Cancer is ruled by the Moon and its symbol is the Crab. It is one of three water signs. There are three signs in each of four categories: fire, water, earth, and air. The other two kindred water signs are Pisces and Scorpio.
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As a water sign, Cancerians are supposed to be made as changeable as the tides under the influence of the moon while at the same time being obstinately tenacious. They are supposed to be complex and difficult to understand because mood swings can make them combative and cranky one minute and sweet and caring the next minute.
More than any other sign, Cancer is associated with emotional sensitivity and sympathy, domestic security, maternal instincts, and homemaking. These qualities would make it an easy matter for them to develop life-long bonds with people they find agreeable, which astrology says is what they are able to do.
The Crab represents them well, because they are said to become as hard as nails on the outside in order to protect an inner softness. If it's true that they can be can easily be hurt, then it's understandable why they are said to be experts at sulking like children. Like many children, they are said to be extremely obstinate, and don't like to give in until they get their way.
The Cancerian's supposed love for theatricality - the ebb and flow of passion - must be derived from the its similarity to the ebb and flow of the oceans under the influence of the moon. In this, Cancerians are said to prefer being spectators and hero-worshippers rather than being participants and hero figures themselves.
A typical cancerian can be an active participant in politics, but is more likely to be a supporter than a political leader. But, cancerians with the moon in Sagittarius or Virgo are said to show greater ability as public speakers than is usual for members of the sign. Cancerians are supposed to be conservative and homeloving, often trying to fashion their lives around some romantic ideal, yet they're also said to be easily carried away by excitement.
Having a good sense of value and being inventive generally, especially as business organisers, with a flair for originality, cancerians are usually successful in life. They are said to possess excellent memories and have a sharp ear that can make them excellent mimics. Indeed, they are said to have an unconscious tendency to copy others, and should therefore take care in the kind of company they keep lest they fall into bad company and get carried away into trouble. Although they are supposed to be affectionate and sociable, a typical cancerian is said to be shy and somewhat possessive.
Because they are said to have a great love of comfort and good living, they're also said to make good cooks and housekeepers. Other occupations they can be drawn to are second-hand dealers, especially in antiques, estate agents, sailors, working on ocean cruisers, and landscape gardeners, nursery owners, etc.
Their tendency to overexcitement is said to make the typical cancerian prone to stomach and other gastric problems. Dropsy and pleurisy are also said to be associated with those born under the sign of Cancer.
Famous Cancerians include the artists Rembrandt van Rijn, Edgar Degas (July 19, 1834), Camille Pissaro (July 10, 1830), the writers Ernest Hemingway (July 21, 18990 and Franz Kafka (July 3, 1883), Princess Diana (July 1, 1961), the actor Tom Cruise (July 3, 1962), and First Lady Nancy Reagan (July 6, 1921).
The signs that share the same element are said to be most compatible. Hence Arians are generally compatible with people of the other two fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius. But people of the same sign, having broadly similar characteristics, which could be a source of friction or annoyance, might be less compatible together than people of signs that are more complementary. The air, earth, and fire signs are supposed to get on well together, because these elements can readily be mixed most of the time. Air fuels fire, fire is made on earth, fire can scorch earth, but earth can also smother fire. Water and earth make the very ground of life, but also make mud, swamp, or quicksand, so the water and earth signs can be far more problematic together, whereas earth and air are mostly neutral towards one another, but the earth can suffer badly from strong winds. Astrology was built up by determining the twelve signs of the zodiac and associating them with the four main elements, the interaction of which was used to determine broad affinities or incompatibilities that were then refined by the relationships of the planets (that are said to govern particular aspects and areas of life) and the twelve constellations of stars that make up the zodiac.
Astrology says that it is necessary to match the birth charts of people that have been drawn up using the time, date, year and place of birth to find out precisely how compatible they are. It is not supposed to be reliable to judge compatibilities by using just the sun signs that the people being matched have.
But even with that qualification hanging over it, compatibility between people is an aspect of astrology that can be explored meaningfully if enough people return the information in the main submission form on this site - as truthfully and as accurately as possible.
