Virgo – Dual Earth

The sixth sign of the zodiac is Virgo. Its nature is dual and its lord is Mercury. The element here is earth. In Virgo we come across a duality in earth. When we understand the fixed nature of earth, then our thought process is very clear and there is fixation of purpose, like the Taurus sign. But in Virgo the duality of Earth gives a different psychological meaning. The psychic energies which rule over this sign clearly indicate that thoughts and imagination need to go through the test of reality, before they become a doctrine. In this sense, Virgo holds a special position in the zodiac, because no thought is clearly understood until and unless it has reasoning, logic and a universal approach defining it.

In Gemini, thought has an in-built duality; it is re-examined and put through the test in Virgo which is ruled by the element Earth, known for its practicality. The dual nature of Earth in Virgo indicates that confusion is an in born phenomenon because of which the world remains on the move all the time. If there is no friction, life stops moving ahead. Friction can be both good and bad. People under this sign are very practical, informative and full of knowledge. They do not leave any stone unturned in achieving their goals and they keep on increasing their knowledge. They like to analyze anything; they believe in going to the core and in the process, they sometimes try too hard. They also have the tendency to become extremists.

Leo – Transformed Fire

Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac. It is a fixed sign and the element is fire. The lord of this sign is the Sun. This fire is a transformed fire; it had got no resemblance to the fire of Aries, which is primitive and directionless. The fire that ignites the Leo sign is a distinguished fire, full of direction, self- charged energy.

The sign Leo represented by the lion presents a picture where ego, pride, honour and assertiveness have gone so deep into the system that superiority has started emanating from the human personality. The determined fire in Leo indicates that ideas, ideals and morals are so deep-rooted that they make a person assertive, confident, risky and to an extent, a daredevil. Leos are also prone to dramatic representations, because within themselves, they have the need to attract others towards themselves. On the more subtle side, Leos also understand that this world is a stage and everybody has to play his role; so they play theirs to the hilt!

Many times Leos get so involved in playing their roles that they start losing their objectivity. Nevertheless, Leos are made of a never-say-die spirit and their leadership abilities soon have a positive influence on others. Perhaps, this is the one of the reasons that the lion is the king of the jungle and every other being of the animal kingdom revolves around him. Just as in astrology, all the planets revolve around the Sun.

By the virtue of its position, the Sun being the focal point and the element being fire, Leos are enabled to muster all their energy to the fore, especially when they are decisive about something. The Leo sign coupled with the fire element provides a weapon by using which, it can spread its influence to a huge extent. Suddenly one starts feeling special and dominating attitude becomes a strong undercurrent. A feeling of ‘I’ or ego needs a statement which is only possible once the authority is established and people around him start giving due support. If others start surrendering, Leos feel great and do whatever is possible for their followers. On the plane of ego Leos do go through upheavals and dilemmas; to keep pace with the ‘I, me, myself’ attitude which can become quite perturbing at times. However, on the whole, a feeling of superiority remains intact in them and they are quite happy about it. The redeeming aspect of this sign is that the fire of Leos is self- controlled and the source of their fire is the soul. Anything which comes from the soul is eternal and unchangeable; nothing can disturb it as it is so self-organized.

Leo being the fifth sign of the zodiac is also connected with the womb, with creativity. So here the fire creates energy; a self-directed energy, which cannot be distorted by external elements.

Cancer – Emotional and Flowing

Cancer, the fourth sign of the zodiac, is the cardinal sign and the element is water. The beauty of water is in its flow. A river is beautiful because it flows. A pond does not seem so beautiful because it is still and its expanse is limited. A river grows though a consistent process of renewal, hence, it is always fresh, full of life, music, energy and poetry. In Cancer, we can imagine water in Ganges, which, coming from Gangotri, goes to meet the ocean. Any river originating from its source goes dancing and travelling hundreds of miles to its destination – the ocean. The lord of this sign is Moon, which itself is ever changing. The Moon is a satellite of the earth. Sometimes we see the full Moon, sometimes we see no Moon; a dark night, and then full Moon. Water has lot to do with our emotions and feeling which too, are ever-changing. Psychologists say that they believe if one remains in one emotional state for more than three months, then there is a danger of his/her becoming edgy. Water as an element helps us to shift from one emotion to another. Today we can be angry, tomorrow sad and on another day very happy. Then there is silence, followed by an outburst. These different moods are helpful for our survival, for the relationship we enjoy and for our evolution and growth as emotional beings.

Water comes after air as far as the elements go. The connection between air and water can be underlined by the fact that air is responsible for rains. Clouds travel through the air carrying water. When these clouds burst against a mountain, it starts raining. The water from mountains comes to the plains and gradually to the rivers before reaching the ocean. This is a process: water from the sea goes to the sky, from the sky it falls to the mountains, from there it comes to the plains. Also we do not remember everything. This human ability to forget is also attributed to the Cancer sign and the Moon. This ability helps us to be happier for if we remembered everything about our past, we could certainly have been miserable.

