Cancer Season Is Looking Like a Cruel Summer. What to Expect Based on Your Sign

Gentle readers of Them, I am here to report at the start of Cancer Season that our crabby friends have absolutely no hope of beating the “caretaker” allegations this season. They just care about everything way too much! But the good news is that Cancer’s ludicrous level of empathy is vital to the entire zodiac’s wellbeing. Without their insistent attention, the rest of us would probably drown in the overwhelming emotional riptide of summer.

Cancers don’t necessarily worry about other people due to a selfless moral commitment to altruism. As the zodiac’s cardinal water sign, they just can’t help but be highly aware of the entire environment in which they find themselves swimming. If somebody else is stankin’ up the whole aquarium with foul vibes, that seriously harshes their own experience!

Cancers get stuck with the “parent friend” reputation because they’re the ones who manage everybody’s moods. In a group, Cancer is the one to swoop in and comfort the pal who melts down in a tantrum. In this sense, nearly everyone walking the surface of the planet is a “friend” to Cancer. Cancers nurture serious grudges and will gladly level curses upon their enemies from afar, but existing in the presence of another person’s acute pain is nearly intolerable to them. They will hug their deadliest nemesis in a moment of trauma, and then continue to hate their rival once the crisis has safely passed.

But Cancers rarely receive recognition for being outlandishly charming and fun! The same sensitivity that causes them to worry about others also allows them to notice small shifts in tone and make each of their conversational partners feel heard and appreciated. Extroverted Cancers are frighteningly powerful people; that’s why there aren’t very many of them. Regular Cancers, who can barely stand the company of others for any length of time, fool many observers into believing they are outgoing just because they’re unintentionally gregarious and endearing.

And Cancers practically never get the recognition they deserve for their ability to become deeply, unnervingly sexy. Did y’all see June 27 Cancer Emma D’Arcy at the premiere of their dragon show last week? They’re dressed in a ridiculous half-and-half suit, like a hot version of Harvey Dent from Batman, and their smolder stopped me dead in my scroll.

Anyway! It’s a good thing Cancers are capable and appealing, because this Cancer season is rippling intense, unusual waves throughout the entire zodiac. Some signs are surfing, while others are in danger of being slammed headfirst into the ocean floor. This Cancer Season will change up everyone’s plotlines in unpredictable ways. Let’s get into it below!

If you know more of your placements than your Sun Sign alone (Moon, Rising, Venus, etc.), check their entries as well to get a full picture of your astrological forecast.

Click here to jump to a sign: Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus.

• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus are in your sign.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus square off with Chiron and the Nodes of the Moon’s orbit, create trines with Saturn and Neptune, and form sextiles with Uranus. Mercury and Venus also form sextiles with Mars.
• In July, Mercury and Venus leave your sign and move to Leo.
• Your sign ruler the Moon squares off against the Sun in Last Quarter phase in Aries, passes through conjunction with the Sun in New phase in your sign, and squares off against the Sun in First Quarter phase in Libra. The Full Moon opposes the Sun from Capricorn twice, at both the beginning and end of the season.

Cancer Season is full of plot development. Y’all are really bringing the drama! You snatched up Mercury and Venus — the rulers of communication and desire — at the end of Gemini season. Along with the Sun, which represents the self, they spend the next few weeks loving Saturn and Neptune (order and intuition) and fighting with Chiron and the Nodes of the Moon’s orbit (healing and your future and past, respectively).

But that’s not all! As June turns to July, Saturn and Neptune both turn retrograde, which alters their typical effects. As a result, you talk a big game about responsibility and getting your shit together, and then suddenly that intention becomes the most unappealing prospect you could imagine. Starting in early July, you feel a little less dreamy and fanciful than you did in June, but instead of getting practical you may lose touch with your instincts and make bizarre decisions. You’re trapped in a suspended sense of the present, stuck on a grievance you can’t quite heal and temporarily unable to reconcile the past or step forward to the future. Your sign ruler the Moon tries to initiate a new beginning in your sign, but finds itself caught opposing the Sun in a second Full phase in your sibling sign Capricorn.

The events of this season will lead to a huge new beginning for you… eventually. But the next four weeks of your birth season are likely to be some of the strangest of your life to date.

Fortunately, you’re really good at swimming through the utterly confounding soup of life! Recently, I caught one of my favorite Cancers in an instance of amazing obliviousness. (Like, my guy, how could you not have noticed this very obvious thing that has been existing in your vicinity for months?) He just laughed and informed me that he is in his “bimbo era.” In other words, he is purposefully attempting to think no thoughts and instead simply vibe. Instantly, I pivoted from an attitude of incredulity to profound respect. This is some serious wisdom! I would encourage every Cancer to approach this season with a thembo mindset. If you try to make too much sense of your experiences in this moment, you’ll risk a meltdown. Better to float on through events as they happen and wait to sort out what it all means afterward.

