Upside: emotional intensity; water + fire = steam; childlike when in the moment.
Downside: insensitive and super sensitive; mutual wounding; dampening spirits and emotional scorching; trouble understanding nature of the other.
Quality and Element: Cardinal Fire (Aries) and Cardinal Water(Cancer)
Aries and Cancer brings together two incredibly different personae, and caution is strongly advised. At first the Aries shows ardent desire, and pursue the Crab in a romantic way that sends signals of true love. But if the sensitive heart of Cancer opens, there could be trouble if the Aries flame suddenly goes out. The Cancer will retreat into their shell, and the Aries will either get bored and move on, or do serious damage by trying to gain re-entry into the Crab's private world by force.
Aries doesn't always understand the indirect style of the Cancer nature, and grows impatient, even disdainful of their apparent passive nature. The more aggressive Aries gets, ramming after all is its specialty, the further the protective Crab retreats. For the spontaneous Ram, Cancer is needy and clingy. If a Cancer is on the defense, the Aries' direct nature can be perceived as an attack. Without meaning to, there can be a lot of hurt here.
The emotional world of the Cancer could seem claustrophobic, dependent and limiting to the strong-willed Aries. An insecure, wounded Cancer that tries to hang on to an Aries may hold on for many years before letting go. In this case, the Crab is better off with someone who has more going on in the patience department. An Aries that thrives on being at the edge, needs compatriots to cheer him or her on, not try to envelop the beloved out of fear.
If this pair makes it through the initial shock of their encounter, it could end up being a challenging, exciting relationship. Aries inspires Cancer to let go of their fears and "just do it," and Cancer opens the Ram up to their emotional depths.
When it WorksThe bold Aries inspires Cancer to overcome insecurity and act, instead of just react. A Crab wallowing in self-pity will be told to grab the reins and take control. The admirable trait of being independent is one that the home-loving Cancer often wrestles with. An Aries that has made his or her own way, beyond family expectations, sparks that in Cancer, too.
What does Cancer offer the Ram? An emotionally wise Crab shows fiery Aries how to overcome burn out. And if Cancer is the one tending the nest, they create a refuge for Aries, and a place to re-fill the well.
The idea of keep the home fires lit merges these two. This ideal marries high spirits and inspiration with the emotional stability that Cancer craves.
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