Sunday 13 October 2013

Your Earth Sign is just as important as your Sun Sign

A different ingredient astrological cookbook

After the Copernican revolution in the 16’th century Ptolemy’s model of a geocentric solar system was overthrown in favor of a new model of a helio-centrism, that is the sun is at the center and the earth revolves around it. This "little scientific tidbit" is sometimes forgotten by our stubborn, geo-centric dependent astrological community.

Most people forget that other than the 8 planets, the 2 luminaries and a few small important bodies (Ceres and Chiron) we ourselves live on the 9’th planet. The astrological influences of this quiet revelation are mostly unseen, a thing the writer of this article is determined to change.
I’ll engage the crux of the matter soon enough but first I’ll say that in the astrological chart the earth is always positioned 180 degrees from the sun. So if you have your sun at 15⁰ Sagittarius your earth will be situated at 15⁰ Gemini for example.
On we go to the crux of the matter. Just like in so many astrological mechanics, we’re talking here about an interplay or interchange of oppositions and dualities. A bit like the north node - south node relation (and also positioning in this case) there's a movement from one pole to the other, from one characteristic behavior to the next. Also like the north node - south node axis a growth and development theme is also present, you tend to move from one skill set to another complimentary skill set (usually underdeveloped as a consequence of the other pole's predominance). Or for specificity's sake, you move from a familiar - habitual behavior pattern on the earth side of the polarity to a challenging behavior which you have to apply conscious effort in order to pull it through on the sun's side.

This dynamic relationship pattern carries within it a likeness to the more familiar sun - moon symbolic relation, especially when you examine the two through a developmental perspective. The moon is the ‘astrological hardware’ which develops earlier in life as we mimic behaviors and care for our survival needs while the sun is what happens after puberty as we learn to beam our own personal uniqueness into the world. Likewise the earth is more of a built in system, our beloved home planet which we feel at ease to tread upon, while the sun is an extra terrestrial adventure, quite literally at least in the semantic sense.           
 
Mind the pun, but to ground all this in a down to earth sense, take for example the Gemini Sagittarius geo-solar axis. A Sagittarius sun – Gemini earth native will have his south node equivalent earth in education, communication seeking Gemini and will have his north node equivalent sun in spread the word, go out there and experience Sagittarius. Earth is where we come from, where we lunch our rockets from and the sun is where our aim - destination is at, what we seek, desire and dream of. A bit like the Icarus myth, we strive to release ourselves from mother earth's clutches, our familiar south node habit patterns, and reach the dazzling heights of our ideal sun-image. On top of that, also like the Icarus myth, the sun is where we overdo, feel unsure of ourselves and overcompensate, acting outrageously and overboard to test our limits and try to become what we've always desired becoming. Once more this is somewhat similar to the north node in astrological delineation.     


Let's try to explicate how each Earth-Sun polarity operates: 


Aries Earth (Libra Sun)

Keen observers versed in astrology will notice that lots of Libra boys have no problem getting into a fight, Libra girls have no problem getting into the nitty gritty of relationships too ,engaging in verbal arguments and tense negotiations when their all famous diplomacy skills fail to do the job. What I'm trying to say here is that Libras are actually natural fighters; having their earth sign in Aries they start their lives with a natural sense for the struggle, for keeping their rights as individuals while throughout lives they concentrate their energy to develop their dazzling skills as master diplomat and public relations specialists. That is, their sun sign traits are an affective counter-weight for their natural, inborn earth sign in Aries traits. A word also has to be said about a many a Libra tendency for hyperactive behavior and jumping from subject to subject and person to person in their life.

Taurus Earth (Scorpio Sun)


When you come to think about it Scorpios are some of the more confident signs of the Zodiac, not very typical for the conflict ridden waters of a mars-ruled native, I blame their earth sign.  They can be really serene too when you catch them in the right mood or when they've over expanded their Scorpio thrill seeking instinct, just chilling at home or in the company of friends. Hell, they can even be boring. Also Scorpios are strong, even when they're new and unsavvy in the environment around them they can take a lot before they complain. Is it a Scorpio sun trait? I say it's their Taurus earth. Also you must have noticed that Scorpio suns are ardent workers, their money making abilities can’t be doubted, and with good reason, their Taurus earth makes those natives natural bread earners for themselves and relatives alike. 

