People celebrating their birthday today have a Taurus-like determination and fortitude. Your life plans focus on home, family, lifelong friends, and a successful career. For a water sign, you're very earthy, and everyone respects your pragmatic nature when it comes to finances or problem solving.

While at first this sounds rather dull, there's another side to this Crab. You love a good mystery! If there's a secret to unravel, you can bet today's Cancer will be there with a monocle, a notebook, and a list of clues on which to follow up. In fact, it wouldn't be surprising to see this person in an associated field like political reporting, or police investigation. About the only thing that may deter such goals is if the position holds danger. You wouldn't want to put family or self in harm's way.

July 17 works out to a 6 numerologically. This brings the energy of idealism, realness, and a passion for beauty into our Crab's personality, frequently manifesting in relationships. Friends feel confident of this person's honesty, and mates enjoy being adored for inner splendor rather than superficial qualities. However, be aware that sometimes our Cancer is fragile and may get cynical or clingy as a result. Just bear with it — this is a normal mood swing for this birth sign.

Gift idea: a handheld tape recorder (dictaphone).