Category: signs

signs

Pisces moon and sun

Lisa

Learning the difference between the sun and moon in a sign is an important step in your journey with astrology. I’m going to point out a few differences with sun and moon in Pisces.

The sun is intentional and aspirational. It’s how you see yourself and it’s the basis for your identity in this life.

The moon is your wiring, your essential nature. It’s the temperament you developed over many lives so it is steeped in karmic history. You’re often not even aware that you are expressing your moon because there is no thought involved. It’s reactions.

A Pisces sun has chosen to become a more compassionate and intuitive person in this life and may even imagine that they are. They want to see themselves this way.

They often want to make a difference and be a hero, they want to rescue people and can even be drawn to first responder jobs so they literally are saving people.

Pisces suns have a need to believe that they are saving you and can get frustrated if you don’t take their great advice. There’s always an ego identification with the sun. They want to be the reason your life just got better. Some tend towards a messiah complex, martyrdom and can be prone to self pity. Saving the world is hard stuff.

There are various reasons why someone would choose a Pisces sun. For example, a Pisces sun with an Aries moon is someone who’s history is deeply steeped in their own experience and in this life they are learning that they can become something beyond their own experience. They can become whatever they imagine themselves to be.

A Pisces moon tends to be naturally compassionate and empathic. The moon is auto pilot, what we do without thinking, Pisces moons soak up how others feel and often act onwhat they are picking up and not even realize they are doing so.

A Pisces moon has a chameleon quality and may seem fake or disingenuous when they are really just being what is needed in the moment.

They are naturally imaginative and can also imagine that people feel differently than they do or are different than how they really are. There’s a balance to navigate between being imaginative in a healthy way or sliding into deluding themselves.

When looking at the sun in your chart, remember that it is about this life, this incarnation. It’s your ego, identity, who you believe you are, who you intend to be.

The moon is about how deep karmic history. You’ve developed these automatic ways of reacting that are ingrained in you.

If your sun and moon are the same sign then you didn’t come in desiring to change how you see yourself. It’s more that you’re trying to be a better version of yourself.

If your sun and moon are different, consider why you may want to use the history of your moon to become your sun.

☀️🌙

So what’s the difference between having the sun in a sign and the moon in a sign?

💫 The sun and moon are distinctly different energies and they express themselves differently in the sign they are in.

🌟 Does this post help you see the difference? Can you see how your sun sign would be expressed differently as a moon sign and visa versa?

🙈 If your sun and moon signs are the same, you may be confused by this post 😂 that’s normal. Mine are in the same sign and in my early days of learning astrology I was unsure what was because of my moon and what was an expression of my sun. It took a while for me to get it.

🤔 If yours are in different signs, see if you can come up with at least one reason why you’d choose your sun sign given the history of your moon sign.

Fill in the blanks:

I am trying to learn to be (sun) in this life and my history is (moon).

See also my post on sun / moon combos.

What are your sun and moon signs?

signs

Sidereal, Tropical, Age of Aquarius, what does it all mean?

Lisa
Quasar pic from NASA

Sidereal, Tropical, Age of Aquarius, what does it all mean?

Fun fact: An astrological age is 2160 years, the moon’s diameter is 2160 miles and ages result from the wobble created by the gravitational forces between the sun and moon.

The ages mark the difference between the tropical and sidereal zodiacs. We were in the age of Aries thousands of years ago when astrology emerged into our consciousness and use. It was the most recent time the tropical and sidereal were aligned.

Here’s a run down of what tropical, sidereal, and age mean in astrology.

Tropical Zodiac

In the northern hemisphere the spring equinox marks the first day of spring and the sun’s entrance into Aries. Having this equinox define when the sun enters Aries is the basis for the tropical zodiac.

The tropical zodiac is independent of small changes to the orientation of the earth’s axis caused by gravitational forces between the sun and moon, because each year the vernal equinox equates to zero degrees of Aries.

Sidereal Zodiac

The sidereal zodiac is determined by the current orientation of the earth’s axis. So it shifts over time due to the gravitational forces between the sun and moon. This orientation change makes a complete cycle through the zodiac every 26,000 years. This shift is the difference between tropical and sidereal.

