As discussed in the previous lesson, the planets represent the energies that drive your physical, emotional, mental and intuitive systems. These energies manifest themselves differently or have a different role in your life's drama depending on the positions of the planets in the signs of the zodiac. Different signs or roles channel the energies into different active patterns, which are personality traits. The keyword traits associated with each sign are as folows, again they are not all inclusive:

     When the ancients noticed the planets moving along their orbital path, they also noticed the background of fixed stars and constellations behind that path. The ancients used the background of fixed stars as a way to determine influence of the planets in that particular constellation. They divided this path into 12 equal sectors. Each sector was named after the fixed-star group seen in that sector (for example, Aries "the Ram"). The ancients referred to these sectors as the "little zoo", which in Greek is "zodiac".

     Every sign falls into a group of signs either Fire=,Earth,Air=,Water=; depending on their orientation in the zodiac. These ancient astrologers had associated each ELEMENT with thier temperaments, and each group of elements are at 120 degree angles to each other or TRINE.

Fire Signs:	Aries	Leo	Sagittarius
Enthusiastic, courageous, passionate, and impulsive
Air Signs:	Gemini	Libra	Aquarius
Intellectual, adaptive, impractical, and superficial
Earth Signs:	Taurus	Virgo	Capricorn
Practical, materialistic, conservative, and inhibitive
Water Signs:	Cancer	Scorpio	Pisces
Emotional, Sensitive, Placid and Susceptible

    These four groups (4 + 3) of three signs (triplicity and known also as the elemental qualities), combine to form two major groups that represent two fundamental approaches to life: active and passive or masculine or feminine. Today the observation of Masculine and Feminine are taken less seriously by modern day astrologers. The emphasis is on the interaction of the polarities rather than the specific gender.

     The Fire and Air signs make up the active or Masculine signs, while the Earth and Water signs make up the passive or Feminine signs.

     Another group of traits occurs among three groups of (3 + 4) four signs (quadruplicity and also called modes) that are 90 degrees apart from or SQUARED each other. These four signs in each group of these three groups are referrred to as quadruplicities. The groups are respectively named Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable. They suggest the basic kinds of activity a person will be engaged in--getting things started, keeping them going, or steering them in different directions.

Cardinal Signs:	Aries	Cancer	Libra	Capricorn
Initiating, enterprising, ambitious and domineering
Fixed Signs:	Taurus	Leo	Scorpio	Aquarius
Determined, conventional, organized and dogmatic
Mutable Signs:	Gemini	Virgo	Sagittarius	Pisces
Adaptive, imaginative, tutorial and critical

          Astrologers use a small graph to get an idea what are the strengths and weaknesses at first glance in the native's (person you are reading for) chart.

          It is made up of the FOUR first letters of triplicity group and the THREE first letters of the quadruplicity group. The astrologer would then count all the planets and points that fall within the each group. The end result would be a chart similar to the one below as an example.

     The astrologer (dependant on how s/he weighs the value of the point and planet which varies considerably amongst astrologers) then looks at the above chart to receive an immediate picture of the native being STRONG in FIRE qualities and is inclined to act in the Cardinal mode. Conversely, the native is weak in EARTH qualities and is disinclined to act in the Mutable mode.

    Assignment: Now take a look at your horoscope! See if you can make a similar chart as the one above. Do you get an idea where your strengths and weaknesses are? If you haven't ordered your free natal keyword chart from this web site yet, you will be original with your answer and then can order it to see how close you came to our idea of the breakdown. If you have a free keyword chart that is accompanied by the wheel chart--look at AFTER you have tried this exercise.

On to Lesson Three: The Houses or "The Setting"