A brief explanation of the astral factors with which astrology worksThe Twelve ConstellationsThe astrologer works with what is known as an ephemeris that tells him where the various planets will be in the heavens at any particular time. Astronomers use tables of the same kind, and so do all sea and air navigators. To the astrologer there are ten astral bodies, loosely called planets, which include the moon and the sun, that appear to move around the earth against the broad background of the Milky Way - our own galaxy of stars, of which our own sun is one. These astral bodies can be thought of as the ten hands of a giant and very accurate clock that provide information about the epoch, the century, the year, the month, the week, the day, the hour, the minute, and the second. The Milky Way is divided into the twelve constellations of the Zodiac - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, etc. The horoscope for any given time is the astrological chart of the positions of the ten astral bodies in the Zodiac at that time, which the astrologer compiles and then interprets by using astrological methods and interpretations. The fire and air sun signs (Fire: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius - Air: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra) make up what astrology deems the active or masculine signs, while the earth and water sun signs (Earth: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn - Water: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio) make up the passive or feminine signs. Here is an example of the signs involved in the birth chart of a typical Leo: Count of the planets in genders: Masculine Signs 7 - Feminine Signs 3 Masculine signs predominate, so this person is either a masculine man, or a women with a well-developed masculine side to her personality. The eight planets in the solar system plus the sun and the moon make up the 10 'planets' used in western astrology. Sun: Identity, Purpose (Individuality) - Moon: Feeling, responsiveness (Personality) - Mercury: Intellect, Communication (Mentality) - Venus: Attraction, Harmony (Affection) - Mars: Energy, Assertion (Initiative) - Jupiter: Enthusiasm, Adventurousness (Expansive) - Saturn: Caution, Restraint (Conservative) - Uranus: Independent, Intuitional (Originality) - Neptune: Inspirational, Mystical (Sensitivity) - Pluto: Regeneration, Obsession (Control) Very recently, there has also been the discovery of a new planet way beyond Pluto, which is really the size of a moon, that has been called Chiron. Astrologers have already incorporated it into the way they come to their various conclusions. Count of the planets in elements: Fire Signs 5 - Air Signs 2 - Earth Signs 1 - Water Signs 2 Five of the planets were located in the zodiac constellations of fire signs, two in air signs, etc. Therefore, although Leo is a fixed fire sign, each Leo has a mixture of the influence of other signs/elements in his or her birth chart, which can render a Leo untypical of the sign if the non-fire signs predominate. Another group of traits occurs among signs that are 90 degrees apart from one another. There are four signs in each group of Qualities, which are cardinal, fixed, or mutable. They are supposed to suggest the ways in which a person tends to behave in getting matters started, keeping them running, or steering them in different directions. Cardinal Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. Initiating, enterprising, ambitious, domineering. Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. Determined, conventional, organising, dogmatic. Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius. Adaptable, imaginative, tutorial, critical. Count of the signs in Qualities: Cardinal Signs 3 - Fixed Signs 7 - Mutable Signs 0 The above count in the chart of this typical Leo suggests that the individual has fixed and cardinal Qualities. The Twelve HousesThe Zodiac is also divided into what are known as houses. Different systems have developed that divide the Zodiac into twelve houses using different methods. For this interpretation, the position of the ten astral bodies in relation to the twelve houses of the Zodiac at any particular time and place is employed. It is far too complex a matter to go into detail here, but the main areas of life that each house covers are as follows: House 1: The individual whose horoscope it is - his or her outward personality and appearance House 2: Money, portable possessions, income and finances House 3: Intelligence, communications, and close relationships House 4: The home and the mother House 5: Creation and procreation, love affairs, children, sexual compatibility and pleasures House 6: Servants, conditions of employment, illness and recovery House 7: Marriage and other partnerships House 8: Death and inheritance House 9: Foreign travel, exploration (geographical and spiritual), the law, religion and philosophy House 10: Fame, notoriety, careers, the father, and mentors House 11: Long-term plans, hopes, dreams, wishes, social position, friends, and organisations House 12: Secrecy, the unconscious, the psychic faculties, intuition, hidden fears, phobias, and enemies |
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