Those of us using a tropical zodiac continue to use the sky map that created the foundation of astrology. The vernal equinox was in Aries when astrology emerged and we continue to assign Aries to the vernal equinox each year.

Those using sidereal are using the current orientation of the earth’s axis so the whole zodiac shifts over time. We call this shift the precession of the equinoxes, as the vernal equinox makes it’s way through the zodiac.

It takes 26,000 years for the equinoxes to move through the zodiac. Divide by 12 and you get 2160 years per sign. A sign equals an age. Each age lasts 2160 years.

Every 26,000 years the tropical and sidereal are aligned (they match).

Astrology Age

We were in the age of Aries when astrology emerged, because the vernal equinox was in Aries. The precession of the equinoxes goes in reverse order of the zodiac, so we went from Aries to Pisces. Next is Aquarius.

There is some debate among astrologers regarding the reference points to use to determine our current age. There is consensus though that we are either in the end of the age of Pieces or just entering the age of Aquarius.

The name tropical zodiac comes from Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn.

The tilt of the earth’s axis give us two latitudes, a most northern and most southern, where the earth is directly above the equator. They are called Tropic of Cancer (most northern) and Tropic of Capricorn (most southern).

The seasons on Earth change because the planet is tilted on its axis as it travels around the Sun. This means different points on Earth receive more or less sunlight at different times of year. If the Earth were not tilted, the Sun would always appear to be directly above the Equator, so the amount of daylight at any given place on earth would stay the same and we would not have seasons.

Because we have this tilt, we have seasons and they are marked by equinoxes and solstices.

The equinoxes happen in March and September. These are the days when the Sun is exactly above the Equator, so day and night are the same length. With the solstices, the daylight varies, so they give us the longest and shortest days of the year.

Those two solstices happen in June and December. These are the days when the Sun’s path in the sky is the farthest north or south from the Equator. In the Northern Hemisphere the June solstice is the start of summer, because the North Pole is tilted closest to the Sun and the December solstice is the start of winter because the South Pole is the one tilted towards the sun. That’s why winter and summer are reversed between the US and Australia.

signs

Venus rules Taurus and Libra

Lisa

Our current transits today include sun in Taurus and moon in Libra. Feels like a good day to discuss how both are ruled by Venus, the energy of love, beauty and values. Big difference:

Taurus is an earth sign. Libra is an air sign.

Taurus is more about what’s tangible, about endurance, about sensual pleasures.

Libra is more about harmonic connection, aesthetics, relationships with people.

A Libra type artist is more likely to have an idea and then express it artistically. The idea often precedes the picture, song, etc.

A Taurus type artist is more likely to immerse themselves in the media, e.g., pottery clay, paints, etc., and then have the material inspire them to create.

Do you see how the more you understand the planetary rulers and elements, the signs become clearer?

astrology basics, signs

Aries (spring) is coming!!

Lisa

Spring is on the way! This year the vernal equinox happens on 20 March 2022 at 11:33am ET and with it the tropical zodiac resets to zero degrees Aries.

I LOVE Aries energy 💜♈️

Yes, I love all the zodiac signs 🙄 each is special and amazing. Spoiler alert: you have all of them in your chart. 🤔😍🥰

I also have Venus in Aries 🙈☺️ so that makes Aries my go to style for love. ❤️🔥

The signs show our karmic history. The sign of Venus in your chart gives insight into your past life experiences around love, values, and worth. 💗

Aries is the most spontaneous sign in the zodiac and it’s about new beginnings. It’s the moment fire ignites. Aries in your chart shows your innocence, passion for what’s new, willingness to start fresh, when and what you tend to learn experientially.

Aries is ruled by Mars ♂️so Aries is fueled by action. Wherever Mars is in your chart is an area that energizes you and where Aries is in your chart shows you where you can thrive using a style of inspired action.

