★ CANCER ★
22 June – 21 July
Key phrase: “I feel”.
Cancers can best be described as intuitive. They have great faith in their ability to reason, which can in some cases contradict evidence and logic. They are passionate people, and alter their moods according to the given situation, people, and surroundings. Emotions guide them more than facts. Their beliefs may not make any sense to the other zodiac signs, but there is no point in trying to convince a Cancer. What they say goes.
Cancers are amazing sources of support for friends, family and loved ones. They are tactful when it comes to expressing their opinions, and judge the gravity of a situation before dealing with it. You will rarely find a Cancer overbearing, intruding, or harsh. They are never cold, uncaring, or indifferent, but will reflect the appropriate emotion depending on the situation.
Cancers are stable enough in their romantic relationships to be flexible, as long as the other person is exhibiting compromise. They will not stay with someone who cheats on them or betrays their trust in any way. Since Cancers are extremely caring and considerate, they expect the other person to be the same. If they don’t find this sense of sensitivity and caring, they usually don’t leave the person, but they behave in such a manner that the partner has no choice but to leave.
Cancers have a gamut of emotions inside them that they don’t always express. Therefore, a Cancer’s partner would need to be intuitive enough to understand what the other person is feeling. Cancers don’t like revealing much of themselves because they enjoy feeling protected. However, this does not mean that Cancers don’t have a need to feel close to their loved ones, be it friends, family, or lovers. They will only begin to open up once they feel immensely loved and cared for.
Cancer, Intensely Emotional?
Your Sun Sign Revelations
Origin/Representation
The primary reason they chose the crab is because the sun enters Cancer on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. The next day, it begins its backward motion towards the equator. Therefore, as it moves forward through time, it’s moving backwards in the sky. This apparent paradox is perfectly symbolised by the crab, which must move backwards in order to move forwards.
The word itself is derived from the Arabic “khan,” which means resting place, and “keras,” which refers to encircling arms. Put the two together, and you have a picture of a person who places a high value on his home life, and who is extremely caring.
Cancer is ruled by the moon, which presides over emotions (the tidal forces within us), home life, fertility, and maternal qualities. It is a water sign, so Cancerians tend to reside near an ocean, lake, or river. And it’s the fourth house of the zodiac, which is physically represented by the breast and stomach, whose most pervasive quality is tenacity.
Positive Qualities
The outer shell metaphor extends to the fact that you’re most comfortable in your own home – more than any other sign, you are the domestic expert. You know exactly which furniture goes with which decor, or how to hang blinds, even how to fix the taps. Combined with your caring side, this makes you an ideal mother or father – no matter how busy your career may get, your family and home life will always come first.
Trouble Areas
Although your tough outer shell is there for your own protection, you are frequently misunderstood because of it – on the outside, you appear reserved and even unfeeling. Inside, however, your still waters run very deep indeed. It often frustrates you that people don’t see the real you, the side of you that cares so deeply for others; when you do let your emotions run to the surface, people just think you’re being moody or touchy.
You have a tendency to brood, even to become severely depressed. You’re always frowning, worrying about all your problems instead of enjoying the view – you probably live by a body of water, so step outside and let its power comfort you. Go fishing.
Ironically, because of your primal need for domestic tranquility, you often become too demanding of your mate. You want your home to be perfect, like some “Father Knows Best” fantasy family. You must realise that everyone has faults, that life isn’t ever going to be perfect, and that you should just roll with it and do the best you can. Domestic strife is quite common with Cancerians for this reason, but it needn’t be. Lighten up.
Physical Qualities and Activities
You most enjoy activities that alleviate the stress you’ve built up from all that worrying. Golf is popular among Cancerians for this very reason. Even better, any relaxing pastime that involves water is highly recommended – fishing, sailing, or for the more active, water-skiing.
Because of your domestic affinity, you also enjoy home-based hobbies. You might want to build an addition to your house (extending that shell), or continue perfecting it in some way – you always seem to have little projects to do around the home, be it painting, fixing, or strengthening its security. Finally, needlework is popular among Cancerians, perhaps because it closely resembles the movement of a crab’s pincers.
Many Cancerians are attracted to art – it’s such an emotional sign, it’s natural to feel the expression deeply. You may love photography in particular, because it captures the emotion of a moment. (It also involves silver, the colour of the moon!)
