Cancer is Latin for crab and it is the symbol of my horoscope. I used to feel rather annoyed why must my horoscope be associated with the dreaded illness called “cancer”. However it is the other way round, malignant tumours are given a general name “cancer” because the tumour looks like a crab having a body and its projections coming out like claws. The Cancer’s glyph is “69” usually drawn in horizontal and have many interpretations. To name a few it represents the claws, it is the sun and earth connected by 2 crescent moon, it represents Yin and Yang and some say it’s like the mother’s breast symbolising the nurturing characteristics of Cancer. No doubt I like the glyph a lot since it’s easy to replicate and I just fancy it compare to other horoscopes as it has 2 circles in it. I find circles to be fascinating since it isn’t pointy and it has no beginning or ending and often a round table gives off a comfortable feeling compared to tables of other shapes.
I begin to appreciate the symbol of my horoscope more after watching a video of a crab molting. The process looks arduous yet cool at the same time as the hard shelled crustacean remove its former exoskeleton in order to grow. I didn’t have much knowledge about the process until I found videos of a famous pet crab called Howie. Howie’s carer is from Nebraska and she provided a lot of information regarding molting. It was an eye opener to know that prior to molting crabs will go into fasting mode and use their body stores to maintain survival. Furthermore it is not just the hard shell that is being discarded, the outer layer of the eyes, some parts of the guts and the crab’s gills will also be removed during molting. This makes them very vulnerable after the molt as they will be much softer without any defence against predators. Throughout the molting process many things can go wrong and at times failure to molt may result in deformities and even death.
What I learned from the entire molting event is that in order to grow we must go through challenges and be willing to part with our old self. Parting with the old self takes a lot of courage and determination, and at times there will be a phase of vulnerability. It is during this phase of vulnerability that our wisdom is being tested the most. Having lost our protective armour, survival depends mostly on mental strength. So I guess those who are weak mentally may experience a “molting failure” resulting in sickness and self destruction. However there’s more to it as a crab is said to molt 30-40 times throughout its life span. I don’t think it is pleasant to go through the “molting” process over and over again and if given a choice I would want a smooth sailing life as compared to one with multiple “molting” events.
Despite the saying “experience is the best teacher”, I do not wish to experience unpleasant things in order to learn a lesson in life. Many a times I know I could have avoided a lot of misery but I ignored advices and choose to undergo the full experience first hand. My loved ones who understands me could only be bystanders due to my stubbornness and watch helplessly as I “molt”. The only person who often tells me “I told you so” is my annoying best friend who is Forever right. His secret to being forever right -
- learn from others people’s mistakes
- learn ancient knowledge such as face reading - but it doesn’t work on those who have aesthetically modified their appearance
- learn to observe people and never be an open book unless you can trust the person with your life
- learn I-Ching, it can be a rough overview into a person’s personality and characteristics
- Mingle with all types of people - both bad and good, but keep your heart guarded at all times
It’s September 10th today and 1/3 of the month is gone. 3/4 of the year is gone too. What have I learn and achieved this year? At least for today my achievement would be finishing an 11km fun run and obtaining 1st placing for the women’s category. I need more achievements before the year ends. At times I may be out of my shell but that only makes me more versatile and adaptable.
Task to achieve before September ends:
- Thesis
- Passing the exam
- Logbook
- Mooncake festival celebration
Comments