While there may be 🙏 an end to changing our clocks, I always remember the spring forward of skipping ahead as such an Aries moment. 😂

Try something new next week. Give someone a chance, regardless of what you heard about them. Make a snap decision. Jump in your car and drive somewhere. Be humble and learn as if you are a novice. Freshen up something in your life.

Enjoy! ❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️

Still on a break from readings and regular posting … popping in so WP doesn’t completely forget I exist 😂🙄

signs

Moon vs Mercury vs Venus in Virgo

Lisa

Someone new to astrology, on Reddit, asked about the differences between having Moon, Mercury and Venus in Virgo. The person posting indicated that the descriptions all seemed to be the same and wanted help on how to differentiate them.

I’ve decided to share my reply here. One note, a reply asked about the meaning of “creature comforts.” This is a phrase that refers to things that are physically comforting.

Speaking of comforting, this pic looks completely delicious to me.

Here is my response …

The planets are energy processes. The moon is emotions, nurturance, food, family. Mercury is the rational mind, communication via language. Venus is values, giving and receiving love.

Signs are styles of expression. Virgo is mutable earth. Virgo wants to get it right, to perfect, to analyze.

While there are elements of seeking perfection, analysis, and service in all of the general descriptions for these planets in Virgo, you have to go deeper into the planet’s energy to see the differences.

Moon in Virgo people have a Virgo temperament. They need to feel useful, to be of service. They are often drawn to work in healthcare and music. They need to be busy, to multitask. They take care of people by doing things for them. They need creature comforts.

Virgo in Mercury people have a mind that wants to analyze everything and pick it apart to understand it. They want to know the why of everything, how things work. They think logically and seek to apply what they know in practical applications.

Venus in Virgo people love perfection. They will pick things apart to find the beauty and perfection in it. They want to give tangible presents to people they love.

Venus in Virgo loves puzzles and may be drawn to problem solving, but doesn’t necessarily want to take care of others or be of service to them like the Moon in Virgo. They may more drawn to research versus medicine.

Venus in Virgo may love words and read a lot, but aren’t necessarily drawn to writing or working in a library like Mercury in Virgo.

Does that help?

signs

Elements + Qualities = Signs

Lisa

The signs are styles of expression. Everyone has all 12 signs in their chart, because your natal chart has 12 houses and each of the signs rules one of the houses in your chart.

The 12 zodiac signs are derived from the elements and qualities in Astrology. The four elements are fire, earth, air and water. All the signs of an element have some core energy in common:

Fire – action, energy, vitality
Earth – resources, sensuality, reliability
Air – ideas, communication, people oriented
Water – emotion, intuition, passion

There are three qualities in Astrology and all signs of the same quality also have some energy in common:

Cardinal – initiating, drive, ambition
Fixed – focused, tenacious, definite
Mutable – versatile, restless, seeks change

When you combine these two you get twelve combinations:

Screen Shot 2018-06-18 at 8.30.44 AM

Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are all fire signs. They all have that fire energy in common. They differ though, because they each have a different quality. Aries is the most assertive of the three fire signs and has a sense of urgency and immediacy to it. Leo is more ambitions and driven. Sagittarius is the gypsy, seeking experiences.

Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo are the earth signs. Capricorn energy seeks accomplishment. Taurus desires comfort and doesn’t like waste. Virgo seeks to make things real and tangible.

Libra, Aquarius and Gemini are air. Libra energy leads people with ideas. Aquarius energy dives deeply into ideas to discover new ones. Gemini energy seeks to know something about everything.

Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are water. Cancer energy controls through nurturing. Scorpio energy is consuming passion. Pisces energy blends with everything to create empathy.

People often have one element and quality that dominate their chart. So even if you have the Sun in Aries, if you have a lot of earth and mutable energy in your chart, your chart would have a Virgo feel to it, since Virgo is earth and mutable.

Even without seeing your chart, try to guess what element and quality you relate most to and then look at the sign that makes and see if you can feel that energy in you. It may not be your sun sign.

