In part 1 of a two-part article LCM’s Soul Astrologer Ruth Hadikin explores why balancing the Cancer-Capricorn polarity is important for our Soul’s journey…
Where is my Home?
Who is my Family?
The sign of Cancer is associated with home, family, the womb, birth, the Mother, the Moon, water, tides, feelings, emotions, emotional intelligence, empathy, Love and ultimately the highest Love of all: Compassion.
In our Soul’s journey through the 12 zodiac signs, Leo rules the center of the heart but to reach the heart-center first we must pass through mysterious, watery, Cancer and the minefield of human emotions. After the ‘interplay of light’ in Gemini, the Divine Light in form begins to stir in the minds of humanity, and ripple throughout the masses, in Cancer:
“the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters”*
Cancerians are tuned into the masses in a way that makes them great sales people because they usually know what the customer is looking for before the customer knows himself! They are the archetype ‘people person’. Wherever there are people, you will find Cancer: people matter more to them, than anything else.
Cancer is motivated primarily by Human Need. In addition to sales, you will find Cancerians busy at work as Counsellors and Nurses (especially ER Managers where ‘needs’ are prioritized!), Midwives, Chefs, Construction Workers and Home-Builders. Wherever there is human need, you will find Cancerians quietly meeting it. They are able to send their Cancerian radar deep into the mass consciousness, take a measurement, and sense what is needed next for the benefit of all. The answer usually is Love. When they put their mind to it, Cancerians know how to consciously flow Love. In a Cancerian kitchen you will usually find that the biggest ingredient is Love.
This is one of the keys to understanding the deeper esoteric significance of Cancer. At it’s highest vibration Cancer is about meeting the deepest human need of all: our need for Divine Love and spiritual fulfillment. So does every Cancerian we meet flow unconditional love and compassion onto the planet? Not exactly, well at least, not yet.
Because of their connectedness with mass consciousness, the prevailing fear, tribalism, and mob-consciousness can dominate the Cancer personality. Until she begins to awaken to her higher nature, Cancer can too easily become overwhelmed by fear, get lost in the crowd and end up ‘going with the flow’ of lower consciousness.
This is because Cancer hasn’t yet cultivated the strong, healthy, ego-definition of Leo. A well-defined ego and a strong sense of one’s own individuality are needed to resist the tidal magnetic pull of the waters of lower mass consciousness. Cancer acquires this by moving towards her opposite sign Capricorn, which leads her away from the crowd and onto her own solitary path. Only then will she discover her inner voice, her intuition, and learn to listen to the ‘one voice among the many*’ – her own. This eventually brings her to the reality of her inner journey: her conscious journey to her real home.
As a Cancer personality you can tend to be a bit of a homebody: staying ‘home’ where you feel safe, prioritizing the needs of your home and close family, seeking refuge in your little world (your shell) and not venturing out into the big, scary, outside world. If this becomes a habit there is the danger of being stuck in your comfort zone and not exploring your true nature. If you have a strong Cancer influence in your chart, you need to take care not to succumb to irrational fears that could debilitate you.
Your ultimate ‘refuge’ is spiritual awareness and the recognition of your spiritual ‘home’, but you will not know this until you turn your attention to your Self and have the courage to embark upon your inner, conscious journey**. Keeping busy meeting the physical needs of others, being ‘Mother’ to all, is indeed a Cancerian ego trap. There comes a time when you must allow others to fend for themselves so you can walk your own path.
The Cancerian Soul knows that the whole world is home and everyone you meet is your family: The Human Family. In order to realize this deeper spiritual truth, Cancer needs the ambition and persistence of her opposite sign Capricorn. Capricorn is the sign of ambition and at it’s highest vibration it is the sign of the ‘disciple’ (meaning one who unwaveringly follows a spiritual path), showing us that the highest ‘ambition’ of all, is spiritual ambition. The highest vibration of Capricorn, the goat, teaches us how to steadily walk the path until we reach that mountain-top.
There are deep mysteries associated with the Cancer-Capricorn polarity: namely the Great Mystery itself – the mystery of the cycle of death and re-birth. If Cancer is to discover these mysteries she has to venture out of her shell and cultivate the spiritual ambition of her opposite sign Capricorn. LCM
In Part 2 we look at the deeper mysteries of Cancer-Capricorn and explore why these signs are known as the “Two Great Gateways”.
*Esoteric Astrology, The Tibetan (Master DK) as channelled through Alice Bailey
**http://www.ConsciousJourney.com is an example of integrated Cancerian energy leading the way: pioneering new ways of introducing emotional intelligence into business and leadership, while supporting individuals on their own voyage of self-discovery. Founder (and LCM’s Editor) Anya Sophia Mann has Sun in Cancer, Moon in Aries – I find it very interesting that she calls her work ‘Conscious Journey’ – that would be Cancerian intuition!
This post is an excerpt from Ruth’s book “Soul Astrology: How Your Rising Sign Reveals Your Soul Path and Life Purpose” Click HERE to read more and/or order a copy.
Key Points:
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Cancer is the sign of empathy, emotional intelligence, and compassion.
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Cancer is connected to mass consciousness and feels what we are all feeling
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It is important not to succumb to fear-based collective unconsciousness but to keep moving to the highest vibration of Cancer where the deeper mysteries of birth, death and re-birth may be found
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This is done by moving towards Cancer’s opposite pole, Capricorn, and cultivating ‘spiritual ambition’
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