Gemini Earth (Sagittarius Sun)

Sagittarius sun signs lack tact, there's no denying that, but did you ever wondered where does this character flaw stems from? Sagittarius suns have their earth sign in Gemini which should make them flawless in the human relation department or at least very smooth at softening the edges, but the earth sign placement takes itself for granted and consequently makes no effort to improve at this department. It's as if Sagittarians are bored with accurate information, proper behavior and adapting themselves to situations. If they really wanted to they could, but it's really hard for them to find the motivation to do just that. Moreover Sagittarians are quick learners but they don't like to bother with all the details and rather prefer to develop their intuition and learn from experience instead, in other words they prefer to work through their sun sign instead of working through their earth sign.   

Cancer Earth (Capricorn Sun)


Doesn't matter how tough a façade a Capricorn adopts or how cynical and sarcastic his attitude, deep down at heart (at earth that is) he's probably a devoted family guy, priding his efforts at being a provider and caregiver, albeit in a practical - down of earth sort of way. His cancer earth has other benefits as well. Know that wacky sense of humor Capricorns have? Jim Carrey style, Cancer's goofy demeanor might just make that work. As long as the Cap is relaxed enough to let his earth sign colors fly. Finally the Cancer earth sign activity can be found in planning and over-planning everything, the only reason one needs to plan so much is if one is worried and feeling as if he’s floating on shaky waters constantly. The opposite tendency is a Cancer sun seeking to be loved or at least to have a good time, contrasting his Capricorn earth loneliness and melancholia.  

Leo Earth (Aquarius Sun)

How can it be possibly that the philosophical, self doubting Aquarians, be as jolly, shining, and attention seeking as the regal Leo? Well, if you understand the Earth-Sun mechanic than quite easily so. You surely have happened to bump into a wild Aquarian, crazier than the bawdiest Leo, friendly to a fault and adventure seeking, that's their Leo earth. Other Aquarians are shyer but within their area of specialty they can be as dominating and group center as any fire sign. Also a lot of them have a thing with video games, or just dragged around by friends waiting for their next good time, the playfulness of the Leo earth that is. Lastly, a lot of Aquarians seem to care very little, if at all, about their personal happiness. This is a darker side no doubt but consider for a moment how dominant their ‘take it for granted’ Leonine earth sign is when you can literally make fun of yourself and devote your life to the people around you. It’s just not as interesting to do things for yourself with those placements.     

Virgo Earth (Pisces Sun)

Piscean types don’t mind getting rough and dirty in the mundane world as long as it serves one of their lofty purposes in the end. They aren’t overly afraid of drugs, alcohol or even death as if they’ve mastered the physical and are only using it as a ladder towards higher ends. So once again, taking their Virgo earth as granted not questioning it and striving towards the opposite end. On the axis of imagination versus technical skill the fish usually adopts a down to earth attitude towards learning and acquiring skills. He will dabble his hand in a bit of everything till he feels sufficiently adequate to perform. Unlike the fussy, perfectionist Virgo Pisceans don’t linger over the technical stuff preferring to devote the lion’s share of their energies into the creative outlet itself. But have no doubt their Virgo earth will do whatever it takes to grind that Pisces sun to perfection, their earth is practical and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty.

Libra Earth (Aries Sun)


Aries is considered to be the child, the warrior, the daredevil, pioneer and self made man of the zodiac. All of those traits are connected to forward moving, confrontation aware energy. But in their essence Aries people are mellow, peace loving people, or at least when they are tired and lack 'sun energy'. In essence it's their Libra earth operating through its opposite position to their sun. You can also note that Aries individuals usually don't try to excel in fields of diplomacy, human relations and aesthetics. That is either they take it for granted or are naturally good at it, but only when they don't show the fiery colors of their Aries sun which negates their Libra earth qualities. Last but not least Aries people prefer their relationships around the lines of one on one partnerships, they shy away from groups most of the time. A short note has to be put in here about Aries’ low pain tolerance, most Aries people I know will wince at any needle, pinch or other forms of physical pain delivered to them, highly appropriate for their venus ruled earth sign.   

Scorpio Earth (Taurus Sun)


Astrology columns usually say that the Bull can be an uncontrollable creature once he's provoked, when Taurus sees red he's more dangerous than the most malicious Scorpio. In other words Taurus tries to shine his peaceful, benevolent cow sun to avoid the maelstrom which usually brews underneath on his earth planet of Scorpio. Just like the other astrology signs earth is much of a familiar zone for this native and most of his energy goes towards perfecting his safety mechanism of conservative values and economic stability in his Taurus sun. Exactly those aspirations nicely negate the torrent of financial worries and their general opinion about the fight for survival - Darwinian world outside. They simply seek an antidote for their Scorpio earth sign, that’s all. And the loads of self confidence? Well, with a mars ruled earth sign to stand for your rights come naturally to you.     