Gemini – Airy Duality

The third sign is Gemini which is a dual sign. The lord of this sign is Mercury and the element is air. Air is the element that helps you to fly. The first flight of mankind is through thought. First you fly through your thoughts, then you fly physically. In the Vedas it has been said that the word shabd took its birth in space and travelled through air. The word is the core of our communication. In the sense, Gemini is an important sign because it enables the person to express himself, which is a basic need of every human being. Without statement, our life seems meaningless, futile and directionless. Communication gives us an aim and a purpose.

In the beginning of civilization, communication took place through air. Now in the 21^st century, there are many ways to communicate – one can communicate through sea, through the ground, through the mountains. However, basic communication through the air still remains very valid and will remain so for centuries to come. Gemini’s element of air is directly connected with thought or communication and since there is an inherent desire in all of us to express ourselves through some form of communication or the other, this sign is very important. Now, one thing, which is happening here, is very, very relevant. The nature of this sign is duality. As said earlier, thought is created in space and travels through air. From there it comes to the ground and become reality, with its duality intact. The inbuilt duality does not disappear. Each thought contains something good, and something bad. If there is a day, there has to be night. Duality sustains both in thought and in reality. This sign plays a big role in the communication we have had for the last 2000 years. As this is the sign of logic, reasoning and thought. When thought takes place in space, it is of dual nature and even when the same thought is brought to earth, the duality does not disappear. Hence, all thoughts in this world are of dual nature. Until and unless they are refined and judged, they have to go through a process. Duality helps in growth, because if the answer is one, you stop questioning. We keep on questioning because answers could be different and moreover, there could be more than one answer. In the nature of thought, duality is inbuilt and is very important for the growth of mankind. But one big hazard of this thought and logic is that logic creates many miseries. Moreover, thought has its own attendant problems too. With thoughts come rigidity, because the moment it becomes somebody’s thought, another person starts objecting. People who are born under this sign are rigid and sometimes they lose the sight of reasoning and logic, thus becoming stubborn in their approach. A drawback of this sign is rigidity and an inability to move away from motives.

Taurus – Barren Earth

The second element in the scheme of the zodiac is the earth with Taurus as the sign. Its nature is fixed and the lord of this sign is Venus. The basic qualities of earth are that it is practical, solid, reliable and passively active. Taureans are very receptive towards new ideas and if they appeal to them then they get motivated and put all their energy in it. Inspiration is the keyword and when motivated correctly then can perform unattainable jobs. On their own they can turn into a state of laziness or self-undoing. Although their keenness towards materialism and possessions is immense but to acquire all that certain motivational forces are required.

Taureans preserve their energy and strength and do not waste it unnecessarily. They prefer to maintain conventional behavior as far as possible perhaps they feel that they identify themselves better rooted with their own basic nature. They are practical scientists who concentrate with efficiency and skill on the universal phenomenon of material universe. Sometimes their vision is limited and prejudiced. They are required to overcome this deficiency to operate or perform on a bigger canvas.

At times their poor initiative coupled with mistrust and uncertainty does not allow them to do big things in life. However, if they get convinced and overcome their basic inertia then they can do wonders. Out of all the signs of the zodiac they fall under the category of doers. When they start cracking on something there is no stopping till they achieve their target.

Aries – The Beginning

Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, comes under the element fire. It is a cardinal sign with the planet Mars ruling over it. Creation and fire are interconnected and dependent on each other. Fire was the beginning point of the universe. The first source of fire of this universe is the Sun which produces fire, heat and light and ultimately knowledge. Fire has its many form and the day man learned to tame fire he became civilized.

In Aries, we see fire which is primitive, raw and ready to be utilized. This fire is not known for its refined qualities. If the direction is right, a primitive fire can do wonders, otherwise it can destroy its owner. In Aries, fire means passion, energy and dynamism but without focus. People born under this sign have tremendous force in themselves. They are daredevils with leadership qualities capable of accepting challenges but invariably they have an inherent fear also. Fire always beckons danger but in primitive fire the danger is more.

Fire was given tremendous importance in all the ancient civilizations of the world. Vedas are full of praise of fire and considered sacred in all its forms. Even a jungle fire is useful, not only does it burn the useless plants but also help in planting certain seeds which take root because of this fire. Human body operates because of heat or fire and the moment it goes down; it becomes a corpse. When man dies, it is fire that preserves the energy in a new form. We need strong jathragni or heat in the stomach to digest food. Fire has many forms but can be mainly distinguished into two. One is destroyer and the other is creator. The ultimate quality of fire deciphered by the Vedas is knowledge. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and without the help of fire, zodiac and the world cannot be created.