Introduction to the Signs

This is a free resource that I'm providing for those who would like to explore and study the signs, symbols, and archetypes of astrology. Please do not use any of this content without first obtaining permission. Enjoy!

Taurus

Symbol: The Bull

Planetary Ruler: Venus

Modality and element: Fixed Earth

Zodiacal axis: Taurus-Scorpio axis, associated with the 2nd-8th House axis

Psychological and evolutionary process: The emotional body, developing and embodying our inner needs and values

Associated archetypes: the Earth Spirit, the Nature Child, Pandemos, Goddess, the Hedonist, the Midas/Mister, the Builder, the Farmer, the Artists, the Musician, the Sacred Prostitute, Hephaestus, the Sensualist, the Femme Fatale, the Lover, the Don Juan, the Beggar, the Silent One

Keywords: peace, tranquility, resources, productivity, stability, serenity, pleasure, calm

How to best work with the energy: looking to Mother Earth as teacher to soothe one's spirit, appreciating and enjoying simplicity and calm by spending quiet time in nature, connecting to the Earth, sitting in silence, listening to and playing music, singing, dancing, learning how to be in your body, reveling in and celebrating one's body, exploring the world through one's senses, creating your own sense of resources

Gifts: uninterested in drama, suspicious of complexity and dislike of ambiguity/love of simplicity, instinctively seeks out serene places and spaces, feeling a natural reverence for nature, realistic in goal-setting, a healthy cynicism, sensuality, endless patience, easygoing "down to earth" demeanor, good taste

Challenges: stability and even pleasure can become numbing and boring, security can become stagnation, a lack of creativity or originality stemming from one's resistance to change, lack of understanding of the symbolic, becoming snared by appearances, a tendency to oversimplify life and people, vanity

Shadow expressions: becoming overly materialistic, gathering money or possessions simply to have "more" or feel "safe", stubbornness, withholding and possessiveness, jealousy, uncontrollable lust, obsession with an object of desire, religious/blind fanaticism, intolerance, prejudice, being rude or insulting, using people, physical violence

Skillful expressions: earthy, practical, pragmatic, productive, sensual, pleasure-loving, physical, resourceful, stable, solid, reliable, dependable, loyal, devoted, warm, affectionate, trustworthy, patient, persistent, enduring, consistent, determined, resolute, strong-willed, artistic, respectful of tradition, conserving, self-sufficient, easygoing

Unskillful expressions: materialistic, ultra-conservative, possessive, overly cautious, stubborn, sluggish, lethargic, self-indulgent, jealous, overly attached, conformist, overly concerned with materiality, obstinate, unchanging, dull, boring, unoriginal, conventional, greedy, gluttonous, dissolute, valuing only physical or material satisfaction

In the tarot: V The Hierophant

Other correspondences: money, wealth, music, pianos, architecture, beans, coral, coins, jewelry, the tongue, yellow, mosses, the lower jaw, emeralds, safes

VIRGO

Symbol: The Virgin

Planetary Ruler: Mercury

Modality and element: Mutable Earth

Zodiacal axis: Virgo-Pisces axis, associated with the 6th-12th House axis

Psychological and evolutionary process: Humbling of the self

Associated archetypes: the Servant, the Craftsperson, the Sacred Prostitute, the Virgin (as in, the person who cannot be owned; being wholly oneself, self-contained, integrated and independent), the Hermit, the Monk/Nun, the Analyst, the Critic, the Perfectionist, the Technician, the Engineer, the Worker, the Exorcist, the Healer, the Doctor, the Naturalist, the Environmentalist, the Wounded Healer, Chiron

Keywords: wholeness, integration, systems, design, humility, organization, order, crisis

How to best work with the energy: learn how to make things work together as a system; owning oneself so as not to be bought or owned by another; learning how to create and own your creations; expressing the self through service; becoming one's work; perfecting the service that one offers to others; perfecting the self through humble self-assessment and a desire to offer your gifts to the world

Gifts: being able to see oneself with clarity; able to detect distortions in oneself; able to commit to meaningful work

Challenges: may succumb to doubt and uncertainty; can become plagued by limiting self-images; needing to learn how to tempering self-criticism with self-acceptance and self-compassion; needing to learn how to love oneself unconditionally/despite one's imperfections; must learn how to live in the present  

Shadow expressions: sacrificing too much of oneself; becoming so critical of oneself that it becomes narcissistic; judging oneself by one's accomplishments and achievements; a level of perfectionism that is harmful to the self; victim consciousness

