Sun in Cancer. Moon in Cancer.
Double Cancer newsletter… the sign/word whose name elicits a shock- making it the most tender, authentic sign of the zodiac. When the word “cancer” arrives at your house (as in the disease), we drop to our knees. The Astrological sign Cancer suggests the raw emotional human capacity to bond and care, to worry and love. The most human sign in the zodiac, tender and real.
They called the constellation Cancer (not because of the disease) because it looked like a crab. Google told me that, “The word “cancer” traces its origin back to the ancient Greek word for ‘crab’ (karkinos) and its Latin equivalent (cancer).”
With some reflection, the synchronicity of the word becomes obvious. Crabs walk sideways rather than straight. When we want to avoid what is present, we walk around what is. At worst, Cancer avoids their own pain, their own needs, always focusing on the “other.”
Doesn’t that sound familiar? The moms and dads in the world who care for the children before themselves. The caretaker who gives to the point of exhaustion. The person who secretly holds their pain to themselves rather than saying it out loud, unable to ask for help; therefore, they suffer alone.
I just found out that my dear friend, who died of cancer last month, had so many more secrets than I could have known. Well, of course he did, he had five planets in the sign of Cancer. How did I miss that?
His sister-in-law arrived on Kauai surprisingly last week, where I found out exactly how many secrets he actually had. The truth rocked my world. Wait. I knew him for 57 years, and while I detected his inner world was deep and tender (when we were teenagers), he froze his Water self and lived in a world of secrets that tortured him as an adult.
It would appear obvious that after his daughter had taken her life, for reasons far beyond his control- she was ill, with inner demons- she left for a good reason… but that was impossible for my friend to believe. He blamed himself entirely. He carried a heavy load that no one could take from him and yet, he never shed a tear. I went to him, and spent a week with him right after the funeral, and tried to open him up. I cried- a lot- every night at dinner with him. He never shed a tear.
Like a crab, he avoided the direct confrontation of his feelings and wouldn’t do the work needed to soothe the pain. Eventually (this is my theory), that backed-up energy took him out. The Astrological sign Cancer promotes, and actually insists on, the direct release of pain, tears, and emotional work. If it is denied, a slow-eating termite quietly destroys the very foundation of the person’s psyche until the entire house falls.
This double Cancer sky invites us to feel. To be real. To touch the pain straight on.
Good to note that the Dalai Lama is a double Cancer. He has so much wisdom. In his book on forgiveness (#ad),, I found myself crying page by page. His tenderness was so real.
He advises against isolation, advocating for active connection and using personal suffering as a catalyst for growth. Finally, he teaches that releasing anger and embracing forgiveness is essential to protect inner peace.
That book made a huge impact on me and my understanding of the sign Cancer. In the end, my friend’s life insisted that he walk toward peace. He never did what the Dalai Lama suggested. He never faced his anger or forgave himself for what happened to his 30-year-old daughter. And I had no power to make a difference.
I decided to follow the crab-like behavior of my friend in order to stay close to him in his last months. I avoided topics that would hurt him, which is so against my nature (Saturn in Sag), but so helpful in allowing us to stay close.
That’s why I am doing this class in CS (Continual Stars). We are speaking to the unspeakable about our planet’s Cancer-like symptoms.
We have to face the truth about our world. I do. I do everything I can to be “real.” It seems I cannot be alive with fake anything. Not my friends, not my food. Even my clothes- I am always reading labels: Is it cotton? Is it real fabric? And my favorite people are the ones who cry.
I want to hear the truth at all costs. However, as we know, that word “truth” has morphed into a brand-new shape. We no longer know that word: truth. It’s a relic of times gone by. But we sure know about the word “cancer” arriving in our homes. That truth remains across time- more prevalent than ever.
Tears are running down my face. I am so glad that I can cry. Sometimes I go into the ocean underwater and just scream to let go of the rage I am feeling. My life lesson is to speak to the unspeakable, as it was for my friend who passed. Look at the difference. I cry. I rage. He was numb and a victim of cancer and pain at the end.
What can I do to inspire you to face the truth? To say it out loud. To be real? How can I support the next generation in learning how to process pain and secrets out loud- with a friend, a counselor, a trained professional who knows how to clean the pipes of our emotional plumbing so we are not full of shit?
