Sign Cancer in Astrology

Cancer being a cardinal water sign is very feelings-oriented, specifically that of happiness and security, like a mother would be concerned with for her child, and is very direct in the helping of people to get to that feeling of comfort.

Ruled by the Moon (a great feminine symbol), it is also associated with the home and domestic matters, waters (the Moon affecting the tides), and the cyclical nature of things.

Jupiter is exalted in Cancer, displaying the potential richness of feeling and generosity of the sign. The planet Saturn is considered in debilitation in Cancer, as it is not so much of a sentimental or nurturing planet. Mars is also debilitated in Cancer, with the accentuation of feelings can make it quite volatile.

The symbol of the crab that Cancer is associated with is that of the crab Karkinos sent to battle Heracles of Greek myth, who allegedly kicked it with such force that it shot up into the sky and stayed there forever.

Alternatively, there is the myth of Heracles battling the LerneanHydra and being distracted by a crab pinching his foot, which he thereupon stepped on.  

Cancer rules the chest and breasts, which a mother provides nourishment to her young.

The crab also symbolizes the sign Cancer with it hard outer shell protecting the tender parts within.  Cancers, or those with strong Cancer emphasis in their charts, many times have a thick wall separating them from people in their environment.  Presumably, they were hurt in the past, and their reclusivness inside their shell is a response.

The tendency towards privacy in Cancers comes from the accentuation on the personal inner space which the home and hearth is so reflective of. 

Sentimentality, the preoccupation with the past, is another Cancerean negative tendency, since the thoughts and feelings can be a repository for memories.

Cancer’s connection to our early maternal influence and the feelings, calls to mind the the natural state of our emotions to be that of HARMONY with our environment.  The concept of harmony then brings us to the other main task of our mother, to supply us with everything that we need, when we need it.  A lack of harmony, therefore, brings an interruption in the flow of supply (money, food, etc.) into our lives; a coming back to harmony in our worlds; then, brings everything around again.