Whenever I think of the word nurture I think of Cancer.  Cancer with her abundance of understanding of how to protect and love gives way as the hard protector in order to hide the softness of her interior.

Cancer is the 4th sign of the Zodiac.
Gender: Feminine
Element: Water
Ruling planet: Moon
Ruling Body Parts:  Stomach, Water

The Sun goes into Cancer from approximately 6/21 to 7/22. (Please note that the Sun goes into each sign at varying times each year. This year if you live on the East Coast the Sun goes into Cancer on 6/21 at 7:28 AM.)

The glyph or symbol of Cancer represents the merging of the male and female in order to make human life. It is a symbol of fertilization and the need to combine and hold on to each other at all cost in order to protect.

Acubens the brightest star in the constellation of Cancer is a pretty dim star.  In order to understand the sign Cancer I feel that the Astronomy of Cancer and its “brightest star” should be explained. 

**On the University of Illinois stars website it states, “Acubens, 175 light years away, is something of a mystery. Seemingly a simple white class A (A5) star, its spectrum displays ultra-strong absorptions of particular metals that make it a "metallic line" or "Am" star. Metallic line stars are typically strongly enhanced in elements like zinc, strontium, zirconium, barium and others. The phenomenon is a surface effect in which some elements sink to lower layers under the action of gravity, while others rise, pushed upward by radiation. To be such chemically peculiar stars, they must rotate slowly, such that the surface gases are not stirred up. Class A stars tend to rotate quickly however, so there should be slowing mechanism, which for the Am stars is duplicity (each acting tidally to slow the other). Acubens, though, rotates more quickly than usual. It is, however, a double star. It is close enough to the ecliptic plane that the Moon occasionally passes over and occults it. Stars normally wink out very quickly when the Moon covers them; Acubens winked out twice, showing that it consists of two identical stars only 0.1 seconds of apart.”

Here in it’s illusive luster we find the first clue into the mythological realm of Cancer. She is evasive but giving. She hides but wants to be seen. When she is revealed she can be something nobody ever thought she was sometimes not even herself. She is the double star of giving and receiving. But unlike the twins of Gemini she wants to be able to carve out the perceptions that others make of her.

Cancer the Crab projects her strength on the environment with a sense of purpose. She then defines herself by the ability to feel her emotions and push them into of the confinement of her shell. Deep under the shell she hides the vulnerability that she feels will harm the clan. It is only then when the emotional cup is full will she reveal what she is truly feeling.

The shadow of Cancer reveals herself and in a lash of emotional rage. This unveils months or even years of pent up frustration that she has taken on from others. Since the Crab feels the need to protect her clan she has not had time to properly deal with her own emotions. She is the nurturer the protector. How could she let anyone see her weakness? Her thinking is that her vulnerability would bring down the clan.  But in this emotional upheaval the neediness and projection of hurt gets caught into a tailwind of emotion. Sometimes to the point of being so overwhelmed that she gives up and looks for someone or something else to nurture and bring her peace. Here in lies the essence of what is the truest strength but also the greatest weakness of Cancer.

Cancer’s are here to nurture and protect but not at the expense of their own feelings. They must learn to nurture and protect themselves first by not becoming co-dependent on what others need. They must also understand the neediness in themselves as to not ask too much emotional energy from the people they are close to.

Cancer represents the home. Not only the dwelling we live in but also the place we go inside ourselves. Once Cancers accept what they have on the inside they can be a balance of love and understanding. They can be the nurturer without the martyrdom and not take on the burden of the clan. They can then become an example of life that comes through the mother. Life that is represented by truth and dignity and life that is seen as an open heart instead of closed off from fear and vulnerability.

** http://stars.astro.illinois.edu/sow/acubens.html

Famous Cancers:

Price William	June-10
Cyndi Lauper	June-10
Meryl Streep	June-10
Randy Jakson	June-10
Anna Paquin	June-10
Carly Simon	June-10
George Michael	June-10
Chris Isaak	June-10
John Cusack	June-10
Kathy Bates	June-10
Dan Aykroyd	July-10
Liv Tyler	July-10
Princess Diana	July-10
Lindsay Lohan	July-10
Tom Cruise	July-10
Tom Stoppard	July-10
Huey Lewis	July-10
Dalai Lama	July-10
George W. Bush	July-10
Sylvester Stallone	July-10
Michelle Kwan	July-10
Ringo Starr	July-10
Anjelica Huston	July-10
Kevin Bacon	July-10
Chris Cooper	July-10
Fred Savage	July-10
Jimmy Smits	July-10
Tom Hanks	July-10
Jessica Simpson	July-10
Giorgio Armani	July-10
Bill Cosby	July-10
Harrison Ford	July-10
Matthew Fox	July-10
Forest Whitaker	July-10
Linda Ronstadt	July-10
Phoebe Cates	July-10
David Hasselhoff	July-10
Elizabeth McGovern	July-10
James Brolin	July-10
Nelson Mandela	July-10
Carlos Santana	July-10
Josh Hartnett	July-10
David Spade	July-10
Robin Williams	July-10