A couple of days before my first “Getting to Know ME” class, I heard a phrase echoing in my head. I felt the significance of it, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. The day of, I decided to expand on it and make it part of the class.
In Astrology, there are 3 Cardinalities and 4 Elements. Each of the 12 signs is a unique combination of the two. In my opinion, these are the most basic building blocks for understanding Astrology.
The Elements are easy enough to understand. All one has to do is turn the noun into an adjective:
- Earth – Earthy
- Air – Airy
- Water – Watery
- Fire – Fiery
We use the above adjectives to describe people – either their personality or their mood. “He’s very earthy (down to earth).” “You’re fiery (fired up) today!”
The Cardinalities are usually new information to the Astrology student. But these are equally as easy to understand. One way to do this is via the seasons. Every season contains three signs. The first is Cardinal, the second is Fixed, and the third is Mutable.
The first month of a season starts the season. Cardinal means initiating, a starter (or self-starter), one who takes the initiative.
The middle month of each season is most stable within the season. During Aquarius (late January through late February), we are most definitely in Winter. And with Leo (late July through late August) we are most definitely in summer. Fixed means stable, stationary, stagnant, and unchanging.
In the last month of each season, we’re already seeing evidence of the next season. Gemini already feels like summer (late May through late June) and Sagittarius often feels like winter (late November through late December). Mutable means adaptable, changeable, the ability to adjust into a new state quickly.
Getting back to that phrase I heard in my head, it was concerning the gift of earth. From this one line, I constructed the entire series. This is sort of a first draft, but this is what I came up with:
The Gift of the Elements:
- Earth – The ability to hold space [The ability to exist]
- Air – The ability to convey and receive information [The ability to think and communicate]
- Water – The ability to feel and express [The ability to feel]
- Fire – The ability to radiate energy [The ability to be seen]
The Gift of the Cardinalities:
- Cardinal – The ability to create anew [The ability to do]
- Fixed – The ability to maintain what is [The ability to be]
- Mutable – The ability to adapt and evolve [The ability to become]
No matter our sign, or our chart, we’ve all been endowed with all of these gifts to one extent or another. How amazing it is to have them!
As you get to know yourself better through studying your own chart, you will get to see better these gifts as they are emphasized in different areas of your life. And hopefully your appreciation for them and yourself will grow!
A Fool's Inclination 