Sagittarius Earth (Gemini Sun)


Did you ever wonder why Gemini people are some of the most crazy people out there, hanging out, doing this and that, trying everything, while Gemini is considered a 'humane' sign (humanistic, moral, cultured)? Well, they have their earth sign in Sagittarius, the wildest sign of them all. Moreover, Gemini natives tend to take it easy in the life philosophy department; in fact they take it so easy that they usually fail to adopt one and end up being blamed with amoral opportunism, again their ‘take it for granted’ Sagittarius earth takes over. You can even go so far and say that Gemini’s striving to be fair, hear all sides of the matter and transfer information exactly as it was conveyed to them is a life-long pursuit to recompense their other traits of rushing things, intuitively learning and jumping ahead for personal gain. 

Capricorn Earth (Cancer Sun)

Cancer suns never fuss about actual work, they fuss a lot about having to do work as befits their lazy ideals of living a carefree, indulgent life, but once they start working they feel at home having a fine sense of finances and a frugal demeanor to boot. They are also calm folk, able to take things in their stride, quietly and temperately like a true earth sign, their Capricorn earth that is. Capricorn suns are known for their spiritual - seclusion seeking yearnings, this trait comes easily to the Cancer sun (Capricorn earth) female natives who come by activities such as yoga, meditation or religion with natural ease. Male natives can come by the drop of the liquor first (some addiction or other), maybe it’s a negative side effect of the Capricorn earth depressive - melancholic tendencies. Both man and woman seem to seek the home, warm, casual feeling which will negate their earth sign over-serious tendencies.
          

Aquarius Earth (Leo Sun)


A lot of Leos believe in science and relay on logic way too much, I often wondered about that, when I considered the enthusiastic and impassionate nature of their sign, but that's not the entire picture. Considering Leo's earth which is in Aquarius we can understand how Leos feel that they're walking on solid ground when they’re dealing with cold, hard, Aquarian facts. One may also claim that their constant need to prove their individuality and uniqueness stems from just the opposite, from the Aquarian feeling that they are no better than other people. Leos often say things like "I'm usually shy but when I'm asked to perform I supply the goods", Now we can finally believe them. Lastly, living with a feeling of you're just like everyone else definitely sets you on the path towards finding your own uniqueness. Alternatively the Aquarian earth may bestow you with a certainty that you're a genius and that's where your Leo sun enters the stage in showing it to the world.

Pisces Earth (Virgo Sun)


How many Virgos do you know who privately always complain to you that their only wish is just to crush somewhere, read a book, listen to music, get high or do some other offbeat activity? As befitting an earth sign, Virgos can be rough and obstinate but they often swing in more comfortable surroundings to being emotional, moody and crazy romantic even. Why is that the case? It's clearly their Pisces earth. Quite often the 'couldn't care less' outside persona is just a hi-tek protection system, an anti-virus so to speak, against a very intense inward idealism. Furthermore there’s the issue of technique versus imagination. In theory Virgos should be technical, and indeed they put much effort into perfecting their methods but often their vision is just as strong, only it’s built-in and does rarely comes to the fore. Virgos don’t fuss about creativity because they feel at ease with it, it’s home grown in their case.         


 
A final word.
There are probably numerous other examples of how the earth sign personifies a deeper, more inherent facet of the native sun sign, but those I'll have to leave to you dear readers.  One of the big advantages of the geo-solar axis is that research is easily available on the subject via the contemporary popularity of sun sign astrology, just ask for your friend's date of birth and see for yourself.
On the same note, bringing this topic to consciousness highlights the implicit notion that sun sign astrology is accidentally more meaningful than it is evident at first sight. The mere fact is that knowing somebody's sun sign you inadvertently know his earth sign as well. There is a popular saying that ‘knowing someone's sun sign is mere knowing of 10% of his character’ so in light of mine and other astrologers articles on the subject we can increase the percentage to a honorable 20%.


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P.S. This article didn't reach prize/ publishing position in the Astrological Association of GB journal competition for Best Astrological Essay by a Young Writer. Naturally I didn't plan to leave it idle on my hard drive after receiving their decline...    


Dima~

  

1 comment:

  1. Very interesting and certainly seems to reflect my penchant for many creative endeavours, once achieved, though not perfected, will move on to the next pisces sun virgo earth in 6th.

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