Cancer

Our cardinal water initiators of lunar wisdom.

These enchanting creatures of the Summer Solstice season are ruled by the moon, the celestial body that represents comfort, self-care, and the Great Mother.

Known in Greek Mythology as the crab, this oceanic crustacean seamlessly weaves between the sea and shore, representing Cancer’s ability to exist in both emotional and material realms.

Cancer is my sun sign, and I like to think it kinda shows.

The dance that I have written portrays the noble and elegant qualities of Cancer. It is very much a Temple Fusion piece involving some Indian classical, Tibetan and Javanese stylizations.

The song I chose to write with is called Out of the Dark by Charles the First:

https://charlesthefirst.bandcamp.com/track/out-of-the-dark-2

Fitting Temple Fusion choreography into an hour and a half class leaves almost no time for warm up or cool down, so please please please promise me that you will give yourself time to do that on your own. These postures can really do a number on the body if you aren’t stretching before and after. I also highly recommend a salt bath afterwards.

More about Cancer:

Marking the beginning of Cancer season, Solstice rituals date back to ancient Egypt, Rome and Stonehenge. In Egypt, summer solstice coincided with the first phase of the Nile’s flooding, marking the Egyptian New Year where it is depicted as a scarab while in Mesopotamia it was represented by a turtle. In each case, the animal representative of the sign was perceived as “pushing” the sun across the heavens, initiating the summer solstice, the three longest days of the year, during which the Sun appears to stand still at the high point of the day and passes directly over the Tropic of Cancer. In ancient Chaldean and Platonic philosophy, Cancer was called the Gate of Men. It was through this portal that souls descend from the heavens above and into the bodies of the newly born.

In ancient China, they celebrated the switch from yang to yin energy for the next half-year. The Romans honored the goddess Vesta with their Vestalia solstice soiree. And the Greeks honored Cronus, or Saturn, the god of agriculture, at their solstice Kronia festival, where slaves and free people feasted as equals for a day.

According to Greek myth, the symbol of Cancer is based on the Karkinos, a crab crushed under the foot of Hercules, and whose remains were placed in the sky by Hera, forming the Cancer constellation. In Roman variations of the story, it is Juno—Hera’s counterpart in Roman mythology—who places the crab in the sky. pinching his toes during a contest with the Hydra in the Marsh of Lerna, Juno exalted it to the sky. During the Middle Ages, the zodiacal symbol of Cancer was included in devotional books and incorporated into monumental sculptures.

The Tarot cards associated with cancer are the Chariot (Cardinal Triumph) and The Queen of Cups.

Ruled by the Moon, they are passionate, creative, secretive, intuitive, and caring. Cancerians bring enormous compassion and care to their relationships. No other sign has the emotional intelligence and genuine understanding of human nature to help make people feel better and stronger – A ride or die friend and partner. This is a star sign you want in your corner. They are also funny, lively, interesting and clever.

Cancers are highly intuitive and their psychic abilities manifest in tangible spaces. These crabs are highly sensitive to their environments, as well as extremely self-protective. Much like their celestial spirit animal, Cancers are shielded by hard, external shells, yet when an appropriate level of trust is developed, they reveal their gentle nature, genuine compassion, and mystical capabilities.

It wouldn’t be a reach to say that Cancers are essentially psychic, able to “read” people using their superior emotional intelligence. In fact, this is the skill Cancers use to avoid being deceived by others and to give them a better sense of security. They can make decisions both quickly and effectively based purely on their intuition, a strength that’s unique to Cancers.

These domestically oriented lovers find immense joy in creating cozy, safe spaces that serve as their personal sanctuaries, then spend lots of time in them. Cancers care deeply about their families and attract friends and lovers through their loyalty, commitment and emotional depth.

They are nostalgia driven enigmas are pure lunar magic at its finest in all of her many forms.

The song I chose to write with is called Out of the Dark by Charles the First:

https://charlesthefirst.bandcamp.com/track/out-of-the-dark-2