Now take a look at your chart and note how many pieces are in each element and quality. The sign that you come up with is called your signature and it is yet another layer to consider when you look at your chart.

signs

The Twelve Signs

Lisa

In previous blogs I have discussed the four elements and three qualities. I explained that each of the cardinal signs seek to assert themselves. In some way they are all driven and ambitious. The fixed signs are all focused and tenacious and have a definitive quality about them. The mutable signs are versatile, restless and seek change. Let’s take a look at the moon in the elements and see how these elements combine with the three qualities to give us the twelve signs.

 

Fire Moons

Fire is active and initiating energy. It seeks to create experience and take action. All of the fire moons feel nurtured through experience and action. Aries (Fire & Cardinal) seeks to experience life first hand and learn by doing. Aries energy needs to feel directly involved with the experience. Leo (Fire & Fixed) is more focused and wants the experience to have meaning. These moons need to be feel valued and feel admired and to serve the greater good. Sagittarius (Fire & Mutable) is restless and desires change. These moons feel nurtured through change that leads to growth and expansion. Sagittarian moons are progressive and seek spiritual fulfillment.

 

Earth Moons

Earth is stabilizing concrete energy, and naturally tends to create form and solidify human experience. Taurus (Earth & Fixed) is focused and tenacious so these moons need physical pleasure and do best when they are comfortable. Virgo (Earth & Mutable) combines the versatility of the mutable signs with the earth element, resulting in a moon that needs to feel a sense of service. There’s a need to keep changing the physical, so just when everything is settled, these moons want to move again and disrupt the order in life somehow. Capricorn (Earth & Cardinal) really needs structure and flourishes when their home base is solid. They are driven to create something that has lasting value.

 

Air Moons

Air is changeable kinetic energy, and expands to create discovery and innovation. Gemini (Air & Mutable) moons need variety and so they are in perpetual motion. They are emotional chameleons seeking changing circumstances. Libra (Air & Cardinal) combines the intellectual quality of air and the assertiveness of cardinal to create a thoughtful desire for life to be fair. Libra seeks balance. Aquarius (Air & Fixed) is intensified innovative energy resulting in a need for the unexpected, and an ability to relate to those in all walks of life.

 

Water Moons

Water is steadily flowing energy that moves to shape and deepen any experience. Cancer (Water & Cardinal) is strong, assertive emotion. Cancer needs emotional security and likes to be in control. Scorpio (Water & Fixed) is intense emotion and almost thrives on crisis. Scorpio moons have much to learn and teach regarding choice. Pisces (Water & Mutable) is fluid emotion. They are are gentle dreamers with great capacity for empathy and compassion. They tend to blur the lines between illusion and reality and kind find themselves often in the role of rescuer or feeling that they are in need of rescue.

I hope this gives you a better understanding of how the elements and qualities create the twelve astrological signs.

Copyright © 2009, Lisa Wagner

signs

The Qualities

Lisa

In the last blog entry I began an exploration of how Astrology derives the twelve Astrological signs by looking at the four elements, fire, earth, air and water. In this post, we will take a look at the three qualities (also referred to as modalities) and learn how these elements and qualities combine to define the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

The nature of the element drives the kind of energy that is most naturally expressed by the sign, and the quality describes how that energy is most likely to operate. The three qualities are cardinal, fixed, mutable. The cardinal signs of Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn each seek to assert themselves. In some way they are all driven and ambitious. The fixed signs, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius, are all focused and tenacious and have a definitive quality about them. The mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, are versatile, restless and seek change.

Let’s look at Mercury in the elements, and notice how the quality of a sign differentiates it from the others in the same element.

The Fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are all somewhat action-oriented. The Aries Mercury (fire & cardinal) seeks to initiate the conversation and to speak impulsively. The Leo Mercury (fire & fixed) seeks to continue the conversation by concentrating on a specific aspect, and speaks persuasively. The Sagittarius Mercury (fire & mutable) seeks to go from conversation to conversation and will speak with great versatility.

The Earth signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn all seek to connect thought with form. The Taurus Mercury (Earth & fixed) tends to do so deliberately and indicates a very practical mind. The Virgo Mercury (Earth & Mutable) systematically examines everything, and indicates a more analytical mind. The Capricorn Mercury (Earth & Cardinal) tends to be more pragmatic, and indicates a methodical mind that focuses on what is useful.