We often are. When you’re asked, “How are you?” …who do you tell the truth to? Someone who is safe to feel with.
Many have learned how to heal from cancer and mark it as the turning point. They left a job they didn’t like, reviewed their relationships, and walked straight toward healing. They recover better for having gone through it.
I am so sad that I couldn’t help my friend. I am so sad that cancer was his doorway out without the option of healing. Even now, I imagine he is in the remedial class on the other side called: Unfinished Business from Your Last Lifetime. I am always sending him my blessings and my love. I cry for him regularly. I am sure he is watching.
Oh, how I love the Cancer of Astrology. So much so that I already signed up for my next life: to be a Cancer.
Can you love that part of you that is raw and real and find the means to share it?
A very honest and touching assessment of how we deal and don’t deal with our private pain, sorrow, and disappointments.
I am also in tears thinking about how wounded most humans are and yet not embracing the path to healing.
Hey Debra, it’s funny. Last week, while watching one of your Instagram posts, I suddenly had the feeling that maybe you don’t fully understand Cancers. Your parodies of them never make me laugh. Sorry. 😄 I say that as someone who is practically a full-time Cancer: Cancer Sun, Cancer Rising, Moon in Pisces, and Mercury, Venus and Mars all in Cancer too. And, just to make things even more interesting, I have no air signs at all. For most of my life, that much water did not feel like a gift. It felt overwhelming. I have hit rock bottom more than once. I have gone through years of intense inner work, shadow work, loss, rebuilding, questioning everything and slowly peeling away all the layers I had built just to survive. And now, at 58, something is finally changing. I am beginning to understand who I am. Not who I was told to be, not who others needed me to be, but who I actually am underneath it all. I am beginning to understand my sensitivity, my intuition, my depth and even the parts of myself that once felt like too much. And perhaps, after all those years, I am also beginning to understand what I can do with it. So yes, maybe Cancers are emotional. Maybe we retreat, protect, remember too much and feel too deeply. But I think there is far more power in that than most people realise. Maybe even some astrologers. 😉
I’m so sorry you lost your friend. Sending you love and strength during this difficult time. Xx
There is no point in trying to push a purge of demons from a soul when its locked up. I too have had to just sit in compassion for the choices made by a dying friend as she drank and smoked herself to death. The experience gave me strength to implement my own changes for which I am grateful. And I still miss her. I just wish I could bring out the parts of me she ignited. Therein lies continual work
My mother and brother are Cancers. My mother no longer on planet earth had so many secrets, thank you for the description, it helped me understand her better. My brother is frozen, wow, what a great term for solid emotions. Myself and my son are cancer rising. I didn’t know I had a cancer rising until I had my chart rectified. That said so much about my experience. My beautiful son has a hard time being with me when he is in his emotions because I am safe, so they come pouring out, except, then that doesn’t feel safe for him at the same time. Thank you again this helps.
This totally tears me up. Just got home yesterday from heart and kidney ablation surgery. My 30 yo Virgo son is an alcoholic who cannot find his way out of the bottle. My sweet grandson has to go back home to DC tomorrow. Husband is not very communicative . I just feel like I want to blow up. I’m Aries with Leo ascendant and Virgo moon. Thank you for your knowledge and presence Debra. ✨🙏✨I am so grateful
You really are a cancer already. I can feel it in your words. This is one of the most heart felt writings I have ever read. You are a beautiful soul, Debra. Than you for making us feel.
Wise words Debra.
I’m sad for your friend and you too.
Thank you for always being real with us.
Sending love and heart hugs
Your post touched me deeply Debra. I am Sag Sun, Scorpio moon, Aquarius Ascendant.
I have known people like your friend, and I, too, have grieved, for their inability to heal.
I am an Empath, although I didn’t really know what that word meant until recently. I have been able to read Energy as far back as I can remember, even remotely. I just need to learn how to protect my boundaries. The cheerleader who hated parties
I cry a lot too.
Animals are really my “go toos”. I believe that they are spiritual creatures who have come to teach us how to love and be loved. They have a mission here, and they know exactly what it is .
