Astrology Basics 101 – The 12 Zodiac Signs

by Kaye Berjot –

In last month’s issue, we started out our Astrology Basics 101 series by discussing the Sun, Ascendant and Moon. As a quick reminder, the Sun describes what is taking place, the Ascendant explains how events are being presented, and the Moon explains how you feel about the events that are taking place.

As a continuation of our Astrology Basics 101 series, we will discuss the 12 zodiac signs and how they work together.

Many of us are familiar with the characteristics of our individual sun signs. You might be tempted to fast forward through the article to find out how things relate to your sign, yet I would like to encourage you to read the entire article. Each sign will relate back to the previous one, and will essentially bridge the gap to the sign that follows.

Because the signs work together carrying bits and pieces of information to the sign that follows, I would like to make it known that we all have elements of each sign in our astrological DNA. So what does that mean?

It means that somewhere in your chart you have Virgo, Aries, or any other sign characteristic, even when your birth sign (sun sign) is different. In layman’s terms, it means that you exhibit all of the zodiac signs somewhere in your chart.

I find it useful to understand how the signs work together as a collective, because each sign functions as a step to move forward to the next sign or step in your chart.

Movement through the zodiac chart is very similar to planting
a garden, meaning that in order to get the garden to produce the proper fruits, it’s necessary to take certain actions in a methodical way. Therefore, you must go through one sign in order to get through to the next.

For this article I am using the analogy of planting a garden with the intent of making it easy to understand how each sign plays a role in the astrology process.

To set the tone, I will not be speaking of the traditional characteristics of each sign. This is because many of the characteristics that are attributed to signs are characteristics of the planets that rule them, and not of the signs themselves. In future articles we will speak of the planets that rule the zodiac signs, yet for now we will concentrate on the functions of each sign within the collective process.

As you read, please remember that we are using the analogy of planting a garden.

Aries (March 21-April 19) represents the seeds that we as individuals want to plant.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20) is the process of planting the seeds.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20) provides the environment where seeds break through the earth and become fertile seedlings (baby plants).

Cancer (June 21 – July 22) is where you nurture and protect the seedling in order to promote increased growth.

Leo (July 23 – August 22) is the growth phase where the seedling grows upwards and moves closer to the sun.

Virgo (August 23 – Sept. 22) is the
step where we analyze which plants
are productive, and which plants are
not productive.

Libra (Sept. 23 – Oct. 22) is the step where we decide which plants will be harvested.

Scorpio (Oct. 23 – Nov. 21) is the stage where we ask the question, “did we produce enough harvest to get us to where we need to go”, or better yet “did we get what we desired?”

Sagittarius (Nov. 22 – Dec. 21) is the step where we ask, “what have we learned from the process?”

Capricorn (Dec. 22 – Jan. 19) is the stage where we ask, “how can we build a more solid foundation?”

Aquarius (Jan. 20 – Feb. 18) is the stage where we know what we need to do in order to build a more solid foundation.

Pisces (Feb. 19 – March 20) is the area where we make room for a more stable foundation so that we can plant new seeds in the garden.

Upon movement through all 12 signs the cycle will repeat itself.

Summary:

Seeds are our ideas, our passions, or can represent our selves, and one thing is certain, each sign has a role to play within the process, and if one sign does not fulfill its responsibility, the garden (process) does not flourish (work). For the most part, it’s a team effort.

The mottos for each sign are as follows:

1. Aries – I am

2. Taurus – I have

3. Gemini – I communicate

4. Cancer – I nurture

5. Leo – I will

6. Virgo – I analyze

7. Libra – I balance

8. Scorpio – I desire

9. Sagittarius – I understand

10. Capricorn – I build

11. Aquarius – I know

12. Pisces – I believe

In next month’s article we will discuss the houses in astrology, and how they relate to the signs.

Here is a brief exercise that may be helpful to bridge the gap from Astrology Basics 101: Sun, Ascendant and Moon to this article:

Create a sentence using the following method. For the example we are
using Libra.

Example of Sun Sign:
Your Sun Sign + the motto and responsibility of the sign. • I am balancing what will be harvested.

Example of Ascendant Sign:
Your ascendant + motto and responsibility of the sign.
• The external environment views me as someone who makes balanced decisions.

Example of Moon Sign:
Your moon + motto and responsibility

of the sign.
• I am emotional about making balanced decisions. See you next month!

 

Kaye Berjot is a transformational astrologer located in Little Rock, AR. If you would like guidance through a reading of your chart please contact her at: kayeberjot@gmail.com