My Sun is in Cancer

I was born in Summer, between 21st June and 21st July, when the Sun was in Cancer, the Sign of the Crab. Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac, beginning at the Summer Solstice- the longest day of the year. Cancer is the cardinal water sign. Cardinal signs show an equal balance of power and adaptability, whereas Fixed signs like Taurus are more powerful than adaptable, and Mutable signs like Pisces are more adaptable than powerful. The Cardinal signs are the best suited to beginning things. They have enough power to push the new thing forward, and enough adaptability to adapt to what came previously. No one creates anything from nothing- there was always something there before. The Fixed signs find it hard to compromise, which is always necessary at the start of any new endeavour. The Mutable signs are very responsive, swept this way and that by outside influences. The Cardinal signs hold the balance of power and adaptability, till their new project is securely established. Compared to the other three elements of fire, air and earth, water is the second heaviest, the second coldest, the second most opaque, and the second easiest to contain. Only earth is heavier, colder, less transparent, less lively, and easier to contain. We can hold water in an open bucket, but we can’t heap it in a pile like earth. Water represents the emotional side of the personality. Watery people, like Cancerians, Pisceans, and Scorpios, are motivated by our emotions rather than our thinking or physical needs. We evaluate things by how we feel about them, not by whether they are practicable or whether they make sense. Seeing through water is more difficult than seeing through the air. Likewise, understanding someone’s feelings can be harder than understanding their ideas. Ideas can be followed in chain of reasoning, but we often don’t know where our feelings come from. Emotions are less lively and volatile than thoughts- more tenacious and harder to shift. A mood can easily last all day, but to focus on a single thought even for an hour would take tremendous effort. All water signs are motivated by emotion, but between the three water signs the emotion is expressed with different levels of power and sensitivity. Cancer is governed by a balanced level of emotion, neither fiercely passionate like Scorpio, nor vulnerably sensitive like Pisces. Cancerians are therefore well-suited to situations where extreme passion and extreme sensitivity would be a disadvantage. The role of parent or other caregiver is an obvious example. A child or sick person cannot cope with extreme displays of emotion. Their carers need emotional flexibility to deal with their changing moods. But they can’t afford to be too sensitive, for children can be very thoughtless, and sick people can be peevish and self-centred. Of course, Cancer should not be seen as a specifically maternal sign- after all, half the world’s Cancerians are male! Not all Cancerians are parents, but we all tend to approach the world with the well-balanced, protective attitude typical of parents. This approach defines our attitudes to other people, projects, life in general. Anything we care about is “our baby!” If you’ve only seen crabs in a fish shop, you might be wondering why this caring, emotional sign is named after this creature. Crabs are not generally known for their emotional qualities- in fact they don’t experience emotions so far as we can tell. However, the crab is a very caring parent, carrying its young clinging to the underside of its body. This is why the ancients named the cardinal water sign after the crab. Our main problem is the problem any parent must eventually face. We find it very hard to let go! We tend to hover anxiously, not trusting other people to take care of themselves. We need to be carefully and tactfully convinced that people whom we care about can only learn from their own mistakes! http://www.plymouth-hypnotherapist.co.uk