“In the beginning there was only one Being. Without name, without shape, without limits, without beginning or end, being the eternal substance and the eternal void. In a time (although there was no time) she became aware of her self, and of vague patterns of light and dark. She conceived a desire to know her self, to see what she was.” 

The Knot of Time: Astrology and the Female Experience by Lindsay River and Sally Gillespie 

Zodiac Sign Modalities & Elements

One of the main ways I structure and understand astrology is through the modalities. Modalities are groupings of signs broken down into three groups:

Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable. Each modality group is paired with certain traits and is represented by a sign from each of the four-element categories: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.

	Fire (Spirit/Passion)	Earth (Body/Sensation)	Air (Mind/Thinking)	Water (Heart/Emotions)
Cardinal Assertive Leading	Aries	Capricorn	Libra	Cancer
Fixed Determined Willful	Leo	Taurus	Aquarius	Scorpio
Mutable Flexible Imaginative	Sagittarius	Virgo	Gemini	Pisces

Zodiac signs in the same modality have interesting dynamics with each other as they each operates with similar traits but through very different means based on their element. This often draws signs of the same modality together into unique and meaningful relationships.

For example, take a Scorpio and an Aquarius. Scorpio is fixed water and Aquarius is fixed air. They both approach life with the fixed modality traits of tenacity, focus, and precision; but the way they go about their experiences will be different. Scorpios will use their emotional depth and cunning (water) to assess a situation before taking decisive action. Aquarius will use their perceptive and logical minds (air) to assess before taking decisive action.

When it comes to relationship compatibility signs opposite each other are in the same modality while having complementary elements: Earth-Water and Fire-Air. These signs have an easier time finding common ground while zodiac signs in a different modality and element, like Capricorn and Gemini, have to make greater strides to understand each other.

Knowing how the different signs relate to each other can be a great lesson in learning about ourselves as we often have many dissimilar placements in our own charts. So learning to appreciate the variety of approaches, moods, and perspectives can be very useful in cultivating consideration and graciousness for ourselves and others.

There is much information that can be drawn from looking at the dominant or not-so-dominant elements and modalities found in our natal charts. Taking these tendencies into account is one of my main starting points for approaching chart synthesis.

Zodiac Signs  

“Astrology is a Language. If you understand this language, The Sky Speaks to You.”

—Dane Rudhyar

Planets

The planets in astrology are the characters or spirits working through our lives. They represent different parts of our life path, lessons, identity, personality, encounters, and experiences.

The Houses

The houses in astrology are the areas of life where events play out. They represent the setting, location, and place both physical and non-physical.

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Astrology Book Recs

The knot of time: astrology and the female experience Lindsay River-Sally Gillespie – Harper & Row – 1989

Finding Our Way Through the Dark: the Astrology Of the Dark Goddess Mysteries Demetra George – Acs Publications – 1995

Healing the Soul: Pluto, Uranus, and the Lunar Nodes Mark Jones – Raven Dreams Press – 2011

Asteroid Goddesses: the Mythology, Psychology and Astrology Of the Re-emerging Feminine Demetra George-Douglas Bloch – Ibis Press – 2003

Astrological Houses; The Spectrum of Individual Experience Dane Rudhyar – Doubleday and Co. – 1972

The Soul Speaks: the Therapeutic Potential Of Astrology Mark Jones – Raven Dreams Press – 2015

Chiron and the Healing Journey: an Astrological and Psychological Perspective Melanie Reinhart – Starwalker Press – 2010

 The Astrology Of Fate: Fate, Freedom and Your Horoscope Liz Greene – Thorsons – 1997

Pluto: The Evolutionary Journey of the Soul, Volume 1 Jeff Green