seeking comfort in cancer season 🦀
Cancer season begins on Friday, June 20th
Welcome to Cancer season! Today is an auspicious day: not only is it the beginning of a new astrological season, but it’s also the summer solstice (aka the first official day of summer), ushering us into a whole new season on the Wheel of the Year. As we enter into a period of sun worship and lush, juicy summer abundance, Cancer season reminds us to slow down and stay soft so we don’t burn out.
Keep reading for an overview of Cancer energy & themes, insights on the gifts of our cardinal water sign, the Major Arcana card associated with Cancer, and more!
unpacking the sign of the crab
Cancer energy is all about nourishment, nurturing, community care, and self-tending. Like a warm hug, Cancer wants to wrap us up in comfort and support. It’s a sign that asks us to get honest about our deepest needs — rest, space, a nutritious meal, a social media break, companionship, a good cry, a deep conversation with a trusted friend — and to take those needs seriously. This season reminds us that we’re human, and that we have physical, emotional, and energetic capacities. It emphasizes the importance of regularly filling our cups so that we can show up fully for ourselves, our goals, and our people.
Cancer is a water sign (along with Scorpio & Pisces), which means that it’s associated with things like fluidity, flexibility, softness, sensitivity, care, compassion, heart centering, healing, intuition, spirituality, and our emotions & inner landscape. It’s also a cardinal sign (along with Aries, Libra, and Capricorn), which gives it a leadership quality — the cardinal signs boldly and confidently usher us into a new season (in this case, summer.) Ruled by the moon, Cancer also has an air of liminality, spirality, and mystery, and is deeply connected to our intuition and subconscious: pairing the watery energy of Cancer with the mystical magic of the moon gives us a sign that holds a soft but undeniable power.
cancer season & making space for summer solitude
Falling right between two high-energy signs — Gemini, with its focus on bubbly social engagements and ultra packed schedules, and Leo, with its white-hot electricity that invites us to stand in the spotlight — Cancer acts as a cooling balm, making sure that we don’t fly too close to the sun and burn ourselves out. Its watery nature makes Cancer a sign that’s cool, calm, and collected, like a refreshing drink of water after a day spent soaking in the sun.
If Gemini season is like splashing around at a rowdy pool party, Cancer season is like floating, weightless, on a salty sea. If Gemini is the electric warmth of sun on your skin, Cancer is like taking a break under the shade of your favorite tree. If Gemini is summer camp — full of activities and gossip and new friends — then Cancer is the sweet nostalgia of a family road trip or a quiet afternoon spent lounging lakeside. This sweet season invites us to slow down and find moments of solitude during what’s typically a busy, high-energy time of year. As we embrace all of the unique gifts that summer has to offer — which often feel like a sigh of relief after navigating the cold, dark winter and tender spring — Cancer season reminds us to take time out for ourselves to turn inward, reflect, and tend to our needs.
softness and surrender as a superpower
In a society that prioritizes and rewards productivity, progress, and external achievements — not to mention force, aggression, and clawing your way to the top — Cancer season shows us that there’s power in softness. When we’re encouraged to keep working, keep striving, and never carve out time for reflection, recalibration, and feeling our feelings, things like rest, self-care, and vulnerability become radical acts. Slowing down and making time for quiet solitude allows us to reconnect to our deepest sense of self and can help us get clear on our dreams, priorities, and purpose so that we can move through life with intention.
Surrender is another powerful lesson of Cancer season: while we might understand conceptually that many things are out of our control, practicing surrender and acceptance remains one of the toughest challenges out there. Like the ever-changing phases of the moon, everything around us is in flux, operating on its own sacred timeline. Our brains may crave linear progress, clear answers, and logical solutions, but the moon teaches us that so much of life is cyclical — operating in cycles, phases, and patterns — and that our energy ebbs and flows (and not always in accordance with our expectations or preferences.) With its intimate connection to the moon, Cancer season asks us to surrender to the unknown; to greet the liminal spaces not with fear or a desire for control, but with curiosity and an open heart. This Cancer season, see if you can soften into the mysteries of life rather than grasping tight to specific outcomes.
cancer in the tarot: The Chariot & looking towards the future
The Major Arcana card associated with Cancer is The Chariot, an archetype that wants to transport us to our next big chapter. With an eye on the future, The Chariot assures us that we’re ready to evolve and embrace what lies ahead, even if leaving the past behind is uncomfortable.
