Learning astrology: the good and bad traits of each sign
A pitfall many students fall into as they learn astrology is misusing the zodiac, turning it into another tool for stereotyping people. Ideally, astrology offers a means of viewing all individuals with love or at least tolerance. Unfortunately it is all too easy for people to begin to say “I hate [particular sign], they’re all ______.” At the same time, most of us prefer to see our own sign in positive light and ourselves as one of the shining example of that sign’s sterling quality.
The truth is that all signs have both negative and positive traits. Sometimes the negative side of a sign is expressed through excess. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for people to fear or dislike their sign and react by retreating from their potential, repressing the sign’s qualities and becoming its opposite. Think of the story of Goldilocks—like the porridges she tasted, each sign’s energy can be just right (balanced, positive potential), too hot (excess) or too cold (in hiding, in a state of lack). Here is a thumbnail guide to perceiving the balanced, healthy expression of each sign, as well as the ways in which the sign can be either “too hot” or “too cold”.
Very often, the out-of-balance expression of a sign will bounce back and forth from excess to lack, as if unable to find the true pitch, the positive potential of that sign. If you have a copy of your natal chart, refer to it as you read this. Pay particular attention to any sign in which you have a planet or an angle, to see if you sometimes tend to negative expressions in those areas. The Moon sign and the rising sign are both danger zones for most people, forming a kind of psychic blind zone where we are often unconscious of our tendencies, so read the descriptions of those signs in your chart very closely.
Aries
Positive potential: honesty, courageous individuality
Excess: chronic anger, boasting, bullying tendencies
Lack: seeking approval and acceptance from those who are powerful and wealthy
Taurus
Positive potential: inner calm; perseverance; ability to “stop and smell the flowers”
Excess: laziness, greed expressed through hoarding possessions or overeating
Lack: using emotional blackmail to ensure security
Gemini
Positive potential: mental flexibility forming positive connections between people and ideas
Excess: malicious gossip, flightiness
Lack: Rigidity and judgment
Cancer
Positive potential: nurturing, encouraging, warmth, stability
Excess: smothering, fearful, relying on others rather than acting for self
Lack: Bitterness, jealousy
Leo
Positive potential: creativity and confidence, ability to inspire others
Excess: vanity, tantrums at not getting own way
Lack: trying to turn friends into a fan club to bolster insecurities
Virgo
Positive potential: Expert knowledge in specialized area; healing imbalances
Excess: focusing on detail without seeing the large picture, hypercritical
Lack: confusion, following others’ charisma rather than own expertise
Libra
Positive potential: Diplomacy; being the peacemaker; cultivating balance, beauty and harmony
Excess: unable to make decisions, judging others for their looks
Lack: seeking conflict, goading others into fighting
Scorpio
Positive potential: impartial investigator delving into deep territory with laser-like attention
Excess: paranoid; mocking others’ weaknesses; manipulative
Lack: inability to focus or set goals
Sagittarius
Positive potential: Exploration; willingness to ponder life’s meaning; generosity; humor
Excess: Pomposity; belief in the right to be the authority on all subjects; punishing others for disagreement
Lack: Belittling others through “jokes”, tendency to form opinions of others based on superficial criteria
Capricorn
Positive potential: Ability to overcome obstacles and achieve goals through hard work and intelligence
Excess: Ruthlessness, dispensing with integrity for the sake of winning
Lack: Self-pity, nursing a grudge
Aquarius
Positive potential: Open-minded, egalitarian, humanitarian, adept with technology
Excess: Emotionally tone deaf, lacking insight into feelings of self and others
Lack: Intellectual arrogance
Pisces
Positive potential: Sensitive and caring, strongly empathic, altruistic, artistic
Excess: Addictions; mysticism used for egotism or fashion; tendency to seek idols rather than form true relationships; intolerance of differing belief systems
Lack: Hypercritical of others; obsessing about details; excessive focus on health (hypochondria or spending more than can afford on vitamins and supplements, healing sessions, etc)