by Caroline Kaiser

Created on: June 16, 2008

Contrary to what you might expect of crabs, Cancerians are lovely people. But let me state my bias up front: because my ascendant is Cancer, I bond with crustaceans. I'm sure that being part crab has contributed to the simpatico relationships I have with the bona fide crabs in my life. My bias aside, there is plenty to love about those born under the sign of Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac.

First of all, Cancerians are just plain nice. You're unlikely to meet more kind-hearted and caring souls than these motherly nurturers of the zodiac. Cancerians are frequently found in professions such as nursing and teaching where they can exercise their extraordinary capacity for taking care of other people. They also expend an enormous amount of energy protecting and doting on their loved ones. Although "loved ones" certainly includes dear friends, Cancerians reserve the most care and attention for the mate, children and pets who populate their home environment. (Single Cancerians freely transform friends into family.)

You won't find another sign that is more ardently committed to the notion of family. If the Cancerian's happy home life shows signs of crumbling, he or she will do everything humanly possible to restore stability. If the threat comes from outside the home, the usually mild-mannered Cancerian becomes surprisingly ferocious under attack. Those who mess with crabs under these circumstances will feel the pinch of their pincers, since few things distress this sign as deeply as disruption in their home environment.

At home, Cancerians display an unabashedly mushy, sentimental streak towards those they love, and they're unlikely to ever forget an important birthday or anniversary. In fact, they're unlikely to forget anything at all. Sensitivity, emotion and memory are all so highly developed in this gentle water sign that they inevitably dwell on the past. This can take a positive form, such as an occasional and pleasant nostalgia for a carefree period they enjoyed. Far too often, however, the Cancerian mind replays, again and again, unsettling episodes in which he or she has been victimized by someone's gross insensitivity or cruelty.

The price that Cancerians pay for their "gifts" of sensitivity, emotion and memory is a high one: they have more difficulty than any other sign overcoming past trauma. They drag the past into the present, effectively preventing them from moving forward. The struggle of their lives is overcoming a tendency to cling to old relationships

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