Cancer in Zi Wei Dou Shu: a home-loving sign can still have a general star
Cancer birthdays fall in the fifth or sixth lunar month, about half each. For each birth hour, the table below gives the two palaces where a Cancer's Life Palace usually sits.
On this page
Cancer: where your Life Palace sits by birth hour
| Birth hour | Life Palace usually in |
|---|---|
| Zi (23–01) | Wu 51%, Wei 49% |
| Chou (01–03) | Si 51%, Wu 49% |
| Yin (03–05) | Chen 51%, Si 49% |
| Mao (05–07) | Mao 51%, Chen 49% |
| Chen (07–09) | Yin 51%, Mao 49% |
| Si (09–11) | Chou 51%, Yin 49% |
| Wu (11–13) | Zi 51%, Chou 49% |
| Wei (13–15) | Hai 51%, Zi 49% |
| Shen (15–17) | Xu 51%, Hai 49% |
| You (17–19) | You 51%, Xu 49% |
| Xu (19–21) | Shen 51%, You 49% |
| Hai (21–23) | Wei 51%, Shen 49% |
Counted from one chart for every day and double-hour, 1950–2009; not population data. Life Palace stars are spread almost the same for Cancer as for every other sign: about 8% for each of the 14 main stars and 16% empty (see all twelve signs).
Which of these is yours? Draw your chart to find out.
Cancer is usually described as a homebody: sentimental, protective, attentive to feelings and fiercely loyal to the people close to it. In Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology), that picture has to be looked at again. One Cancer can have gentle Tian Tong in the Life Palace, another Qi Sha, the star that charges ahead alone, and a third outgoing Tai Yang. What decides it is your birth hour and your lunar birth day.
The short version:
- Cancer starts at the solar term Summer Solstice, so Cancer birthdays fall in the fifth or sixth lunar month, about half each.
- Across one chart for every day and every double-hour from 1950 to 2009, each of the fourteen main stars sits in a Cancer's Life Palace 8.3–8.4% of the time, and the palace is empty about 16.5% of the time. The other eleven signs come out almost identical.
- A fifth- or sixth-month birth plus your double-hour gives the Life Palace position. The star inside comes from the lunar day and the Five Elements Bureau.
- Enter your birthday and hour in the form above, or go straight to the Life Palace star lookup.
What Cancer is in Zi Wei Dou Shu
Cancer starts at the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the "middle" solar term of the fifth lunar month. Cancer birthdays run from the solstice in the fifth month into the sixth, with the fifth month slightly ahead at about 51%.
The fifth month sits in the Wu palace, in the top row of the chart. Opposite it, in the bottom row, is Zi, the palace of the eleventh month and the Winter Solstice. A Cancer born in the Zi hour has the Life Palace in Wu about 51.0% of the time and in Wei about 49.0%, up at the top of the board. Born in the Wu hour around midday, the Life Palace drops to the bottom row: Zi about 51.0%, Chou about 49.0%. So a Cancer born at noon, in the season of the longest days, has the Life Palace opposite the solstice palace. That comes from counting the hours backward, since each later hour moves the Life Palace back one palace. The overview goes through the whole method step by step.
One day, twelve double-hours
Take one Cancer birthday: July 2, 1979, the ninth day of the sixth lunar month. Here is the Life Palace for each of the twelve hours that day:
| Double-hour | Life Palace | Main stars |
|---|---|---|
| Zi | Wei | Tian Liang |
| Chou | Wu | Lian Zhen, Tian Xiang |
| Yin | Si | Tian Liang |
| Mao | Chen | Zi Wei, Tian Xiang |
| Chen | Mao | Empty (borrows Tai Yang, Tian Liang) |
| Si | Yin | Po Jun |
| Wu | Chou | Wu Qu, Tan Lang |
| Wei | Zi | Tian Tong, Tai Yin |
| Shen | Hai | Tian Ji |
| You | Xu | Qi Sha |
| Xu | You | Wu Qu, Qi Sha |
| Hai | Shen | Tian Tong, Tian Liang |
In a single day, eleven main stars take a turn in the Life Palace. Tai Yang, Ju Men and Tian Fu miss out, though Tai Yang still gets borrowed into the empty palace in the Chen hour. Three hours side by side:
- Wei hour: Tian Tong with Tai Yin. Tian Tong is the star of contentment, mild-mannered and keen on an easy, comfortable life; Tai Yin is sensitive and picks up on the mood at home. People with this pair are sentimental and family-minded and care a lot about whether the people around them are doing well. Of the twelve charts, this is the one closest to the usual Cancer picture.
