I’m not one for describing Cancer and Sagittarius relationships as peaceful. This can be a rocky dynamic. That said, I have to say that the two signs have much more in common than people usually think they do.

We know Sagittarius to be Jupiter’s home—big, goofy, and a wanderer at heart. We usually think about Sagittariuses as adventurous. A Sagittarius doesn’t like to stay home. They like to leave and they don’t want to feel too attached.

But did you know that Cancer is the sign that Jupiter exalts?

Here’s the stereotype about Cancer and Sagittarius relationships. I’ll describe it here because I have seen this dynamic show up in real life relationships. Cancer is someone who wants to stay at home. Cancers like their comfort zones. They like to know what they are getting into. If they are in a partnership, they usually want that partnership to feel very stable, close, and intimate. Once Cancer falls for someone, they have all of these fantasies about moving into a little home with that person and starting a life forever and ever.

Sagittarius likes to move away. Sagittarius is always chasing freedom and leaving home for months at a time. Sometimes, Sagittarius will tell you when they are coming back. However, they do not come back when they say because even that can feel like too much of a commitment.

So, the stereotype about Cancer and Sagittarius together is that Cancer will keep trying to keep Sagittarius at home. Sagittarius will get uncomfortable and try to create more distance, upsetting the Cancer who tries even harder to keep the Sagittarius at home. That’s why so much of astrology will talk about the incompatibilities of Cancer and Sagittarius rather than the compatibilities.

Don’t get me wrong. There’s plenty that is incompatible between Cancer and Sagittarius. There is also plenty that is incompatible with any sign with any other sign. There’s also always going to be some level of compatibility between any two signs as well. What is going on between Cancer and Sagittarius is a lot more complex than a simple matter of one sign being more social and another being more of a homebody.

Sagittarius is Jupiter’s home. Cancer is Jupiter’s honor. Jupiter is the giver, the sharer—the generous. Both Sagittarius and Cancer are incredibly generous people but in completely different ways.

Sagittarius is always giving energy away outwardly. That’s why they keep exploring the world around them. They want to give themselves to some greater cause.

Cancer is self protective first. That’s why you get all of these stereotypes about Cancers being transactional. If you think that Cancers are transactional, however, then the Cancer you are thinking of probably doesn’t trust you yet. Cancer is a sign that will move cautiously with those who they are not close to but give every single piece of their being away to those who they do love and trust.

If you earn a Cancer’s trust, then everything they have access to will become yours. I’m not even kidding. A Cancer will give you all of their time, their mind, and their spirit. Think about a mother bear tending to her cub. That’s Cancer with the people who they love. Cancer will sacrifice themselves if they really care about you. They will give you all of their money with the zeal of a parent trying to fend for their baby. They will believe in no distinctions between what is their and what is yours. They will stop keeping track.

Between Cancer and Sagittarius, Cancer is actually the most extreme giver but not with everyone. Cancer gives with the ferocity of an almost parental mindset. This is complete devotion. A Cancer’s love is complete devotion. That’s why they are so careful with their feelings, because they know that they will fall into complete devotion if they fall in love. If Cancer doesn’t know you yet or doesn’t like you, they can be quite cold.

Sagittarius is different. Sagittarius gives experimentally—randomly. That’s why you frequently hear about Sagittarius feeling overwhelmed by social expectations. They expect themselves to give a lot but to kind of anyone. Sagittarius is not as self protective as Cancer. They are usually warm and giving right away.

I think that’s the key to understanding why some Cancer and Sagittarius relationships work so well and why some just get so chaotic. When Cancer sees Sagittarius out there giving their all to everyone else, Cancers will get anxious. Cancer gives their all as well but selectively. They will worry that their Sagittarius lover is not selecting them, leading them to feel unchosen. They will worry that Sagittarius won’t have enough love left inside for Cancer.

Meanwhile, Sagittarius is seeing that Cancer will show up for them no matter what. Cancer is an obsessive lover. Sagittarius can feel that. It’s a lot of love. Remember, Sagittarius will usually want to be the more generous person in a dynamic because Sagittarius is a Jupiterian. Being the more generous person, the one who is doing more giving, makes Sagittarius feel more in control.

That’s why Sagittarius can get socially overwhelmed by Cancer’s generosity. This is someone who is sitting there telling Sagittarius that their heart belongs to them now. These kinds of words are romantic in Cancer’s view. Sagittarius sees them as a promise and a promise is a commitment or an obligation. Sagittarius is obsessed with honor which is all about answering promises. That’s why it gets so stressed about commitments and social expectations.

Do you see it now? Do you see what I’m trying to get out? Neither sign is more promiscuous or closed than the other. They are actually just competing to express generosity.

For most people, giving is easier emotionally than receiving. Receiving puts you in a position of vulnerability. You don’t get to call the shots. Giving is easier because givers are socially more empowered. You do get to call the shots when you give because you get to choose what you give away. Asking is also hard.

Both Cancer and Sagittarius prefer to play the role of the giver. Cancers love to feed. They love to nurture. Cancers hate having to ask for affection back because they want it to just come naturally. They don’t want to have to ask for their needs to be met but they, like the rest of us, can’t help it. Cancer as a sign is about emotional control. When Cancer feels unregulated because they are doing more feeding than eating, they will lose emotional control.

Sagittarius, too, wants to be the giver. They want to be the good and valiant friend, the one who is always coming through and showing up for the cause. Unlike Cancer, Sagittarius doesn’t think about asking for anything back. I think that a lot of Sagittariuses find receiving to be very hard. That’s why they love to be teased, because being teased means that you can receive affection with a little pain.

Two generous people. You can see why I say that Cancer and Sagittarius relationships can work beautifully when they work now. All that needs to happen for the dynamic to work is for each person to challenge themselves to receive, even just a little. Cancers actually love to receive but they need to ask for what they need. Sagittarius often needs to learn how to receive love without turning that receptivity into social obligation in their minds.

So, that’s a Jupiterian dynamic. Jupiter loves to give but Jupiter has a dark side. Jupiter’s dark side is that it is often scared of receiving. Giving is control and power. Jupiter is the king of the gods. Sagittarius is Jupiter’s home and Cancer is Jupiter’s honor. Both signs love to give.