So we transition from chatty, curious, imaginative, stimulating Gemini season into emotional, homebody, feminine, sensitive Cancer season. It can be quite a jilt out of Gemini season, and sometimes you’re not ready for all the emotions that are ready to come out of you, so beware! Remember, everything is about yin and yang.
Remember: even if you’re shy to astrology, I think this monthly checklist series, a bucket list of sorts, can be helpful to get you to focus on different areas of your life and maintain that balance year-round. And hey– if magical cosmos are in your favor and helping you along the way, who are you to complain?
Cancer is a water sign ruled by the Moon. That’s why Cancerians are often called “Moonchildren”. Cancers are sympathetic, in touch with their feelings, intuitive, generous, and tenacious. The Cancer’s sign is a crab, and they can be just that “crabby”, AKA moody, or hot-headed. They might be suspicious or come of manipulative sometimes.
Some famous Cancers are Tom Hanks and Lana Del Rey. Now, Lana Del Rey is an interesting one, because she and I have the same birthday, June 21st, which is technically the cusp of Gemini and Cancer. I know many people that were born on this day and depending on who you are, you might lean heavily towards Gemini or Cancer. Lana Del Rey has personally identified as a Cancer and I definitely identify as a Gemini, but the cusp aspect is interesting, and this article is a great peek into exactly what my personality is. Not only am I a Cancer Sun cusp baby, but I also have Cancer in my 2nd (money) and 3rd (social/intellectual) houses. This means financial fluctuations will happen often in my life and I may cling to material possessions but they mean something sincere to me. I also will travel to visit people that are important to me and the people who matter to me can always count on me.
Cancer season is the perfect time to get back in touch with your home environment, get in touch with your emotions, reach out to the water, feel and empower feminine energies, take a trip down memory lane, and practice self-care like it’s your job. There are a ton of things you can do to celebrate Cancer Season, but let’s take a look at the 25 ways I came up with for you to start with!
25 Ways To Celebrate Cancer Season
1. Cook a delicious meal. You can practice new ways of cooking and get really domestic with it. Experiment with spices, seasonings, new recipes, and invite your friends over to feed them. Or have everyone bring their favorite dish from their heritage and talk about it!
2. Get a physical. Going to the doctor can suck, I know. But this is the perfect time to check in with your body and make sure you’re doing well. Make sure you’re healthy, strong, and supported! Get that peace of mind.
3. Keep track of your spending. You might be surprised at how much things add up over time from a coffee here to a new outfit there. Consider using a Habit Tracker (I offer a printable in my Uncustomary Babes Membership Group), to keep track of your finances and come out of this season feeling more on top of things and more in financial control.
4. Get to water. Obviously, as the first water sign of the zodiac, you’re going to want to get yourself to water however you can. Whether that’s a pool, a pond, the ocean, or a shower or bath. Dip your toes, your hair, or your whole body into it! Become one with the water and totally emulate your inner mermaid.
5. Bring out heirlooms. Is there anything from your ancestry or something someone passed down to you that you cherish or would like to celebrate? Now is a great time to do that! Put it on your altar, create a ritual around it, and celebrate it and them.
6. Be a homebody. Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, this is a great time to stay home, spend time alone, and avoid crowds! I know it’s summer in a lot of places and there are a lot of opportunities to go to festivals, so obviously do whatever makes you happy, but never over exert yourself because you think you have to! This is a great opportunity to go on solo dates (here are 50 solo date ideas).
7. Practice good sleep hygiene. Take naps, go to sleep early, and make night time a whole ritual! I have a ton of ideas for how you can make bed time a great part of your day and how you can get great sleep here.
8. Get in touch with your gut. Literally. Cancer rules the gut and digestive tracts. I’m never someone who is going to tell you to go on a diet, but it can be beneficial to pay attention to what foods benefit your gut health and look into digestive probiotics.
9. Get your hair cut. No joke, it will grow faster during the season of Cancer, and it’s a great way to pamper yourself with some self-care!
10. Take your hydration seriously. Get a reusable water bottle. Seriously, stop using plastic water bottles. Get a water bottle and refill it with filtered water and ice and it’s magnificent. I use a teal one from Contigo. Actually, I have two. One is 40 oz and the other is smaller so it can fit in my car’s cup holder. I love Contigo because they are like sippy cups for adults! Chug, chug, chug! We’re made of water, and ideally should be drinking half our body weight in ounces of water every day.
11. Make your bathroom fancy. Set your bathroom up as a place you’re happy to be. It doesn’t just have to be a place you feel like you’re running bodily function errands to. It can have art, crystals, candles, ambiance. Check out my friend, Maura’s, Pinterest Board of environmentally friendly ways to decorate your bathroom!