Preferences
Similarly, you never choose a sporty car. Security is foremost in your mind, because your car is essentially an extension of your home, an outer shell on the highway. You are attracted to cars with rounded, crablike features, as long as they have a reputation for safety – most German and Swedish models fit this bill.
Your home reflects not only your passion for domestic tranquility, but also your caring side. You hate to throw things out, especially if they have the slightest sentimental value. You’re not the tidiest person – you probably have drawers, closets, and shelves full of old letters, childhood drawings, photo albums and the like. You’re sure to have photos of family and close friends where you spend the most time, such as a study. You probably get nagged a lot for being a pack rat, and your tenacious side fights back, refusing to part with every cherished souvenir. As with your worrying, you may need to compromise in this department in order to avoid domestic discord.
Occupations/Financial Profile
A great deal of Cancerians are managers, either on a corporate level or a small-business supervisory level, even in the entertainment or artistic worlds. You know every detail of what a person needs, how to soothe hurt feelings, how to stand up for someone in a crisis, and how to oversee an entire network of people working together harmoniously. Other Cancerian careers include nursing, teaching, curating a museum or library (these involve both caring for the work of generations and the sentimental pack rat instinct), and anything marine-oriented.
If you stick to these areas, you are bound to be financially successful. You are not an original thinker; rather, you expound on existing ideas, so it’s not advisable to pursue your own business. You’re better working within a given system or company, improving methods and earning the respect of your coworkers. Plus, you are a natural worrier and saver, so you’ve no doubt already planned for the worst. If you’re an extreme case, you might even amass a fortune just because you’re so concerned about not having enough to feed your family. Your anxious temperament will always protect you financially (and otherwise), but to truly enjoy life, you need to stop worrying about it so much.
Famous Cancerians include Helen Keller, perhaps the most heroic Cancerian of all, because she was able to emerge from the toughest outer shell fate could deal a person; “Silent” Calvin Coolidge; the introverted writers Ernest Hemingway and Nathaniel Hawthorne, the famous naval officer John Paul Jones, the painter Whistler (who’s most famous work is of his mother – again, pictures of family take priority with a Cancerian), the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman (most noted for the brooding quality of his work), industrialist Nelson Rockefeller (who amassed a fortune worrying), and King Henry VIII, who was obsessed with domestic perfection.
Love and Relationships
That said, your ideal mate is likely to be Capricorn, but only after a few failed relationships. Once you reach your thirties and settle a bit, you’re home free. Capricorns are your soul mates – they’re just as shy and just as driven to perfection.
You also may have an attraction to Scorpio, whose dominant nature should fit well with your caring side, and Pisces, who understands your depth of feeling like no other.
You’ll want to avoid matches with Gemini (too flighty for you), Aries (too bold and self-centered), and Sagittarius (despite an initial attraction, the wandering, popular Sagittarian may be too much for you to handle, and jealousy and rage are right around the corner).
Conclusion
Many people mistakenly believe that astrology only concerns the Sun. This is due to the Western world view of astrology, which has taken on the popular form of zodiac horoscopes. However, in truth the study of astrology goes well beyond Sun signs. The planets found on the astrological chart are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
The purpose of this article is to introduce you to zodiac signs, to perhaps raise an eyebrow or two, and maybe make you smile. Zodiac Sun signs are based purely on generalisations and should NOT be confused with accurate birth chart astrology derived from your date, time and place of birth.
★ Aries ★
21 MARCH – 20 APRIL
Key phrase: “I am”.
★ Taurus ★
21 APRIL – 20 MAY
Key phrase: “I have”.
★ Gemini ★
21 MAY – 21 JUNE
Key phrase: “I think”.
★ Cancer ★
22 JUNE – 21 JULY
Key phrase: “I feel”.
★ Leo ★
22 JULY – 21 AUGUST
Key phrase: “I will”.
★ Virgo ★
22 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER
Key phrase: “I analyse”.
★ Libra ★
23 SEPTEMBER – 22 OCTOBER
Key phrase: “I balance”.
★ Scorpio ★
23 OCTOBER – 21 NOVEMBER
Key phrase: “I desire”.
★ Sagittarius ★
22 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER
Key phrase: “I see”.
★ Capricorn ★
22 DECEMBER – 20 JANUARY
Key phrase: “I use”.
★ Aquarius ★
21 JANUARY – 19 FEBRUARY
Key phrase: “I know”.
★ Pisces ★
20 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH
Key phrase: “I believe”.