Skillful expressions: practical, efficient, analytical, discriminating, selective, discerning, organized, economical, disciplined, skillful, helpful, dutiful, humble, conscientious, unselfish, methodical, detailed, meticulous, diligent, thorough, studious, systematic, concerned, modest, unassuming, obliging, responsible, dependable, health-conscious

Unskillful expressions: petty, nitpicking, skeptical, hypercritical, self-critical, fault-finding, judgmental, worrisome, focusing on the negative, anxious, obsessive-compulsive, self-deprecating, neurotic, self-denying, hypochondriacal, perfectionistic, incapable of relaxing, perpetually dissatisfied, overly analytical, timid, servile, subservient, slavishly submissive, ingratiating, fanatical about diet and health

In the tarot: IX The Hermit

LIBRA

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SCORPIO

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Sagittarius

Symbol: The Archer

Planetary Ruler: Jupiter

Modality and element: Mutable Fire

Zodiacal axis: Gemini-Sagittarius axis, associated with the 3rd-9th House axis

Psychological and evolutionary process: Intuitive vision, one's view of reality

Associated archetypes: the Seeker, the Judge, the Intuitive, the Wounded Healer, the Priest, the Gambler, the Teacher/Student, the Visionary, the Philosopher, the Explorer, the Anthropologist, the Moralist, the Fundamentalist, the Zealot, the Dogmatist, the Adventurer

In myth: Zeus

Keywords: experience, exuberance, quest, meaning, expansion, synthesis, intuition

How to best work with the energy: taking action (traveling, studying, etc.) to expand your awareness through the gathering of new experiences; exploring exotic and new terrain (physical, mental, or psychic); learning foreign and new perspectives; expanding consciousness intuitively; becoming aware of the basic laws of the Universe; realizing the ultimate meaning of life; finding one's destiny in the Cosmos; arriving at the Truth; being on a perpetual quest for knowledge and experience; working with life symbolically; becoming the student then the teacher; anchoring your life in a meaningful vision; believing in yourself

Gifts: love of freedom and exploration; enthusiasm, adaptability, resilience; faith in one's ideals; the ability to choose one's own gods and determine what is "right" for oneself

Challenges: being overly optimistic, over-doing it/going to extremes

Shadow expressions: imposing one's truth or morals on others, deluding oneself, being superficially friendly, blind optimism, exaggerating the truth, overextending oneself/not knowing one's limits or unwilling to tolerate limitations and restrictions

Skillful expressions: single-minded, goal-oriented, purposeful, aspiring, prophetic, farsighted, future-oriented, searching, truth-seeking, philosophical, idealistic, open-minded, wise, profound, discerning, enlightened, inspired, inspirational, guiding, teaching, ethical, principled, direct, truthful, generous, altruistic, openhearted, high-spirited, optimistic, enthusiastic, carefree, freedom-loving

Unskillful expressions: impractical, unrealistic, impatient, overly abstract, abstruse, self-deluding, opinionated, pretentious, long-winded, dogmatic, preachy, intolerant, hypercritical, tactless, wasteful, extravagant, careless, sloppy, irresponsible, unreliable, procrastinating, restless

In the tarot: XIV Art (Temperance) Daughter of the Reconcilers, Bringer Forth of Life

From Tabula Mundi Tarot copyright © 2011-2021 Art – M.M. Meleen

Other correspondences: wisdom, turquoise, riding of horses, lawyers, abundance, aliens, churches, religious or philosophical texts, philanthropy, philosophers

aquarius

Symbol: The Water Bearer (washing away the past)

Planetary Rulers: Uranus (modern ruler) and Saturn (traditional ruler)

Modality and element: Fixed Air

Zodiacal axis: Leo-Aquarius axis, associated with the 5th-10th House axis

Psychological and evolutionary process: Deconditioning, liberating oneself from the past

Associated archetypes: the Visionary, the Exile, Prometheus, Ouranos, the Elitist, the Revolutionary, the Iconoclast, the Rebel, the Liberator, the Humanitarian, the Philanthropist, the Genius, the Orphan Child, the Catalyst, the Prophet, the Boddhisatva, the Truthteller, the Scientist, the Whistleblower

In myth:  Ganymedes, the man-boy, the eternal boy, the divine child; Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods

Keywords: rebellion, liberation, wisdom, freedom, detachment, innovation, originality, social change, social conscience, forward-looking, progressive, group ideals, the future of society, individuality, unique path, tribal instinct, brotherhood/sisterhood, friendship, exile, out-of-sync, science, knowledge, invention, genius, democracy, equality, fairness, "everyone is special and no one is", objectivity, impartiality, technology, science

Gifts: radical independence of mind, original thinking, being able to think outside the box, innovation and uniqueness, dedication to a vision, having a probing mind that is dedicated to truth, ability to defy authority

