1.  The best quality of Cancer is the ability to nurture the self and others. The worst quality is holding on to things too tightly, or smothering. A key phrase is "I feel.” The Cancer personality is family- and home-oriented. The emotional well-being of the home environment is key to Cancer's emotional balance, which is even-tempered when it flows. When opposed, the Cancerian temperament can display other water characteristics, like freezing or flood stage emotions.

Never let the emotional side of Cancer fool you into thinking you are not leaders – this sign provides leadership in the feeling arena and can be influential in all areas where subjective feelings are important.

The Cancerian mind will often ask "how does this feel?" before deciding what action to take. You are true to your belief system and may be difficult to steer into any activity you cannot support on the "gut" level. This attention to inner feelings puts you in a good position in industries that appeal to the mass market, as you don't lose sight of individual preferences in the pursuit of the big picture.

Cancer is a water sign. Water takes the shape of the vessel that contains it, and water runs downhill. The Cancer temperament will go with the flow when that is convenient, and can be quite happy if the vocational, relationship, or recreational container suits the individual. Sometimes you surprise people, though, when you resist going a certain direction "on principle." Stick to those principles, as you set you apart from people who either don't seem to know what you really believe, or are not able to hold your ground in the face of opposition.

Generally you respond to others in a caring or nurturing context. You may consider what will help move a process along, or you decide what people should wear or eat, based on your needs, not yours. At the same time you can be a skillful manager, helping others to map out a clear, well-defined process for your activities. You are good at keeping projects on track – you know how to find the strongest current in the river, and then keep your craft headed into that current.

2.  The Nurturer
Key Phrase: I FEEL

Cancer is expressed through feeling, and can be purely emotional. It embodies the qualities of protection and tenderness, and shows a high degree of sensitivity. As the CardinalWater sign of the zodiac, Cancer initiates emotions, both in the self and others. Like its symbol, the Crab, Cancer can be indirect and defensive, and may even show a tendency toward manipulation and passive-aggression. The most patriotic of the signs, Cancer will defend home and country, and has a soft spot for mothers. Sensitive, sympathetic, and intuitive, this is the sign associated with mothering and lunar energy. When carried to an extreme, it can be smothering, moody, and suspicious. Where Cancer is found in your chart, there is receptivity and a need to be emotionally connected.