Introduction to Astrology

Shelley Jordan's Astrology Class Handouts

ELEMENTS
The Origins of Elemental Theory
“What is the essential stuff of which the Universe is made?” This question dates back at least to the ancient Greeks, who were among the first peoples to ponder this dilemma.

Today, the common answer to this question now lies in the periodic table of elements, which lists the primary chemical sources from which all material substance is derived. For examining the wonders of the physical world, chemistry is an effective system of organization and analysis. For the contemplative, inquiring mind, which employs metaphor as a key to esoteric truth, look to the earlier philosophers for whom the world was an allegory for the Sacred. To certain ancient philosophers, the Cosmos itself is a hierophany, a manifestation of God.

The pre-Socratic philosophers, Greek thinkers who were active in the first millennium BCE, had a concise, symbolic solution to the enigmatic problem concerning the essential stuff from which all things originate. Their answer has continued to influence spiritual thought down through our current era. They concluded that every thing that exists has its source in the four elements, Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Classical elemental theory, as it is called, was appended to early astrology and to this day plays an important role in understanding the zodiac and interpreting charts.

The four elements represent states of matter: Earth is solid, Water is liquid, Air is gaseous and Fire is luminosity. Every one of the 12 signs of the zodiac is assigned to one of the four elements in the sequence of Fire, Earth, Air and Water. The first sign, Aries, is Fire. The second sign, Taurus, is Earth. Next, Gemini is Air and Cancer is Water. Therefore, each of the 4 elements is associated with 3 zodiacal signs. Signs of the same element are therefore 120 degrees apart, forming the 4 elemental triangles, or Grand Trines.

THE ISSUES OF GENDER, SEXISM AND THE ELEMENTS
At some point in history, the elements were assigned gender in a manner that was consistent with the animistic, sexually oriented mentality that dominated early science and philosophy. The signs then were alternately masculine and feminine around the wheel of the zodiac. Masculine Fire is followed by feminine Earth, followed by masculine Air, feminine Water and so on.

Fire and Air, the masculine, nonmaterial elements, naturally rise upward towards the heavenly domain of the Father Sky God. Water and Earth, the designated feminine elements, move in a downward direction (as we now know, drawn by gravity). The physical and visible qualities of Earth and Water condemned them to confinement in the material plane of sin and sensuality.

The ancient Ptolemaic cosmology which formed astrology’s foundation, incorporated the four elements. It maintained its foothold on European science until the Copernican revolution. In Ptolemy’s system the Earth was placed at the center of the Universe. This was no compliment to Earth. The supreme patriarchal God was located in the upper limits of the sky, as far as possible from the earth plane. Hell was situated at the very center of Earth, completely removed from God and godliness. Earth was home to sin and the corrupt.

In old astrological textbooks this bias was implicit in the descriptions of the signs. There were obvious cultural preferences for the Fire signs, with their masculine virtues of courage, virility and vitality. The masculine Air signs had the honored characteristics of intellect and reason. Less prized were the feminine qualities of Water’s irrational emotion, and Earth’s sensuality and relation to the evils of commerce.

Today, it is no longer necessary to link the elements with gender although this practice widely continues. An easier and less controversial way of describing the distinctions between these alternating currents is to think of them as externally focused (Fire and Air) and internally focused (Earth and Water).

THE ELEMENTS AS PERCEPTUAL MODALITIES
The birth chart maps out the patterns of perceptions which organize consciousness and give form and shape to the personality. The chart reveals what it feels like to be a particular person and how that person's personality is oriented in the world. The chart is a key to how and why internal experience and mental states influence behavior.

The elements are archetypal sensory modalities which process information and experience in specific ways. When a chart is dominated by one or two elements, certain sensorial functions become prominent and take the lead in one’s navigation of reality. The personality’s motivations also will be influenced by the elements’ perceptual responses. For example, an individual whose chart is dominated by affective and sensitive Water will both seek out relationships which are emotionally satisfying while at the same time Water tends to be more private due to that very sensitivity. A person who is dominant in visual Fire will search for opportunities for identity enhancement. Fire pursues visible, high profile situations that are re-enforcing to self confidence and which enable that person to be viewed by others.

FIRE Visual
The Fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are associated with the ego function and sense of selfhood. Personal identity and self awareness are Fire sign objectives. At the core of each personality is the light of nature which is life inducing. That inner fire is the vitality which makes us know we're alive. Fire is warm, outgoing, energetic and confident. Its dominant sensory modality is visual and fiery energy pours outward into the objective world, externalizing the Self.

EARTH Kinesthetic
Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are the Earth signs. Earth gives us the properties of physical, tactile sensibility; Earth signs are resourceful and industrious, practical, organized, and aware of the material world of objects. Earth signs tend to be productive, diligent and persevering. Their predominant modality is kinesthetic, making them highly aware of their bodies and the internal world of physical sensation. Their tactile sensory dominance drives them to create concrete products of their efforts.

