The Zodiac is the ring of constellations that the Sun, as seen on Earth, passes through over the course of a year and is the backdrop or canvas on which the planets are seen. They are divided into twelve equal Zodiac Signs, each composed of 30 degrees of the total 360 degrees. Beginning from late March, the Zodiac Signs are named; Aries, Taurus, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Each planet can lie in any of the twelve Signs of the Zodiac depending on the place and time of birth. Sun Sign astrology just deals with which constellation the Sun lies in at the place and time of birth and describes distinct personality types linked to the position of the Sun. For example, someone who’s Sun Sign is in Aquarius means the Sun was in the constellation of Aquarius at the time and place of their Birth. However, a more complete picture is obtained by taking the position other planetary factors as well as the Sun into consideration.
Traditionally the world of matter was thought to only contain four basic elements; fire, air, earth and water. It was also thought these elements, described below, made up our individual natures. We can get a hint of this with the words we commonly use to describe people; “He’s a bit of an air head”, “He’s a bit wet’ , “She’s a fiery girl” , “She’s a very grounded woman”.
Zodiac Air Signs Aquarius, Gemini and Libra, are the thinkers of they Zodiac. They are intellectual and curious and go with the flow, quickly moving from one thing, person or idea to the next according to impulse. Ideas, concepts and logical reasoning are important to Air Signs.
Zodiac Water Signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces, are driven by instinct and emotion. They are fluid, sensitive, compassionate, empathetic, reflective and imaginative. With these deep, intense intuition powers comes a fragility – they can take things to heart when their sensitive feelings get hurt.
The key traits of Zodiac Fire Signs Aries, Leo and Sagittarius, are warmth, passion and drive. They exude confidence and strength in their relationship and are bold, impulse, spontaneous and exciting with a passionate zest for live. Fire Signs follow their gut instincts and act swiftly, diving into new projects and relationships. They may, however, be quick to lose their temper.
Zodiac Earth Signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, are grounded, practical and real. They rule the physical world and have a connection to nature and the great outdoors and are steadfast, hard-working, reliable and responsible. In general, they tend to be slow and prefer life to be stable, steady and predictable and shy away from change.
As well as the four elements of matter, there are three Zodiac Sign modes these elements can express themselves in described below.
Cardinal Zodiac Sign modes are initiators and leaders in charge. Brimming with new ideas, they are self-motivated, insightful and ambitious. Aries leads with aggression, Cancer with empathy and compassion Libra with harmony and Capricorn with structure.
Fixed Zodiac Sign modes are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius whose key traits are stability and reliability. They are loyal and when they commit to something, they keep their word and accept their responsibilities and work-hard slowly persevering towards their goals. They are also extremely stubborn and almost never change their opinions and have a fixed determination to do thing their own way.
Mutable Zodiac Sign modes Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces are easy going, versatile, flexible and resourceful. They find it easy to deal with change and are like chameleons taking on varied personas changing their form of expression to whatever a situation requires. Although they tend to be diplomatic, sympathetic, and self-less in their desire to please others, they can also be perceived as being inconsistent, uncommitted and unreliable. Their relationships tend to be conflict-free as they have mastered the art of compromise.
The polarity of a Zodiac Sign is mirrored by the one opposite to it on the Zodiac. These Yin (negative, female) and Yang(positive, males) energies complement each other – both are needed for a balanced flow of energy.
Zodiac Signs Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces have Yin (negative, female) polarities. They are inward looking (introvert), submissive, repressed, reflective and receptive.
Zodiac Signs Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius have Yang (positive, male) polarities. They outward looking (extrovert), dominant, spontaneous, active and expressive.