Cancer Sign
The sign Cancer is ruled by the reflective and changeable Moon and is symbolized by the Crab.
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attributes of this water sign would tend to make you want to run right
out and get a Cancer all for your very own: Compassionate, caring,
healing, emotional, family oriented, nurturing.
You might wonder, given all of these sterling qualities, why a sign so
obviously filled to overflowing with the Milk of Human Kindness could
possibly by symbolized by something as potentially nasty as a Crab!
Cancer is probably one of the most complex signs in the Zodiac. They
share this distinction with their two fellow water signs (Scorpio and
Pisces) for when dealing with the element of water in any form we are
dealing with a source of tremendous power and tremendous diversity.
Take a look at water! See how it flows around whatever is in its path,
not pausing, simply adapting its course to accommodate the obstacle.
Pour water into any vessel. There is no attempt on the part of water
to change the shape of the vessel which contains it. Water
effortlessly changes ITS shape until it fits, snugly, into its new
home. Cancer's strength lies in this ability to adapt themselves and
flow comfortably into the needs and feelings of others.
Cancers do care! They care deeply about those things and people in
their life which make them FEEL safe, secure and accepted. Moon
Children will constantly seek that safe haven where they can feel free
to poke their heads out of their crusty shell and look around at life.
Thus, Cancer's traditional preoccupation with "home". The Crab only
gets nasty when its security is threatened or its feelings ignored.
The Moon, which rules this emotional sign is NOT the most stable of
bodies. It whizzes through the Zodiac in its orbit around the Earth in
a lightning 28 days. Its orbit is not consistent, but a sort of
herky-jerky motion which moves..now fast..now slow.. as it touches
each sign and planet in your chart. Small wonder that Cancers, who
respond instinctively to the Moon's vibrations, can occasionally be
called "moody". The low and high tides of their emotions follow the
staggered path of their ruler, making it difficult at times for them
to be sure WHAT they feel from one day to the next.
The sign Cancer offers to each of us the opportunity to establish
emotional ties to others. It teaches us about the love and security
which we can experience through caring for others. Cancers only
experience problems when, in their desire to care for those they love,
they forget that the whole point of nurturing others is to allow them
to grow into independence.
These are the "Cosmic Mothers" of the Zodiac, though the point should
be made that EVERYONE responds to the Cancerian vibration through the
Moon in their chart, AND through the house in their natal chart which
has Cancer on the cusp. The reflected light of the moon symbolized the
reflected life some Cancers may lead if they depend too much on the
emotional care they give to others as an indication of their OWN
worth. Children leave home, people move on. Cancers who cannot accept
this will cling to the past, despondent and unhappy.
Cancers are supportive and encouraging partners when their emotional
strength is directed, at least in part, towards themselves. They are
able to ENCOURAGE those around them to follow thier own paths of
growth. They draw strength from the experiences and lessons of the
past, rather than clinging to them. They provide a safe and cozy haven
to which their wandering chicks can return for sustenance, while in
the meantime they are busy achieving their OWN goals in life. Moon
Children who can find their "home" and emotional security in their own
inner being will live out the highest qualities of their sign, to the
benefit of all whom they touch.