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Emotional Healing through Trust
The depths of human emotion are the proving ground for those of you born between June 21 and July 22, when the sun is in the sign of Cancer (see note above). As the fourth sign in the developmental cycle, Cancer represents one’s first experience of emotion through bonds to family, mother, and home. If you are a Cancer, your personal development relates directly to how you handle your feelings of vulnerability and your needs for emotional security in a sometimes harsh and unsafe world. The name of your sign is drawn from the constellation of Cancer the Crab. Through exploring this animal’s characteristics, you can learn much about your higher purpose in this life. A crab has a hard shell, which protects and supports a very soft body. This describes your experience perfectly, Cancer, for you were born under perhaps the most sensitive sign of the zodiac, and must have strong boundaries in order to function in the world. And yet, at some point the crab grows too large for its current encasement and must discard it. This procedure mirrors your own process, Cancer; for at various points in your development, there must be growth beyond old boundaries and defenses and a willingness to trust in new ways. However, just as the crab grows a new shell to accommodate its larger size, you must also develop a new protective boundary, one that embraces more of life. The difficulty occurs when your protection grows so strong and impenetrable that you fall into a defensive mode that does not allow your vulnerability to show at all. If you stay in that mode too long, Cancer, those walls may crystallize in such a way that they keep out even those who are truly trustworthy. It’s a short step from having healthy boundaries to being overly defensive, and it takes clear self-awareness to know which side you are standing on from moment to moment. Cancer, you are the Sensitive, the Nurturer, the Emotional Healer, the Homebody of the zodiac. Your life lessons involve learning how to comfort others while also taking care of your own emotional needs, and learning to trust and accept all of life’s experiences. It may be difficult for you to open up and express your own deep feelings, because doing so makes you feel so vulnerable and exposed. And yet through gradually learning to trust life, you gain a new strength that allows you to become an even greater healer. Cancer is a water sign, meaning that your primary developmental tool is your feelings. You interpret your experience through emotional filters, sensing where you feel comfortable, where you feel unsafe, and deciding where you are willing to step out of your comfort zone. You are very caring, especially when you see someone in pain, and yet you are not as likely to acknowledge your own emotional needs. This reflects how very vulnerable you do feel, so that admitting your feelings even to yourself can feel threatening. The key to your growth lies in how you choose to respond to your deep fear of exposure. One option is to sidle gradually forward into a situation as the crab does, feeling your way and sensing when to trust and when to draw back. You can also withdraw completely, hiding safely inside your shell. Or you can use your pincers to attack before anyone has the opportunity to hurt you. Any one of these reactions is possible, Cancer, and yet when you withdraw into shyness or let defensiveness run your life, you are missing your intended opportunity for healing. You are a cardinal sign, Cancer, meaning that it is your initiative that makes things happen. When you are the first to step in and help, you are utilizing an innate talent and fulfilling a deep sense of purpose. As the Sensitive, you have much to give. You understand completely how other people feel when hurt in some way, for something inside you resonates with their pain. This empathic quality is a great gift, for others sense your deep level of understanding and easily trust you. Being a water sign, you are especially comfortable around those born under earth signs and other water signs, feeling safe and nurtured in their presence. In general, you are less at ease with fire and air signs, whose less predictable energy may be unsettling at times. Your home is especially important to you, and you are happiest when it is a comforting, safe place where you can hide away from the world. It is helpful either to live near water or to have fountains or other water representations in your living space. In the physical body, Cancer is associated with the breasts, stomach, and digestive organs. The gift of nurturing others is manifested through the breasts; the ability to receive nurturing demonstrated through the digestive system. These are physical areas that may need your attention from time to time, reflecting how well you are handling the requirements of your sun sign. Cancer, you have chosen a life role that allows you to be of great service to others. You represent Mother energy in its most supportive and nurturing form. Each of the signs, however, can also learn something from its opposite sign; for you, that sign is Capricorn. Capricorn represents Father energy, and is much more detached emotionally than you are, Cancer. It is true that you learn primarily through the experience of deep emotions, but you can also learn something important from the objectivity shown by Capricorn. By incorporating some of Capricorn’s ability to stand back from emotional involvement and to take charge of situations calmly and pragmatically, you can offer assistance in ways that are truly helpful. This eventually involves assisting others to grow beyond their need for your nurturing, and building personal relationships that move beyond neediness on either side. Cancer, your nurturing ability is a gift to the rest of us, as you supply us with a place to rest our heads and our hearts when we are weary. Don’t forget, however, that you also require nurturing, and that you are the only one who can ensure that you receive the emotional sustenance you need. Learning to trust, keeping your boundaries strong, and creating healthy, interdependent relationships are the keys to your greatest fulfillment. Pam Younghans is an astrological interpreter and counselor with offices in Bellevue, Washington. In addition to private sessions, e-mail consultations, and classes, Pam offers a free weekly astrological update by e-mail. For more information, call Pam at (425) 445-3775, e-mail <AOA444@aol.com>, or see her Web site at <http://www.pamsastrology.freeservers.com/>. |
This is the fourth
article in a 12-month series exploring each of the astrological
signs. In Western astrology, the heavens are divided into 12
equal sections, beginning with Aries at the vernal equinox and
continuing through the rest of the zodiac. The dates given below
are approximate; exact dates for the beginning and ending of
the signs vary from year to year. Please consult an ephemeris
or a qualified astrologer to verify your sun sign, and to get
a more complete picture of your entire astrological chart. Although
the description below may be especially pertinent for those who
were born when the sun was in Cancer, it is also applicable in
varying degrees for all of us, as we all have Cancer represented
somewhere in our charts and in our lives.