12. Get cozy. This is the time to bust out the snuggly blankets, the good smelling incense, the comfort foods, the stuffed animals, the softest pillows, the twinkly lights, the music that makes your heart flutter. Make yourself feel like you’re in a cocoon of safe, snuggly, coziness.
13. Celebrate your heritage. You can take the 23 & Me Test. I did it, and it was great! You can also visit people who have passed in graveyards, or people who are still with you wherever they live. You can write them letters thanking them for all they’ve done for you, and ask them to tell you stories about what their life was like and how they got here.
14. Clean your house. Your house is your home, and you want to make it somewhere that you really want to enjoy being, so spend some time cleaning it, decluttering it, and decorating it. Spruce it up and abundance in all capacities will flow through it!
15. Schedule a cry. We stigmatize crying way too much, and it’s ridiculous. Kids cry and it might be annoying when they wail in the middle of a grocery store and you just want an avocado, but you’re also allowed to just experience your emotions as you feel them instead of needing to run home and be in private before allowing yourself to feel something real first. What if you scheduled a crying session? You got really romantic with it. You put on some beautiful clothing, maybe a wig, no mascara (haha!), you lit some candles, you created an ambiance, and you just let yourself cry. You can even try watching sad movies or videos to get you going if you think that will help break up some emotional blocks. And it really helps if you have someone there for aftercare to help you come down from a cry, so if you can, even if you feel strong, ask someone to spot you.
16. Get nostalgic. Look through old photos. Now is the time to go down memory lane and really think about the years you’ve experienced, the people you’ve known, the places you’ve been, etc. Bust out photo prints, albums, and Facebook images. It’s okay to get weepy. And it’s okay to know that those were parts of your past that were there for a reason and now you’re here for a different reason.
17. Start saving money. In addition to keeping track of your spending, what about actually saving some of it? Do you have a savings account? Do you have a retirement account? Do you have life insurance? This is a great time to think about those things. Not in a morbid way, but in a sense of security way. Future you will thank you.
18. Channel feminine energies. Cancer is all about feminine energies and maternal instincts. Even if you have no maternal instincts or a good relationship with your biological mother (like me to both of those), you can still practice this one. Reach out to feminine people in your life who have helped, supported, and inspired you. Maybe they weren’t your biological family, but your chosen family. That can mean more than anything. Write them a thank you note, or just take them out to lunch. Also look into goddesses and see which one resonates with you the most.
19. Have fun rainy days. So we already said to get yourself out to water, but what about playing in water? We’re so tuned into thinking that rain ruins things, but it can actually be really fun, exciting, sexy, liberating, playful, etc. The next time you see it raining, go outside on purpose! Splash in puddles, dance around, run your hand through the water that’s running down the street, look for worms, bust out colorful rain boots and an umbrella. Make friends with the rain.
20. Put a water feature in your home. This combines water and home. The idea is to bring the beautiful sounds and texture of water into your living space. It is soothing, and can actually be beautiful white noise to help you fall asleep. It can go on your altar (it’s also great for financial abundance)!
21. Get a worry doll or a worry stone. This is something you can buy at a metaphysical shop or online and keep in your pocket, purse, or bra. The idea is that you’re transferring your anxieties, stress, and worries into the stone and/or doll. Let it do some of the heavy lifting for you.
22. Get a Past Life Reading. I got a Past Life Regression done, and it was an incredible experience that I highly recommend. It can help you learn more about yourself and where you’ve been, including phantom pains, injuries, phobias, etc. Can you get into it?
23. Get a massage. What better way to practice self-care than by getting a massage? Release all the physical stress in your body with this gift to yourself. You can also get a self-massaging tool, learn self-massage techniques, ask a friend to rub your shoulders, arms, feet, whatever, or start a massage train at your next get together!
24. Cuddle. Speaking of touch, we can’t get enough of it this month. Spark up some Oxytocin neurotransmitters in your brain (the cuddle chemical) with cuddling! Make a cuddle puddle in your house with a bunch of pads, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, twinkle lights, etc. It’s incredible, and you won’t regret it.
25. Take a milk bath. Taking a bath is one way to get in touch with the water element, but you can also practice self-care in a more specific way by channeling maternal/feminine energies with a milk bath. There are powders and bath bombs you can get that will help you make this happen. Enjoy!
PS – I made a Pinterest board for the Uncustomary Babes with 100+ pins based on specific Cancer inspiration plus 10 Cancerian Affirmations and a Cancerian Meditation. To gain access to that and tons of other resources that come out daily, click here to sign-up and become a member!
PPS – Want to capitalize on the woo? Sign up for my totally free e-course on Magic!
How will you celebrate Cancer season?
Photos: Maura Housley
