You Are A Cancer
Welcome back. I have been going through a series of 4th house profection year moves. This Aries season I did a 12 day solar cleanse ritual (written by Alice of Materia Celestia) to manifest a perfect apartment. I manifested it, but I’m momentarily displaced. I have published my website, randongabrielle.com & started offering astrology tutoring.
Every sign is present in every chart. This zodiac’s section of the chart (its house) does not necessarily need to represent you, personally, because you are not the only person on this earth! Astrology is often used to bolster main character syndrome, especially since the rise of psychological astrology in the 70s. For more on psychologizing and cultural narcissism, please see Christopher Lasch….
The quadrant or whole sign house that contains Cancer in your chart can show the ways in which you experience this time of year, people with these traits, or just the ways in which you embody these characteristics. A holistic approach to astrology includes all signs, all planets, and all the ways in which they interact with one another.
Cancer is the sign of the summer equinox. The sun enters Cancer on the day of the summer equinox, which is the longest day of the year— we get the most sun! So why is it not ruled by the sun? There are astrologers who reference that it is co-ruled by the sun, not just ruled by the moon.
Cancer sits is also the beginning, the ascendant, of the mythical chart for the theme mundi, which shows all planets in their houses. In this chart Cancer is at the ascendant. Does this mean that it really is the beginning of the astrological calendar? Both luminaries, sun and moon, are assigned to Cancer and Leo.
In 6000 to 3000 BCE Egypt, the stars of the constellation Leo were the heliacal rising signs of the summer solstice (Brady, Star and Planet Combinations). Because of the procession of the equinoxes (the poles shifting and seasons naturally occurring a little bit later every year), thousands of years later, when the thema mundi was drafted by Hellenistic astrologers around the 2nd century, Cancer was the sign of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.
In modern astrology Cancer is ruled by the moon: the planet of money, possessions, collections, food, care, shelter, the physical body, bodies of water, and my teacher Annabel Gat would say the circus. The moon is the fastest moving “planet” or planetary body in the sky. It moves through each sign over a cycle of 27.5 days. Because of this, it is wavering and “moody”, it has its ups and downs. Since Cancer is a cardinal sign (a sign that begins a season) it is a leader! People forget how bossy Cancer can be. It is co-ruled by the sun, the planet of kings and authority, and it is a cardinal sign, and it is on the same axis as Capricorn.
Here are some quick reads on how each sun or rising sign embodies the qualities of Cancer! I know the above text is extremely pretentious and technical. The following quips are silly and meant for entertainment only.
Cancer sun/rising
As a Cancer sun or rising, you need to take a look at your moon sign. This can describe more of your life’s potential or how you go about fulfilling it. If you were born at night, you might relate more to your moon sign than your sun sign and can generally feel alienated by sun sign astrology. There is that meme that’s like “women steal because their natural instinct is to be hunter gatherers.” That’s probably you. Compulsively sharing, making sure everyone is ok, and doing whatever it takes to make it happen. You’re mad silly, sentimental, and you remember things that no one else does.
Leo sun/rising
On the surface you are outgoing, bubbly, and accessible. Deep down there is a churning chaos and primordially mysterious inner world. Because you are so dependable, and you like to maintain your sturdy appearance as such, you have to keep the natural, internal fluctuations to yourself. If you change your mind it’s easy to repress, hold it down, so that you can keep your commitments and come back again later with a richer experience. Volunteering, doing things out of the kindness of your heart, feeds the soul, but only when you feel like you have enough to give. You can’t fill someone else’s glass when your carafe is bone dry.
Virgo sun/rising
Virgo you are known to have many different interests and skills. I love to think of Virgos as members of niche community groups, or the star contributor of a cookbook for special dietary restrictions (thank you Kellen for the only green gumbo recipe known to man). Part of your participation in these groups are because you collect friends like souvenirs. To have something to share with your community makes you feel like you are an integral chaotic cog in the blood machine of the kingdom of earth. I imagine Virgo in a pottery class and then on the last day of class crying because they love their class so much and will miss everyone. Or maybe they don’t even like anyone in the class. Really it can go either way.
