Cancer

What is Cancer like?

Cancer is caring, intuitive and far tougher than it looks. Like the crab, this sign has a hard shell and a soft inside, and it goes sideways toward what it wants. You may not notice a Cancer steering a family, a team or a friendship, but it is often them.

They read a room very well. A Cancer can tell you are upset from the way you said hello, and will have the kettle on before you sit down. They are the keepers of memory, too: the photo albums, the recipes, the story of how your parents met.

There is also a lot of humour here, the kind that comes from noticing everything. Cancers are often very funny about the people they love, and only about the people they love.

What are the weak spots of Cancer?

Moods are the obvious one. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and it can change like the Moon does. There may be no clear reason, and asking for one rarely helps. A quiet evening usually does more.

They can also hold on too long, to people, to old hurts and to a very large number of jars. Letting go does not come easily to the crab, and a small slight can be kept in the shell for years, carefully wrapped.

When hurt, a Cancer may retreat instead of saying so, and then wait for you to work it out. This can be hard on people who are not mind readers, which is nearly everyone. Saying "that upset me" out loud is the most useful sentence this sign can learn.

Who does Cancer get on with?

Cancer usually gets on best with the other water signs, Scorpio and Pisces, who understand that a feeling does not need a reason. Taurus and Virgo are good matches as well, as earth gives water somewhere to settle. Capricorn, the opposite sign, can make a fine partnership: one looks after the home, the other looks after the outside world, and both care a lot about family.

Air and fire signs can feel too breezy for a Cancer at first, and a Cancer can feel like hard work to them. With kindness on each side these pairs can teach each other a good deal. Sun signs are a small part of any match, as the compatibility pages explain.

What is Cancer like at work?

Cancer does well wherever care is part of the job. Nursing, teaching, childcare, cooking, hospitality, history, and running a family business all tend to suit this sign. They build loyal teams, because they notice who is struggling and do something about it.

They need to feel safe at work, and they do not do well under cold managers. Given a kind one, a Cancer will stay for years and quietly become the heart of the place. They are also more ambitious than they let on. Cardinal signs like to lead, even from the kitchen.

How does Cancer handle money?

Cancer tends to be thrifty, and likes a little put away for a rainy day. The cupboard is always full. They find it easier to spend on other people than on themselves, and they are likely to hang on to things that may come in useful. Security matters here more than show, and a paid-for home is many a Cancer’s idea of real luxury.

What does the Cancer symbol mean?

The symbol is the crab. In Greek myth Hera sent a crab to trouble Hercules during his fight with the Hydra, and it was stepped on for its trouble, then placed among the stars for its bravery. The glyph shows two curls, often read as claws or as the curves of the breast, a sign of nurture. The constellation itself is faint, with a soft star cluster called the Beehive at its centre.

The Moon is the ruling planet of Cancer, and it moves through a new sign every two or three days. That is why this sign’s mood can change so quickly. Follow it on the Cancer horoscope, which is often the first place to explain a strange Tuesday. For your own Moon, and every other planet, draw up a free birth chart.