As humans, we are born needing and grow into our wanting.
Abraham Maslow, mustached pioneer of humanistic psychology is best known for his concept of a universal hierarchy of human needs.
Maslow argued that each level of need must be met before the next step towards actualization could be made. Gotta get fed and find shelter before you can feed your head my babies.
Living as we do in a patriarchal capitalist dystopia that champions hyper independence, strategy over emotion, profit over people and a punishing boot strap ethos, we are indoctrinated with the belief that need is shameful. We are taught that if we require something we cannot give ourselves or take by force we are not only left wanting, but perceived as weak.
Maslow, who had both Neptune and his North Node in the moon ruled, nutrient rich emo AF waters of Cancer, illustrated this hierarchy as a five level pyramid with basic survival as the base followed in ascending order by safety, love and belonging, esteem and peaking (literally and figuratively) with self-actualization.
In therapy I am learning to see neediness not as a pejorative but as self-aware and securely sought satisfaction. With this in mind and astrology as guide, I bring you Cancer, and a defense of Cancer, as the neediest sign in the zodiac.
We can think of the zodiac wheel as a journey of human evolution. In this respect, Aries initiates, Taurus stabilizes, and Gemini communes.
Cancer, as the ruler of root systems and nourishment, is the first sign to invest, establish and secure. And folks, you can’t establish anything without first determining lack and defining need.
Cancer rules the chest and by proxy, mother’s milk. It’s the original source and the first answer to our most primal requirement.
Cancer recognizes that beginning with the t-t and spreading out into forever, our survival is contingent upon our relationship with and to others, that human connection is in itself a hallowed need.
Cancer understands, in theory if not always practice, that denying need or placing the total responsibility of our needs on others are both acts of self-betrayal.
Owning our needs gives us power over them and sharing them honestly allows us to love and be loved cleanly and truly. As the brilliant astrologer Elise Wells of Planet Poetica explains, “The trajectory of Cancer proves that need can be turned into a quest of personal empowerment.”
A quest illustrated by double Cancer Courtney Love who admits, “I will keep looking for saviors and looking for saviors, but the truth is…nobody’s gonna pull up in a limousine and say they’re going to save you.
That’s not how it happens. You save yourself from drowning, that’s how you do it.” Indeed, when Cancer’s seek salvation within rather than in the ragged rowboats of codependent relationships they emerge from the surf of circumstance triumphant, with the taste of 280 macaroons on their tongues, fortified by the knowledge that they can get themselves to dry land.
As they learn this lesson they in turn, teach it to others, offering the nourishment of awareness and the sideways walk to actualization.
The constellation of Cancer speaks to both need and martyrdom. According to myth, Carcinos, a giant crab, was enlisted by the vengeful goddess Hera to thwart the hero Heracles as he attempted to make good on his penance plan of ten labors.
Hera dispatched Carcinos to distract Heracles during his battle against the multi headed Hydra. During the fray, Carcinos was crushed to death (either under foot or under club, reports vary.) In honor of his efforts, Hera placed him as a constellation in the night sky.
We can read this myth as a bit of a cautionary tale for the crab contingent; to be careful whose rescue they come to and who they satisfy as there’s a fine line between service and sacrifice, meeting needs and being had.
Astrology 101: Your guide to the stars
Astrologer Reda Wigle researches and irreverently reports back on planetary configurations and their effect on each zodiac sign. Her horoscopes integrate history, poetry, pop culture and personal experience. She is also an accomplished writer who has profiled a variety of artists and performers, as well as extensively chronicled her experiences while traveling. Among the many intriguing topics she has tackled are cemetery etiquette, her love for dive bars, Cuban Airbnbs, a “girls guide” to strip clubs and the “weirdest” foods available abroad.