2012 Horoscope: Cancer (June 21-July 22)

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Should I get (or stay) married? Am I with the right person? Will I have a child? What's my best career move? When will I feel happy again?

"Getting my chart done was like the best therapy session of the year!"
—Pamela Madsen, fertility coach and author of bestselling book Shameless

2012 Challenges:
Home & Family. You may have difficulty seeing eye-to-eye with a relative, or slowdowns around a move.

2012 Opportunities:
Friendship. You’re ditching the “shy” reputation and meeting some fascinating new folks.

Love & Relationships

This may not be the most headlining year of your love life, at least not during the first half of 2012. Your career and social life continue to keep you busy, barely leaving time for romance. That’s because expansive Jupiter is in Taurus, your eleventh house of friendship and group activity, until June 11th. You’re becoming quite the social butterfly instead of the shy crab. If you’re part of a couple, you can enjoy hosting parties, entertaining friends, and attending events together.

In June, Jupiter begins a yearlong visit to Gemini, your twelfth house of soulmates and fantasy. You could get swept away in a legendary love affair, meet “the One,” or get pregnant serendipitously. The twelfth house also rules closure and hidden information. Some Cancers may end a relationship or discover that someone’s true colors aren’t the shade you imagined. Whatever happens, trust that the universe has your back. If you’re prone to holding on too tightly, the lesson of this Jupiter is cycle is to surrender. Hard as that may be, miraculous events will occur when you trust in the divine plan—instead of trying to control everything yourself.

Transformational Pluto is taking a long journey through Capricorn, your committed relationship house, from 2008-2024. Slowly but surely, your approach to partnership is shifting to a more equal dynamic. Now in its fourth year, you may start to see some of the results. Have you become more direct about your needs, rather than expecting your mate to read your mind? You may still have healing work to do around old hurts and fears, and this is a good to continue that deeper healing work. While Pluto is retrograde (backward) from April 10-September 17, delve into some of your unconscious blocks around commitment, such as fear or abandonment, rejection or betrayal. While love-planet Venus is retrograde from May 15-June 27, you may also want to do some relationship repair work.

In October, structured Saturn begins a two-year visit to Scorpio, your fifth house of romance. You may become more serious about dating, or perhaps meet someone older and more experienced who is both a lover and a “teacher” for you. Saturn brings maturity and a desire to plan. You may decide to work with a professional matchmaker or to try more selective ways of meeting people. Coupled crabs may find it a little harder to keep the spark alive, so put some formal date nights in the calendar. If you’re trying to get pregnant, it may take a few extra tries to conceive, as Saturn can have a restrictive effect.

On November 28th, a Scorpio solar eclipse sparks a new chapter of your love life. Single Cancers could find love quite unexpectedly over the holidays, or in the six months following. You may be inspired to add more glamour, passion and fun to your life. You’re always your most attractive when you’re happy, so set about finding what makes you love being alive.

Work & Money
Your career has been heating up for the last couple years, ever since lucky Jupiter began visiting the success zones of your chart in the summer of 2010. Last year, your head may have barely touched the pillow, and you may have been busy with exciting projects and great new colleagues, friends and networking opportunities. Last March, revolutionary Uranus began a seven-year visit to Aries, your tenth house of ambition and long-term success. Many Cancers are in the midst of reshaping your entire professional path, perhaps working on a more freelance or independent basis. You may be feeling a bit restless at moments, itching for variety and fresh experiences. Since Uranus rules technology, you might explore working virtually this year, improving your computer skills, or launching a website for an online business.

Lucky Jupiter spends the first half of 2012 in Taurus, your eleventh house of networking and group activity. It truly is about “who you know,” so make an effort to meet interesting people in your field, through social and industry events, coffee dates, and the like. This is a humanitarian part of the zodiac, so getting involved with a charitable cause will satisfy your sensitive Cancer soul and also connect you to high-quality people who also care about the planet.