AIR Auditory
The air signs, Gemini, Libra and Aquarius are cognitive, thinking and social in nature. Air signs form social alliances by means of thought and language. Rational in nature, the air signs are capable of reason and logical thinking. They can relate to the future, and are good at planning. Air is auditory and externally focused as a consequence of their tendencies towards language, sound, communication and social dynamics.

WATER Affective
The Water signs, Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are concerned with the inner emotional world. Water seeks depth of feeling and emotional contact with others. Take two glasses of water and pour them into a third and you can't tell where one glass of water ends and the other begins. This is the nature of water's capacity for intimacy and emotional closeness with others. As a consequence of this sensitivity the Water signs can also be private and reserved. Water is associated with empathy, memory and the capacity to store experience and to relate to the past. Water is affective and inwardly focused.


THE MODES
There are three Modes: Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. It is not necessary to overstate the role that the Modes play in interpreting a birth chart. Their influence is subtle. Occasionally, a chart will be dominated by one of the three Modes, in which case that Mode may have a bit more significance than it would otherwise. But in most cases, a chart will have the Modes fairly evenly distributed, and therefore, they won’t need to be emphasized.

Understanding their meaning is quite helpful, though, in decoding a birth chart. The three Modes form the three Grand Crosses in the zodiac. The same Mode is repeated every fourth sign, or every 90 degrees of the circle. Each sign will be one of these three, alternating through the zodiac in the sequence of Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable.

CARDINAL: Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn
The cardinal signs initiate the seasons, and provide the skeletal structure of the zodiac. They are associated with events, activity and initiative. The cardinal signs are volitional, enterprising and action oriented.

FIXED: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
The fixed signs are stabilizing, enduring and resolute. They lean towards permanence and stability. The fixed signs have staying power, determination and endurance.

MUTABLE: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces
The mutable signs are adaptive, flexible, and capable of multitasking. They adjust to external events and are responsive and accommodating to external conditions. Mutable signs are adaptable, flexible, and pliable.

Table of the Modes’ Characteristics
Cardinal Activation Doing
Fixed Stabilization Being
Mutable Variation Responding

The Modes and the Elements
Putting together the Modes with the Elements, we can see that the Zodiac is not at all random or arbitrary. It has a pattern and structure to it that orders the sequence, and therefore, the meaning of the signs.

Aries Cardinal Fire
Taurus Fixed Earth
Gemini Mutable Air
Cancer Cardinal Water
Leo Fixed Fire
Virgo Mutable Earth
Libra Cardinal Air
Scorpio Fixed Water
Sagittarius Mutable Fire
Capricorn Cardinal Earth
Aquarius Fixed Air
Pisces Mutable Water

You can see in the above chart that each sign is represented by one element and one mode. There are three modes and four elements:
3 modes x 4 elements = 12 signs.

Looking at the above list in combination with last week’s article on the Elements, we can already see meaning in the signs, just by knowing their Element and Mode. For example:

Aries is a Cardinal Fire sign. It is then, vital and rich in personal identity (Fire) and active and able to take the initiative (Cardinal).
Taurus, a Fixed Earth sign, is productive and sensual (Earth) and stable and determined (Fixed).
Gemini is Mutable Air. It is social and communicative (Air), and adaptable, flexible (Mutable).


THE ZODIAC
The Solar Pathway
The Zodiac is an ancient symbolic cycle of universal archetypes. An early celestial coordinate system dating back to the Babylonians, the Zodiac may be approached and utilized in a number of ways. Its functions range from a casual and popular method of distinguishing personality types based on birthdays (I’m a Taurus, you’re a Sagittarius), to a sacred, contemplative mandala which encompasses the stages of the soul’s evolutionary journey from selfhood to universality. It is commonly used in techniques of astrological divination.

The Zodiac is also is a poetic representation of the vegetative calendar of the northern hemisphere, utilizing the seasonal transitions - the equinoxes and solstices - as its framework. This calendric mandala of Nature’s processes may be applied metaphorically to the stages of spiritual evolution from birth at Aries to the dissolution of the boundaries of ego and structure in Pisces.

There are a number of different Zodiacs in use. Most of them are based on 12-fold divisions of the Ecliptic, the Sun’s apparent path around the Earth. The Sidereal Zodiac, which is most commonly used in the East, marks out sections of the Ecliptic using constellations. The Sun and all the planets appear to travel along this segmented path which is defined by specific clusters of stars. This Zodiac is spatially divided by 12 actual constellations that can be seen with the naked eye. There are several versions of this type of system in use, depending on how one locates the beginnings and endings of star groups.

The Tropical Zodiac, most frequently employed in the West, is based on the seasonal calendar in which the Spring Equinox launches the first degree of the 360° circle. This schema is time-based, utilizing the seasons and cardinal directions as the markers by which the Ecliptic is divided into 12 equal signs.

