Cancer

Cancer opens at midsummer — 21 June to 22 July — and it is the only sign ruled by the Moon, which tells you most of what the tradition holds about it.

This is the zodiac's home-maker: a water sign associated with memory, care, intuition and the fierce protection of its own. The astrological literature pictures Cancer as the friend who remembers your mother's name, keeps the photographs, and knows when you're not fine before you've decided whether to mention it.

The crab's shell is part of the picture too. A sign this open to the weather of other people needs somewhere to retreat, and the tradition treats the Cancerian home — soft light, familiar smells, the good blanket — not as a luxury but as equipment.

Cancer's stones follow the Moon. Moonstone above all, with its shifting inner light; pearl, born in water; selenite, named for the lunar goddess herself. Calcite and opalite keep the softer end of the shelf.

In scent, the tradition gives Cancer the night garden: jasmine, chamomile, a little sandalwood for the quiet hours.

Below — our catalogue's gathering for the sign: stones, scents and small comforts. For Cancerians, or for the person who keeps your photographs.