Preface: As I do every month for each of the signs, I want to emphasize that if your birthday does not fall during the Cancer timeframe for the year you were born, this DOES NOT mean that you do not experience the energy of Cancer, because somewhere in your natal birth chart, it is present. All twelve signs of the zodiac are expressed in your being, although some signs, and therefore their corresponding energies, may be more emphasized than others.
The Sun sign is about your essence, your vitality (what makes you feel alive), and your self-image. Whatever your Sun sign, you are on a life-long journey to discover and fully embrace this sign’s energy. You may be tested in life to experience the meaning of your Sun sign’s energy.
The Sun transits the sign of Cancer beginning, June 21 2011 until late July 22, 2011(all calculated based on Pacific Daylight Time). Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac , and it rules the fourth house, which represents the home, establishing roots, family legacies, ethnic origins, the most private self, and the unconscious. Cancer is a water sign and a cardinal sign.
«««««««««« O, swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her circled orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. Juliet’s response to Romeo, Capulet’s Orchard «««««««««« |
I |
n this passage from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet [1], the young female protagonist aptly captures the qualities of the moon, the luminary in astrology that symbolizes changeability, emotionality, sensitivity, moodiness, nurturance, protection and ties to the past. It is a yin energy that females understand at a deep level, since the cycle of the female menses coincides roughly with the cycle of the moon. In artful language, Juliet is telling Romeo that she wants their love relationship to be an emotional tie that she can count on— one that is NOT like the moon. Perhaps this represents an inherent contradiction in the nature of the sign of Cancer, ruled by the inconstant moon. Cancer, with changeability in its nature, craves emotional security.
Interestingly enough, Cancer does get a “monogamous commitment” from its ruler, the Moon. Unlike most of the other planets in both traditional and modern astrology, the Moon only rules the sign of Cancer.
The symbol of Cancer is the crab with its protective shell and pincers. The crab carries around its “home” that protects its fragile interior. A primary concern for those with a heavy emphasis of Cancer energy is the need to be taken care of, or conversely, to be the nurturer and the one others depend on. Cancerians are the quintessential mothers. It can in fact be their raison d’être, i.e. their reason for existence. In order to fulfill their mission at a competent level, Cancerians need to build an appropriate home or nest of some type. This is a facet of their need for a secure environment, a place that is personal, where people important to the sign are nourished.
After the intellectual whirlwind adventures of the preceding sign of Gemini, the succeeding sign of Cancer wants to go inward into its home and focus on the subjective world of feelings. Gemini represents externalized, outwardly focused male energy (although some say this sign is androgynous). At the summer solstice, the cycle precipitates a change to the female energy of Cancer. This is a whole new realm of exploration, and it suits the Cancerian just fine to burrow in this challenging, but comfortable world of caring for others and forging bonds.
In her usual eloquent style, astrologer Dana Gerhardt elaborates on the nature of the sign by observing the life of the crab. Gerhardt asks why the crab didn’t evolve to swim full-time in the sea, or why it did not evolve to live on land’s hard surface. Gerhardt says that crabs must have a love or need for both form (land) and formlessness (the ocean). The crab lives between the rhythmic sea and the surfaces of cliffs and sand. This astrologer says that this unstable living environment explains the protected shell, the sideways movement, and the clawing pincers. Cancerians, as represented by the crab, seek security because the watery world of feelings is constantly shifting.[2]
Cancer has natural instincts about other people’s needs. While all people vary in their need for domesticity, each of us has a “minimum daily requirement” for a home, a reliable place where we can rest and be surrounded by what we value, people, and/or objects we cherish.
This is where we nourish our bodies and our souls. Some sayings must have been derived from the innate wisdom of a Cancerian, like “there is no place like home.” Or perhaps a Cancerian first uttered the adage, “the fastest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” This sign extends its protective tendencies to its love of country, and it wouldn’t be surprising to hear patriotic utterances from those who have Cancerian energy highlighted in their natal charts. My mother’s oldest brother was a Cancer Sun Sign, and he was the uncle who most valued his military service. He would gather his nieces and nephews around him to tell them war stories. He loved his military buddies, and he maintained strong ties to them throughout his life. He was also the most domestic of my uncles, knowing how things around the home could be repaired. His domestic cleanliness and compulsive orderliness irritated my mother (a Cancer Sun on the Leo cusp) to such an extent that she would refer to him as “Felix,” the fastidiously neat character played by Jack Lemon in the movie version of the Neil Simon comedy, The Odd Couple.
