Cancer Decans: First, Second, and Third Decans of the Zodiac Sign

In this article, we will check the Cancer decans. Crayfish or crab, the Cancer person keeps his head just above the water. This can make him feel on edge. But depending on Cancer decan, there will be differences in his personality.

Have you noticed that the passage of the stars in the zodiac, and the direction in which the twelve signs succeed one another, follow the same direction as the Earth’s waterways? Of course, there is a physical explanation for all this. We now know that the movement of the Earth’s rotation has some correlation of the apparent movement of the stars from east to west and it’s this same revolution of the Earth around its axis that draws the rivers and streams with it in one direction rather than another.

However, what is interesting about the symbolism of the Cancer zodiac sign is, on the one hand, the movement of the currents of water on Earth and, on the other, the fact that the three crayfish represent the three decans of this sensitive, hot sign, are making their way along from east to west. So, despite the deep attachment the Cancerian has for his past – which is one of the main characteristics of this sign – our crayfish go with the tides in the right direction; they never seem to swim against the tide to go back to the source.

This is paradoxical. In fact, it is almost the same as the case of Taurus where, on one hand, you are presented with the myth of the raging bull and on the other hand you are looking at the bull killed on the sacrificial altar. In the same way that the zodiac is not the arena for Taurus, the sign of Cancer, revised and updated by the Europeans, is no longer the crab with its pincers ready to attack or defend, swimming backwards or walking sideways. The symbols of the Cancer zodiac sign are now two crayfish and one crab, all three in practically the same position, swimming with the tide, anti-clockwise, and therefore going back in time.

And that is how this sign manages to go forward, while it’s walking backwards. But when, like every self-respecting crab, he takes it into his head to really swim backwards instead of making progress, he is then going against the tide and really moving backwards.

Cancer of the first decan

The first decan of the Cancer zodiac sign is from 21st June to 1st July.

The first picture in the sign of Cancer is of a superb crayfish with its body stretched out flat. Its caudal fin is well developed, which proves that it knows exactly how to drawback in the event of danger. But what strikes you most about his shell, is its plumpness and the softness of the curves of its body which give no hint of any aggression. This absence of any violence is also underlined by the fact that its two pincers, whose strength you can imagine, are closed and arranged in such a way that they remind us of someone opening his arms as if he is ready to receive, kiss or hug you.

lastly, its two feelers are very long. They start from its eyes to meet up with its pincers, although they don’t touch them, then they form two curls folding round at their tips, which symbolise the gentleness, receptiveness and extreme sensitivity which is characteristics of this sign. Everything in his bearing suggests a passive, motionless animal who lets himself be carried by the tide, living peacefully near the surface of the water, breathing in the light and that mixture of heat and freshness which create those wonderful moments when time seems suspended.

With this symbol of the first decan which is ruled by emotions and whose ruling planet is Venus, we are well and truly in the realms of raw emotion, which expresses itself in harmony with the surroundings. In fact, this motionless crab bathes in the waters of the past and, by staying there, he holds on to the present. He is very careful to make progress, to advance towards the future…

Cancer of the second decan

The second decan of the Cancer zodiac sign is from 2nd to 12th July.

Again it’s a crayfish which represents the second decan of Cancer, but this time with a much more modest tail than the first one and a thin, elongated body. In contrast to the previous crayfish, its head is not round. It forms an acute angle and its eyes are on the side. Its feelers are much shorter and curl inwards. Its two front claws with their closed pincers pointing forwards are no longer open wide; they form an angle of almost 90 degrees on each side of its body. Lastly, its caudal fin is much more elaborate.

It is composed of three distinct sections rather like the three leaves of clover or like three half-moons stuck to one another. It’s accentuated like this to draw our attention to the fact that the kind of creature with a shell such as this is well equipped to defend itself, for, in fact, it’s when it feels in danger that the crayfish uses its shell to withdraw into. Unlike the crayfish of the first decan, this one is not bathing in the shallow water but is more likely to be found in a rock pool.

The way in which this crayfish is shown suggests less sensitivity and harmony with the environment, and a certain internalization, a cerebral occupation perhaps, as if our animal was on the point of thinking, pondering things over or waiting for a sign. Don’t forget that this decan of Cancer is ruled by Mercury planet.

Cancer of the third decan

The third decan of the Cancer zodiac sign is from 13th to 22nd July.

Our third living symbol of Cancer is no longer a crayfish, but a crab. This difference in the symbol is of great importance, for the crayfish is a crustacean that lives in the freshwater of rivers, whereas the crab lives in the saltwater of the sea. However, the shell of the crab of the third decan of Cancer is not as angular as that of the crabs you come across, more often than not, on our beaches. It is distinctly round and egg-shaped. Its eight claws are curved in the shape of a crescent moon, with open pincers, and the front ones are disproportionately large and menacing.

Its head is round and its eyes cannot be seen, as they are hidden by its short feelers curving back at the side. As for its caudal fin, it seems to have been added and stuck on to its shell. It has six extending parts each one overlapping the other, which look more like the tail feathers of a bird than the tail of a crustacean.

So we’re talking about a strange crab, whose rounded shell suggests plenty of softness, but whose position clearly indicates a defensive-offensive stance. It perfectly illustrates the characteristics of the third decan of Cancer, which is associated with Sensitivity, whose ruling planet is the Moon and whose heart is filled with the sensitive qualities of Cancer.