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is a period of time when crabs must hide in the sand while the new shell grows hard. They have to remain hidden, or they will be instant dinner for the nearest seagull without so much as a by-your-leave. Cancer people too have these cycles, where they must withdraw after a change and a period of new growth. Surprise them or intrude upon them when they are going through their quiet private time, and you can damage them irrevocably. Damage them in childhood, and they will retreat into a too-small shell, sometimes never to emerge. It takes a long time for the Crab to forget, once he has been wounded.
Finally - and perhaps most importantly, since it leads into our discussion of Cancer myth - is the Crab's natural environment. He is neither a creature of water, nor of land; he inhabits the border between the two. Let's translate this into human terms. On one side is the dry land of the real world - bills, real estate, responsibilities, commitments, facts. That's one of Cancer's needs. The other is the fathomless depths of the ocean of his imagination. Cancer belongs to both worlds. He must have time to give to each - time to nurture his secret dreams and longings in the shifting waters of his deep inner nature, and time to build a place of shelter and security in the world. A complex sign, Cancer. And a complex personality. It is almost impossible to get a Cancer to analyse himself, or to trot out his deepest secrets. Popular astrology usually considers Scorpio to be the most secretive of the signs. But Scorpio is secretive on purpose. He knows his safety lies in smokescreens. Cancer is secretive by second nature. He is full of half-germinated seeds that need the darkness and the safety of quiet and privacy. His retreat is natural, not thought out. It must be respected. The creative fruit he brings forth is worth waiting for.
The Cancer Lover
In a true Cancerian, love has a lot to do with security. It also has a lot to do with affection and kindness and sympathy. And it has a lot to do with Mother.
Cancer is as capable of intense passion as Scorpio. But because it is a more vulnerable sign, Cancer tends to be more discriminating about where that passion is expressed. And very slow to commit it, because trust is terribly important for all the water signs.
Initially, people in love tend to behave in similar ways. But if Cancer becomes truly involved, the myth of the mother is likely to begin to enter. This may mean needing to be mothered - and this can apply to women as well as men. Many Cancer women look for rather maternal men - men who will be kind and gentle with them. Equally often, it means Cancer wants to do the mothering. Show your pain, your helplessness, your weakness, your need, and you have won Cancer where your strengths might interest him much less. Remember that Cancer needs to be needed. And don't expect everything to be spoken. It's a rare Cancer who wears his or her heart in full view on the sleeve. You have to learn to read signals, if you're involved with Cancer. And become a gifted interpreter of moods. Sullen sulkiness means he feels rejected. Clinginess means he needs reassurance. Whining means he's feeling sorry for himself today. Crabbiness means he's feeling unappreciated. And so on. But try to confront the issue, and the Crab will slide away from you. Usually he doesn't understand himself what's going on. It's just a stray mood.
Cancer tends to be loyal in relationships. This is because security is important. But is a changeable sign; and that loyalty may take a lot of buffering on the surface. Cancer is notorious for keeping the home base and collecting thrills on the journey. On the other hand, if he is sufficiently secure, he will usually be aware of his priorities. Anything that jeopardizes the security of the relationship isn't on.
Divorce is often a horrific experience for Cancer. Many
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