Cancer (♋) — Cardinal Water, The Nurturer

Cancer occupies 90-120 degrees as the cardinal water sign, ruled by the Moon. It is the sign of the Crab — the hard exoskeleton protecting the vulnerable interior — and governs the fourth house of home, ancestry, and emotional foundations. Ptolemy in the Tetrabiblos assigns Cancer a cold and moist temperament, connecting it to the phlegmatic humor and the nurturing capacity of water. As the Moon's sole domicile, Cancer expresses the lunar principle of cyclic receptivity: responding to emotional tides, sheltering what is tender, and drawing sustenance from roots and memory.

Cross-Tradition Resonances