sign elements & modalities
The great wheel of the zodiac describes how energy circulates. The eternal rotation of the signs alternates between extroverted and introverted, masculine and feminine.
Caroline Casey
For those of you relatively new to astrology, you may have read or heard the words: cardinal, fixed, mutable, elements, fire, earth etc. How do they apply to you and what you're co-creating?
These are different ways of characterizing energetic output. As I keep saying, your flow with the universe is unique to you.
While some aspects of you may have a more action oriented (cardinal) quality, other aspects of how you show up in the world may have more of a sustaining quality (fixed). You may be more sensitive and emotionally oriented when it comes to your home and family (water), yet very grounded and practical when it comes to how you interact in the workplace or throughout your day (earth).
MODALITY
This is the way we differentiate energetic output and overarching objectives.
Cardinal:
The energy that kicks off the season (or begins in general). For those of us with a lot of cardinal sign energy in our charts, this is where energy rushes forward, takes action, initiates. Like a sprinter. We are defining our individual identities in our own unique ways through new endeavors and beginnings.
Aries: Creating and expressing an individual identity
Cancer: Creating and expressing an emotional/spiritual identity
Libra: Creating and expressing a social/intellectual identity
Capricorn: Creating and expressing a physical/tangible manifestation of identity
Fixed:
This is the energy that establishes and stabilizes the season (maintaining and sustaining). For those of us with a lot of fixed sign energy in our charts, this is where we invest and want things to last. We approach life more like a marathon runner. In the fixed modality, we define our unique self-worth through investing and maintaining in what adds value and substance to our lives.
Taurus: Investing and maintaining material/physical worth
Leo: Investing and maintaining individual worth
Scorpio: Investing and maintaining emotional/spiritual worth
Aquarius: Investing and maintaining social/intellectual worth
Mutable:
The mutable modality is the energy of the changing of a season (transforming and shifting into the next step). For those of us with a lot of mutable energy in our charts, this is where we complete things, move on to the next, adjust and go with the flow. There's more flexibility and adaptation to keep things moving, because we know we need to complete in order to get to the next cycle. This would be more like the energy at the of and after the marathon. In the mutable modality, we define and complete and become whole.
Gemini: Completing and becoming whole in our social/intellectual selves
Virgo: Completing and becoming whole in our physical/material selves
Sagittarius: Completing and becoming whole in our individual selves
Pisces: Completing and becoming whole in our emotional/spiritual selves
ELEMENTS
This is the way that we designate energetic expression and personality traits. The elements of the signs comes from the ancient Greek philosophy of the universe - that everything was made of of a combination of the four basic elements of life - fire, earth, air and water.
Meditate on each of the natural elements and how they show up in nature - much of how we categorize personality traits is inspired by nature itself. (we are nature!)
Fire:
The fire element represents the energy of life and of spirit - concerned with identity! When we think about the different ways that actual fire behaves, we see similar gifts in the fire signs. Outgoing, energizing, transforming, radiating great warmth, intense expression, the energy spreads quickly and is rather honest. If you want to activate the fire in your life, get outside in the sunlight, sit by actual fires or candles, try some movement to get your inner heat going - or try anything else that reminds you of the energy of fire.
Earth:
The earth element represents substance and physical form. Consider mountains, plants, meadows, hills, rocks, trees etc. There's a stable and tangible quality to the earth signs. Practical, substantial, material, aware of and anchored in the physical world, value, grounded and the five senses. To energize and activate the earth element in your life, put your feet on the soil, spend time in nature, garden, work with your hands and with raw elements, go on a hike - or anything that reminds you of the energy of earth.
Air:
The air element represents the mental and social realm. There's a feeling of the wind, or even air itself connecting all that it touches, even if we can't see it. There's an intellectual and/or abstract quality to the air signs. Idea exchange, conceptual, social, objective, rational, logical, different perspectives and of course, thinking! To energize and activate the air element in your life, socialize, research, learn, communicate, do anything that feels like the wind blowing on your skin, deep breathing, puzzles - or anything that reminds you of the energy of air.
Water:
The water elements relates to the emotional and spiritual realm. While we may initially think feelings, these are very deep emotions that express the needs and longings of our soul. Think unconscious/subconscious - deep! It's very flowy, non-linear, non-rational, instinctive and very right-brained. Just picture bodies of water, or the way water flows until it is contained. To energize and activate the water element in your life, get into those intense emotional connections, spend time near bodies of water, swim and float, daydream, fantasize, go out in the rain, take a hot bath - anything that reminds you of the fluid and powerful energy of water.
Do you notice a lot of one modality or element in your chart? Is there a focus on one style of action/output or element of energetic expression? How would you get into your natural energy flow?