• Your sign ruler the Sun is in Cancer.
• In July, Mercury and Venus leave Cancer and move to your sign.
• Mercury and Venus oppose Pluto, form sextiles with Lilith and Jupiter, and create trines with the North Node.
• Mercury also creates a trine with Chiron and squares off against Uranus.

Whew! Cancer is behaving strangely this month, acting in uncharacteristically inconsistent ways. Y’all see them going at it and realize they’re out of line, but instead of intervening you holler, “Hey Cancer, hold my vodka spritzer and watch this!” You’re not in the mood to entertain necessary life change, but you’re all the way down to get into some trouble. Oddly enough, the recklessness will lead to a heartfelt breakthrough in healing. But it still remains to be seen whether you’ll lean into recovery or retreat into familiar fear-based habits in the aftermath.

• At the end of June, Lilith leaves your sign and moves to Libra.
• Your sign ruler Mercury begins the season in Cancer. In July, Mercury moves to Leo.

Other signs may be struggling, but Virgo, you’re finally about to catch a break! Shadow ruler Lilith — the angry, angsty demon that sometimes helps protect you but often just drags you down — grows bored with your ass and cruises on over to Libra at the end of June. You get one whole day of Pride Month to just be sparkly, light, and free without worrying that you’ll suddenly feel threatened and crash the whole party down around everybody’s feet in a violently misguided attempt at self-defense!

Your sign ruler Mercury spends the first chunk of the season flailing for a foothold, but before the Sun joins Mercury in Leo you’ll experience a revelatory breakthrough in healing.

• The South Node is in your sign.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus square off against the South Node.
• At the end of June, shadow ruler Lilith leaves Virgo and moves to your sign.
• Your sign ruler Venus begins the season in Cancer. In July, Venus moves to Leo.
• The First Quarter Moon in your sign squares off against the Sun.

Bless your heart. How do I break this to you? If we were in an ill-kept club restroom together at 2:00 A.M. on a weeknight in the early 2010s, I would gaze deeply into your eyes with all the power of compassion I could muster from the depths of my soul and say, “Oh, honey.”

Y’all already know about the South Node — you’ve been hauling it and the whole weight of your past around since July 2023, and you’ll continue to heft it until January 2025. (My sympathies! The Nodes of the Moon’s orbit move generally retrograde, and the South Node parked in my own sun sign Scorpio for a year and a half before it seized you.) Now, the South Node is joined in your sign by Lilith, the spot in space where the Moon reaches its farthest point of orbit from the Earth and the ruler of psychological shadow. You are in for a long, difficult period, and you’re probably going to make it everybody else’s problem!

But Libras are all about balance, and honestly? It can be kind of fun to feel bad. Get your wardrobe ready: you’re going to make an iconically fabulous villain.

• Your sign ruler Pluto is retrograde in Aquarius.
• Mercury and Venus oppose Pluto.
• Mars creates a trine with Pluto.

Cancer is the water sign star of this season. Like, duh, but really though! Pisces is purposefully spending some time alone, and you, too, need a dose of isolation to rest and recharge. You should probably spare yourself some trouble while the rulers of communication and desire are ignoring Pluto, your dwarf planet representative. This is not an ideal moment to dive into romantic conversations. Just float along in imitation of Pluto — backwards, by yourself, way out of everyone else’s path. Near the end of the season, Mars will reward you with a surge of motivational energy.

• Your sign ruler Jupiter is in Gemini.
• Mercury and Venus form sextiles with Jupiter.
• The waxing gibbous Moon travels through your sign twice this season.

You’re somehow managing to merrily avoid all of the trouble swirling around you and skip through the season in good cheer. The protective good luck bubble bestowed upon you by Jupiter is made of some seriously durable stuff, and good thing. Expect to stay occupied — even entertained — by supporting friends from other signs, many of whom are going through it during the next four weeks.

• Your sign ruler Saturn is in Pisces.
• Saturn turns retrograde.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus create trines with Saturn.
• Mars forms a sextile with Saturn.
• The Full Moon in your sign opposes the Sun twice this season, once in June and again in July.

You’re scheduled for a powerful season. The representatives of self-understanding, intellect, aesthetics, and energy are all pleased with the ambitions of Saturn, your sign ruler. Your ringed ruler turns retrograde at the end of June, but this doesn’t spell utter disaster the way it might with an “inner” planet like Mercury, Venus, or even Mars. In your case, Saturn retrograde might actually allow you to relax for a few months — you know, relatively. (Whatever your Capricorn version of relaxation looks like, which is still incredibly productive by most people’s standards.) This could even give you a chance to relax enough to create better work than you were doing before! There! Do I have your attention now?

