By: Dominique Michelle Astorino | How Stuff Works
If your birthday falls between June 21 and July 22 (roughly), your zodiac sun sign is Cancer. In astrology, this means you were born under the sign of the watery, sensitive crab — and you might be curious about Cancer compatibility when it comes to romance, friendships and the workplace.
Master astrologer Shannon Aganza, creator of MoonGathering Astrology And Numerology Coursework, says that if you’re working with or crushing on a Cancer, be ready for a lesson in human emotion.
“Cancer energy is ruled by the moon,” says Aganza. “And because the moon changes signs every two-and-a-half days, a Cancer’s energy can shift and cycle quickly as well. This means you can see (and experience) a whole range of emotions and sensitivities, but you’ll also be incredibly nurtured.”
A Cheat Sheet on Cancer Compatibility
- Best Signs for Cancer in Love: Taurus, Scorpio, and Capricorn
- Cancer BFFs: Virgo and Pisces
- Best Signs for Cancer in the Workplace: Aries and Sagittarius
Astro Compatibility 101
The zodiac concept of synastry is how we look at astrological compatibility between people and even events. When you talk about astro matchmaking, you’re talking about synastry. It looks at two charts together.
The best way to see compatibility, including a love match, is to have the birth chart of each person (to do this, you’ll need your birth date, time and location). In astrology, we look at houses, degrees and the placement of planets (like Mars and Venus) to see how they work with other planets and aspects in a partner’s chart.
“Sun signs alone do not give enough detail on how the entire relationship will work,” says astrologer Allie Campbell. As a professional, she’d check the ascendant sign first, which is based on the exact time of your birth. “I’d also look at their personal planets, like Mercury, Venus and Mars,” in addition to many other placements. “There’s a lot to consider.”
Elemental Overview: Water + Earth
The easiest way to remember astrological compatibility: fire and air “like” each other, earth and water “like” each other. Fire and air are the yang-type elements (active) while water and earth are the yin-type (passive).
Cancer is a water sign, just like Pisces and Scorpio. When a Cancer comes together with another water sign, the two form a harmonious aspect. Simply put, water signs play well together. Earth and water signs also work well (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn); as the two yin-type elements in astrology, they are some of the most compatible signs.
This simple concept of elements allows you to better understand general compatibility. “You can already deduce that the fellow earth signs and water signs inherently desire the same things as Cancer,” says Aganza.
This doesn’t mean that Cancer natives won’t get along with the other signs — like an air sign (Aquarius, Gemini, Libra), or fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) — because it depends on other aspects in the charts.
Get to Know the Cancer Personality
So, are you a Cancer? Even if you weren’t born in mid-June to mid-July, you still have Cancer somewhere in your chart.
“When it comes to Cancer compatibility, it’s important to know that this sign can be incredibly sensitive and emotionally warm,” says Aganza. “Their love language is nurturing. Sometimes that comes in the form of nourishing with comfort food.” You’re in for a lot of emotion with the fourth sign of the zodiac.
Cancer Personality Traits
- Element: Water (sensitive)
- Modality: Cardinal (initiating)
- Symbol: Crab
- Planetary rulership: Moon
- Light energy: When Cancer is happy and balanced, this energy is nurturing, compassionate, emotionally aware, affectionate, protective, warm and loving.
- Shadow energy: When Cancer is out of balance, this can lead to vengefulness, passive aggression, holding grudges, hypersensitivity, moodiness, reactivity (overly emotional) and neediness.
What does a Cancer native love? “Comfort, cuddles, loving nights in … and of course, food!” says Aganza. If you’re trying to bond with the zodiacal crab, keep these creature comforts in mind.
“Cancers are the emotionally intelligent signs of the zodiac,” says Campbell. “Symbolized by the crab and ruled by the moon, they rule over the fourth house of family, home and the mother figure.” All these energies can play a role in a Cancer individual’s life and thus their relationships.
Best Signs for Cancer in Love
In general, Aganza says to remember that Cancerian individuals value quiet time, so don’t mistake that as the silent treatment. “This is one of the signs that can bond in gooey silence,” she says.
Physical touch may also be a love language of theirs. “If the bodies are touching, they take a minute to open up, but when they feel safe, they’ll let you into their exquisite love heart and work to make you feel comfortable being with them in the moment.” She notes that Cancer’s heart, though extremely sensitive, is among the most beautiful in the zodiac.
Part of understanding Cancer compatibility is knowing that this sensitivity can also lead to moodiness — something for which Cancers can be classically stereotyped. “[As] the moon fluctuates frequently, Cancers can be moody,” says Aganza. “So don’t take their silence and need for retreat personally. They’ll come out of it. It’s important to respect their space and their literal ‘space’ — whatever it is they call home.”
What matches are best for Cancer love compatibility? According to the experts, the signs Cancer loves are Taurus, Capricorn and Scorpio. Let’s look at the pairings in more detail.
Taurus-Cancer
If food were a love language, it would certainly be the love language of this coupling (perhaps even a central theme of Cancer-Taurus compatibility).
“Cancer and Taurus are what I’d like to call the homebody couple,” says Campbell. “These two are definitely creatures of comfort and genuinely enjoy being present in each other’s company.”
Taurus doesn’t let their watery partner do all the emotional or logistical labour. “Cancers are natural caretakers,” she says, “but Taurus won’t let them work too hard; they help by taking some of the workload off of Cancer.”
Cancer and Taurus also have a stabilizing, complementary energy with different inherent skill sets. “Cancer can also help Taurus open up emotionally, while Taurus can be a beautiful grounding force for Cancer when emotions start to overflow,” Campbell adds. “These two have a very easy-going relationship, centred around the same goals.”
