The law of opposites in astrology doesn’t only work with planets across the zodiac wheel from each other. It can throw an intriguing light on each Sun sign itself. The rule of thumb used to be that each sign fears the one before – e.g. Sagittarius fears Scorpio’s emotional intensity; Virgo fears Leo’s attention-seeking; Gemini fears Taurus’ fixedness.
A new book by psychological astrologer Clare Martin, Star-crossed, Personality Theory and the Meeting of Opposites suggests that there is also a complicated relationship between the Sun signs and their opposite number. E.g. Cancer/Capricorn – child/parent, home/world, the tribe/the hermit.
Virgo/Pisces – order/chaos, self-sufficiency/co-dependency.
Aries/Libra – Self/Not-self, Me/You.
Gemini/Sagittarius – learning/teaching, near/far.
Taurus/Scorpio – Mine/Yours, incorporation/elimination.
Leo/Aquarius – Self/Society, the Heart/the Head.
She sets out to show the link between psychological Personality Theory and the astrological division into signs. Personally I am not fond of trying to overlay one system on top of another. Both will have their validity within their own context but along the way of her argument she shines a light on a new facet of sign energy.
Thinking about your Sun sign or any other planet in a particular sign in terms of an instinctive defence against the opposite can be productive.
Psychologists and therapist are fascinated by the development of the infant from birth onwards and she relates each of the sign dyads to a particular phase and the reaction to damage – though not in normal order.
Cancer/Capricorn – mother/safety, terror/the hated child. The Moon versus Saturn.
Taurus/Scorpio – voracious hunger leading to over control, rage. Deprivation versus the Provider.
Gemini/Sagittarius – Fear of freedom versus fear of being trapped.
Leo/Aquarius – Subjectivity v objectivity. Grandiosity v worthlessness.
Virgo/Pisces – practical efficiency v escapism. Self-definition v undifferentiation. Perfectionist v merging. Dependent or rescuer. Host v parasite.
Aries/Libra – Autonomy v compromise. Awareness of others v competitiveness.
I’m not sure it all works and may not interest those other than the psychologically oriented but it made me stop and think about certain signs in a different way.
Clare Martin is also the author of – Alchemy: The Soul of Astrology.
Such negative views of Pisces; I won’t be getting the book.
I remember reading somewhere (may have been Liz Greene?) that it was once thought there were 6 signs, that the sign and it’s opposite were one on some level. Opposite signs have a lot in common – they share the same polarity and quality/modality – it’s the element that differs.
now THAT intrigues me!!!
The Sun is 330,000 times the size of Earth and about 30,000 times the size of Jupiter. The Sun’ astrological presence looms large in our lives natally and in transit and yet it can be overlooked when sifting through the relative influences.
Lately I enjoy very much learning about Human Design, an esoteric personality system based on a mystical revelation. It includes astrology and several other factors in a new way.
Human Design says that there are many different ways that energy might flow within a person. Each of these ways might be defined and fixed for a lifetime, making it part of our own unique nature. Or, it might be undefined and open which means that we learn, observe, and take in what others have are doing in that area of life. For any person, only a small amount of the total range of human options is activated. Transits also activate these points temporarily.
It says that opposites tend to attract. What we lack, tends to attract us. We naturally try to find other people who have in their own makeup the points and connections that we don’t have. In turn, we provide to others what comes naturally to us, that they don’t have.
There are many free resources to learn a little about Human Design, and then officially licensed people who can provide more details for pay. My interest is only as a part-time, amateur student. I wouldn’t have mentioned it here except for how well it seems to fit with Marjorie’s theme for today.
This calls to mind an astrologer once saying in passing,
“there is nothing more Aries than a Libra!”
got me laughing, actually.
which got me wondering…. as I know a Sun Libra woman that this truly applies to….
Maybe that’s a way to look at all signs?
I like what my mind has to do to think and feel that out!
Love that.
And as someone who has worked with children I’d say there’s a lil bit of Aries in all of “US”.
Interesting ideas, but I’m not convinced – although I haven’t read this book, so should reserve judgement. The sign before (or after) one’s own Sun is often represented by Mercury, and quite often by Venus. So that sign is there natally.
I’ve also noticed how some Sun signs are more like the thumbnail portraits of their opposite sign. I’ve known some very quiet, introverted Aries and many very dynamic, ambitious, decisive Librans. Also a number of ‘fishy’, creative, scatty Virgos, and reclusive, shy Leos. As GD says, possibly too much of one (a stellium?) can then become the other – but amongst people’s charts that I know that doesn’t work astrologically. Kate Bush’s chart, which Marjorie discussed recently, could be a good example – she’s a creative Leo recluse with Mercury/Pluto in Virgo and Venus in Cancer. Sun with Uranus in Leo is fizzy, but not a stellium.
I remember reading excerpts of Clare Martin’s “Mapping the Psyche” books where she talks about the oppositions and how too much of one can become the other. For example, too much Virgo detail eventually turns into Piscean confusion. Or too much Taurus desire to possess and own things becomes Scorpio jealousy of what others have.
As a Sun Sagittarian with Jupiter in Virgo and a Mars opposition in Pisces I can vouch for excessive concentration on the particular being a major cause of missing the wood for the trees. The danger for people with this placement is they end up sweating the detail obsessively to the point of paralysis. Theresa May has the same aspect which maybe why despite working frantically to deal with Brexit she actually went nowhere and her premiership dissolving to a rather incoherent end.
With Pluto entering Aquarius coming up it should be interesting as its opposite will be Pluto in Leo who are the boomer generation. It would be interesting to explore that opposing dynamic as the next generation would be the complete opposition to boomers
The Uvalde Texas school shooter is a Taurus sun Taurus moon. I suspect his rising to be in Scorpio. If so, then his chart may demonstrate loud alarm bells.