Challenges: being afraid to feel, fearing one’s own feelings and the emotions of others, not knowing how to express or talk about one’s emotions or those of others, not understanding the nuances of human relationships, not feeling like one truly knows oneself, being extremely emotionally vulnerable

Shadow expressions: being different just to be different, contrariness, wearing the mask of conventionality, adopting a false identity just to fit in or be accepted by the group/tribe, refusing to learn/grasp the subtleties of or adjust to changes in human relationships, standing behind or for principles when irrelevant in a particular situation, seeing displays of emotion as weakness, judging people for being “emotional”, being self-centered and controlling, being hypocritical

Skillful expressions: progressive, liberal, humanitarian, democratic, altruistic, tolerant, friendly, social, independent, freedom-loving, rebellious, original, bohemian, eccentric, weird or strange (in a good way), experimental, “indie”, unusual, unconventional, unorthodox, innovative, revolutionary, futuristic, forward-thinking, intuitive, inventive, brilliant, scientific, genuine love and concern for the group, defends the underdog, logical, reasonable, rational, analytical, self-disciplined, loyal, understanding, undemanding, open, self-willed

Unskillful expressions: overly detached, dissociated, unfeeling, aloof, impersonal, cold, distant, unfeeling, unemotional, insensitive, intellectual rigidity/rigidly rational, inconsistent, erratic, thoughtless, negligent, avoidant, impractical, anti-social, unreasonable, disorganized, stubborn fanaticism, intellectual bigotry, dogmatic, intolerant

In the tarot: XVII The Star, Daughter of the Firmament, Dweller between the Waters

From Rosetta Tarot copyright © 2011-2021 The Star – M.M. Meleen

Other correspondences: birds, astronomers, astrologers, aeronautics, counselors, engineers, research, scientists, phones, free will, faith healers, inventions

CAPRICORN

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Pisces

Symbol: The Fishes

Planetary Rulers: Neptune (modern ruler) and Jupiter (traditional ruler)

Modality and element: Mutable Water

Zodiacal axis: Virgo-Pisces axis, associated with the 6th-12th House axis

Psychological and evolutionary process: Letting go of the self

Associated archetypes: the Mystic, the Addict, the Victim, the Redeemer, Poseidon, the Poet, the Artist, the Actor, the Martyr, the Dreamer, the Psychic, the Illusionist, the Devotee, the Face Dancer

Keywords: awareness, boundlessness, the ocean, the unknown, the mystery, the source of everything, timeless truth, the cosmic womb of timelessness, our spiritual origin, cosmic consciousness, emotional and psychic sensitivity, visionary imagination, compassion, idealism, fantasy, escapism, dissociation, permeability, sensitivity, disintegration, dissolution

Gifts: sensitivity, awareness, empathy, gentleness, compassion, capacity for surrendering to the mystery/Oneness, adaptability, visionary imagination, sense of humor, instinctive awareness of higher levels of consciousness, creativity, forgiveness

Challenges: escapist tendencies, becoming addicted to the power of psychological thought, lacking motivation, phony transcendence, struggles with addiction, self-destructive tendencies, naivete, being overly idealistic, exhaustion, anxiety 

Shadow expressions: becoming overwhelmed with images, impressions and emotions due to a lack of boundaries; martyrdom, being overly self-sacrificial; being delusional or escapist

Skillful expressions: dissolving, boundless, subtle, flowing, imaginative, dreamy, poetic, inspiring, idealistic, visionary, romantic, mystical, intuitive, spiritual, receptive, sensitive, psychic, empathic, compassionate, empathetic, healing, gentle, sympathetic, surrendering, humble, adaptable, flexible, agreeable, mellow, accepting, forgiving, trusting, tender, gentle, kind, giving, devoted, modest, unpretentious, introspective, reflective, elusive, wholistic, creative, inspired, musical, transcendent

Unskillful expressions: chaotic, confused, unconscious, vague, drifting, illusory, delusional, impractical, unrealistic, deceptive, secretive, self-destructive, indecisive, escapist, directionless, lost, easily influenced, compliant, undiscriminating, uncritical, imprudent, timid, unprotected, martyrdom, parasitic, cowardly, spineless, self-deprecating, self-pitying, evasive, devious, deluded, bitter, cynical 

In the tarot: XVIII The Moon, Ruler of Flux and Reflux, Child of the Sons of the Mighty

Other correspondences: holy water, moonstones, criminals, convents, poetry, ponds, fog, gasoline, conspiracies, mazes, sand, swimming pools, secret societies, simulation, sleepwalking