Part Two:
Twelve Phases of Human Experience
CANCER - Page 1 of 3

With the summer solstice, a climactic point in the year's cycle is reached. The longest day meets the shortest night, the triumphant Day-force streaming forth from the noon-day Sun begins to wane before the ascendant power of the Night-force. Summer has come and the glory of fruitions. But fruition and fulfillment create new realizations and new tasks. Out of "union" is born the duty to direct the process of formation and of growth of the results of that union; and first of all the need to circumscribe expansion in order to bring these forces of formation and growth to the clearest possible focus.
      The zodiacal sign Cancer represents the principle of focalization of formative life-energies for the purpose of producing as clear-cut and as permanent an image or impression as possible. It therefore brings a reversal of trend to the process of vivid extension of being through new relationships which Gemini started. just as Taurus repolarizes the direction of the Day-force in Aries, so Cancer redirects the energies of Gemini. Taurus and Cancer are considered as "feminine" Signs. Taurus' "earth" is needed to arrest and to complete the "fire" of Aries. Cancer's "Water" condenses the "airy" extension and the all-penetrating quality of Gemini.
      Gemini spreads its search for new relationships over the whole world of experience; even as it builds words, sentences and intellectual systems, it does so with a peculiar abandon and lack of concern for ultimate results. All that the Gemini person seeks to achieve is personal security in making ever-new contacts. He seeks temporary intellectual control through verbal formulation. He takes care that in extending himself he remains always within familiar structures. Therefore he never discards his own spectacles, but be carries these spectacles to every land and situation possible. He would not care if anyone else used or did not use such spectacles, except that being well-known as the originator of a particularly good kind of spectacles makes it easier for him to establish advantageously many more new contacts.
      For instance, in matters of love Gemini will take care to have his approach to the opposite sex well defined in his own mind, so that the shock of being overwhelmed by a love of elemental power may be avoided. He will classify his reactions, his types of women, while pushing always forward and to new horizons his curiosity and eagerness for love. And if he likes to be known as a Don Juan it is only because such a reputation may "extend more vividly" the field of his contacts. Gemini may become completely bound by his formulations and categories, by his logic and his expectations; but he is only personally bound. He does not insist that other people should be likewise bound by the same patterns; thus he can be tolerant and he loves fair play, yet he is at the same time quite unable to get actually the other person's point of view.
      He has tolerance but no real understanding; whereas Sagittarius can have understanding even when he is most intolerant, for Sagittarius can perceive sympathetically how a social situation produced in a person a certain attitude, and he may not blame the person. But if he does not approve of situation and attitude be will probably act with extreme intolerance with regard to the ideas implied — even though be may understand and sympathize with the person holding the ideas.