Good evening stargazers! Today our Astrology 101 series continues with talking about the elements, qualities, and polarities of the zodiacs and houses.
I keep saying that there is more I want to talk about before getting into the zodiacs themselves. This is for a couple of reasons.
- I feel like there is a LOT of information on the 12 zodiacs and interpretations but less so on the rest of the chart.
- If you understand the HOW of getting your zodiac and what it means in relation to everything else on your natal chart (for more information on what a natal chart is click HERE), the zodiac will have more meaning to you.
That being said, I believe this will be the last Astrology 101 post before I start doing deep dives into each of the zodiac. In the meantime, this will help give you a general vibe for each sign without memorizing a ton of details.
ELEMENTS
Depending on the context, there are a set number of elements. If we are talking chemistry, we have 118 elements on the periodic chart. If we talk fantasy… it just depends on the story. For astrology, we use the 4 classic elements of water, earth, fire, and air. (“…but that all changed when the fire nation attacked”) There are 3 signs per element and each elemental group is called a triplicity.
WATER
Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces
Water signs are emotional and can be very sensitive and/or mysterious. Very intuitive; the friends you say or psychic and quick to pick up on vibes. They tend to take in others’ energy. This manifests in different ways. Cancer uses this to be a very nurturing sign. Scorpio has its ability to see through to the truth and not be swayed by the surface level BS. Pisces is like a chameleon, absorbing others’ energy like a sponge.
Positive keywords: deeply emotional, sympathetic, empathetic, nurturing, calm and peaceful, sensitive, compassionate, imaginative, intuitive, psychically aware, refreshing, charming, mysterious, private.
Negative keywords: emotionally insecure and unstable, shy, timid, lacking in confidence, oversensitive, easily influenced and manipulated, withdrawn, uncommunicative, vindictive, and vengeful, takes everything personally, moody and depressed.
EARTH
Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
A good way to describe the earth signs is solid, grounded, or steady. They want security. Because they tend to be practical and realistic, they often need to be very sure that their choices are correct, so they sometimes get type cast as slow or stubborn, but it is just caution. With Taurus in particular, this looks like stubbornness. Virgo is an analyzer. Capricorn is all about having an organized plan and sticking to it.
Positive keywords: practical, efficient, organized, realistic, patient, self-disciplined, hard-working, productive, enduring, persistent, dependable, grounded, reliable, loyal, stable, good common-sense.
Negative keywords: slow, stodgy, lacking in vision, unimaginative, petty, excessively conventional, narrow-minded, stubborn, resistant to change, hoarding, ultra conservative.
FIRE
Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Just like flames, these signs can be impulsive, passionate, and sometimes temperamental. They are zesty and fast to act. They are movers and shakers. The risk takers. Think big energy, big aspirations, and even bigger personalities. They can consume those around them but also bring a warm light with them. The fire element gives Aries their energy, Leo their need to lead, and Sagittarius their adventurous soul.
Positive keywords: extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, inspirational, visionary, high-spirited, simple, direct, physically active, dramatic, courageous, warm, strong emotions, passionate, achiever, interesting.
Negative keywords: overly active to the point of burnout, restless, impatient, selfish, insensitive, willful, hasty, lacking in perspective, thoughtless, impulsive, reckless, extravagant, wild, temperamental.
AIR
Signs: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra
Air is a very mental element. They are all about communication, spreading ideas, conceptualizing, and learning. They are thinkers but that can mean they get stuck in their heads. Gemini are very intelligent and curious, but it pulls them in too many ways. Libra is all about intellectual partnerships. Aquarius are the communicators, making them popular and a great champion for causes.
Positive keywords: articulate, objective, mentally clear, detached, capable of forethought, understanding, socially adept and adaptable, cooperative, fun, creative, idealistic, adventurous, relational.
Negative keywords: unemotional, lacking in sympathy, impractical, disassociated from the body and the physical world, over-adaptive, abstracted, glib and facile, airheaded, hyperactive.
QUALITIES
There are 3 qualities with each quality being associated with 4 zodiacs (1 of each element) and being referred to as… you guessed it. Quadruplicities. You will also see these qualities referred to as modes or modalities. These qualities are how each zodiac expresses their element, so it is their “mode” of expression. The 3 qualities are: Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable.
CARDINAL
Signs: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn
Cardinal signs are initiators. They tend to be assertive and natural leaders. The reason it always seems like there is something happening around them is because they are always starting something. They respond well to new ideas and flourish in a crisis. You may also note that these zodiacs are in the first month of every season.
FIXED
Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
These signs are the stable, self-contained, sustainers. This stability can seem passive or stubborn but this resistance to change can also be their strength. Their resistance often leads to lateness for different reasons, but they will get where they need to be eventually. These signs are the middle month of each season.
MUTABLE
Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces
Mutable signs are the most easily influenced by their environment. They are considered unstable, but this helps facilitate their role of loosening structures to make it easier to transition from the old to something new. These signs tend to be flexible to the extreme, but that lack of stability can also stress. These signs are found in the last month of a season.
POLARITIES
The last set of categories that zodiacs can be sorted into is the polarities. These can be referred to as male/female, positive/negative, active/receptive, or yin/yang.
The 6 fire and air signs are masculine/yang/assertive/positive. These can generally be described as direct, outgoing, extroverted, giving, and active.
The 6 earth and water signs are feminine/ yin/ receptive/negative. These can be described as indirect, passive/reactive, introverted, withdrawn, and receiving.
Is it all starting to come together yet? If you go through and start finding your zodiac’s element, quality, and polarity, does it start to sound like what you have read in generic zodiac descriptions or better yet… like you?
Looking back at your chart, you may start to notice patterns. Where do the planets sit on your chart. Are they mostly in a certain element or modality? If you have most of your planets in a certain element or modality, you may see certain parts of their personality much stronger or if they are all spread out, you may have a more balanced personality.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to visit RavenWerks and I look forward to doing deep dives into individual zodiacs next!
Until next time,
Taylor
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