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What
is a "mutable, fire sign," anyway?
(or
Sagittarius is the "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" Zodiac
Sign)
Take my
word for it! While it may seem more than a wee bit boring to you...
the Modes and Elements are at the very "heart and soul" of
the 12 different Zodiac signs.
Modes: Cardinal,
Fixed, and Mutable
Elements: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water
Here's a
typical, boring chart to look at:
|
Fire |
Earth |
Air |
Water |
| Cardinal |
Aries |
Capricorn |
Libra |
Cancer |
| Fixed |
Leo |
Taurus |
Aquarius |
Scorpio |
| Mutable |
Sagittarius |
Virgo |
Gemini |
Pisces |
And
so mastering (or - at least - starting to master) the concept of the
Modes and Elements
can "potentially" be an invaluable resource for gaining a
firmer grip on the general characteristics for each of the 12 different
Zodiac
signs (without resorting to boring rote memorization).
However,
I must have had the concept of "Modes and Elements" explained
(and re-explained) to me in at least a dozen different ways over the
passage of time.
So, here's
my humble version of the Modes and Elements (that utilizes just a
wee bit of visual imagery to get the point across).
If it helps
out, use it. If it confuses
you even more, dump it...
Modes
of Reaction
There are
3 different "modes" of reaction:
- Cardinal
(active) - adapts to external demands
- Fixed
(steadfast) - adapts to internal demands
- Mutable
(flexible) - adapts back and forth to both external
and internal demands
Cardinal,
Fixed and Mutable?.... Huh? Chances
are.... what I've said so far means less than zero to you? So
let's back up and try a more visual image....
Imagine
Imagine that there's someone standing in front of you.
 Now
imagine, this person is holding a rock in their hand.
Now imagine
this person has just thrown the rock at you....
- A Cardinal
(active) reaction would be to throw a rock back at the jerk.
- A Fixed
(steadfast) reaction would be to stand there unaffected
by the rock, and then taunt them with something like: "Hey,
go ahead and hit me again! That didn't hurt at all, you little
wuss!
- A Mutable
(flexible) reaction would be to cleverly dodge the rock,
and then "thumb your nose" at their lousy aim.
Now remember,
all I'm saying here is that these are different kinds of reactions.
Not every person with a mutable sign - if actually faced with this
situation - would have this particular "mutable reaction."
And guess
what, gang? Since there are 12 astrological signs - then
- 4 are
Cardinal or active (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
- 4
are Fixed or steadfast (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
- 4 are
Mutable or flexible (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)
 |
(Looking
at a zodiac wheel, you'll notice the 4 members of each
Mode form a square in the circle. The individual members
of these Mode
groups have an "uncomfortable" connection with each other.) |
Elements
We've already talked about the 3 Modes of reactions:
- Cardinal
(active)
- Fixed
(steadfast)
- Mutable
(flexible)
So let's
talk about the 4 Elements
- Fire
- outgoing, action oriented, impulsive, and "fiery"
- Earth
- physical, practical, sensual, and material
- Air
- mental perceptions, thought, communication, and abstract ideas
- Water
- sensitive, feeling, empathic, and healing
And guess
what, gang? Since there are 12 astrological signs - then:
- 3
are Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) outgoing, action oriented,
impulsive,
and "fiery"
- 3 are
Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) physical, practical, sensual, and
material
- 3 are
Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) mental perceptions, thought, communication,
and abstract ideas
- 3 are Water
(Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) sensitive, feeling, empathic, and healing
 |
(Looking
at a Zodiac wheel, you'll notice the three members of each
Element form an equilateral triangle in the circle. Individual
members
of these Element groups have a "comfortable" connection
with each other.) |
Fire
Fire is outgoing, action oriented, impulsive, and (of course) "fiery." And
since the above imagined "action scenario" of rock throwing (primarily)
belongs to the element of "fire":
- The
Cardinal (active) + Fire reaction is a typical Aries reaction.
- The
Fixed (steadfast) + Fire reaction is a typical Leo reaction.
- The
Mutable (flexible) + Fire reaction is a typical Sagittarius reaction.
(And
again, not every Sagittarian would dodge the rock!)
Got it so far?
- Aries =
Cardinal (Active) + Fire = "Here's a bigger rock for you, jerk!"
- Leo =
Fixed (Steadfast) + Fire = "Hit me with your best shot, sucker!
That didn't hurt!"
- Sagittarius =
Mutable (Flexible) + Fire = "Missed me, missed me, now you
gotta kiss me!"
And by the
way - we've ALL got Aries energy, when (and if) we really, really need
to muster it up. It's just that some folks tend to act and react more
typically "Aries" than other folks.
Want
One More Example?
How about
the water signs?
The element
of water is sensitive, feeling, empathic, and healing. So
try throwing a "feeling" at a water sign:
- Cancer =
Cardinal (Active) + Water = They'll throw another bigger, more powerful
feeling back at you = Flowing Rivers.
- Scorpio =
Fixed (Steadfast) + Water = They'll take you deeper into your
own feeling = Bottomless Lakes.
- Pisces =
Mutable (Flexible) + Water = They'll take over the feeling, adapt
it, and make it a part of themselves = Vast Oceans.
Here's
that boring chart again:
|
Fire |
Earth |
Air |
Water |
| Cardinal |
Aries |
Capricorn |
Libra |
Cancer |
| Fixed |
Leo |
Taurus |
Aquarius |
Scorpio |
| Mutable |
Sagittarius |
Virgo |
Gemini |
Pisces |
back
to the Crash Course Signs
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