Aries: Cardinal fire (April 18 - May 13)
Taurus: Cardinal earth (May 13 - June 21)
Gemini: Cardinal air (June 21 - July 20)
Cancer: Cardinal water (July 20 - August 10)
Leo: Fixed fire (August 10 - September 16)
Virgo: Fixed earth (September 16 - Oct 30)
Libra: Ether (October 30 - November 23)
Scorpio: Fixed air (November 23 - November 29)
Ophiuchus: Fixed water (November 29 - December 17)
Sagittarius: Mutable fire (December 17 - January 20)
Capricorn: Mutable earth (January 20 - February 16)
Aquarius: Mutable air (February 16 - March 11)
Pieces: Mutable water (March 11- April 18)
Why the random illogical changes? This idea came to me from several other sources. On a blog post, an individual asked why Aries, Taurus, Gemini and Cancer were not all cardinal signs since they were the first "leaders" of the elements. The elements and meanings of the signs would stay the same, but their modalities would change.
Aries is represented as the most fiery sign of the zodiac. People born under this sign are independent, energetic, and risk takers. Aries desires action and self-expression. Cardinal signs are self-initiating. Therefore, Aries can be seen to represent fire in its basic form.
Taurus is a stable earth sign. These individuals use the five senses and the material world to ground themselves. Taurus is ambitious, practical and has an eye for beauty. The drive for material goods and a pleasant life can be seen as a form of self-initiation and action (cardinal). Taurus is immovable earth, which is earth in its most basic form.
Gemini individuals are expressive and quick-witted. They are curious individuals who love learning new things. They can talk for a long time about their favorite topics, but the conversations may be on the superficial side. Air is changeable and full of energy, hence this is air in its most basic form. The desire for communication, moving, and learning can alternatively be considered as a form of self-initiation (cardinal).
Cancer individuals are emotional, sensitive, and family-oriented. They often have strong connections to the past and to their loved ones. However, they do have strong protective instincts and like the crab, they have hard outer "shells" to protect their inner selves. Their moods can fluctuate up and down like the waves of the ocean. Cancer represents water in its most basic form.
Aries and Cancer can be viewed as the bipolar masculine and feminine signs that align with stereotypical gender traits. (Aries being dominant, warlike, and action oriented, Cancer as sensitive, emotional, and nurturing to others) This is different from the sun (Leo) and moon (Cancer) polarities
since Aries and Cancer are both cardinal "leaders" and represent gender traits at the extreme level. Why not Mars and Venus then? Venus represents love, beauty, and creativity, while the moon represents love, maternal instincts, and nurturing, all qualities that women are expected to adhere to in society (along with beauty but more to the Cancer traits of child caring, passivity, and emotion). Although the sun represents the "masculine" traits of vitality and leadership, men are expected to adhere to more Martian standards: being dominant, protective of loved ones, leadership, athleticism etc.
Leo individuals are fun-loving and are driven to be admired and appreciated. Leo has a lasting fixed loyalty to loved ones they care about. Many of them enjoy theater and pursue performing arts.
Virgo is analytical, practical and detail-oriented. Their hard work can be interpreted as fixed and focused, meaning they can concentrate on projects for long periods of time, depending on the person/situation. They are also modest and are often of service to other people.
Libra individuals desire harmony, balance and a connection to others. A connection to other people, as well as to the Divine, can make the alternative element of Libra ether (spirit). Libra enjoys refined objects, romance, and the finer things of life. Libra individuals are intelligent being a regular air sign, can equate with reaching the higher mind (or higher planes of existence). Their desire for harmony and peace has more personal traits to it then the more detached Aquarian view.
Scorpio individuals are deep, mysterious and are often loners. They love digging deep into various issues and subjects like criminal studies, psychology and others. Scorpio individuals have a vengeful and aggressive side to them. Their intense focus on topics (fixed) and an intellectual desire to learn and uncover the truth (air) makes them people not to be messed with.
Ophiuchus, the so called "13th sign" of the zodiac is actually the 9th constellation. It does not appear in either the Tropical nor the Sidereal zodiac systems. The potential element and modality for this sign is the one that is associated with Scorpio: fixed water. These people are curious, passionate, and have a jealous streak to them. Like Scorpio, they have a thirst for knowledge and are secretive, though in this case, Ophiuchus can be considered as the "deeper" version of Scorpio. Ophiuchus is deep and emotional (water) and are fixed in their often unconventional ways.
Sagittarius is a mutable fire sign, making them curious, energetic, and lovers of learning. They can never stay in one place or on one subject for too long. Subjects they often enjoy include traveling, religion, and philosophy.
Capricorn individuals are hard-working, practical, and ambitious. They are conservative and determined to reach their goals, no matter what it takes. Taking slow measured steps may seem like it would involve stability, but as it is known, the human mind is not that simple. Even when someone makes concrete plans, they have to be flexible (mutable) at times in order to move forward. Capricorn is half goat and half fish, allowing for a variety/flexibility of environments to work in.
Aquarius individuals are humanitarian, friendly, and generous. They march to the beat of their own drummers and frequently love topics like technology, space exploration, and science. They are not the most emotional individuals and many keep their distances. Although inflexibility can be a negative trait of Aquarius, flexibility (mutable) is a trait that is required for them to be of service to a diverse population of people. When it comes to topics that interest them, or dealing with the concerns of others, they are more likely to be open minded. Being human is never easy.
Pieces is a flexible dreamy water sign. These people often have great creative imaginations, making them suited to art, music, and creative endeavors. They are emotional and sensitive to the feelings of others, making them one of the most empathetic individuals. Their bad habits come from looking at the world through rose colored glasses and not seeing reality for what it is.
I cannot take credit for the basic information. This is merely my own interpretation of the information I found. From another site that I cannot find, another astrologer posted a detailed chart that displayed the 13 zodiac signs in a circle, with yellow, red, blue, and white circles to represent each element. According to that chart, Libra was assigned the element of ether instead of air. Perhaps it was because Libra represents a balance of all things (ex. the balance of all the elements together. Libra is also the center most sign in the 13th zodiac (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo: 6 signs + Scorpio, Ophiuchus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pieces: 6 signs).
The moon chart (or rasi) is likely more accurate than the natal chart in terms of describing the individual's personality and potential life events.
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