adaptability to Cancer’s emotions. They are willing to ride the flow of their emotional fervor, and they can be likewise dedicated enough to actually allow Cancer to actually unravel emotions they didn’t know they had to begin with. It can be a learning experience for both sides.

Lastly, water signs are often better for Cancer compatibility. Pisces and Scorpio understand the fundamental emotional connections of humanity, and will therefore use it to make sure that each time spent with Cancer is meaningful, full of love and filled with great happiness for everyone.

Career

Cancer’s career path is often quite jagged. But this is only because their motivations can sometimes change according to their mood. On the one hand, they might consider trying out new skills, making themselves very flexible on the fly and actually managing to impress people with their vast knowledge.

However, it could also mean that they have a tendency to become a jack of all trades. They are good at every task, but not particularly remarkable at anything. As such, Cancers need to find their stride and actually go for something more sustainable and specialized, although admittedly finding one’s passions is difficult.

Cancer is also inclined towards a more peaceful and well-settled office culture. They have no taste for politics within the office and will immediately feel low should they be caught right in the middle of it. They would rather insulate themselves than avoid any stressful situations if they are able.

Lastly, they are also very good at cheering people up. Though they may not like problems within the office, they can be quite involved when their friends are stressed out, and will therefore use every bit of resource they can to make sure they stay happy and able to work the very next day.

Health

There are many aspects to astrological medicine that Cancers need to heed so as to give themselves an edge for the day’s potentially numerous problems. For Cancer, here’s what you need to know:

Medicine

Cancer is a sign particularly susceptible to cold temperatures, making colds and congestion a bane in their way of life. For this reason, Mullein is a good pick-me-up for them. It serves to ease congestion and remove colds while also having a soothing effect that stifles coughs and keeps them ready and awake for the entire day.

Temperament

The temperament of Cancer is indicative of its most primary problem and strength: phlegmatic. This means that their bodies are generally more suited to the cold and moisture, even though their placement in the summer season tends to contradict this. Their water element means that they are more suited to likewise helping other people stay in the cold and fight off ailments caused by cold weather.

Body Parts

With the Cancer being of a phlegmatic constitution, they are understandably ruled by the moist parts of the body, notably the brain, stomach and breasts. Cancer’s further association with the feminine and the moon also means that the primary goal of these body parts is to sustain life. To keep these functioning in proper order, stressors should be avoided and a steady diet of unprocessed produce maintained.

Tarot

The Cancer tarot has 4 cards. Each of these cards are meant to show and explain in full display the many intricacies that make Cancer a sign that stands tall above its peers. Here they are in greater detail:

Major Arcana Card

The Chariot is the representative card of the Cancer sign. As it suggests, it involves bravery and courage. However, it also shows passion, as it is passion after all that sustains one’s bravery and courage. Without the passion and emotional drive, a warrior cannot possibly function and uphold their purpose in life, and since Cancer signs are the epitome of this, they are perfect examples of the Chariot card.

Minor Arcana Cards

The influence of Cancer doesn’t just end with the Chariot card. In the Minor arcana, there are 3 other cards that express the Cancer’s function in life and show which values Cancer tends to uphold. These cards are the following:

Two of Cups

The Two of Cups is known as the card of affection and love. This meaning is particularly crucial to Cancer as it embodies the spirit of their emotional fervor. Under the right circumstances, the emotions they feel ought to in fact radiate between them and the people around them.

Three of Cups

Likewise consistent with Cancer’s social nature is the Three of Cups. In this card, people are shown to be jubilant and partying together, signalling a sense of collective triumph and prosperity.

Four of Cups

The Four of Cups shows the meaning of meditation and contemplation. Both of these are crucial for Cancer, as these are often the means that they can harness their strong creative prowess– and even take a break from stressful times.