To Cancer Lagna (aka Ascendant and Rising Sign), life and their well being is very dependent upon their mental attitude. They make inner adjustments to the varying factors of life and their ability to do so decides the quality of their life. They feel everything and are sensitive, but the degree of happiness they have depends upon their ability to feel what they feel with the understanding that feelings are just a reflection and therefore a particular feeling should not be considered more preferable than another.
If they are unable to do this, then their feelings may be a source of suffering in their lives. Their actions are largely motivated by their needs; the degree that they need to have their needs fulfilled by external sources determines their happiness. The degree to which they understand that their needs are responsible for their happiness or unhappiness, and not the external fulfilling of those needs, determines their level of happiness and contentment.
The evolutionary goal is to develop the opposing quality of Capricorn; they must learn that even though they have within them the ability to fulfill all their needs, that this leads to a corresponding external fulfillment of the needs as well, and that those activities are an important part of their development. Along with this they must also learn that if their needs are being threatened by external factors, that they still have some work to do with maintaining their own capacity to fulfill their needs. This generally gives partnerships with those that are more capable of fulfilling their needs through external factors, or partners that force the native to develop their ability to fulfill their needs externally.
Cancer Ascendant and Nature of House Lords
Sun as 2nd Lord
The Sun is crabs possessiveness, in fact they clean the beach of every item they can fit into their holes.
The Sun, as the 2nd lord, gives the Cancer native a strong identification with their possessions, family, and name. It is holding onto these things that are responsible for the bulkiness of Cancer. As the 2nd lord, the Sun is a temporal neutral, as they may go about managing these things selfishly or righteously, depending upon the other factors influencing the Sun. As a natural malefic however, the Sun may separate them from things on account of developing a professional name, or on account of their family’s status.
Moon as 1st Lord
The Moon is the soft insides of the Crab.
The Moon, as the lagna lord, indicates the Cancer native’s emotionally centered, comforting, and changeable personality. How the native feels about herself is of extreme importance to those with Cancer lagna. Any insecurities will quickly lead to depressions and emotionally centered illnesses. As the Lagna lord, the Moon is a temporal benefic and generally allows them to find a place in life that is comforting and secure to them.
If afflicted, then they will find it almost impossible to have any happiness in the world. As a natural benefic, the bright Moon tends to further their growth and success through gentle, patient care, and gives contentment, provided it is not afflicted. As a natural malefic, the dark Moon tends to cause some lack of caring for those external things and a more introverted nature, contentment will come from more inner processes, and less care will be taken to nurture external things, which, as a result, will not be as successful.
Mars as 5th and 10th Lord
Mars is the powerful and tenacious claws of the Crab.
Mars, as the 5th and 10th lord, represents the Cancer native’s powerful discriminative mentality with which to guide their actions, and their mental tenacity. These cause “luck” to fall on their activities. Mars is a yogakaraka that gives a high degree of intelligence operating towards the benefit of their career. Mars provides them with strength derived from intuitive knowledge as well. Ruling the 5th and 10th house, Cancer will fight for their career, children and students. Mars is a temporal benefic and the best planet for the Cancer native. As a natural malefic, Mars may cause some conflict with those things that contradict what they rightly perceive they must do.
Mercury as 3rd and 12th Lord
Mercury is the Crab’s sideways movement and lack of vocal cords.
Mercury ruling the house of ears and information, and the 12th house of hidden things, and being the planet of speech inclines the Cancer native towards secrecy in speech, also making it difficult for them to communicate clearly or fully. Ruling the 3rd house, Mercury makes them good listeners and they are always curious, but the 12th lordship keeps their response often hidden.
Mercury becomes a temporal malefic, due to the 3rd house lordship, and gives them a cleverness with which to fulfill their desires, this will rarely be direct as the 12th house will always keep something unrevealed. As a natural benefic Mercury gives skills and a rational intelligence to further their goals. Mercury is particularly a planet of foreign travel, which Cancer represents, and indicates a talent for exploration and foreign trade.
Jupiter as 6th and 9th Lord
Jupiter is the Crab’s lack of aggressiveness.
Jupiter, as the 6th house of enemies and the 9th house of the teacher and wisdom, gives Cancer a peaceful and forgiving attitude. This causes them to learn from their enemies and difficulties rather than to fight. Ruling the house of spiritual life and the house of work, Jupiter gives a capacity for Karma yoga. Jupiter also gives knowledge for overcoming difficulties and makes their hard work pay off with the gain of their fortune.
Ruling the 6th house of enemies and the 9th house of father, Jupiter inclines them to have less attachment to the father, but since Jupiter is a benefic there will not be any trouble with the father, unless of course there are other afflictions indicating so. Jupiter rules one benefic house and one malefic house, but as its benefic house is the most powerful trine, Jupiter is a temporal benefic. As a natural benefic ruling the 6th house, Jupiter provides his grace sometimes freely but usually after effort is made.
Venus as 4th and 11th Lord
Venus is the Crab’s seashore, where he sits not alone, but with other crabs.
Venus as the 4th and 11th lord represents the Cancer native’s desire for luxury, particularly with respect to the home. Venus makes them socially active and inclines them to look for happiness with their peers. They tend to be proud of and love their titles, home, mother, associations, and ancestry. Venus becomes a temporal malefic due to ruling the 11th house, and indicates those external things the native may desire in order to feel inwardly fulfilled. As a natural benefic however, Venus gives them a social grace that gains them what they need.
Saturn as 7th and 8th Lord
Saturn is the Crab’s shell.
Ruling the 8th house of vulnerability and the 7th house of partners, Saturn brings out a lot of insecurities and codependence in the Cancer native. In order to protect oneself Saturn will put up a wall of protection that may manifest as coldness or indifference until trust has been developed. Saturn, by ruling the 7th house, indicates that relationships will get better as one ages and becomes more secure, and therefore more capable of trusting. Being a planet of lack and ruling the partner and the partner’s resources, Saturn generally indicates that a lot of struggles will be required to make a relationship improve the quality of life.
It may, however, give financial gain due to marriage, but usually as the result of the termination of the relationship or with a high emotional price attached. Saturn basically forces the native to get more secure as a result of relationships. Much of the Cancer native’s karmas are worked out in partnerships or through chronic diseases that are the result of Saturn ruling the 8th house of chronic disease and being himself a disease producer. Diseases will always have an emotional link, since the 7th house being the 4th from the 4th also relates to the inner life as well as does the 8th house.
With Saturn ruling two neutral houses one would expect him to be a temporal neutral, Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra, however, states that a planet ruling the 8th house as well as the 7th house becomes extremely malefic. In some sense though, I think that Saturn for Cancer could almost be considered neutral, but since he creates needs arising out of fear, he behaves selfishly, but not willingly or consciously so, as do the 3rd and 11th lords.
Ruling the 7th house, a maraka or death inflicting house, and the 8th house of death and longevity, and being himself the producer of death, Saturn is a powerful killer. Ruling the 8th house of crisis and breaks and as the natural significator of loss, Saturn is sure to cause difficult events.
**This ascendant portrait was taken from Kala Astrological Software created by Ernst & Srishti Wilhelm, and written by Ernst Wilhelm, my awesome Vedic Astrology teacher and mentor.