Aries and Cancer bring together two incredibly different personae, and caution is strongly advised. The love tension leads quickly to rage and resentment, for two hard-headed Zodiac signs.
At first, the Aries shows ardent desire and pursues the Crab in a romantic way that sends signals of true love. If Aries is the female, she’s bold in her flirtations, to the male Crab’s initial aloofness. Aries in love is showy and comes on strong.
The flirting and responding — like a call and response in the wild — can seem natural at first. The shy Cancer guy might not mind if his lady love takes the lead, at least in the beginning.
Cancer men, also cardinal signs, like to cocoon their loves, in a protective embrace. Cancer males are drawn to womanly partners, and this can bring out the best in the Aries female. Cancer in love craves emotional stability, even if they’re acting like it’s all cool and casual.
Hot and Cold?
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.
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. This is one that can turn ugly in a hurry — if it looks like it’s going south, a cooling off period is advisable.
The emotional world of the Cancer could seem claustrophobic, dependent and be 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 Works
The 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 keeping the home fires lit merges these two. This ideal marries high spirits and inspiration with the emotional stability that Cancer craves.
Upside: emotional intensity; water + fire = steam; both are childlike when in the moment.
Downside: insensitive and super sensitive; mutual wounding; dampening spirits and emotional scorching; trouble understanding the nature of the other.
Quality and Element: Cardinal Fire (Aries) and Cardinal Water(Cancer)
