Cancer and the Fourth House

On the Summer Solstice the Sun enters the sign of the crab- Cancer. Like other water signs, Cancer is all about deep emotion- it represents the Mother, selfless love and vulnerability. Beneath that hard shell lives a delicate creature, Cancer has a need to protect herself and puts up walls to shield herself from the harshness of society. Sometimes that shield is a natural shyness, and sometimes a biting sarcasm- whatever is necessary to drive away anyone or thing that comes too close. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, as mysterious and numinous as the sign itself.

In the natal chart, the Fourth house represents the home, the mother and subconscious thought. It's about finding out what it is that we really want, what makes us feel safe and what we are most afraid of. Accessing the energies of the planets occupying these houses can put the native in touch with their deepest feelings. As astrologer Steven Forrest states in The Inner Sky "the material locked here must be made conscious if we are to feel complete and whole".