Astrology · Zodiac Signs
Cancer: zodiac sign and chart meaning
Cancer in the tropical zodiac: approximate dates, element, modality and rulership. A chart example and a distinction between signs and houses.
In this lesson
Position, dates and correspondences
| Longitude sector | 90°–120° |
|---|---|
| Approximate solar dates | approximately 21 June – 22 July |
| Element | Water |
| Modality | Cardinal |
| Rulership | Moon |
Dates are approximate. Near a boundary, calculate the Sun’s longitude for the year, birth time and time zone. The tropical signs are equal sectors beginning at the March equinox, not the unequal boundaries of astronomical constellations.
The twelve equal sectors of the tropical zodiac. This is not a map of constellation boundaries.
How the symbolism is used
Cancer is the fourth sector of the tropical zodiac. Cardinal water is read through care, personal memory and creating familiar surroundings. A person need not be a parent to explore these themes.
Cancer is a sign, the fourth house is an area of the chart and the Moon is a separate body. Associations within some schools do not make them interchangeable.
A placement in a constructed chart
A Moon at 12° Cancer has a longitude of 102°. In equal houses from a 15° Gemini Ascendant it falls in house one, showing why a sign does not determine a house number.
These numbers explain a reading method; they are not a horoscope for a real person or a current forecast.
Read beyond the Sun sign
How do you express a need for support so another person can understand the request?
Read the traditional ruling planet · Place it in the natal chart
Astrology · Zodiac Signs
Questions about this lesson
Does the sign determine compatibility?
A Sun sign alone does not establish the quality or future of a relationship. Even astrological synastry compares more than two Sun signs.
Astrology · Zodiac Signs