June 21 – July 22
Best days: Monday & Friday
Best time of Day: Moon’s Hour, Dusk, Nighttime
Correspondences
Celestial Bodies: Moon & Ceres
House: Fourth House
Elements: Cardinal Water
Colors: Silver, White, Light Blue, Sea Green/Turquoise, Pink
Themes: Emotions, Healing, Inner Awareness, Intuition, Nurture
Crystals/Stones: Amethyst, Chrysocolla, Citrine, Clear Quartz, Labradorite, Moonstone, Mother-of-Pearl, Rose Quartz, Ruby, Selenite
Ingredients: Apple, Calendula/ Pot Marigold, Chamomile, Dill, Jasmine, Maple, Rose.
Cancer follows the chatty Gemini, deeply psychic and sensitive Cancer invites us to retreat into our shells, like the crab that symbolizes it in the sky. As the cardinal expression of water – the element of feeling and of the soul – Cancer is deeply connected to and uses emotion and intuition as an initiating force. With a hard shell and fierce pincers, crabs are protective and strong. But inside, they are soft and vulnerable, revealing an inner sensitive nature. This works because the crab’s protective home (the shell) creates a safe and nurturing space to be vulnerable.
Her rulership by the Moon reflects Cancer’s psychic, mysterious nature as well as a sense of Moodiness, displayed in the moon’s pull on the tides. Cancer’s depth of emotion and feeling is seen through her capacity for empathy and empath awareness – the act of being connected to other people’s emotions. Cancer is believed to have a special relationship with the dwarf planet Ceres in astrology, for Ceres highlights Cancer’s mothering energy and tendency to nurture and provide security and warmth.
Related Myths
The protective yet vulnerable qualities of the Cancer sign can be seen in ancient mythology. A giant crab was immortalized in the sky by the goddess Hera after it tried to thwart and pinch Hercules in his battle against the Hydra. The crab Crios was immortalized after battling against a giant squid in an attempt to save Poseidon’s sea nymphs.
Magic
Cancer is especially useful when it comes to redecorating your home environment to be a nurturing space, reassessing personal goals, releasing emotions, or deepening your spiritual connection and inner awareness. June 21-July 22 is the ideal time to tap into Cancer energy, with both the Sun and new moon aligned in this sign. But since the moon is the ruling astrological body of Cancer, its presence at any time is a potent way to align Cancer spells.
If none of these options come at a convenient time, you can always use the Moon-ruled Monday or the Moon’s traditional “planetary” hour. You can also research what time the Cancer constellation will be in the night sky in your area, and use the bright stars of Leo and Gemini to estimate where it will be. Watching the Delta Cancrids meteor showers associated with this constellation during mid-December to February is a great way to connect to this celestial energy in spellwork too.
Celestial, cooling, calming colors, such as light blue, silver or gray, white, or starlight yellow are great shades to decorate your Cancer season altar, wardrobe, or candles. You can also consider pink (for the heart) or light sea-colored tones to reinforce that water energy. Adding lunar or water symbols to your Cancer spellcasting, such as cups, shells, or crab imagery, can also enhance this constellation’s themes.
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