Suddenly, their eyes met across the room, and they got distracted and never really thought of it again. This could describe the love story between Aquarius and Cancer, who inhabit two very different worlds. In terms of Aquarius and Cancer compatibility, relationships can be a real challenge. That's not to say it has never and will never happen. But both partners will have to overcome some true challenges in order to make it work.
How Aquarius & Cancer Are Alike and Different
Aquarius and Cancer are so different that they inhabit not only different worlds, but often different planets. With the lack of a common frame of reference and shared language, it's like trying to play a PlayStation game on an Xbox console. They don't have a common worldview, and even if they have the exact same experience together, their lived experience is so different as to seem like it wasn't a shared experience at all. Their worlds are so different that even if they tried, they might not be able to form a close relationship.
Cancer & Aquarius Similarities
We can start with the pretty obvious statement that they're both people with all the attendant people things that we all possess. And their similarities do go a little deeper, but not much.
- They both have a tendency to be introverted — although for different reasons and with different presentations.
- They both enjoy a good conversation — albeit about different things.
Aquarius & Cancer Differences
There are too many differences between Aquarius and Cancer to list, but just a few that make connecting so difficult include:
- Cancer is all about emotions and feelings, and Aquarius is all about ideas and thoughts.
- Cancer gets attached and wants to spend a lot of time with their partner. Aquarius is fiercely independent and needs a lot of alone time.
- Cancer loves feeling safe and secure in the familiar. Aquarius thrives on new ideas and novelty.
- Cancers are super affectionate and nurturing. Aquarians need lots of space and tend not to be super lovey-dovey, even in relationships.
- For Cancer, love is all about the heart. For Aquarians, love is all about the head.
These differences are just the start, but you can see how difficult it could be to connect with such disparate priorities.
Cancer & Aquarius Compatibility: Same Planet, Different Worlds
As you might've already gleaned, this can be a highly challenging partnership. There's very little about Cancer that will even interest Aquarius and vice versa.
| Relationship Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Emotional connection | Poor |
| Trust | Poor |
| Sexual connection | Poor |
| Intellectual connection | Poor |
| Communication | Fair |
| Values compatibility | Fair |
Emotional Connection
As a water sign, Cancer is extremely emotional. In fact, it's the primary way they understand the world. As an air sign, Aquarius is intellectual and even a little detached. So Cancer's emotionality can be confounding (and even confusing) to detached Aquarius. And as Aquarius pushes to maintain detachment, Cancer is likely to push even harder for emotional connection, which will make Aquarius see Cancer as clingy instead of affectionate. It's not a great dynamic for a love relationship.
Rating: Poor
Trust
Their different worldviews make it very difficult for Cancer and Aquarius to trust one another, because neither ever really understands where the other is coming from. To each of them, the other person's worldview is so foreign that it feels untrustworthy, even when it's not.
Rating: Poor
Sexual Connection
Cancer finds the art of romance to be sexually arousing and needs heartfelt, emotionally intimate sex. An Aquarian finds intelligence sexually arousing and needs sex to be experimental. While sex can work out between these two with the right personalities and kinks, getting it to the bedroom in the first place is the true challenge. However, if it does, the special sauce in this sexual pairing is newness, novelty, and mystery. That can make it exciting if they actually make it to the sack.
Rating: Poor
Intellectual Connection
Neither Cancer nor Aquarius are dummies by any stretch of the imagination. But they put their different types of intelligence to work in different ways. Aquarius thinks, innovates, and ideates, while Cancer feels, nurtures, and nests. They're both good conversationalists, though, so if they can find things to talk about, they may find they enjoy each other's minds.
Rating: Poor
Communication
On the plus side, both Cancer and Aquarius are good communicators, and they like to talk. So they can have open and honest communication, which is an important part of any relationship. They'll just have to be able to translate what the other says accurately into their own language in order to understand the truth behind their words.
Rating: Fair
Values Compatibility
Both Cancer and Aquarius care a lot about other people. Aquarius does it in an abstract "bettering mankind" type of way, while Cancer does it in an up-close-and-personal, hands-on kind of way. But each can admire this value in the other, and each has a lot to learn from the other that can make them more successful in their missions to help other people.
Rating: Fair
Challenging, but Not Beyond the Bounds of Possibility
There's a lot to overcome in a Cancer and Aquarius relationship, but that doesn't mean they never happen. Nancy and Ronald Reagan were a Cancer (Nancy) and Aquarius (Ronald) relationship that worked, but there are many more examples that didn't. If, when their eyes meet across the room, there's a spark, it's possible that Cancer and Aquarius could overcome all the obstacles to pairing, and some couples could even go the distance if they're willing to set aside their fundamental differences.
