Linda Goodman's Love Signs: Aries Woman, Cancer Man

Do we truly have Zodiac love matches? For many years I dismissed horoscopes as mere entertainment. It was only when I dated my worst possible Zodiac match that I started to see undeniable links between birth signs and behavior patterns. Please note that I am not stating, "You are this way and will stay this way." Patterns or trends have exceptions. Also, they are malleable. People can and will adapt for love. Sometimes adaptation makes them better individuals and sometimes it does not. Overall, this article explores how and why one particular Zodiac match -- Aries woman, Cancer man -- can be difficult. It draws from personal experience and Linda Goodman's Love Signs: A New Approach to the Human Heart.

When my previous romantic relationship became difficult, I wondered whether the problems we had were natural for any couple or whether they were especially rough. Linda Goodman’s Love Signs made it clear that I could be a lot happier – either with this guy and a lot of hard work, or by dating someone more compatible. Some Zodiac matches just make loving more fun.

In Linda’s book, you get more than separate astrological profiles. You get a profile for all Zodiac combinations: Aries woman with Aries man, Aries woman with Taurus man, etc. Your needs, wants and communication styles will become clearer than ever.

As an Aries woman, I was almost certainly doomed when dating a Cancer man. The relationship began how Linda said it would: As an Aries woman, I was accustomed to men feeling threatened by my macha or masculine independent self. Then the Cancer man came along and made me feel more feminine than anyone ever had. But then, things fell apart...

What happened? For one thing, I communicate directly. I believe in sharing facts and saying it like it is. Meanwhile, the stereotypical Cancer man communicates subtly. People with these particular differences need to figure out a way to avoid serious miscommunication.

An Adolescent Man?

Linda Goodman has explained the Cancer man, when not well-developed, as someone at an adolescent life stage: overly self-conscious, sensitive to real or perceived criticism, moody and afraid to grow up. She explains that the Cancer man hides and sidesteps issues, moving side to side like a crab instead of straightforwardly like an Aries ram.

For an Aries like me, the Cancer communication style was maddening and seemed highly manipulative. From his perspective, my Aries directness was experienced as downright threatening to his soft crab insides.

His Emotions Get You Hot - Or Leave You Cold & Alone

At his best, the Cancer man is an emotional poet. At his worst, he's an emotional mess -- and that's the kind of Cancer whom it hurts the most to love. He might not even understand his own emotions, so good luck with him understanding yours.

Aries are known to be optimists and Cancers are known to be pessimists. In a healthy relationship, partners' different tendencies toward optimism and pessimism can work together. They can balance out and create a unit that's stronger than either person on their own. That's not likely to happen with Cancer-Aries unions. And as Linda Goodman warns, when the Cancer gets pessimistic he crawls away to hide, sometimes seeking "the solace of alcohol's seductive siren song." Have fun dating that.

Is the Relationship Doomed?

Is an Aries-Cancer relationship doomed? Not necessarily. Your Aries-Cancer relationship could work if both parties are self-aware (or willing to become so through counseling), emotionally mature and willing to put a lot of energy into understanding one another's subjectivities.

While Aries-Cancer unions tend to be challenging, certain matches have encouraging odds for success. For example, Goodman points out that the Libra man's optimism is a good match for an Aries woman. Some other recommendations for Aries women are Aquarius men and Leos.

For detailed descriptions of every love match possibility, get a copy of Love Signs. You'll find yourself returning to it again and again.