excerpted from "interpreting Lilith" by DGJay (1981)

Lilith in Cancer magnifies the natural emotional responsiveness & mediumistic tendencies of Cancer & exaggerates accordingly, the defensiveness in the makeup against emotional intrusion or confrontation. Usually by adulthood, emotional fortification is well established, though hidden in the personality. A firm but gracious fluctuating mobility of consideration emerges, enabling this person to fluidly shift attention away from any area coming up that he cannot handle. This is done affably & usually becomes so much of an unconscious effort (defense mechanism), that it appears entirely natural, to all that is, but a perceptive few close to him.

Long ago they sensed their phenomenal crab-like soft center & have built in a compensating personality plus of gracious congeniality & hospitality, in order to insure calm waters in their environment. There is a defensive hostility in their depths that protects the magnified sensitivity, which is usually unknown to others because of the polite maneuverings to transform matters to more comfortable emotional limits. Importance is put on etiquette & approved social manners.

What may appear as only an inconvenience to another, overstates itself as an upset to one with Lilith in Cancer. They learn early in life to smoothly move away from even the most minor confrontation. Consideration & congeniality become sincere efforts to create as hospitable an atmosphere as possible. They will bend every effort firmly toward insuring a comfortable atmosphere, because in making you relaxed, they can be comfortable with you.

The home is very important. They appear unable to function unless it is organized or run to their satisfaction. It is a prime necessity to their inner peace & is by no means a small consideration in their lives.

The impression is given of moving through life with as little disruption as possible. It is the better part of valor to cooperate with the settings those with Lilith in Cancer create, or, soon enough, one will run up against their guard. Unlike Lilith in Aries where it is tactically aggressive, Lilith in Cancer is tactically defensive. This does not by any means lessen the sincerity & kindness in the individual but it is simply their way of insuring smooth waters for all concerned & primarily for themselves.

You see, in Cancer, Lilith magnifies subjectivity until, or unless, the powers of analysis are developed enough to supply the objectivity they need to feel less vulnerable. There can be phenomenal naivete (childish expectancies) while assuming an outward worldliness that belies the truth. Confident detached behavior, to demonstrate poise, eventually has them even believing themselves until a time when the vulnerability under the surface is cracked from some situation strong enough to break their denial of this sensitivity. They then can feel as exposed as if they were suddenly stripped naked. In turn, this forces them, defensively, to understand the situation in order to live with it, analyze it, or somehow to come to terms with it, in order to adjust themselves against any such future happenings.

Putting service above self, analyzing or looking for practical solutions for the person, event or circumstances of the house holding Lilith, frees this one from subjectivity to objectivity & thus brings gratification.

There is an uncanny talent for spotting trends; executive mobility; a tenacity that creates dependability & follow-through; wisdom in strengthening foundations or establishing them well; occult or medical (nursing) orientation; working in child care areas; & the ability to fluctuate smoothly with public demands. Any one of these may play a significant role in the vocation. It is in the areas where outlets for these & other Cancer talents can be found that the individual feels more fulfilled, released - happier.

If this person is in legal work, courtroom defense as opposed to prosecution would be preferred; if an artist, there is unique talent for ocean scenes or water colors; if in music, they can portray emotional pathos in sound; if in the military, he does better in something like the defense oriented Coast Guard rather than the offense oriented Marinesl if he (or she) is literary, the writings are of a foundational nature for the security of the chosen subject, as we find in the great work of Marc Edmund Jones; or publicaly oriented, as we have in the contributions of Dal Lee.

examples:
Ethel Barrymore
Madame Curie
Queen Elizabeth II
Barry Goldwater
Marc Edmund Jones
Dal Lee
Alfred Nobel
J.C. Penney
Emily Post