Cancer Season 2023 Is For Emotional Animals

Roll up children of the moon, MILFS, mermaids, and crusaders of the heart: The sun has entered the watery domain of Cancer, giving you cosmic consent to bathe with your pets and adopt another animal into the family. If you are feeling a little summertime sadness, as self-described “crying crustacean” and OG sad girl Lana Del Rey put it, worry not — this month is the time to get swept away by big feelings, honor your needs for kinship, and go with your gut intuition.

As the only sign ruled by the moon, Cancer is oriented to the inner emotional life. The moon is instinctive and governs our habits, dreams, memories, and how we nourish ourselves and feel safe. Ruling the stomach, Cancer is the feeder of the zodiac, so it should come as no surprise that Selena Gomez can be found in the kitchen for her cooking show Selena + Chef. Gomez is an out and proud crab, sharing in a Dazed interview, “I’m such a Cancer, I’m sensitive as f***k. I feel everything so intensely, which is one of my favorite things about myself.”

Gomez was raised with five rescue dogs and now has her own adopted poodles, Winnie and Daisy. She fostered her second pup, Daisy, to give her a safe home during the pandemic, but could not bear to return her. Incidentally, Gomez says she identifies with fellow Cancer and her Only Murders in the Building co-star Meryl Streep. She also names Princess Diana as a role model, referring to the princess’s famous (and distinctly Cancerian) line that she wanted to be the “queen of people’s hearts.”

Referred to as the gateway of mankind by ancient astrologers, this constellation represents birth — symbolizing the creative energy of bringing something into existence and nurturing what we want to sustain. Don’t let their compassionate sentimentality fool you, be it to their pets, creative projects, friendships, families, plants, careers, or sourdough starters; there is no stopping the dedication of the crab once it is emotionally invested.

The tenacity of this sign is expertly articulated by Margot Robbie’s Barbie co-star Ryan Gosling, who used appropriately seafaring references when he said: “[Margot] has a kind of fearlessness that you can only get from literally growing up swimming in shark-infested waters.” Robbie, a dedicated mother to her two adopted rescue dogs, Boo Radley and Belle, also had a “beloved pet” rat named Rat Rat, given to her by Jared Leto as a prank. Despite her initial embrace of Rat Rat, who she reported enjoyed “beer and bathtime,” Robbie had to find a new home for the rat upon her landlord’s discovery of the pet.

Just as the hermit crab carries their home on their back, Cancer is the sign most closely connected to domesticity. While they have a reputation as homebodies, what they are really looking for is sanctuary — for themselves and their loved ones. Cancer humans do not own pets: Animals are their life companions, children, and soulmates, and they will be sleeping in their beds.

As Ariana Grande explains, “I love my dogs, and I love my fans as if they were family,” reflecting the crab’s big-hearted orientation toward extending the bonds of belonging to those they care about. Grande is a passionate advocate for animal adoption and shares her home with 10 dogs and a pig called Piggy Smallz. If you feel the urge to adopt your own pig, consider filling out an application at Grande’s non-profit animal rescue Orange Twins Rescue in Los Angeles, which she started in 2020 to further aid in the effort to rescue and rehabilitate animals in need.

Be it Del Rey’s embodiment of a mythic bygone Americana or the hyper-saturated saccharine world inhabited by Margot Robbie as Barbie, the burgeoning nostalgia industry reflects a fundamentally human longing for shared memory and connection through the familiar. Creative Cancers are equipped with an innate ability to tap into this — to convey an atmosphere that is distinctly contemporary but infused with a dream of the past. Refer to this Interview Magazine video of Del Rey in a gown taking a bubble bath with her cats, Niko and Topanga, for an illustration of her commitment to Cancer’s love of water. 

Often possessing an acute sense of memory, Cancers will often tell the stories of their people, heritage, and past. Lyricists Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim illustrate this power of representing where you came from and harnessing the authenticity of one’s subjective experience to inform a singular creative aesthetic. Devoted dog mom Elliott, who recently became the first female hip hop artist to be nominated for an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, has spoken about how her pets are family.

Her Yorkshire Terriers, Ms. FendiDior and Hoodie, are known fashionistas who regularly sport Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Versace swag. While Ms. FendiDior is a Sagittarius, her Instagram bio was definitely written by her Cancer mother: “Hi my name is Ms. FendiDior. I’m sassy, classy & very loving BUT if one of you dogs or cats try me I WILL PULL UP.” As some may have learned the hard way, don’t mess with the loved ones of this loyal sign; the claws will come out.

As the summer solstice signals the start of Cancer season, consider celebrating with ice cream (take my and Lil’ Kim’s word for it: Cancer governs ice cream culture), the power of companionship, the wisdom of emotional intelligence, and feeling your feelings.