Characteristics of the Star Signs - Astrology - The White Goddess

Characteristics of the Star Signs

Characteristics of the Star Signs

The signs of the zodiac are classified in three other ways. Each is either positive "masculine", (spontaneous and self-expressive) or negative "feminine" (withdrawn and passive). Each sign is assigned one of the four principle elements, these are known as the triplices. Fire, Air, Earth and Water:

Fire is lively and aggressive
Air is lively in mind and fluent in expression
Earth is matter-of-fact and controlled
Water is sensitive and intuitive.

Each sign is either cardinal, fixed or mutable. The three quadruplicities can be seen as different ways of being creative, the qualities are:

Cardinal: initiative
The four cardinal signs, Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn, have in common the impetus to initiate or create, or to counter one initiative with another.

Fixed: steadfastness
The four fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, are inclined to sustain or stabilise what has already been created, or to resist or practise endurance in the face of another's initiative.

Mutable: changeableness/adaptability
The four mutable, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, take what has been created and attempt to alter or adapt it.