Basic Astrology

AuthorHouse

Chapter One

"I AM AGGRESSIVE"

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. Its quadruplicity (sign) is Cardinal, and its element is Fire. Because their polarity is positive (masculine), males are more comfortable in this sign than females. Aries is ruled by the fiery planet Mars and is an intellectual. It is also an emotional sign. It is the seed of man. Aries rules the head and is the most passionate sign. On a positive level, Aries is intellectual, youthful, naive, and generous. This sign is given to morals, physical strength, and innovation, and is direct and forceful (the alpha male or female). The Arian sun sign symbolizes the beginners, moving toward objectives to achieve success.

On a negative level, Aries is compulsive and impulsive, which can lead to arrogance and disappointment. If Aries fails, they fall into depression. Aries suffers deep-seated insecurities. They are attached to both mother and father, and they are torn between both. The Arian's childhood is a battleground, with the child not wanting to choose sides between parents. Their arrogance is a compensation for their fear. Praise and security lead them to great success. They fear failure and rejection. Aries has a blind spot, which is an inability to assess human nature, from lack of insight. They are always physically beautiful because they are ruled by Mars (hot). They are fast moving, and once they end relationships, they never look back. They are high achievers. They are idealistic, not strategic (Arian behavior is based on ideas, focusing their energy on long-range planning). They use the frontal attack. This can be interpreted as being high-strung. They are materialistic and must have material rewards. Aries is selfish. They are totally committed to winning, and if they do not, they can defeat themselves. Aries rules the central nervous system and the head.

Attributes:

Positive physically – Aries is active.

Positive mentally – There is a radiant intellect.

Positive emotionally – They are ardent (burning, fiery, and hot).

Positive character – There is nobility.

Negative physically – Aries can be loud and can engage in gossip.

Negative emotionally – They can be hotheaded.

Negative character – This can lead to being hotheaded

Physical sense – Responsive to stimulus.

Mental – They have a mind-over-matter pattern of thinking.

Emotional – Their feelings respond to their environment.

Characteristics: The self-image.

Decants:

Aries – Aries 0 to 10 degrees March 21 to March 30 The first decant is executive qualifications (teachers).

Aries – Leo 10 to 20 degrees March 31 to April 10 The second decant is the passionate artist.

Aries – Sagittarius 20 to 30 degrees April 11 to April 20 The third decant is where you find the philosopher.

"I AM MATERIALISTIC"

TAURUS the second sign of the zodiac. Taurus's polarity is negative (female ruled). Its quadruplicity (sign) is Fixed. This sign is ruled by Venus, and its element is Earth. It is influenced by the mother. Taurians are introverts, and they are opposite Scorpio. The Taurian female is physically strong, and this naturally makes her the strongest female in the zodiac. The Taurian female is the natural mother of the zodiac. Taurian fathers are easygoing and loveable. The Taurian child will follow the mother's strengths and usually marry weak men. In astrology, Taurus is called a negative polarity (female oriented), and a female is right at home in this sign, comfortable in her own skin. This also makes her stronger than the male Taurian. A male born in the sign of Taurus is not as strong as the female because he is out of his comfort zone. Females in this sign have no problem adapting. Taurians fear change, and they are practical. They proceed ahead with caution. Their mode is emotional.

In a positive sense, they are reserved. In a negative sense, they are cold.

Attributes:

Physical level – They respond to stimulus.

Mental level – They have a pattern of thinking.

Character – Their self image is the "total you."

Taurians can be very unforgiving and possessive. They will not accept constructive criticism, because they fear rejection. They cannot accept rejection. The nature is practical. They are good with details, generous, and hardworking. Their basic instinct is to collect things. A life lesson for them to learn is that material things are not as important, and they do not mean love. Their basic emotions are fear and anxiety. They are retentive and repressed. If they are rejected, they material things to build up their egos. They also fear loss of friends and change. They fear disloyalty by friends and loved ones. For that reason, they are always testing their friends and loved ones. They want to make sure of their loyalty. They can become obsessed with this. Because they are Venus ruled, their illnesses deal with the throat, liver, and intestinal region. Also due to the Venus rulerhip, Taurians tend to overeat and/or drink too much.

Personality traits: they have tremendous willpower. They have self-discipline, are determined, and are well organized. They make good leaders. They are loyal, creative, and make good psychotherapists.

Decant:

Taurus – Taurus 0 to 10 degrees April 20 to April 30 The first decant. They make good hosts.

Taurus – Virgo 10 to 20 degrees May 1 to May 10 The second decant. They make good teachers, nurses, and doctors.

