Cancer

Cancer - Latin for Crab

Summary

In both the East and West, the symbol of this constellation is a Crab. Actually the word “cancer” is Latin for Crab, and the Sanskrit name for this sign is Karkata, which also literally means Crab.

So, why a crab?

A crab is very soft inside but has a hard outer shell and huge, frightening claws. Crabs are very protective of their soft inner-selves, and that’s why they have these hard outer features, and is why they “over-react” by scurrying away quickly at the first sign of the slightest danger. The above behavior of this sea creature speaks volumes about the essence of this zodiac sign.

Cancer is abundant with the desire to protect and defend the soft, interior of life. That “soft interior” can include one’s own private emotions and opinions, it can include children – who are grow inside us, are fragile and need protection. It can also include spiritual intuitions and conceptions.  As a result of her abundant intention to protect and nurture private and internal treasures, Cancer creates an exterior that is hyper-sensitive, and over-reactive; employing a facade of callous toughness or disinterest as a veil to hide one’s inner vulnerabilities.

Origin of These Traits, and Additional Details

Cancer is the home of the Moon, it belongs to her and she empowers this part of the sky. She creates the mysterious, emotional, soft interior of “the crab”. She makes the world of personal opinions and experiences the most treasured and protected things in this sign. She falls into debilitation when she traverses Scorpio, which is the 5^th House from Cancer. This contributes a prominent need for Cancer think clearly and rationally without interference from emotional distortions. It also makes cancer a place where intellectual rationale tends to be defeated by the sheer force of subjective opinion and personal feelings. The Moon rises to her exaltation when in Taurus, which is the 11^th House from Cancer. This contributes toward Cancer being a place where friendships and social institutions are important and positive parts of life.

The Houses of Cancer

The Sun, Mars and Jupiter are the planets who are intrinsically friendly towards Cancer. The Sun owns the 2^nd House from Cancer and therefore wants to make Cancer a place where the self-identity is very interwoven with the family unit and supportive social structures. He also enhances Cancer’s potentials for financial skill and inclination. Mars owns the 5^th and 10^th Houses from Cancer. He therefore makes Cancer a place where there is great enthusiasm and passion to make a mark on society, and to have inventive and creative ideas. However, he is also a major part of the reason that Cancer is such a difficult place to think clearly – without the interference of passionate opinions. Jupiter owns the 6^th and 9^th Houses from Cancer, and therefore contributes deep interest in religious and spiritual ideas and a general love for wisdom and learning.

Mercury, Venus and Saturn are inherently antagonistic towards Cancer. Mercury owns the 3^rd and 12^th Houses from Cancer, and therefore makes the intellect very passionate and non-objective, which causes confusion in Cancer. Venus owns the 4^th and 11^th Houses, this makes Cancer a place which feels exposed in social settings and tends to avoid parties and be shy. However the friendships that exist in Cancer are particularly dear and deep. Saturn owns the 7^th and 8^th houses, and thus makes the shyness and privacy of Saturn border on the extreme.

The elemental makeup of Cancer is water (out of the possible earth, water, fire or air). Water is the element associated with emotions, intuitions, inner being, and spiritual awareness.

The growth pattern of Cancer is direct (out of the possible rooted, direct or oscillating). So cancer is very focused on not only protecting the “soft interior” of life, but also on nurturing it and helping it grow in a definite, positive direction.

Cancer is the 4^th House of nature (being the 4^th of the 12 zodiac signs). The 4^th house is the home of the vulnerable inner self! It is the deepest place in the sky, connected to our ancestral roots, our mothers, our emotions and the private places in which we live.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Pisces

The Two Fish of Pisces

Summary

Vedic Astrology gives Pisces the name Meena – which means “fish.”  The symbol of Pisces is two fish swimming in opposite directions but tied together. This aptly conveys the main energy within the constellation: deep ideals and aspirations, but indecisiveness and difficulty progressing in a steady direction.

Why fish? Because fish live in water, which is the element responsible for subjective reality: the inner world of emotions, feelings and soul. Why two fish? Because the spirituality, emotions and feelings of Pisces try to go in two directions at once. Pisces is at the end of the Zodiac. One fish tries to swim away from the end and return to familiar territory, while the other fish tries to swim towards the end, into a new beginning. But these fish are tied together! A soul cannot go in two directions at once without becoming confused and vulnerable.

