Cardinal
Impetuous and headstrong, they jump in and get things started, showing great potential at the beginning.
- Aries: (Fire, Spring, Masculine)
- Cancer: (Water, Summer, Feminine)
- Libra: (Air, Fall, Masculine)
- Capricorn: (Earth, Winter, Feminine)
Fixed
Strong and unwavering, they build upon whatever stirs them and make things solid, always displaying a certain amount of obstinacy in their actions.
- Taurus: (Earth, Spring, Feminine)
- Leo: (Fire, Summer, Masculine)
- Scorpio: (Water, Fall, Feminine)
- Aquarius: (Air, Winter, Masculine)
Mutable
Changeable and versatile, they are easily distracted by novelty, but very creative with everything they do.
- Gemini: (Air, Spring, Masculine)
- Virgo: (Earth, Summer, Feminine)
- Sagittarius: (Fire, Fall, Masculine)
- Pisces: (Water, Winter, Feminine)
A sign’s Quality is another ancient way of classifying the energy of a particular sign. While the elements – Fire, Earth, Air and Water – inform us about a sign’s temperament and the way it perceives it’s surroundings, the three Qualities give us insight into the various modes of action that can be adopted by the individual signs. The Qualities are the ways in which energy can be expressed. There are twelve signs, four Elements and three Qualities. Each sign, therefore, is a unique blend of Element and Quality, both separating it and connecting it to the rest of the signs, the rest of humanity.
There are twelve signs and three Qualities, so there are four signs that belong to each Quality. Air, for instance, can manifest itself as a vital life force, (the air we breathe), as a gentle southwesterly breeze, or as a gale force wind in a hurricane. These ways in which energy expresses itself are most closely associated with the sign’s Quality. It’s important to point out that the Qualities are intimately connected with the seasons and the rhythms of Nature. Understanding these connections can help us to comprehend the ways in which the Qualities work in human terms.