Capricorn-Cancer
While these two may be opposite on the zodiac wheel, Cancer and Capricorn are particularly complementary and “actually work very well together,” says Campbell.
In traditional astrology, Cancer and Capricorn together is seen as the mother-father pairing, with Cancer carrying maternal energy and cardinal earth sign Capricorn carrying the paternal.
“Capricorns can sometimes come off as cold and detached, but their ability to create a comfortable and financially abundant lifestyle is exactly what Cancers admire about them,” says Campbell. “Cancer can provide a nurturing role for Capricorns, so in turn, they feel safe and taken care of by each other in different ways; one is material and one is emotional.”
Scorpio-Cancer
As two water zodiac signs, this pairing has an innate compatibility, with a natural, easeful understanding of each other’s emotions, “especially with Scorpio diving to the deepest parts of Cancer’s feelings,” says Campbell. “They feel safe opening up to one another because there is no judgment on expressing emotion.”
Both Cancer and Scorpio are deeply emotional. While Scorpio can be quite deep and intense, Cancer adds a bit of levity, she says. “Scorpio’s inner turmoil is lightened by Cancer’s gentle approach, while probing Scorpio can pinpoint Cancer’s emotionally charged motivations and help work through them.”
Cancer BFFs
Campbell says that a Cancer native can be quite loyal and protective with their friends. “These watery signs are natural caretakers and loyalty is important to them.”
As such, if you’re friends with a Cancer be sure to provide that loyalty in return. “These folks can have a hard time forgiving others, especially when they’ve shown so much care only to be wronged in return,” says Campbell.
Cancer and Virgo, and Cancer and Pisces were the top choices for friendship from the astrologers.
Virgo-Cancer
A combination of earth and water make for a strong bond in this friendship. “Cancer and Virgo compatibility really works; they have a great friendship that is communication-based and these two can learn quite a bit from each other,” says Campbell. “Cancer can help Virgo navigate through their high emotions and daily anxieties, while Virgo can help ground Cancer through logic — and simply talking things out.
“These two zodiac signs can easily become each other’s go-to ‘therapists,’ working through life’s ups and downs together,” she adds. “The Cancer and Virgo combination is a very dependable friendship that will last.”
Pisces-Cancer
The crab and the fish “have a friendship based on similar beliefs and make great travel friends!” says Campbell. Like Cancer and Scorpio, the Pisces-Cancer relationship is rooted in feelings (thanks to all that water).
“Cancer can really admire how free-flowing Pisces is and genuinely wants to see Pisces succeed in following their dreams,” she adds. On the flip side, “Pisces can be a shoulder to cry on for Cancer, due to their empathetic nature, allowing for this friendship to be an emotionally safe space. It almost feels like these two can expand each other’s minds when they talk with each other.”
Best Signs for Cancer in the Workplace
Overall, one important thing to remember about Cancer compatibility at work is that it is a cardinal sign — meaning an initiating energy. And because emotions are of the utmost importance to the crab, “Cancer is a sign that starts projects with emotion-based motivation,” says Campbell. Whether they’re your inspired employee or the leader on a project, these are important themes to remember.
Though many different types of signs work well with Cancer, Campbell called attention to two less obvious pairings — both fire signs — that share similar motivations and complementary styles.
Aries-Cancer
Though an unlikely combo on the surface, Cancer and Aries can really work well together.
Whether Aries is the boss or the colleague, Campbell says these two “have similar ambitions and goals,” thanks to both being cardinal signs.
“The Aries-Cancer duo can start projects quickly and they naturally have an inner understanding of what works and what doesn’t,” she says. “They both have a strong emotional pull toward their goals, creating harmony in their work relationship. The easy banter between them can bring in the most abundance through their career paths.”
Cancer and Aries also have some synergy in the career arena. “Aries can also help Cancer elevate their social status as well,” since Aries has a bit more of a competitive edge, says Campbell.
Sagittarius-Cancer
This is a social pairing in the working world. “Cancer and Sagittarius have similar work ethic,” says Campbell, “But these two definitely have more fun together while working than anything else.”
Aside from becoming water-cooler buddies, “Cancer can appreciate Sagittarius’s fun-loving mindset and comedic remarks, while Sagittarius admires Cancer’s ability to take care of everyone in the workplace,” she says. “These two are a popular duo in the workplace on different ends of the spectrum. I can definitely see Sagittarius coming into work after a night out and telling Cancer all the details and Cancer laughing through the whole story.”
Now That’s Interesting
Everyone has Cancer in their chart, even if you weren’t born in that June to July window. Find your birth time (your exact birth time) and use a free chart calculator on Astro-Charts.com or CafeAstrology.com to get your birth chart and identify the house where the cosmic crab falls to learn more about your astrological compatibility.
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NEXT UP!
Cosmic Acupuncture: Astrology Forecast June 18th – 25th, 2023
Lord of Time and Karma Saturn is now retrograde in Pisces whilst on the heels of today’s Tower of Babel Gemini New Moon, Venus is also slowing down, entering her shadow retrograde zone to prefigure her 40 days and nights disappearance into the underworld from July 22 – September 4 between 28-8 degrees Leo.
The Wheel of the Year turns again at the Cancer Solstice on June 21st – the start of summer in the North and Winter in the South. This Solstice chart is a web of sacred geometry created by the Sun aligning with the Galactic Centre, the Nodes of Fate, Pluto, Saturn and the personal planets Mercury and Venus with the deep space points of the Galactic Centre and Great Attractor.
This matrix of insights, inspirations, epiphanies and realisations has a message: be ready to have your bandwidth for new information expanded way beyond your old comfort zone.
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READ MORE: Aries Compatibility In Love, Work & Friendship
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