Did you feel it when we shifted from Gemini to Cancer? The astrological sign of Cancer is represented by the Crab. This can be a metaphor for what we might be feeling. Crabs have a tough, hard outside shell and soft, meaty insides. Some crabs walk forwards and backwards, while others just walk sideways, more efficiently with the design of their bodies. They communicate by drumming of waving their claws and they sometimes fight with other crabs, especially over hiding holes. Crabs are known to work together to provide food and protection for their family, and during mating season to find a comfortable spot for the female to release her eggs.
My housemate is hooked on The Deadliest Catch. I occasionally saunter into the living-room, and watch it with her. It’s a reality/documentary television show about fishermen hunting the Alaskan King Crab in the Bering Sea. These Crabs are huge, beautiful beasts, shipped all over the world for their meat. The Alaskan King Crab’s fishing season is very short and in very cold waters. The fatality and injury rates for the fisherfolks are very high, making the King Crabs very valuable.
Cancers are sensitive and emotional, but very quick. Cancers tend to work through their emotions best by physical activity. Cancer is ruled by the moon, which would explain the emphasis on emotional energy for this particular sign.
In the tarot deck, The Moon Card represents that emotional and instinctive place. In readings, pulling the moon card may warn against being swept away by overwhelming fantasies or cycling into a dark depression phase. It could even suggest the person (or someone close to them, depending on placement) has addiction issues and uses substances and such to escape from reality. The Moon Card also conjures the creative forces behind fantasy. Think about a child’s imagination. Pulling the Moon Card could also mean that the person is very much in touch with that creative place in the mind and projects and plans are big, dreamy and valuable. Plainly, whenever I pull the Moon Card, I always give myself a nice reminder to listen to my instincts in any situation. This is reinforced by the wolves in the Pamela Smith drawing in the Waite deck. It is one of the only cards without any drawings of people. The emphasis is on the animals depicted, wolves and crustacean. When these instinctive creatures show up in readings, it’s time to listen to our inner instincts, be sensitive and sit with our emotions, instead of hiding or burying them, and dream big. 