When my last 14 year old Doodle passed, the vet suggested that I have her remains made into a Reterni Stone. A master stonemaker in a larger city covered her in an Alabaster glaze. She is round, white with her name on one side. She must be kept cold, never wet or dropped.
What has been so interesting is that if something is wrong with me or the environment is off, she gets warm.
She knew when she was alive, She knows now.
It’s still Lucy, just in a different form.
Please keep sharing your stories and your thoughts.
Not only are they important but they are wonderful food for thought.
🙌,
Thank you for this–I too am a double Cancer with Pluto and Mercury also in Cancer. And yes, I am a caretaker and yes, I tend to hide my feelings.
HOWEVER, I am learning. I have a dear friend who simply will not let me get away with vague answers and half truths. Sometimes this degree of closeness scares me half to death but I will not turn away. This is my lesson to learn–to feel and to express.
This is so beautiful! I have many cancers (especially women) in my life including my mother and daughter. I see what you speak of manifesting in my mother who would do anything for anyone. I see how I’ve taken advantage of her in many ways my whole life because she would do anything for me. I’m wondering how now to best support her and love her. Thank you for this beautiful message.
very true and tender.
Tell me about the Continual Stars Class.
Dearest Debra
As a Cancer Sun I am so struck by your words. I so much recognize the pain. I so much believe Cancer is trauma asking to be healed, to be heard and to be seen. As a Cancerian I so much know the path of loneliness, of struggle and of crab walking. Avoiding the conflict. Withdrawing into my shell. Feeling wrong. Whilst giving and giving until I am so depleted and so frozen to ice that I no longer can move. Stuck under the stone in hiding all alone. The pain in my chest as I share this. The beauty in knowing, that today I have opened my heart and am allowing the tears, the sensations and the anger to roll through me. Like the waters in the stream. No more damming up. No more suppression. And no more lies. Today I stand up for my self. I speak my truth. I will not hide. I shine my light. We are all Gods Light. Gods Light is in us all. This is my truth.
I send you all my love and heartfelt tears. Thank you for opening my eyes to the elements in a completely new perspective. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me.
Thank you for choosing to stay in this world with all its pain, suffering and unconditional beauty.
The world needs people like you 🙏
I love and harmony
Rikke Rose 🌹❤️
What a beautiful post! A reminder that what we do not heal can often be buried within us, acting as a poison or a barrier to truly living again.
A reminder to be real! In this world of highly curated, corporate, slick Instagram posts. Being ruthlessly honest with ourselves is the first step to truly becoming liberated.
Always so insightful and poignant, Debra. Astrology is such a wonderful way to understand our fellow travelers and why we have such different approaches to certain experiences in life. It brings more understanding and compassion for others. Aries sun, piscies moon, Gemini rising🫢I’m kind of the opposite of cancer🙃Super direct, often to a fault…I’m like you, I just want everyone to immerse ourselves in therapy!
Love Family Constellation work cause I can help without making anyone who doesn’t want to face the edges have to…thank you for your insight…such tender times🙏🤲🌀🥴🫶
I love you live your insides outside. Consistantly. Next time you go underwater in the ocean and scream….let out a scream for me. I live in the desert and land locked (can’t travel anymore).! My love for you is so present. Thank you for sharing your truth and vulnerability.
Being a Cancer is not for the light hearted. I am a Cancer, Virgo Moon, Aquarius Rising. I love who I am. But, these emotions!!! Hard to deal with. Yet, we must. Thankfully, I have found mentors starting in early adulthood – even though I needed them in my youth. Fortunately, all my best friends, from age 4 on up, love me unconditionally.
Hi I’m a Cancer rising, sun, mercury, mars and uranus in Cancer, scorpio moon…..can you say “sunami of feelings.” ..love to isolate, play my instruments for sound healing expression. Yes, can relate to all you have shared about the elements. Being isolated is not the answer, but I’ve falsely felt it’s easier than being rejected by those who don’t understand my me. I feel many times I have grown past my past karmic traumas, connect with family of origin and one living relative, and the memory doesn’t leave..I feel I always have to make amends, pleasing the other as I’m imperfect also. In gratitude for a loving parent, higher power. “Chery” here