Cancer Zodiac Symbols: From the Crab to the Scarab

Cancer is usually represented by a crab, but that hasn't always been the case, and still isn't in some parts of the world.

It appears to me that there have been more interpretations for Cancer than perhaps any other sign in the zodiac.

This may be due to the fact that it's the dimmest constellation in astrology.

Look for it in the night sky, and you'll see how faint it is compared to the other signs.

The most common substitutions for Cancer are the crawfish or crayfish, and the lobster, which have been used in a lot of older depictions of the sign.

You'll notice that it's not uncommon to see a lobster in the Moon card, and as you know, Cancer is ruled by the Moon.

Some cultures didn't see a crab, but instead a turtle, which I think is interesting because it's a water creature as well and has a prominent shell.

Aside from the crab, my favorite interpretation of Cancer is probably the scarab beetle, which the ancient Egyptians used.

In some esoteric tarot decks, you'll see a beetle on the Moon card because of this relationship.

I find this correspondence fascinating, and I encourage you to look into it.

I think it's interesting that all of these creatures retain the symbolism of the exoskeleton or shell, which is attributed to the Moon, water, transformation, creation, death, and the underworld.

As always, I'd love to know what you think.