The Air signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius all seek to develop and exchange ideas. The Gemini Mercury (Air & Mutable) is quick and enjoys exchanging information with others on a variety of subjects. The Libra Mercury (Air & Cardinal) is more mentally organized and seeks to compare thoughts with others. The Aquarius Mercury (Air & Fixed) delves deeply in to thoughts and ideas and then shares what is learned.

The Water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces all need to feel emotionally connected to what they think and have very intuitive minds. The Cancer Mercury (Water & Cardinal) easily expresses and engenders sympathy. The Scorpio Mercury (Water & Fixed) is capable of intense concentration and penetrates beneath the surface of an idea. The Pisces Mercury (Water & Mutable) intuitively soaks up information and relies on instinct over reason.

To really understand Mercury in a chart, the full depth of its sign is considered, as well as its house placement, degree and aspects. Though it is difficult to separate any one piece out of the wholeness of the chart, much less define it in a sentence or two, hopefully this brief look at Mercury has provided you with some insight in to the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

Copyright © 2009, Lisa Wagner

signs

The Elements

Lisa

In the past two blog entries, I’ve taken a brief look at the Moon and the Ascendant, and considered how each of these two pieces are colored by the twelve signs. Today I’m going to begin an explanation of how the meaning of the Astrological signs are derived, by discussing the elements.

The signs are derived from four elements and three modalities. The four elements are fire, earth, air and water. The three modalities are cardinal, fixed and mutable. Identifying all the possible combinations of these elements and modalities results in the twelve signs of the Zodiac. For example, there is a fire sign that is cardinal, a fire sign that is fixed, and a fire sign that is mutable. The same is true for each of the remaining three elements, thus providing a total of twelve different ways these elements and modalities may be paired.

To begin our illustration, we’ll first look at the four elements. Fire is active and initiating energy. It seeks to create experience and take action. The fire signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius. Earth is stabilizing concrete energy, and naturally tends to create form and solidify human experience. Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the three earth signs. Air is changeable kinetic energy, and expands to create discovery and innovation. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius make up the Air trio. Water is steadily flowing energy that moves to shape and deepen any experience. Water is the element of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

Each sign belongs to one of these elements, and each sign is connected to the other signs of the same element. To demonstrate this point, we’ll now look at Mercury in the elements. Mercury symbolizes the rational mind and how we communicate via language. It’s what we believe “makes sense.” Mercury in our chart shows how we think and how we learn. People that have Mercury in the fire signs are people that need first hand experience to learn. They can’t just read about it or hear a lecture. A fire Mercury also needs to connect thought with action in some way. Kids with Mercury in a fire sign usually do better when their learning environment gives them the opportunity to experience the lesson rather than simply to be taught the lesson.

People with Mercury in earth signs seek a practical application for what they are taught. If information isn’t useful, then it rarely makes sense to these types. An earth Mercury needs to connect thought with some type of form. Kids with Mercury in an earth sign usually do better when they are taught how they can use what they are learning to create something new or improve something already established, rather than learning for the sake of learning.

Mercury in the air signs gives us people that crave knowledge and information, and love to learn for the sake of learning. An air Mercury can read a book or engage in conversation on a subject that s/he will never actively pursue, just for the excitement of discovery and for the satisfaction that comes from sharing and exchanging ideas. Kids with Mercury in an air sign usually do better when they have access to books and discussions that allow them to share ideas.

A water Mercury needs to feel emotionally connected to learn. This connection can be to a teacher or to some internal desire that drives the person to want to learn. Mercury in water often feels a need to derive some sense of control and/or to feel that the knowledge is empowering. Kids with Mercury in water usually do better when they have a positive relationship with their teachers and learning environment, and feel as though what they are learning is personally enriching.

Next time, I’ll use Mercury to take a look at the three modalities, and explore how these combine with the elements to differentiate the twelve signs.

Copyright © 2009, Lisa Wagner