A provocative title, I know. But the truth is that every Cancer I’ve ever met is terrified of losing control of their environment, their relationships, and how they’re perceived in those relationships.
And it makes sense, right? Cancer is a cardinal sign, showing its need for control. And it’s also a water sign, showing its control comes in the form of emotions and connections with other people. They simply can’t help but manage these things, and at times, it makes them cave into peer pressure.
Disclaimer: Any sign can be cowardly, and there are probably equal proportions in every sign. But each sign presents their cowardice differently, and I think it’s worth exploring.
Story Time
I once had a coworker with a huge stellium in Cancer. He was the quintessen tial Cancer coward. He was sweet, meek, and horrified by it. Like most mega-Cancers, he attracted throngs of women just desperate to mother him, and around them, he was kind, but he capitulated to their opinions to a ridiculous degree. And around men, he lost the thread entirely. He was terrified of looking weak, so he talked a shit about women, always trying to make himself seem like a big man. He was a Cancer baby, so everyone was incredibly invested in this man’s life, and he tried to please every faction. But this was always destined to fail.
See, he had a girlfriend. She was seen as damaged goods for a whole host of reasons. She was in one of those stories that you hear sometimes, a girl growing up in a very rich, conservative household, getting pregnant very young, and then concealing the pregnancy until she either had a stillbirth or killed her newborn. No one knew for sure, but as she was 13 at the time, nothing happened to her, legally at least. But it was a dark cloud that followed her everywhere, even though she was in her 30s by the time of this story. She was infamous. She was also absolutely gaga over this guy, to a degree that many found a little off-putting. And, perhaps worst of all (from his perspective), she was fat. Very fat.
But he loved this girl, okay? He wanted to be the hero who saved her from her tragic past, He loved the adoration. And despite all his protests, he really, really loved fat women.
And none of this is anything to be ashamed of! These were his choices, his preferences, and it was his life. Lots of people had dark moments in their past. Lots of people love to be adored. And fat bodies have always been wanted and loved and lusted for. It didn’t need to be a big deal.
But he couldn’t understand that. He was ashamed of his love. So when he was around the women, most of whom disapproved of her because of her past, he told them that he’d never propose. And around the men, he’d make fun of her body.
So imagine our surprise when he comes back from a vacation wearing a wedding ring.
This turned the tide. Everyone, women and men both, decided to accept that he loved her, and expected him to be a good husband. But he didn’t get the memo. He thought the way to keep up his image was to continue to denigrate his wife.
So one day everyone was talking about Christmas plans, just making happy small talk, when he said, loud enough for the whole office to hear, “Maybe I should just get that bitch a gym membership.”
Record scratch. Everybody froze, and you could hear a pin drop. Finally, always being the brash fire sign, I broke the silence.
“Jesus, Tom, that’s fucking disgusting. Were you expecting a high five? That’s your WIFE you’re talking about.”
That broke the dam, and everyone jumped in to castigate him.
He had tried so hard to stay in everyone’s good graces that he couldn’t see that displaying his lack of authenticity was the most repellent thing he could do.
But this story isn’t over yet. Tune in for part 2 for the conclusion of this story and to learn how Cancers can set their fears aside. I may even throw in a little bonus story for good measure.
What kind of cowardice have you seen in the wild? What was the astrology?
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