You host two Full Moons this month. A Full Moon always feels a little funky, astrologically. In order to shine with complete illumination, the Earth’s satellite must oppose the Sun. This allows emotions to overwhelm the ego, which is not usually your thing. But similar to the situation with Saturn retrograde, two unavoidable upswells of capital-F feelings sort of force you to deal with the baggage you’ve been determinedly ignoring… to your benefit! You’re probably going to conquer some serious obstacles by just lightening up a little bit this season.

• Pluto is retrograde in your sign.
• Pluto forms a trine with Lilith.
• Your sign ruler Uranus is in Taurus.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus form sextiles with Uranus.
• Mars passes through conjunction with Uranus.
• The waning gibbous Moon travels through your sign twice this season.

Hehehe. You’ve got a strong mischievous streak, and your version of “bad” usually manifests as, I don’t know, kind of scampy more than malevolent. (My spellcheck took the liberty of correcting that spelling to “scampi,” like the pasta dish rather than the creature in the Elder Scrolls games, and I had to take a laugh break of my own.) You have a lot of energy to pour into your own weird purposes during the next four weeks. You’re due to take a big twirl through the darkness that gives off more Mr. Mistoffelees vibes than, like, a portent of direly impending doom. Dang, I want to hang out and watch what y’all get up to this season.

• Saturn and your ruler Neptune are in your sign.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus create trines with Saturn and Neptune.
• Mars forms sextiles with Saturn and Neptune.
• Neptune opposes Lilith.
• Saturn and Neptune both turn retrograde.

You’re in a position of purposeful isolation this season. First, you express a genuine wish to organize your internal life. Then, you realize you can’t do that while you’re surrounded by the sound of other people’s yapping. You just want to be alone! So, you do. Or, you should. Please honor your true desires to the best extent you’re able. Don’t let external pressures persuade you to act against your own intuition.

• Chiron and the North Node are in your sign.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus square off against Chiron and the North Node.
• Your sign ruler Mars begins the season in Taurus. In the last days of the season, Mars moves to Gemini.
• The Last Quarter Moon in your sign squares off against the Sun.

You’ve been on an upward overarching astrological trajectory for the past few seasons. It’s too easy. Almost suspiciously so. Now, you finally encounter some of the friction you’ve been craving to prove that your progress is real!

The bummer part is, some or most of the fight might come from you, directed at yourself. You don’t want to heal anymore right now. Who cares about your future; you are tired of climbing for just a minute. I would tell you to rest, but hahaha. There’s no way in hell you’re going to do that! Just go ahead and start the fistfight with yourself that you really need to have out, then you’ll feel better and you can get on with your business.

• Mars and Uranus are in your sign.
• Mars forms sextiles with Saturn and Neptune, and passes through conjunction with Uranus.
• Your sign ruler Venus begins the season in Cancer. In July, Venus moves to Leo.
• The Sun, Mercury, and Venus form sextiles with Uranus. Mercury and Venus also form sextiles with Mars.
• In the last days of the season, Mars leaves your sign and moves to Gemini.

Wow, you’re thriving! You just love a good moisturizing water season. You’re inspired! You’re motivated! You really feel like you know what you want to do. Your only threat of danger at present is conflict with others. Several signs of the zodiac are at risk of outlandish behavior over the next four weeks. That’s fine. Hell, you probably support them as long as they’re not blocking your path. But if they do choose to plant themselves in your way, the presence of Mars in your sign encourages you to remove them, um, expeditiously. And potentially aggressively! You might want to take a cue from Pisces and spend some time contentedly alone.

• Jupiter is in your sign.
• Jupiter forms a sextile with the North Node.
• Your sign ruler Mercury begins the season in Cancer. In July, Mercury moves to Leo.
• In the last days of the season, Mars leaves Taurus and moves to your sign.

You are growing inside. You’re going full-on galaxy brain in your internal consciousness, just continually expanding unimaginably outward! In your upper brain, you really don’t realize that you’re proactively chasing destiny, but, like, look at what you’re doing. You’re making it happen! Much like Cancer, this is an excellent time for you to embrace a bubble-headed bimbo, himbo, or thembo era. While Cancer is embracing thoughtlessness as a coping mechanism, you’re getting things done by quieting your brain and refusing to overcomplicate obstacles.

Get the best of what’s queer. Sign up for Them’s weekly newsletter here.