The sensitive, intuitive Cancer-moon person is drawn to places, objects, and relationships that are reminiscent of the past.
Past-oriented with a preference for substance over style, they like to put down roots and form deep connections with others. Most are happiest when their career or leisure pursuits offer the opportunity to help, protect, or care for others in some way.
Lunar Cancers Seek the Familiar and the Natural
Those with the Moon-in-Cancer seek out beloved childhood places and objects, people who remind them of those they spent time with when young, comfort foods, and cozy surroundings. To feel secure, they acquire things, form habits, and avoid change, and they prefer homes filled with warm touches to those with sleek, minimalist décor.
When secure in their relationships and living in pleasing environments, Cancer-moon people tend to be placid, tolerant, and laid back. They are also inclined to follow the path of least resistance, particularly when things are going well, which can lead to inertia and missed opportunities.
Cancer-moon people are prone to nostalgia, with a tendency to idealize the past. They also have difficulty letting things go, whether those things are relationships, resentments, objects, or beliefs. Because of this, they are inclined to be possessive and to bear grudges.
The Cancerian draw to the past may include an interest in history, antiques, or photography. Careers that involve providing comfort, such as those connected with hospitality, food and drink, or caretaking are also favoured, as well as any field that requires a good memory, such as historian, teacher, writer, or actor. There is often a talent for practical crafts or music as well.
Cancer-moon people usually prefer quiet, natural surroundings, and many have a love of outdoor pursuits such as hiking, sailing, or in some cases, more risky pastimes such as mountain climbing. Many gravitate in adulthood toward outdoor activities they shared with their families as children.
Oddly enough, despite the preference to be left alone to live their lives in peace among family and a small group of close friends, many Cancer-moon people either do things or have experiences that project them into the public eye at some point. These actions or experiences may be positive, such as career success, or negative, such as a dispute or controversy.
Cancer Moon Creates a Desire for Long-Lasting Connections
Cancer-moon people dislike superficiality and shallow connections, so they seek to establish a small number of relationships that have emotional depth, rather than a broad circle of acquaintances. Warm and dependable, most Cancer-moon people are sympathetic, loyal friends and lovers, unless the sun or ascendant is in a more emotionally detached sign.
With the Cancer moon, there is a profound need either to nurture others or to find an extremely nurturing partner who takes care of everything. Whether the individual seeks a partner who requires his care or one that will look after him depends on other factors in his natal chart.
Cancer-moon people have a strong sense of duty toward others, and most are very devoted to and fiercely protective of their loved ones. The Cancer moon person will make sacrifices on behalf of her family, friends, community, or country, and she is particularly tenacious when she finds a cause she can get behind. In some cases, this tendency toward self-sacrifice can tip over into martyrdom, or at the very least, a strong need to rescue others.
In its positive expression, the Cancer-moon person’s desire for connection motivates him to help others. In such cases, he is inclined take in strays, do volunteer work, or seek careers that enable him to protect or care for others in some way. The negative or self-focused expression of the Cancer moon, by contrast, is self-pitying, with a tendency to nag and be critical of others. Rather than confronting things head on, the negative lunar Cancerian engages in passive-aggressive or manipulative behaviours toward those he feels are taking advantage of his generous nature, even if he willingly agreed to make the sacrifices that he now resents.
Cancer Moon Is Associated with Heightened Sensitivity
To hide their profound sensitivity, Cancer-moon people often display a tough or crabby external persona. If the sun or ascendant is in a fire sign, the individual may even appear quite aggressive, but this is usually just a protective shell.
Cancer-moon people are prone to moodiness, irrationality, and fluctuations in physical energy when under stress, and inclined to withdraw and sulk in response to perceived slights. But although they may crumple when others are cruel to them, they are extremely courageous and energetic when fighting on behalf of others. As a general rule, they are usually more motivated to take risks for someone else’s benefit rather than their own.
The sensitivity associated with the Cancer moon often heightens intuition and empathy, which can be particularly useful for actors and writers, as well as those who take care of others.
Famous People with the Moon in Cancer
Some famous people with the moon in Cancer include:
- Adam Sandler
- Anne Morrow Lindbergh
- Benjamin Spock
- Bob Hope
- Boris Becker
- Clark Gable
- Clint Eastwood
- Courtney Love
- Drew Barrymore
- Eleanor Roosevelt
- Ethel Barrymore
- Farrah Fawcett
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt
- Harrison Ford
- Humphrey Bogart
- Isaac Newton
- Janis Joplin
- Jean-Paul Sartre
- Jimmy Page
- Julio Iglesias
- Keanu Reeves
- Kurt Cobain
- Kurt Russell
- Lord Byron
- Mary J. Blige
- Mike Myers
- Olivia Newton-John
- Phyllis Diller
- Princess Margaret of England
- Sean Penn
- Suzanne Somers
- Woody Guthrie
To learn about sun sign personalities, see the Sun Signs page. To read more moon sign profiles, visit the Moon Signs page. To learn more about astrology, see the Astrology FAQ page.
References:
- Bugler, Ashford, Chubb, and Zapp. (1992). The Complete Handbook of Astrology. Montreal, QC: Marshall Cavendish Limited.
- Haydn, Paul. (1998). The Astrological Moon. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, Inc.
- Heese, Annie, & Banks, Adam. CafeAstrology.com.
- Woolfolk, Joanna Martine. (1992). The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need. Lanham, MD: Scarborough House Paperback Edition.
Wooden Terrace Over Night Sky image courtesy of Basketman, www.freedigitalphotos.net