My mother has many of the traits associated with the sign of Cancer. She was not the neat freak her eldest brother was, but she did identify strongly with the importance of motherhood and creating a good home environment. She was proud of her own roots, and she and her brothers, by all accounts, had a healthy and loving childhood. She spent a lot of time recounting stories about her childhood and the adventures of her parents and her siblings. She could be ferociously loyal to her family, to the extent that she had difficulties acknowledging the talents of others outside her family because, from her vantage point, her family was the best.
My mother and I were not close as I grew into adolescence, for a number of reasons. When I developed an interest in astrology, the sign of Cancer was the one I avoided because I thought I could not understand or relate to this personality type. I remember reading that any two signs which are quincunx (inconjunct) to one another have nothing in common. I no longer believe this to be true. My sun sign of Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter, the benefactor and philanthropist. A benefactor or philanthropist is often concerned with the protection of the disenfranchised or those who can’t care for themselves. This quality of protecting and caring for others is applied at a societal level by Sagittarius, whereas Cancer focuses this orientation to the family unit. (I am speaking here about the sign profiles and not about specific people representing these signs, because of course there are Sagittarians with children who exhibit these qualities towards their offspring, and conversely, there are Cancerians who may be concerned with caring for people beyond their families.
When I think of motherhood and its association with Cancerians, I am reminded of the story of Evelyn Ryan, captured in a book authored by her daughter, Terry Ryan, who entitled this memoir The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Children on 25 Words or Less. This book was later the inspiration for the movie, which included a perfectly cast Julianne Moore as mother Evelyn Ryan. Evelyn is married to an alcoholic who often spends his paychecks on liquor rather than on the family’s necessities. When Evelyn seeks guidance from the parish priest about her husband’s problem and its impact on the family, her concerns are essentially minimized by the priest, who is quick to excuse the alcoholic father. To bring stability to the family’s finances during the 1950’s and 1960’s, Evelyn enters contests that challenge participants to devise jingles for various consumer products. Clearly, Evelyn has communication and marketing talents, and she becomes successful in winning contests, securing both valuable items for the family, as well as prizes that become amusing conversation pieces (like multiple wall clocks, and gourmet food products not enjoyed by the children (e.g. caviar and lobster). Despite overwhelming challenges, Evelyn makes the best of her difficult situation with an upbeat attitude and deep affection for her children, meanwhile contending with an envious and abusive husband, and no moral support from her religion’s institution. Regardless of what any mother’s sun sign may be, if she is “doing” motherhood, she is activating the Cancer energy in her being. Like Evelyn, many mothers operate on the octane of “love” to overcome enormous obstacles while raising their families.[3]
Like the other water signs, Cancer’s personal boundaries are fluid and therefore encourage the expression of the emotions and ties to others. In astrological terms, the element of water is passive and receptive. When you envision water, you know that it can take on many forms, from a hot vaporized steam to an extremely cold slab of ice. Similarly, the nature of Cancer takes on many personalities, from a moody, weepy, plotting personality to the native’s state of soothing, protective warmth. Like other cardinal signs, Cancer does not tend to give up ground, but rather will persist with a goal she believes is worthy of pursuit. This is not the aggressive pursuit of an Aries, or the duty bound plodding of a Capricorn. Cancer maintains her power with resistance. Think of the many years Cancerian Nelson Mandela spent imprisoned with the vision of a South Africa free of apartheid. Another Cancerian, the fourteenth Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, has also utilized peaceful resistance to gain support for a free Tibet. The “father” of nonviolent resistance, Mahatma Gandhi, is another prime example of this powerful energy. He led civil disobedience movements that ultimately convinced the British to abandon their colony of India. On a less political note, Cancerian Princess Diana (“shy Di”) won the hearts of the British public with her averted gazes and her low-key utterances about the stifling environment created by the Royal family.
The human being’s journey around the zodiac is a process of incorporating various aspects of our humanness. In each zodiac sector we have the potential to learn how to assimilate the lessons of that way of being. Astrologer Dana Gerhardt helps readers of The Mountain Astrologer learn the zodiac sign archetypes at a deeper level by telling the mythical story of the twelve labors of Hercules, the lessons which are analogous to those experienced by each of the signs. Gerhardt says that in Cancer we must learn to put intellect (Gemini) aside to listen to our inner self, our emotional self. This requires learning the quality of receptivity. This process involves vulnerability and opening ourselves to our pain, which then opens the heart, and ultimately the healing process. From this process, the qualities of empathy and compassion emerge, and these are the real treasures of mastery for the sign of Cancer.[4]
May you all experience a nurturing month while the Sun transits Cancer.
