Cancer means “crab” in Latin. If you were born between June 22 and July 23, modern astrology says your zodiac sign is Cancer. People today read Cancer horoscopes to find love, health, good fortune, and to understand their personality.
But what did Cancer mean to ancient people? Why did they connect this group of stars with a crab?
Be Warned! Learning the true meaning of Cancer might surprise you – leading you on a new journey, different from simply checking your daily horoscope…
Astrology of the Cancer Constellation
Look at the stars in the Cancer constellation. Do they look like a crab to you?
Even when we connect the stars with lines, it doesn’t look like a crab—more like an upside-down “Y.”
Here is a photo of National Geographic poster of the zodiac, showing Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere.
How did people first come up with a crab from this? But Cancer goes back as far as we know in human history.
Cancer is an ancient constellation. Like other zodiac signs, the shape of a crab is not obvious in the stars. ancient people didn’t see a crab in the sky first. Instead, they already had the idea of a crab (or something like it) and then used the stars to tell a story.
So what was that story?
Cancer in Zodiac
Here are some common astrology images of Cancer
Here is the zodiac in the Dendera Temple of Egypt, more than 2000 years old, with the image of cancer circled in red.
In the Dendera Temple in Egypt, over 2,000 years ago, Cancer is drawn as a beetle (Scarab), not a crab.
In Egyptian times, about 4,000 years ago, people saw Cancer as a sacred scarab beetle—a symbol of eternal life and rebirth. The Egyptians worshiped a god named Khepri, who was shown as a scarab beetle or a man with a beetle’s head. Khepri represented the rising sun and the new beginning of life.
Cancer in the ancient Story
In the sign Virgo, we learned that the Bible says God made the constellations. He gave them as signs to help people know His plan before the Bible was written.
So Adam and his family used these signs to teach their children about God. Virgo showed the virgin birth of Jesus. Cancer continues that story. Even if your birthday is not in Cancer, its message is still important for everyone to hear.
The Original Meaning of Cancer
The scarab beetle helps us understand Cancer’s original meaning better than the crab. An expert (Egyptologist) named Sir Wallace Budge explained that the beetle represented life coming out of death. The Egyptians believed that the scarab was self-created, like life rising out of nothing. Khepera (Khepri) represented the dead body that would rise into new spiritual life.
KHEPERA was an old primeval god, and the type of matter which contains within itself the germ of life which is about to spring into a new existence; thus he represented the dead body from which the spiritual body was about to rise. He is depicted in the form of a man having a beetle for a head and this insect became his emblem because it was supposed to be self-begotten and self-produced.
Sir W. A. Budge. Egyptian Religion p 99
The Scarab Beetle: ancient Symbol of resurrection
The beetle goes through different life stages before it transforms into the adult beetle.
- It begins as eggs.
- Then it becomes a larva (grub)—a worm-like creature that lives underground. In the ground it feeds on rotten matter, like dung, fungi, roots and rotten meat.
- Later it cocoons itself and becomes a chrysalis. During this time, it stops moving, eating, and growing. The scarab hibernates inside the cocoon. Here the grub goes through metamorphosis, with its body disappearing and reforming.
- When the time is right, the adult scarab leave the cocoon. Finally, it transforms into a beautiful beetle that can fly into the sunlight.
This change of form is called metamorphosis, and it symbolized resurrection to the ancient Egyptians.
Cancer… like the Scarab Beetle (A Message of Our resurrection)
Cancer shows us that our lives are like the beetle’s life. Right now, we live like the grub on Earth, crawling in the dirt, facing hard times and suffering. But inside us is a seed of glory.
One day, we will die, and our Earthly body will rest—like the chrysalis, with our body waiting for the resurrection call to burst out of the graves. But that is not the end. God promises a resurrection—a new life with a new body.
This was the ancient meaning and symbol of Cancer – the resurrection of the body triggered when the Redeemer Calls. This resurrection will happen when Jesus calls us—just like He rose from the dead.
Cancer: Resurrected Life
As the scarab bursts from its hibernation so will the dead awake. The Bible teaches that Jesus was the first to rise from the dead, but others will follow:
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to Righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:2-3
This will happen when the Christ calls for us to follow in the path of his resurrection.
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15 20-28
Jesus will return, defeat death, and give new life to all who belong to Him. Then He will give the Kingdom back to God.
Cancer: Depicting the Novel Essence of the resurrection Body (The New Body After resurrection)
Our new, resurrection body will be very different from our current body, with features and capabilities unimaginable to our body today—just as a flying beetle is very different from a crawling grub.
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians 3:20-21
But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” 36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37 When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38 But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39 Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40 There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41 The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. 42 So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46 The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.
1 Corinthians 15: 35-49
Right now we have earthly bodies. But after resurrection, we will have heavenly bodies, suited for eternal life.
The Cancer Metamorphosis: At His Return
It will happen when Jesus returns:
Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18
We will meet Jesus in the air, and we will be with Him forever. This is a promise of hope and encouragement for all believers.
The Cancer Horoscope from the Writings
The word horoscope comes from the Greek word horo, which means “hour.” Jesus spoke of the Cancer hour (horo) when the dead will rise:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, an hour (horo) is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
John 5:24-26
There is a specific hour when the One who created the world will speak into creation again – and those who hear his call will rise from the dead. Cancer was seen by the ancients as a sign of that hour—the hour when resurrection will happen.
Your Cancer Horoscope Reading
You and I can apply the Cancer horoscope today in the following way.
Cancer tells you to continually look forward to the horo of your resurrection. Some say there is no such resurrection coming but do not be fooled. If you live only for eating and drinking in the here and now so you can have a good time then you will have been fooled. If you gain the whole world and pack it full of lovers, pleasures and excitement and you lose your soul what will you gain? Therefore stand firm. Let nothing move you. Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
In the unseen is a great crowd of the asleep waiting along with you for the Voice to Call them. Throw off everything that hinders you from visualizing the unseen and throw off the sin that so easily entangles. Then run with perseverance the race marked out for you, fixing your eyes on The Living Lamb, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Cancer tells you to look forward to your resurrection. Some people don’t believe in it, but don’t be fooled. If you live only for fun and pleasures now, but lose your soul, what have you gained?
“Fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:18
There is a great crowd of people who have already died, waiting for the resurrection. You are invited too.
So…
- Let go of distractions.
- Let go of sin.
- Keep running the race of faith.
- Look to Jesus, the Lamb who died for you and now sits in heaven.
He went through the cross for joy, and you can follow Him into eternal life.
Deeper into Cancer and the Zodiac Story
The Sign of Cancer originally did not guide decisions for health, love and prosperity. Cancer is a sign from the stars that the Redeemer would complete his redemption in the resurrection.
To start the ancient Zodiac Story at its beginning see Virgo. The Zodiac Story concludes with Leo.
To go deeper in the written story of Cancer see:
- Jesus’ mission in the raising of Lazarus
- Jesus declares War against Death
- resurrection First Fruits: Life for you
- resurrection Examined