Origin of these Traits

Jupiter rules Pisces and bestows to her his characteristic generosity and love for education and philosophy. Jupiter falls into debilitation in Pisces’ 11^th House and so Pisces feels a strong need for friendships and social groups. Jupiter rises to exaltation in Pisces’ 5^th House which contributes educational abilities, creative instincts, and good relationships with children and students.

Houses of Pisces

The Friends of Pisces are the Sun and Mars. The Sun owns Pisces 6^th house and therefore makes Pisces a place in the sky which is quite friendly even towards enemies. Between this friendship with the house of enemies and the debilitation of Jupiter in the house of friends, it becomes clear that one of the things confusing the inner being in pisces is making sense out of who is a friend vs. who is an enemy, and what is an opportunity vs. what is an obstacle. Mars owns Pisces’ 2^nd and 9^th houses, which allows him to contribute to this sign a strong passion concerning learning, wisdom, morality, philosophy and things of a religious nature.

All the rest of the planets are Neutral towards Pisces, who has no outright enemies. This underscores the nature of this constellation as one which is can befriend inimical forces. The Moon owns the 5^th House from Pisces and thereby can contribute to pisces a very motherly and nurturing attitude towards studies and students, as well as a fertile creative mind. Saturn owns the 11^th and 12^th houses in a Pisces sky, casting a very logical & realistic yet spiritual flavor to the friends and social groups Pisces gravitates towards. Due to Saturn’s influence Pisces needs to keep an eye on her expenses and a throttle on her financial generosity. Mercury owns Pisces’ 4^th and 7^th House and therefore challenges Pisces to clearly understand and organize their own inner emotions and feelings. He also allows Pisces heightened diplomacy in interpersonal relationships. Venus owns both the 3^rd and 8^th houses from Pisces and she feels exalted when in Pisces. The result is that there is a great deal of deep passion and romantic lust under the waters of this constellation. It is difficult and confusing to express these things in Pisces, which is why the sign is not famous for this important trait.

Additional Information

Pisces is the 12^th Sign of the Zodiac, which connects her to the 12^th House and thus to humility, contemplation, solitude, quiet and selflessness. She is a sign composed of the water element, thus being the pinnacle sign for the development of deep, inner self-knowledge. They way that she moves and grows is in an oscillating pattern – adding to her difficulty in “making up her mind” but allowing her to see many points of view simultaneously.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Sagittarius

Summary

The Bow and Archer

Vedic astrology calls this constellation “Dhanus,” which means “The Bow.” Western astrology has a similar symbol: a centaur archer. The universal bow symbolizes the energy to act in pursuit of high aims and ideals. The centaur with it’s horse-body, however, also shows the swiftness of Sagittarius, and it’s love of exploration.

This is a sign concerned largely with expanding one’s borders and broadening the horizons of one’s morals. It is a generous sign with a lot of passion, love for travel and adventure, and strong disposition for the educational process. Career and Marriage can be difficult to settle on, but can turn out exciting, intellectual and oriented towards communications. Ambitions can be unrealistic and speech can be harsh at times, but those ambitions are a reliable foundation for life in Sagittarius. Friends and enemies blur and cycle in a way that can help Sagittarius befriend and make alliances with many different types of people.

Origin of These Traits

The Ruler of Sagittarius is Jupiter. Jupiter is an expansive planet very concerned with morality and faith. His domain, Sagittarius, is a place for expanding the horizons of philosophy, ethics, education, etc. Jupiter comes to exaltation in Cancer, which is the 8^th House from Sagittarius. This grants Sagittarius a great deal of sexual charisma and interest in spiritual and occult ideas, it also protects against bad luck. Jupiter falls to his weakest debilitation in Capricorn, which is the 2^nd House from Sagittarius. This makes Sagittarius more prone to weakness in terms of speaking appropriately, earning money, and having stabile family support.

The Houses of Sagittarius

The Friends of Sagittarius are the Sun and Mars. The Sun owns the 9^th House from Sagittarius and therefore contributes a towards disposition of Sagittarius towards philosophy, religion, ethics, and higher learning. Mars owns the 5^th and 12^th houses from Sagittarius, so he contributes passion for travel, learning, and creativity.