Taurus – Capricorn 20 to 30 degrees May 11 to May 20 The third decant. They are good businesspersons.

Taurus has the ability to sooth as well as mother. Since Taurus is the natural second house, it deals with the five senses.

Lesson to learn: They must learn to control their tempers and handle each incident and situation as it comes along rather than storing it up. They tend to bottle things up inside. They can explode.

"I COMMUNICATE"

II

Gemini is the third sign of the zodiac, and its quadruplicity is mutable. It is ruled by the planet Mercury. Its polarity is positive (masculine). Gemini is an Air element and is lively and positive. It is frenzied and disorganized. On a positive mental level, they can be brilliant. On a negative level, this brilliance can become scattered. On an emotional level, Gemini is idealistic, as all Air signs can become shallow. The character of Gemini, on a positive level, is idealistic. Gemini is interested in communication. Geminis are multitalented, diversified, and can actually perform more than one task at a time, keeping the flow of things in order systematically. They are gossips. Gemini is a positive polarity, and they emulate father's image for better or worse. They, too, are an emotional sign. Their basic nature is idealistic and mutable. They are adaptable and are experience seekers. Gemini is "mercurial."

Positive level: Geminis have lightning-quick minds. They are mentally and physically excellent.

Negative level: They are inconsistent. No patience, irritable, superficial, compulsive, and obsessed with the desire to analyze. They can be manic depressants.

Gemini has an id-ego conflict. They fear inadequacy and are insecure. They fight with words. The Gemini life lesson is to learn to accept the fact that they have dual personalities. They are impulsive. Gemini is a positive polarity (masculine), and the male does better than the female. They are extremely adaptable and can work well under pressure. Gemini must be educated. Gemini is a dual sign looking for balance. They can be somewhat dependent by nature. They are not very dependable. The facts they tell are based on half-truths. They have the ability to dig information out of you without you even knowing it.

Common denominator: When in a negative mode, Gemini can become insensitive, using people and then discarding them, rationalizing their acts. Gemini can suffer from mental illness (schizophrenia). They can also suffer from imaginary pains. They can speak on two levels. Since Gemini is an Air quadruplicity (sign), it rules the lungs (bronchial area), shoulders, and hands. This sign can be discriminative and controversial. They tend to be nervous. Their basic instinct is curiosity. They explore intellectually. Emotions and people are not as important, and they must understand the value of emotions.

Decants:

Gemini – Gemini 0 to 10 degrees May 22 to June 1 The first decant is the closest to the nature of the sign.

Gemini – Libra 10 to 20 degrees June 2 to June 11 The second decant is changeable but more diplomatic.

Gemini – Aquarius 20 to 30 degrees June 12 to June 21 The third decant is more of an intellectual individualist.

"I AM POSSESSIVE"

Cancer is the fourth sign of the zodiac. Its quadruplicity (sign) is Cardinal. Its element is Water, and it is ruled by the Moon. The polarity is negative (feminine). Cancer is emotional, intense, and insecure. They are protective, possessive, and family oriented. Cancerians are impressionable and mother influenced. It is the sign of the orphan. Cancerians are either actual or emotional orphans (lack of love from a parent). The Cancer child can be born sickly (birth defects). They can be crabby and introverted. Before they make a decision, they think about it. Cancerians will not take action until they think about it carefully. It is a negative polarity (feminine), and males born in this sign are more diplomatic and not as aggressive as males in the positive polarity. Like Aries, they are a Cardinal sign. They are high achievers, restless and energetic. Cancerians have deep feelings and display dramatic power. The most emotional sign of the zodiac, they are sensitive and intuitive, seeking and searching for love. They are most psychic when they are not emotionally involved.

Attributes:

Positive physically – They can forceful.

Negative physically – They can be violent.

Positive mentally – They are considerate.

Negative mentally – They are brooders.

Positive emotionally – They are devoted.

Negative emotionally – They are unstable.