The differences between these two primary methods of dividing the Ecliptic - the Sidereal and the Tropical - are often used by detractors of astrology as an argument against astrology. The argument states that there is a variance of approximately 23 degrees between 0° Aries in the two systems. And this is true due to the precession of the equinoxes.

Therefore (the argument goes) astrologers don’t know where the planets are really located, thinking that when the Sun is just entering Aries at the Spring Equinox it is still in the sign of Pisces. These detractors are actually victims of their own critique, not realizing that most astrologers do, in fact, understand the distinction between these two methods of dividing the Ecliptic, and are knowingly selecting a Zodiac based on personal preference.

In the case of astrology, the interpreter of these symbols will select the system that most resonates with his/her own intuitive process. The wide diversity that exists in the complex sphere of astrological methods can be compared to the many distinctions found among the world’s languages. Languages, in their grammar and syntax, tend to be reflective of the cultural ethos from which they emanate.

Likewise, selecting techniques from the wide range of possible astrological procedures is a reflection of the personal world view of the individual practitioner. This individuality of approach should be respected by those who may have divergent perspectives. Astrology is a symbolic language of the personality - a language rich with many dialects.

There is a term in Sanskrit, anekanta, which especially applies to the attitude of tolerance best maintained concerning the numerous variations in astrological approaches. Anekanta means ‘not-one-sidedness’, or, to put it another way: ‘there is more than one way to view the world’.

The signs of the Zodiac describe 12 archetypal functions or drives in the human psyche. We have all 12 of them in our birth charts in varying proportions, distributed among the 10 planets and 12 houses. Most charts have 2 or 3 signs emphasized. These signs are the “theme songs” of our lives.

Your chart is a combination of many variables, which take on different colorations depending on the interactions of the planets, signs and houses. But these variables can be condensed into the primary and secondary spiritual melodies in your psyche. Learning the meanings of each of the signs is a huge step towards understanding some of the complexities of your birth chart.

ARIES Independence, self-sufficiency, courage, the instinct for survival and personal freedom, self-assertion, the fighting instinct, competitive, athletic, doing one’s own thing, love of the new, enthusiasm, quick on the uptake, sense of identity

TAURUS Development of personal values, sense of ownership, body awareness, money consciousness, the pleasure principle, aesthetics, relaxing and enjoying the world of the senses, nurturing, endurance, productivity, stability, strength, determination, persevering

GEMINI Communication, cognitive functioning, reason, love of variety, mobility, flexibility, intellect and the learning process, sibling relationships, language skills, wit, movement, fun-loving, quicksilver, mercurial, whimsical, flirtatious, dexterous

CANCER Nurturing, the mother and family, emotional sensitivity, need for a safe nest, security needs, history, memories, finding and/or giving protection, food, emotionally expressive, comforting, self protection, affection, sheltering, honoring the past

LEO Self expression, creativity, personal pride, dignity, giving and receiving love, dramatization of the emotions, glamour, flair, leadership, center stage, entertaining, romantic love and love of children, playfulness, confidence, sincerity, regal

VIRGO Analytical abilities, attention to detail, work, productivity, service to others, health and healing, critical faculties, humility, purity, cleanliness, standards of excellence, organizational abilities, pets, devotional, modest, methodical, reliable

LIBRA Relationships, balance, harmony, beauty, social skills, diplomacy, companionship, rational thought, moderation, cooperation or competition, decision making process, fairness, equality, peace, significant others, search for serenity, considerate, gentle, kind

SCORPIO Transformation and rebirth, boundary setting, intensity, passion, depth, the mysterious, shared resources, resources of others, research, investment and its return, privacy, trust, intimacy, control, perceptive, extremes and limit setting, self control and letting go, personal power, dedication

SAGITTARIUS Personal beliefs about life and about oneself, quest for knowledge, goal orientation, adventure, expansion, search for meaning, religious impulse, morality, travel, the big picture, nature, largesse, sports, fitness, optimism, humor, joviality, foreign cultures, wisdom seeking, philosophical, independence, generosity

CAPRICORN Responsibility, maturity, father and fatherhood, ambition, meeting challenges, self discipline, structure, capacity for hard work, labor and its rewards, authority, early maturity but slow development like an oak, serious, overcoming obstacles, sense of duty, authoritative

AQUARIUS Group consciousness, friendship, maintaining individuality in the group, systems orientation, science, technology, detachment, abstract thinking, ingenuity, personal liberties, personal relationship to humanity, nonconformist, individuality, rebelliousness against imposed authority, intelligence

PISCES Imagination, dream function, compassion, artistic, musical, withdrawn, sensitive, gentleness, behind the scenes activities, fantasy life, spirituality, idealism, search for ultimates, love of beauty, need for healthy escape, transcendence, plasticity, ecstasy states, psychological, empathic, reclusive