I’ve seen many folks talk about The Chariot as a high-powered, fast-moving vehicle for all of life’s journeys: just hop on in and it’ll get you to where you want to go! It’s often portrayed as a card of stamina, willpower, and success — if we can just stay laser-focused on what it is that we want, then we’re already on our way there. While that certainly feels like part of The Chariot’s story — and feels very aligned with high-powered, confident energy of summer — in my personal practice, that’s not quite the whole picture (again, I’d like to thank my teacher, Lindsay Mack, for expanding my understanding of so many tarot archetypes, including this one.) Lindsay often speaks about the grief associated with change and with The Chariot: it’s a card that takes us forward, sure, but also one that highlights the things that can no longer come with us on our journey. As we transition from one chapter to the next, we’re bound to recognize things that we’ve outgrown or that are no longer serving us. There may be people, places, roles, relationships, narratives, or thought patterns that need to be left behind in order for us to evolve into the version of ourselves that we’re becoming — and it’s rarely easy to leave things behind, even when we know that it’s for the best.
The Chariot, then — like Cancer season — holds a complexity that may not be apparent upon first glance. Cancer’s symbol, the crab, might at first conjure up images of warm, sandy beaches in the summer sun, but a deeper dive reminds us that the crab’s tough outer shell is there to protect a tender and delicate inside. The Chariot — on its surface — is a flashy and worthy vehicle for getting us to our bright, beautiful destination, but it’s also a bittersweet reminder that change is almost always accompanied by some form of loss and mourning of what once was. This Cancer season, see if you can hold space for it all: can you allow yourself to feel excitement and desire for the future that awaits you, while also acknowledging the tougher feelings that come along with change? As you move towards your next phase with confidence and determination, make sure that you’re leaving space for any unexpected feelings to come up, too.
bringing it all together: cancer season actions, tools, and reflections
For the next month, we’ll be guided by an energy that’s soft, compassionate, caring, reflective, emotional, sensitive, and heart-centered. How can we best work with this season?
We can remind ourselves to slow down and soften, especially when we’re tempted to push past challenging or complex feelings. We can check in with ourselves and assess our needs — physical, emotional, and spiritual — so that we can make sure we’re resourced and tended to before moving forward. We can engage in activities and nurture relationships that bring us comfort and a sense of nourishment. We can practice surrendering to the unknown instead of trying to force answers or grasp onto a sense of control. We can remember that time, growth, and healing are non-linear, and instead operate on their own mysterious timeline.
Above all, we can commit to taking intentional breaks for reflection, solitude, and self-care — in all of its forms — during a season that typically urges us to keep moving.
Here are some tools that you may want to work with during Cancer season — you can incorporate them into your life over the next month in whatever ways feel appropriate to you:
Crystals like aquamarine (for emotional support and softening hard edges), ocean jasper (for slowing down and remembering self care), and rainbow moonstone (for releasing stuck emotions and seeing a way forward)
Colors like blue (for intuition & fluidity) and grey (for openness & emotional calm)
Water in all of its forms: ocean, lakes, and baths for dipping in; rain water for nourishing your plants, cleansing your crystals, or anointing yourself with; drinking water for summer hydration or making nourishing herbal infusions & teas; vessels of water for adorning your Cancer season altar
Some other activities that you may want to consider during Cancer season:
Make moon water: Practice lunar magic (and hydration!) by placing a jar of water outside or on a windowsill under the full moon — or any time, really — to let it soak up some lunar energy. Grab your water the next morning and send some gratitude to the moon as you drink it throughout the day. With each sip you take, see if you can allow yourself to soften and connect with your heart. You can also use your moon water for cooking, making tea, or watering your plants.
Take good care: Take a moment to consider what the word “care” (or “self-care”) means to you — what things truly make you feel cared for? Do you need to carve out more time and space to tend to your own needs? Ask for help? Simplify your routine or say no to things that don’t nourish you? Think about how you can build more care into your daily life in ways that feel realistic and accessible to you right now.
Go inward: After the outward, extroverted energy of Gemini season and the heightened energy of the summer solstice, you might want to engage in activities that allow you to unplug from the outside world and let your mind wander: things like meditation, daydreaming, going for walks, journaling, making art, or reading. Prioritize anything that helps you reconnect with your body, your intuition, and your own personal wants and needs.
Care for your community & loved ones: Cancer season asks each of us how we can be a source of comfort, care, and support for those around us. Who in your network could use some extra support right now, and what do you have to offer that might feel like a welcome gift to them? Care and support can be shown in so many ways, so don’t underestimate the power of a quick check-in, word of encouragement, or a small favor when someone could use an extra hand.
key cancer season dates
☀️ June 20th : first day of Cancer season
🌑 June 25th: new moon in Cancer
🌕 July 10th: full moon in Capricorn
📅 July 21st: last full day of Cancer season
cancer cheat sheet
📅 Dates: June 20th - July 22nd
🦀 Symbol: the crab
💧 Element: water
👑 Modality: cardinal
🪐 Ruling planet: the moon
🃏 Major Arcana card: The Chariot
🧸 Qualities: soft, sensitive, compassionate, caring, nurturing, nostalgic, heart-led, comforting, supportive, fluid, intuitive, cyclical