The character of the Cancerian, in a positive sense, is creativity. In a negative sense, it can be destructive. Cancer's mode is emotional. You cannot reach them intellectually until you reach them emotionally. Their nature is practical but intense, and they need financial and emotional security. They are usually thrifty. As stated, their basic instinct is toward the family (they want to become the parent, or a child through attachment to someone else). They must learn that true love is based on giving as well as receiving, and they must earn love. Love is the most important thing. The Cancer sun sign is subject to depression and retreats to the past. If their feelings shut down, they withdraw into fantasy. They are dependant and need constant reassurance and flattery from others. They cannot be successful unless they are comfortable. Cancerians are marriage oriented but should not marry early. Family can hurt them the most. Males born under this sign are attracted to "mother-type females." They put their wives on a pedestal. They usually do not enter into an affair or relationship lightly. Cancerians must learn to accept anything that comes their way. They must learn that they have more control of their destinies than they think. They have a personal sense of fertility. They cannot accept criticism. They are permissive and possessive at the same time. They often become too involved in the lives of their children. They often bring up the past in argument; they can nag and be sharp-tongued and naggers. They withdraw by running away from situations. The Cancerian child should be taught to accept constructive criticism and stop feeling inferior. The Cancerian must refrain from nagging. Cancerians are prone to suffer from ulcers because the Moon rules the stomach, breasts, and psychosomatic illnesses.

Decants:

Cancer – Cancer 0 to 10 degrees June 21 through June 30 The first decant is the most emotional.

Cancer – Scorpio 10 to 20 degrees July 1 through July 10 The second decant is the strongest decant and has the most drive.

Cancer – Pisces 20 to 30 degrees July 11 through July 20 The third decant is dreamy and imaginative.

We have now covered the first four signs of the zodiac. These signs are what we call the "Emotional Group" in astrology. These first four sun signs represent the "I Group." This group reacts on an emotional level first, and these people are concerned with themselves. While traveling through the first group of sun signs, you have read about positive and negative polarity. It is time to elaborate on exactly what that references.

What is positive and negative polarity? Polarities are the possession or manifestation of two opposing attributes. The positive polarity signs (masculine) are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius.

The positive polarity signs are the doers and the explorers of the zodiac. They are ruled by the father and imitate the father's image. They live their lives from one adventure to another and relish personal challenge. They are extroverts. They solve their problems by taking direct action. They are active and make friends quickly. They are natural leaders. They must have a reaction to what they are doing, and value judgment. In the positive sense, they are good leaders. In the negative sense, they become tyrants and are cynical. Signs in the positive polarity tend to run away from home or take direct action in the home. They feel their childhood circumstances were unhappy ones for them. Because they are future orientated, the best is ahead of them. They are always pressing forward. They tend to solve their problems by action. Often they lack diplomacy. The females born in the positive polarity tend to have difficulty accepting the standard stereotyping of the female.

The negative polarity signs are Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces.

The negative polarity signs are introverts. They are ruled by the mother and imitate the mother's image. They solve their problems by thinking. They are worriers and brooders. The positive polarity signs are the doers. The negative polarity signs are going to do. They are full of ideas. If you cross them, they will destroy you. When in the negative mode, they can become swindlers. The female in a positive polarity has adaptability problems. In the negative polarity, she is quite comfortable and has no adaptability problems. A male in a positive polarity has no adaptability problems, but he does in a negative polarity. They are past oriented. The future is never as good as the past. They cling to childhood friends. They fear change and solve their problems by thinking them out. Women in the negative polarity do well. The males have difficulty. The male may appear to be too sensitive for what society's notation of masculinity is. The male's thought process is, I am going be to undermining, using diplomacy or trickery. They make loyal friends and can be humanitarians. They also make good actors, ministers, and priests. They can relate to others, but they make the worst enemies. If they are frustrated, they can be hard to deal with. They can be sadistic pathological liars as well as cunning and criminals of the worst kind.

In discussing the above four sun signs, I used the words Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable quadruplicity. What is quadruplicity? In astrology, quadruplicity means one of four groups, each consisting of three signs, separated by 90 degrees. To help you understand, I will explain them in this manner.

The Cardinal quadruplicity are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

Cardinal quadruplicity (signs) are the leaders. They start new enterprises because they must achieve rank and recognition. They are naturally restless and energetic. They drive themselves and others around them to achieve. They suffer illnesses brought about from emotional and physical exhaustion. They make dreadful enemies, and it is hard for them to forgive the wrong done to them.

The Fixed Quaruplicity (signs) are Taurus, Leo, and Scorpio, and Aquarius.

Fixed signs are reliable and devoted to duty. They are stable and can act as an anchor in a chart (the personal circle). They are also stubborn and set in their ways. They are unmoving. They dig their heels in and stand their ground. Planets in this element are unmovable. You have heard the metaphor about the Rock of Gibraltar—that which supports, thought to be the strength of the mighty Hercules, which does not bend.

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Excerpted from Basic Astrologyby Serina Cappucci Copyright © 2011 by Serina Cappucci. Excerpted by permission of AuthorHouse. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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