The Zodiac
There’s a story that I like to tell about the Zodiac. It goes on forever and you can begin the story from any sign. It describes how we progress through a year, and how all the signs are connected. This cycle can be observed in human lives and all throughout nature.
Winter changes to spring at the equinox with the cardinal fire sign Aries, symbolized by the ram. This sign is initiatory, brave, and full of energy. Life has laid dormant for several months, resources have depleted, and it’s now urgent to venture out and explore.
Plants rise up and animals roam. We find beauty and abundance in the newly restored world. The fixed earth sign Taurus, symbolized by the bull, is self-assured by its right of passage and survival through Aries. The gifts of comfort and joy can be found everywhere.
All the wonders of nature provoke curiosity and an eagerness to share. The mutable air sign Gemini, symbolized by the twins, desires knowledge and understanding. The world is observed and discoveries are made. What we learn creates new connections and builds community.
With these connections, relationships develop and expose us to more intimate experiences. The cardinal water sign Cancer, beginning at the summer solstice and symbolized by the crab, shifts attention to our inner world, now exploring the depths of emotion and attachment.
What’s found in Cancer’s depths is personal and difficult to share without giving it form. The fixed fire sign Leo, symbolized by the lion, manifests in the world what is inspired within us. Our inner world takes shape through creative expression and can now be observed by others.
With all that can be found in the world, there comes a time to harvest and inventory. The mutable earth sign Virgo, symbolized by the virgin, appears before the season has changed to consider and assert what’s valuable enough to keep from our months of exploration.
The world finds balance at the autumn equinox and its transition to the cardinal air sign Libra, symbolized by the scales. The conditions and rewards of our pursuits are clear enough now to establish rules for maintaining harmony and to prevent suffering in the future.
Continuing to account for the year’s experiences, our attention turns inward once again to address how we’ve changed. In the fixed water sign of Scorpio, symbolized by the scorpion, we consider all that we have lost and gained, finding strength in our own transformation.
Grateful for our collected abundance, community support, and newfound personal strength, we cross through mutable fire sign Sagittarius, symbolized by the archer. With confidence and optimism, we are free to transcend ordinary pursuits to seek greater meaning in life.
The natural world becomes dormant at the winter solstice, beginning the cardinal earth sign Capricorn, symbolized by the goat. Winter requires discipline and a sense of duty to sustaining life in a dangerous climate. We are relied upon and must have judgement that others trust.
Our tolerance for confinement and discipline reaches a limit in the fixed air sign of Aquarius, symbolized by the water bearer, desiring freedom and social interaction within the limitations of winter. We develop highly creative problem solving abilities when we are most constrained.
Accepting the stillness of winter, we pass time in fantasy of what the world outside could one day be. The mutable water sign Pisces, symbolized by two tied fish, is idealistic and flexible in their awareness of reality. A dream is as significant of an experience as any other.
