Working With The Signs
Astrology maps the Sun, Moon and the eight planets as they move through the constellations. The Babylonians divided the sky into 12 areas and assigned each one a figure, a name and a meaning. It was the ancient Greeks who gave us the 12 signs of the zodiac that we know and recognise today.
In astrology, the planet tells us what is happening, the sign the planet is in tells us how it is happening, and the house tells us where in our life it is happening. This week’s blog will focus on the how given to us from the sign.
Before we dive into the signs, let’s quickly look at the Sun and Moon. The Sun represents our ego and how we see ourselves. It rules our will, pride, determination, sense of purpose and motivation for future goals. It also shows us where to focus. The Sun spends roughly 30 days in each sign and sets the stage for everything else to follow. When using astrology to plan, the sign that the Sun is in can be used to determine what goals will work on that month.
The Moon represents our personal self, our feelings and our subconscious. It rules our emotions, moods, feelings and habits. The Moon spends roughly two and a half days in each sign. This means we can look at the sign the Moon is in to get an idea of how the day will flow, how we will feel and the tasks we can get done.
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and has themes around new beginnings, freshness and leadership. This is when we can set our goals, start new projects, commit to existing plans and have a bit more fun.
Taurus follows to bring perseverance, consistency and patience. As the sign associated with cash, property and possessions, this is when we can review our budget and values. Do our actions line up with what we said we wanted?
Gemini is all about ideas, communication and versatility. This is a time to have fun with friends, read more books, plan short trips and learn new skills. What have you started that you can finish now?
Cancer is the sign of home and family. This is where we look at where we are in life, review our goals and set new ones. It’s also a time to make sure you are looking after yourself and to spend time with family.
Leo has themes around creativity, self-expression and courage. This is a time to let your hair down, have some fun and show the world what you have got. Arrange time with friends and indulge yourself.
Virgo comes along to cross the i’s and dot the t’s. This is all about organisation and making sure that your daily habits and routines are supporting your health and moving you towards your goals.
Libra rules our most important relationships and seeks justice and balance. This is a time for romance and elegance, for self-love and luxury.
Scorpio is the mysterious sign that loves to get to the bottom of things. This is when we heal and transform, follow our passions and release unhealthy attachments.
Sagittarius is that cheerful and happy energy that wonders through life expecting good things. This is a time for adventure and broadening our horizons. This is where we find our place in the world.
Capricorn is the most ambitious of the signs. They are disciplined and responsible. This is a time to make a plan and strategy, to knuckle down and get to work. What does success look like to you? How will you track your progress?
Aquarius is the rebel of the zodiac who likes to think outside of the box. As a more detached energy, this is all about progress and experimentation. Be the scientist in your life as you try things out to see what works and what doesn’t.
As the last sign, Pisces has a mysterious energy and is a time to heal. Allow yourself to dream and let go of any fears holding you back.
We can group the signs by element. The fire signs are the most passionate and impulsive. This is the element of action. Aries is daring, assertive, fearless and brave. Leo is courageous, devoted, enthusiastic and magnanimous. Sagittarius is adventurous, uninhibited, optimistic and visionary.
The earth signs are more steady and practical. This is the element of material things. Taurus is hard-working, consistent, tenacious and stable. Virgo is efficient, organised, analytical and meticulous. Capricorn is disciplined, ambitious, responsible and methodical.
The air signs are breezy, social and all about ideas. This is the element of intellect. Gemini is curious, witty, inquisitive and fickle. Libra is tactful, indecisive, balanced and fair. Aquarius is experimental, scientific, progressive and visionary.
The water signs are more dreamy, and ethereal and feel all the feelings. This is the element of emotion. Cancer is nurturing, caring, protective and compassionate. Scorpio is passionate, healing, regenerative and transformative. Pisces is romantic, mystical, kind and nostalgic.
We can work with the elements as the Moon moves through them. The fire moons are ideal for starting new things, and for picking up old things we left unfinished. Anything that needs a boost of excitement or energy. This is a time for action. The earth moons that follow allow us to form a more concrete plan of what will get done. We can turn actions into habits and will have more focus to get things done. The air moons remind us to socialise, to share our ideas, and to catch up on smaller tasks. Then the water moons are perfect for rest and self-care days so that we can recharge our batteries before starting again on the fire moon days.
We can also group them into the three modalities; cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Each modality includes one sign from each of the four elements. When the Sun moves into each cardinal sign, we have the start of an astrological season.
The cardinal signs are the most goal-focused and relate to creativity and initiation. They are Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. The fixed signs then follow and are related to determination, focus and individuality. They essentially fix in place what was started by the cardinal signs. They are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Then the mutable signs are related to adaptability, resourcefulness and holism. They bridge the gap between the seasons and are the most flexible. They are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.
So if we track the moon using the modalities, then the cardinal signs are where we set goals, create things and start new projects. The fixed signs then preserve what we have started and allow us to keep moving forward. The mutable signs are then where we see the transformation and allow us to adapt to changes.
I hope you have found this week's blog helpful, and if you would like to know more about lunar planning then join me on Monday 22nd April for the next Moon Magic Masterclass.