On June 11th, Jupiter moves into Gemini, your twelfth house of closure and healing. You’re at the end of a 12-year cycle, preparing for Jupiter’s move into Cancer on June 25, 2013. There may be moments that feel unclear and confusing, almost as if you’re lost at sea and can’t get a signal or figure out where to navigate. This is a strange cycle that everyone experiences once every 12 years. Think of it as a transitional year before your rebirth, and don’t try to force anything. Miracles can happen when you let go. If you try to control the outcome, you’ll only feel like you’re on a wild goose chase. Because your subconscious is especially active, you may need more sleep during this cycle, but your dreams will carry powerful messages and guidance. Expect to see more signs, or to feel guided—such as getting a strong urge to go to a particular café, only to run into a long-lost friend.

Cancerian Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Eat, Pray, Love might well be a model for how this cycle could go—it starts out with some part of your life coming to an end that leads to a whole new beginning and a metamorphosis. You could certainly pack your bags for exotic shores a la Elizabeth Gilbert, too. On February 3rd, dreamy Neptune enters Pisces, your ninth house of travel, metaphysical study and adventure. Neptune will remain here until 2026, sparking your interest in seeing new cultures and discovering universal wisdom. Neptune is the healer, and with your compassion, you could be inspired to get involved in a cause that brings together people across cultures and so-called barriers.

Whatever fires you up, you’re sure to be outspoken about it in 2012. Assertive, fiery Mars is in Virgo until July, your third house of communication. You may be writing, blogging, teaching or speaking about you beliefs in a no-holds-barred fashion. Cancer, you can be incredibly verbal (and visual), so put your artistic and expressive talents to good use. Share your beliefs and you’ll soon find a like-minded community with whom you can make a great difference.

Health & Wellness

Your home life has had its challenges ever since stern Saturn entered Libra, your domestic fourth house, in October 2009. Saturn is here until October 2012, and you may be finishing a slow rebuilding process. Saturn may have challenged your relationship with your mother, children, or a female relative. In the process, you’ve hopefully become more mature, putting up healthy boundaries or figuring out a way to relate to each other effectively. The mother-child relationship is more important to Cancer than to any other sign, as you rule the zodiac’s fourth house. Any rifts in this dynamic can be especially painful for your sign.

Saturn is also teaching you to prioritize self-care, so if you’re not eating well, sleeping enough or exercising in a life-affirming way (few Cancers have met a yoga mat they didn’t like), make that a 2012 must. Saturn also affects your living conditions, and during this period your home life may have been more transitional than ever before. If you’ve wanted to move, renovate or decorate, that could have been an uphill battle, as Saturn has put the pinch on your nesting abilities. Grr! A child may have acted out, or you may have been hard-pressed to find quality time with your kiddies due to work demands.

This challenging Saturn cycle will end on October 3rd, and you won’t experience Saturn in Libra for another 30 years or so. There’s some good news! Until then, the way to deal with these challenges is through careful planning, patience and lots of structure. You must carve out time for your personal life, family and self-care and make unbreakable dates for these things. Also, Saturn often departs with a lovely reward for all your hard work. So hang in there and don’t quit five minutes before the miracle, as they say. You could be getting a nice parting gift for your efforts!

On June 4th, a Sagittarius lunar eclipse spotlights your health and fitness. This eclipse ties back to a Sagittarius solar eclipse on November 25, 2011. If you’ve been working toward better health since then, you could see results. You may get some unexpected health news at this eclipse that inspires you to take better care of yourself. A week later, Jupiter begins a yearlong visit to Gemini, your twelfth house of rest and healing. This can be a foggy, low-energy time and you’ll need to manage your emotional and physical resources wisely. If you’re caught in a codependent dynamic or a relationship where you’re pulling all the weight, Jupiter inspires you to create healthier, more balanced interactions. You may need more sleep for the coming year, as you’re processing over a decade’s worth of change, energy and information, and your subconscious is working overtime. The good news? On June 25, 2013, Jupiter will enter Cancer, sparking a whole new 12-year life cycle for you. Think of this is the final chapter of everything you’ve been working on since 2001. Focus on tying up loose ends, healing and completing a karmic chapter.

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