Taurus
After the rush of Aries, Taurus brings calm and a placid approach. As an energy field, it is earthy and measured, taking pleasure in the organic rhythms of the natural world or the sensuality of taste and touch. When a Planet is in Taurus, it tends to act slowly, with deliberation and often with an unwillingness to change, let go or move on. It builds and brings to fruition whatever it happens to be, often with a strongly material or physical dimension to it.

Gemini
With the Twins as its emblem, Gemini is concerned with duality, often representing a split between opposites but with a lightness and dexterity that can allow easy movement between the two, like an alternating current, two jobs, two homes, two creative talents, and so on. Communication and language, dialogue, exchanges, networks, bridges and links of all kinds feed the Gemini spirit, as does learning and the uptake and dissemination of knowledge and ideas in this most cerebral of Signs.

Cancer
As suggested by its glyph, representing the protective claws of the crab, the Cancerian instinct is to nurture, foster, defend and keep safe. It has a strong orientation towards family and tribe, gravitating toward what is felt to be familiar and secure, and it will defend its territory with great tenacity. It is also a highly intuitive sign, sensitive and emotional, acting upon ‘gut instinct’ rather than from a place of clear rationality or logic.

Leo
Leo’s image is the lion, proud and regal; planets in this Sign tend to act boldly and dramatically, with a sense of showmanship, grandeur and bravura. It is a Sign of warmth and brightness, with a focus on creative expression and playfulness. In Leo is embedded the myth of kingship, a bright central flame around which everything revolves and which provides leadership, fidelity and loyalty.

Virgo
The energy here is careful, ordered and precise, the Sign of the craftsman or the engineer. Unlike Leo, there is often humility and reserve expressed by planets in this sign, and a tendency to strive for usefulness and a practical outcome. The Sun is in Virgo during harvest time and an agricultural analogy is appropriate here; this is the Sign denoting the process of sorting wheat from chaff, what is useful from what is not, giving it dominion over the digestive organs in the human body as well as a connection with the gift of being able to research, analyze, appraise and evaluate.

Libra
As the Sign of the scales, Libra’s process is about weighing and balancing, making it a fine adjudicator or referee. Its famous capacity for indecision may even be seen as part of this process, since Libra is concerned with justice and a fair outcome. As a dualistic sign, it is interested in the notion of relationship and interpersonal connection, one-to-one, making it socially skilled, diplomatic, charming and courteous.

Scorpio
When the Sun moves into the sign of the Scorpio, it is late autumn in the northern hemisphere, when the natural world begins to draw in its energy in readiness for a rebirth in spring. Scorpio thus represents a cyclical process of death and rebirth, with all its attendant sense of crisis and drama; planets which occupy this sign in the chart tend to express themselves passionately and intensely. Not that one would necessarily see this at surface level, but there is great secrecy in this Sign and much of its process will occur at depth. Like its opposite Sign of Taurus, it can show fixity, loyalty and a reluctance to let go, but it can also engage in a process of ruthless elimination when this is deemed to be necessary.

Sagittarius
This is the Sign of the archer, whose arrow is shot hopefully into the far distance, and Sagittarius’ concern is with long-distance travel, exploration, adventure and experience, in both a literal and a metaphorical context. Planets which occupy this Sign tend to need a broad canvas on which to paint their particular picture and they often display boldness, optimism and confidence. With Sagittarius, bigger usually feels better, and the instinct is to cover ground and to feel free.

Capricorn
Here is the Sign of the goat, or more anciently, the goat-fish, a Mesopotamian deity image suggestive of the civilizing influence of Capricorn as a sign which brings civic order, regulation and a well-run system. Planets here tend towards dignity, maturity and reserve, showing the capacity for hard work and focused attention to the job at hand, as well as the tendency to climb the mountain with dogged determination. With planets in this most productive and practical of signs, plans tend to be made, and carried out.

Aquarius
Aquarius is the sign of the non-conformist, the self-willed independent spirit. Planets in this sign tend to play the game by their own rules, with a view to the freedom which comes from innovation and experimentation. As its image of the water-bearer suggests, it is also a Sign attuned to the notion of the common good, and as such it is interested in equality and horizontal social structures, rather than the hierarchies which Capricorn might favor. It tends towards detachment and a logical, rational approach to things.