I penned this poem in honor of the sign of Cancer.
CANCER’S TREASURE TROVE
By Chris Gonzalez
Daughter of the luminous moon, the hard-shelled crab flows with the tides
She carefully navigates rough waters, with a gait that moves side to side.
We often get the wrong impression when she’s overcome with tears;
Like others of her element, she’s stronger than she appears.
This sign’s modus operandi is to nurture and to care;
She is the model of the mother extraordinaire.
Cancer shows us how to protect what we value and those we love,
Through her, we learn how feelings are life’s greatest treasure trove.
Her power is rooted in a steadfast resistance;
She does not confront, instead using persistence.
Standing her ground for what she believes,
Defending her moral stance, with which others will come to agree.
Here is a list of well-known individuals born when the Sun was transiting the sign of Cancer (partial source: http://www.ecentral/astra/cancer)
June 21, 1982 - Prince William – British Royalty
June 22, 1949 - Meryl Streep - Actress
June 23, 1927 - Bob Fosse – Dancer/Choreographer
June 24, 1895 - Jack Dempsey - Boxer
June 24, 1912 - Norman Cousins – Writer
June 25, 1903 - George Orwell - Writer
June 27, 1930 - H. Ross Perot - Politician
June 28, 1946 - Gilda Radner - Comedian
June 28, 1966 - John Cusak - Actor
June 30, 1966 - Mike Tyson - Boxer
July 1, 1941 - Twyla Tharp – Dancer/Choreographer
July 1, 1961 - Princess Diana – British Royalty
July 2, 1877 - Hermann Hesse - Writer
July 2, 1908 - Thurgood Marshall - Supreme Court Justice
July 3, 1873 - George M. Cohen - Songwriter
July 4, 1826 - Steven Foster - Songwriter
July 4, 1927 - Neil Simon - Playwright
July 5, 1951 - Huey Lewis - Celebrity
July 6, 1933 – The 14th Dalai Lama – Tibetan Buddhist Spiritual Leader
July 6, 1946 - Sylvester Stallone - Actor
July 7, 1491 - King Henry VIII – British Royalty
July 7, 1962 - Tom Cruise - Actor
July 7, 1940 - Ringo Starr – Musician/Member of The Beatles
July 7, 1947 - Camilla Parker Bowles – 2nd wife of Prince Charles
July 7, 1956 - Tom Hanks - Actor
July 8, 1958 - Kevin Bacon - Actor
July 9, 1951 - Angelica Huston - Actress
July 9, 1956 - Jimmy Smits - Actor
July 10, 1856 - Nikola Tesla - Scientist
July 10, 1943 - Arthur Ashe - Athlete
July 10, 1947 - Arlo Guthrie - Singer
July 11, 1934 - Georgio Armani - Designer
July 12, 1917 - Andrew Wyeth - Painter
July 12, 1817 - Henry Thoreau - Writer
July 12, 1934 - Van Cliburn - Musician
July 12, 1937 - Bill Cosby - Comedian
July 13, 1942 - Harrison Ford - Actor
July 14, 1913 - Gerald Ford –U.S. President
July 14, 1918 - Ingmar Bergman - Filmmaker
July 14, 1938 - Jerry Rubin - Activist
July 15, 1946 - Linda Ronstadt - Singer
July 16, 1821 - Mary Baker Eddy - Religious Figure
July 17, 1912 - Art Linkletter - Comedian
July 17, 1935 - Donald Sutherland – Actor
July 18, 1918 – Nelson Mandela – South African Liberator/President
July 18, 1921 - John Glenn - Astronaut
July 19, 1922 - George McGovern - Politician
July 20, 1890 - Theda Bara - Actress
July 21, 1899 - Ernest Hemingway - Writer
July 21, 1952 - Robin Williams – Comedian
ENDNOTES
[1] Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet, Capulet’s Orchard, Act 2, Scene 2. Retrieved: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/romeo_juliet/romeo_juliet.2.2.html
[2] Gerhardt, Dana. (2009, June/July). Cancer’s Labor: Meeting the Goddess. The Mountain Astrologer, Issue#145, pp.11-15.
[3] Ryan, Terry. (2001). The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Children on 25 Words or Less. New York; Simon & Schuster.
