The Astrological Year, Part 2

OK, so where did we leave off? Oh yes...the astrological year!

So we know that 1) each astrological sign has an element, 2) each astrological sign has a quality, 3) one of those qualities is cardinal, and 4) a cardinal sign begins every season.

Most of you understand the concept of elements, but to make sure we're all on the same page, each sign is associated with one element--fire, earth, air, or water. Most of you know which element your sun sign is already, but for those of you who don't, they're below:

Fire--Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Earth--Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Air--Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Water--Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Now let's talk about the qualities in more detail, but before we do, here's an important point:

Every sign is a UNIQUE combination of an element and a quality, and there are NO repeats.

Here's what I mean. If we didn't have the qualities, then all three fire signs would be the same, right? The same could be said of the other elements. Sure, there are some "fiery", "earthy", "airy" and "watery" traits that all signs of an element share. But the quality makes them very different. 

You know that there are cardinal signs, which begin every season. If you recall from our last lesson, they are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. 

Generally speaking, cardinal signs are powerful and tend toward leadership. They like to be in control and are normally good at starting things. But they're not as good at taking orders or following through on long term projects. Each season begins with a cardinal sign because they get things started! They also are considered the purest form of the element. 

We have two other qualities of sign: fixed and mutable.

Fixed signs are in the middle of each season, and they tend to be your "middle management" types. They're good at long-term projects and following up, and while they can be good leaders, they tend to be stubborn (fixed) and are not as open to new ideas, thoughts, and opinions. They're perfect in the middle of each season--they "anchor" each season as it takes hold.

Mutable signs end each season, and they're the flexible followers of the signs. They tend more toward being able to do more different things and adapt than either of the other two signs, but they're not as good at taking a project and running with it on their own, nor are they as likely to want a leadership role. 

Let's recap. Each season has a cardinal sign, a fixed sign, and a mutable sign, in that order. So you know already that the four cardinal signs are NEVER going to be next to each other in the astrological year. 

Going further, each element has three signs associated with it, and each sign has a different quality. If we know that Aries is a fire sign, and it begins a season, we can deduce that Aries is the cardinal fire sign. There are no other cardinal fire signs; that's why I said "THE". Make sense?

The elements also go in the same order in the astrological year: Fire, earth, air and water. So if we know that Aries begins spring, and it's cardinal fire, then what sign comes next? It's the fixed earth sign, Taurus the Bull. Spring has got to end with a mutable sign, and if we just had fixed earth, then we've got to have mutable air, Gemini the Twins. 

Because of the way it is set up, each season will lack one element. In this case, you noticed that there was no water sign in spring. Our first sign of the summer, however, is cardinal water, and it's Cancer the Crab. Since we just had cardinal water, fixed fire is next, Leo the Lion, followed by mutable earth, Virgo the Virgin. We don't have any air signs in the summer. 

But the fall begins with cardinal air, Libra the Scales. Fixed water must follow in Scorpio the Scorpion. And fall ends with mutable fire, Sagittarius the Archer. There are no earth signs in the fall. 

Finally, we end the astrological year with cardinal earth, Capricorn the sea-goat, followed by fixed air, Aquarius the Water-Bearer. We end our year with mutable water, Pisces the Fish. There's no fire signs in the winter. (NOTE: Aquarius may be the "water bearer" but it is NOT a water sign.)

And what comes after Pisces? We start all over again with Aries the Ram. 

I know the astrological year seems complicated, but if you can remember the qualities and the elements, you'll have a lot easier time knowing what comes next. It's pretty logical, actually. 

Thanks as always for tuning in!