- You hour: Qi Sha. Qi Sha is the general star. It makes its own calls and wants to fight through hard spots in person. A Cancer like this looks after people in a direct way, more likely to go and fix the problem than to sit and talk it over.
- Wu hour: Wu Qu with Tan Lang. Wu Qu is the wealth star and judges by results; Tan Lang has many interests and makes friends easily. People with this pair are goal-driven and restless. They like to get out, meet new people, and put real energy into both earning and having fun.
Three Cancers born on the same day: one gentle and home-centered, one who carries things alone, one who heads out into the world. Only one of the three looks like the Cancer people usually describe.
Common Zi Wei types among Cancers
Every main star has about the same chance of sitting in a Cancer's Life Palace. Here are three that stand out against the "homebody in a shell" image.
Tai Yang in the Life Palace: a Cancer who shines in public. Tai Yang is about giving. It is warm, cares about face, likes to be seen and likes to stand up for others. This Cancer still runs on feelings, but the circle of care is wide: friends, coworkers and the whole group all count as family.
Lian Zhen in the Life Palace: a Cancer with edges. Lian Zhen is principled, competitive and proud. It handles people well in public and keeps its own measure of right and wrong inside. People expect Cancers to be soft, yet this type will argue a point when something is unfair and draws clear boundaries.
Po Jun in the Life Palace: a Cancer who doesn't cling to the past. Po Jun likes fresh starts, and when something isn't working it wants to rebuild from scratch. This Cancer cares just as much about family but is far less attached to old things, old habits or old surroundings. What needs to go, goes.
All three care about the people close to them, each in their own direction.
How to find your Life Palace
Check your birth hour against the table above to see which two palaces your Life Palace is likely in. The form casts your birth chart and settles both questions: which palace, and which star. No record of the hour? Family members, a birth certificate or hospital records are the usual places to look.
FAQ
What star is a Cancer in Zi Wei Dou Shu?
There isn't a fixed one. Zi Wei Dou Shu works from the lunar birth date and hour, and the Life Palace star depends on the lunar day, the hour and the Five Elements Bureau together. Across one chart for every day and double-hour from 1950 to 2009, each of the fourteen main stars sits in a Cancer's Life Palace 8.3–8.4% of the time, and the palace is empty about 16.5% of the time. Any star could be yours.
Cancer is linked with the Moon. Does a Cancer get the Tai Yin star more often?
No. Tai Yin in Zi Wei Dou Shu is also the Moon, but its position follows the Zi Wei star and has nothing to do with which sign your birthday falls under. In the count, Tai Yin sits in a Cancer's Life Palace about 8.28% of the time, about the same as every other main star and about the same as Tai Yin in other signs.
Cancers love home. Which palace shows home in Zi Wei Dou Shu?
Mainly the Property Palace, which covers where you live, the atmosphere at home and property. Your bond with your parents is read in the Parents Palace. Whether someone is a homebody is read from the Life Palace and the Property Palace together, and the combination is different in every chart, so you need your own chart to see it.
Cancers are known for looking after people. Which Zi Wei stars are like that?
People with Tian Tong, Tai Yin or Tian Liang in the Life Palace are often described as gentle and caring, and Tian Liang in particular acts like an elder who shields others. Still, these stars show up in Cancers at the same rate as any other star, around 8.3%, so Cancers don't get more of them. There are many ways to look after people, too: Qi Sha and Tai Yang people do it as well, just more directly.
Sun sign, MBTI or Zi Wei Dou Shu — what’s the difference?See which of the 15 you are in 30 sec ›
Other signs
This is the general reading. On your own chart it shifts with the stars' brightness, the San Fang Si Zheng and the year you are in.
Draw my free chartCompare with my chart