The Cancer: Lover and a Fighter

The cancer - the crab - is a water sign that can be called many things.

Oftentimes, cancers are called emotional, flowy, and subjective about their perceptions of things. It seems especially hard for me, as a male cancer, because I tend to avoid conflict and have trouble asserting myself.

It is not so important what cancers are called. It is important what cancers ARE. We ARE loyal, we ARE sensitive (and thus emotional at times), and we ARE intuitive beings, imaginatively and constantly feeling our reality.

Observe the picture of the crab, holding up a Taoistic symbol that quite strongly resembles a Yin-Yang. This implies that we keep the peace between people. The crab scurries side-to-side, hoping not to encounter any enemies along the way. When the crab is threatened, they go into a shell. This is unfortunately the way in which we prevent our destruction. But we will, like Atlas, attempt to hold the whole world on our shoulders.

Though I do believe dating a cancer can be a nightmare (especially a male cancer), there is beauty in the way they express love and attachment. They do not like pretentious mind games. They don't test their partner in the way some other signs do. Rather, they are pragmatists, what is stereotypically called an 'empath' - we try to use our cancer nature to heal others, mend their spirits, with outpourings of our everlasting humanity.

Cancers are not always sociable, for they see the outside world through vulnerable eyes. They will have many friends, but not be sure who's real and who's there in passing. They usually care more about love than sex. They may not make the best leaders, but they are meaningful team players who will prioritize the group as well as its individuals. Yes, there are cancers who are severely insecure, some of whom are narcissists. The whole point of the Horoscope is to identify what is good and bad about people, even if the information is often presented in uncertain generalities.

To-wit, I have met a number of other cancers whose birthday is close to mine, July 9th. They are not all the same, of course, but they do share certain fundamental traits: sensitivity to others, extreme self-awareness, a unique, nonconformist intelligence, and an idealistic tinge to their being. What they hate the most, for the record, is being pointlessly mocked, isolated from others, and judged for their entirely personal temperament. They would rather be liked by everyone, for everyone else's sake, than deal with the conflicts brought upon by differences in opinion and sensibilities.

However, I believe few signs are more honest than the cancer. The crab does not deceive others with its walk. It is not a hunter, no - it is a roaming nomad, hoping to find new places to live and enjoy its finite existence.

I have always dealt with certain universals of being a cancer - for one, I was mocked for being too nice to people. I did not think of myself as a 'nice guy'. I was a genuine 'kind guy' who did not have ill intent behind my occasional social gullibility, lack of ability to stand up for myself, or apparent desire to appreciate everyone and see the good in them. I am sometimes seen as irrational and prone to childish fits, and I admit, they happen when things go wrong. Cancers hate to feel like failures, and would do a lot in their power to rectify things with the people they may have lost.

Because I was born on July 9th, there is a correlation for me between the water and the moon. Perhaps it is because I am grounded, treading here, but want to transcend my physical limits, like I deserve something else. It would seem that I do indeed spend a lot of time in the past, even if I like to look to the future, and I constantly assume a stoic shell, since life is hard. No wonder my metal is silver, since it seems obvious that the moon awaits.

I am constantly struggling with my own thoughts. I wonder if other cancers have this misfortune too, but it is a constantly haunting fact that I can't "get certain things out of my head", even if I had the cleanest conscience. Furthermore, I suffer from rampant, unrealistic perfectionism and self-uncertainty, which I believe happens when a cancer is pushed too much. However, it could very well be that my having been born a cancer, especially with a name like Vladimir (one with the world/one who rules over the world) implies that I must aspire to be better than my lower traits.

But enough about me. Let's talk more about cancers and how they relate to others. We seem to get along well with nurturing signs like Virgo, because of the fact that we both offer every piece of ourselves and expect no less. We don't know how to 'chill', which gets us in somewhat severe situations. Who would be surprised that the brilliant Elon Musk is a cancer? Or Kevin Hart? Or Lionel Messi? Tom Hanks was born on my birthday! And what about the women? Selena Gomez? Ariana Grande? Meryl Streep? You can see what they all have in common: they know how to attract attention and keep it. They have a passion for what they do and don't ever let go of it. They are personable and emotionally available sponges of effervescence.

Let a cancer into your life, if only to give them a chance. We are not trying to make anyone feel bad. When we tell a person the truth, we do not do so maliciously. Oftentimes, we just want the person to feel the way we feel. Perhaps it's solipsistic, yes, but what can we do when those feelings seem so real? Our entire life is like a deterministic poem, chess pieces being flipped from place to place without our moving them, yet we're always responsible. And then we move them in the right place anyway, because what can we do? We just want to be like you guys, who aren't so emotional.

To-wit, you wouldn't regret being friends with a cancer, especially if you help them feel comfortable with you. You would take a crab, walk with them a bit, and now you'd have made a friend who walks side-to-side. In my opinion, that's just awesome! We shouldn't be stuck under the sea. Let cancers become what they are - kind, understanding, multifaceted beings.

Thank you, and I hope you have obtained something of value from this.

-Vladimir