What You Need to Know About Cancer and Intuition

Cancer season kicks off with the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. June 20th is our Summer Solstice in the northern hemisphere and it’s a time to welcome the light and honor our Sun.

The Meaning of Our Sun Sign

In astrology, the Sun represents our core personality – who we are when we are being our most authentic selves. It is also representative of our conscious mind – that part of us that knows what we want and what we are willing to do to achieve our desires. The Sun sign, Cancer, is actually ruled by the Moon, so we see the Moon’s qualities highlighted here at this time. This means increased intuition, heightened emotional receptivity, and a strong desire to nurture and be nurtured.

The Qualities of Cancer Sun Sign

Cancer is a yin, feminine, receptive energy. So, a Cancer native must first experience the comfort of its shell before it can go out into the world and shine its light. It is a water element after all, and it’s a cardinal sign. The water aspect makes it highly sensitive and attuned to the emotions of others while the cardinal energy means that it “starts us out” or initiates us into the first month of summer. Cancers can easily pick up on the energy in a room and sense the feelings of others. This makes them quite empathic and clairsentient.

Understanding the Moon

Because Cancer is ruled by the Moon, it naturally has a strong intuition. The Moon in astrology rules our emotions and our intuitive knowing. This is why we feel things more deeply within our bodies that are happening around us. There is a heightened sixth sense with Cancer folks and they usually are the ones who call at “just the right time,” or instinctively know when to reach out to someone in need.

Cancer’s intuition is strongest with people and human affairs, whereas Pisces’ intuition is more connected with higher realms, and the unconscious. Every planet that rules a sign tells us something about that sign’s nature, which is why, with Cancer it’s very important that we look to the Moon.

Cancer, the Moon, and Intuition

Knowing that the Moon represents our intuition and our emotional behavior, anywhere you have Cancer - or the Moon - in your chart will be an area of increased intuition and sensitivity for you. For example, if you have the Moon in your first house, you will have stronger instincts about what you need to do for yourself - for your body, your outward appearance, and ultimately your survival.

All the water signs, including Cancer, Pisces, and Scorpio, rule the emotional realms of human experience. But each water sign has different ways of experiencing and expressing their emotions.

Cancer experiences emotion in a protective, nurturing way. This means that they have an elevated sense of what’s happening with their loved ones, in their home environment, and within themselves. Their antenna is attuned to other people, and thus they make great emotional intuitives. The downside of all this is that they can often take on the suffering of others at their own expense. They can also mistake another’s feelings for their own. When Cancer people learn to establish healthy boundaries, they can make excellent counselors and caregivers because they are able to assist those in need without attaching to negative emotional states.

Three traits for Cancer to release: codependency, insecurity, and the inability to let go

Three traits for Cancer to embrace: empathy, intuition, and reverence for their sensitivity

Guidelines to enhance your intuition during this time:

Ask yourself: Where can I step into the water element more in my life? Metaphorically, this would be tapping into the realm of your emotions, noticing your feelings – instead of pushing them away – and allowing them to be okay. For instance, cry if you need to cry. Don’t hold back those urges to feel. Jot down your feelings from one day to the next and then reflect back to see what kind of intuitive insights you get from them. Which emotions keep coming up? These consistent emotional states are your teachers. Learn from them; don’t make excuses or justifications about them. Listen to them.

To literally embrace the water element, it would be helpful to physically get near water. Mother nature is best; perhaps you can dip your toes into a running stream, go for a boat ride on a lake, or visit the ocean. Even just soaking in a hot bath or feeling appreciation for water in a cup will connect you with the water element.

The important things here are your intention and attention. If you intend to embrace the water element you will experience a deeper connection with your own emotions. If you pay attention to the impact water has on your own life (nourishing, cleansing, rejuvenating, healing, etc.) you will align yourself to a state of gratitude and contentment. And it is this gratitude and contentment that allows your intuition to be heard more easily.

Next ask yourself: What am I doing to make sure my personal boundaries are secure?

Cancer is all about self-protection, not just the protection of its loved ones. So, this is a good time to reevaluate where perhaps you have been taken advantage of, walked over, or simply not given the respect and credit you deserve.

Although this may bring up painful memories, this is part of tapping into the emotional domain of Cancer. If we don’t ever look at these things, they literally fester inside of us, bringing up physical ailments later on.

Cancer is all about letting yourself feel

Cancer teaches us how to experience raw, unexamined emotions, whereas Scorpio is the sign that comes in to analyze them. But we are not to the analyzing part just yet! We are at the point that says, “Stop. Sit. Feel.” Just allow yourself to feel how you really feel. This is the main message from Cancer to us all.

So now ask yourself: Where have I been holding back my emotions? Where have I not allowed myself to feel? Just sit with this for a moment.

Perhaps it is allowing yourself to feel the emotions of sadness, grief, or pain. Or maybe it’s overflowing joy, love, and goodwill toward others. Sometimes it’s not the negative feelings that bring us to tears, but the positive ones. Perhaps you need a good heartfelt movie or time with a close friend to allow your tears to flow and bring on a powerful cleansing release.

Lastly, ask yourself: Where have I been fearful in my life to take on new experiences? And to allow myself to go on an adventure, and do something that would require bravery and courage? Something my Soul yearns for, but that I haven't allowed myself to do because of fear?

These questions will get you back in alignment with your own inner knowing and what your heart has been telling you all along. And, if you are feeling overwhelmed by these questions, just focus on the one that caught your attention first - that in and of itself is trusting your intuition. ;)