Neutral Planets toward Sagittarius are all the rest: The Moon, Mercury, Saturn and Venus. No planet holds Sagittarius to be an outright enemy, and this says a lot about the ability of this sign to make alliances with many different sorts of people. The Moon owns the 8^th House from Sagittarius, which increases the tendency of sexual and metaphysical energies to be on the mind. Mercury owns the 10^th and 7^th Houses from Sagittarius. He can present Sagittarius with challenges to finding stable careers and relationships, but usually agrees to grant Sagittarius better potential in communications oriented careers, and gives relationships with witty and intelligent people. Saturn is ambivalent towards Sagittarius. Since he owns the 2^nd House from Sagittarius, he presents some challenges in the way of being overly generous yet having distant or detached personal supporters. He also owns the 3^rd House from Sagittarius and thus presents challenges in the way of having realistic and sustainable desires and aspirations. However he can also agree to grant Sagittarius strong aspirations and a strong voice. Venus is the closest Sagittarius has to an outright enemy. She owns the 11^th and 6^th Houses and therefore tends to present challenges and blessings concerning the mixing of friends and enemies. Sagittarius is a place in which friends can act like enemies and be argumentative, but where enemies can be made peace with and turned into friends. Often this is a cyclic experience.

Additional Info

Sagittarius is the “9^th House” of the natural zodiac – a place with a lot of interest in philosophy, religion, ideas, morals, and learning. This is synergistic with Jupiter’s inherent nature.

The elemental nature of Sagittarius is fire. The element of fire contributes energy and enthusiasm to the Saggitarian interest in philosophies and learning. This sign is full of high ideals and passion for ideas.

The growth pattern of Sagittarius is oscillation. This causes Sagittarius to be ever hungry for new things, especially new ideas, ideals, moralities, philosophies, etc.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Gemini

Gemini – Summary

Gemini

Gemini the most ingenious and inventive sign in the zodiac. She is flexible, witty, fun-loving, youthful and carefree – but has another side which is equally deep, intellectual, and spiritual. She dislikes dogmas but adores an intellectual and inventive approach to understanding life’s mysteries.

Gemini’s passion for fun can be her most endearing quality, yet can also make her “go overboard” at the wrong times and thus run into troubles with money, diet and friendships. Her biggest challenge is stability – particularly in romance and career.

Gemini – Details

Houses of Gemini

Ruler

Mercury contributes a witty, mental or intellectual nature; delicate, youthful, carefree and fond of inventions.

Debilitated in House 10, contributing prominent need for: stable career, public recognition, father-figures.

Exalted in House 4, contributing prominent abundance in: understanding deep things about life; having pleasant living quarters; having good mother-figures.

Gemini puts no planet to exaltation or debilitation.

Friends

Venus (owning houses 5 & 12) contributes an artistic knack for finding creative, exciting and enjoyable ways to escape the mundane; an interest in the afterlife or a larger, deeper understanding of life and the universe; and a tendency to feel thwarted by responsibilities towards children.

Saturn (owning houses 8 & 9) contributes a love for learning mysteries and secrets; and a very strong preference for very practical and realistic spirituality over unintelligent religious dogma.

Moon (owning house 2) contributes some confusion pertaining to finances, diet, and one’s own family. The Moon brings money, food, and good family, but Gemini often feels confused about how to best utilize these blessings, and thus they can be under-appreciated, misused, or squandered.

Neutrals

Mars (owning houses 6 & 11) contributes potential to try and befriend people who are not really friendly, while inadvertently causing enmity with those who would like to be friends.

Jupiter (owning houses 7 & 10) contributes challenges holding a stable career and relationship.

Enemies

Sun (owning house 3) contributes abundant lust for life and zeal for having fun, but challenges the Gemini to keep these wonderful traits well governed and steady.

Additional Info

Number: 3rd House – the house of ambition. This contributes a focus on zeal and enthusiasm

Element: Air. This contributes creative and intellectual talent, and increases the desire for having fun.

Pattern: Oscillating. Contributes the ability to be very flexible. But brings challenges in being stable in life.

- Vic DiCara
VicDiCara.com