Libra sun/rising
Libra has a reputation for being accommodating. This is because they know that if they are someone that people rely on, then they have more of an ability to become an authority. There is power in care, in remembering the way that people feel. Libra experiences issues with authority in their adulthood as related to the mother figure in their early childhood development. The power that Libra wields is incredibly mysterious, subliminal. It seems like they are communicating like ants with their wiggling little antennae— everyone suddenly reads their mind, but it’s written in wingdings.
Scorpio sun/rising
I once read a tweet that said Cancers are what everyone thinks Scorpios are, and vice versa. They’re both much softer than the tough act they put on. Scorpio has a relationship to the divine that is linked to physiognomy. There is the earth god and the sky god, and Scorpio finds a way to merge the two. Through the sacred and the profane Scorpio finds themselves present as a vessel for holy consciousness. Of course Scorpio has questioned religious authorities which go against their natural spiritual intuition. Scorpio has an innate ability to understand God.
Sagittarius sun/rising
Other people’s needs are mysterious, and something that Sagittarius can only come to know through a brave trip into a dark night of the soul. Sagittarius loves to be paired up with someone who is self sufficient, who has enough money to take care of themselves. Sagittarius is a fickle sign, what they want from their relationship can change from day to day. Regardless, they are the sign most likely to pair up with a wealthy engineer who wants to break them off a piece of their hoarded pile of gold.
Capricorn sun/rising
Cancer is Capricorn’s opposite sign, so they have a lot more in common than you think! While Capricorn is known as the sign that takes care of themselves, at the end of the day they want to come home to someone who does it for them. During the day, Capricorn is bringing home the bacon, but at night they just want to be fed and put to bed. A partner that brings them coffee in the morning before their eyes open, so they have the energy to go about their stereotypical girl boss business. In relationships they are sentimental. Anniversaries, dates, gifts— they remember the particulars.
Aquarius sun/rising
Aquarius is known as the sign of social order and the group consciousness. This is animated by their role in their job. Aquarius is a team player and they look towards the needs of their colleagues and coworkers when it comes to choosing a job or committing to daily responsibilities. Any health issues should be solved in a group setting. Working out? Let’s go to Soulcycle. Cleaning the toilet? Let’s make a Tik Tok about it. Starting a new diet? There’s an online forum for that. Aquarius is a sign associated with longevity, and an intuitive knowledge of their health gives them the grace to live a long life.
Pisces sun/rising
There are a lot of memes that are terrified of Pisces lovers. I don’t blame them. Pisces has a collection of lovers and friends that they never lose touch with, or if they do, they can jump right back in where they left off. They can be extremely sentimental about their first relationship. They also can be the life of the party, especially if it’s taking place at night or if there is a famous recipe involved that they’re cooking (I still never tried that famous lasagna). Pisces can assemble a group of bad bitches at the touch of a button. They also have a natural artistic, creative flair that can’t be beat.
Aries sun/rising
Aries keeps their home and family life extremely private. It will take a while for you to really learn what’s going on beneath the surface, if ever! If Aries appears to have run out of something, they haven’t actually run out of supplies. In fact, there is always some money stashed away in the freezer or under the bed, or even buried underground somewhere. There is a deep nostalgia that Aries has, and this is something that makes them hilarious— an ability to reference things that everyone else has already forgotten about.
Taurus sun/rising
Taurus learns through the senses and experience. The skills that they pick up are absorbed through muscle memory. Somatic exercises help Taurus to understand things better. Taurus is known as having a special relationship to the feminine because ruled by Venus and a “feminine” sign, but the 3rd whole sign house is related to “Goddess” in ancient astrology. All Tauruses have some sort of opinion on feminism or generally what it means to be a woman; whether that’s positive or negative can be assumed through their moon placement and the angles that it’s receiving.
Gemini sun/rising
A nerdy Gemini can have an impressive collection of niche things— records, tapes, comics, baby teeth. Hopefully it’s not a stack of newspapers or jars with mismatched lids. To Gemini, money is an energy. Money is always going to be there, so why not spend it— it always comes back around. Because of this mindset, Gemini’s bank account is in constant flux. They can save up an impressive amount, or they can choose to enjoy life instead. June 2025 we’re getting rich, baby, mark my words, r-i-c-h (Jupiter in Cancer).