Mythology by Carolyn Joyce, M.A.
QUADRUPLICITIES AND TRIPLICITIES
The consulting astrologer's task is to read a horoscope and thereby interpret a symbolic language for the benefit of another person. The birth chart represents many things: the mandala or map of someone's character; the destiny of an individual; the timing for events in someone's life; a set of possibilities; the family dynamics or psychology of a person; the historical context of the times into which someone is born. As well, a natal horoscope can be read on several levels, including a personal level, on a historical one, on a karmic or metaphysical level.
As astrologers, we read the totality of the horoscope - the ascendant, angles,
luminaries, planets, as well as their positions on a 360°circle, and their
aspect relation within the chart as a whole. We take other factors into consideration
such as nodes, declinations and parallels, transits, progressions, mid-points,
asteroids and other points in the chart. Each astrologer uses the tools of
our trade that work best for us individually whether for predictive work,
for psychological insight, for metaphysical understanding or for practical
guidance. There are many techniques available for the contemporary astrologer
to use to read a horoscope. There are also many reasons why someone seeks
an astrological consultation. For the most part, astrologers hone their skills
as best they can, and offer the client what they are capable of offering.
In other words, we do our best.
But no matter how sophisticated we are, as astrologers, there is a value
in considering the basic astrological concepts in order to deepen our knowledge
of a complex and dynamic discipline, namely astrology. Every time we go deeper
into seeing with compassion and clarity even one small portion of astrological
knowledge, we become more visionary in our work.
With that in mind, I want to look at the crosses and the elements. My first
astrology mentor, a wonderful medium and astrologer, was the third generation
woman in her family to practice astrology and tarot. She survived two world
wars in Germany. Growing up during the first one, she was taught the occult
arts by her grandmother. In the Second World War she served in the underground,
saving lives. In fact, her psychic abilities saved her own life when she went
up before the Gestapo for her activities in the underground. She told me to
learn everything I could about each sign because to have a true depth of understanding
of the twelve types of the zodiac was significant. After all, we can't "remodel"
people, but we can understand their true natures, work within that framework,
and we can be of help.
Astrology is not a mechanical discipline - it involves the astrologer's participation
on many levels - intellectual, emotional, psychic, spiritual, intuitive. There
are no absolute 'formulas' - every chart is unique, each person we read for
has different needs. Some people need the comfort of knowing what will happen
next, in order to make decisions and plan; others need the comfort of self-knowledge
and connection to their inner self - again we do our best, as astrologers,
to address the questions and needs of our clients.
There are certain things in astrology that are best learned as applicable
skills. There are other concepts that involve shades of meaning and that need
to be learned in a different way through reflection, meditation, perception,
thought, observation. In other words, we actively learn some techniques and
methods of practicing astrology; whereas we absorb meaning. Slowly, over time.
We also need to know how to distinguish between theory and experience - and
how to locate the truth - and how to know how to distinguish between theory
and experience - and how to locate the truth somewhere in the marriage between
the two. It is, after all, the crosses and elements together that serve to
distinguish each of the twelve signs of the zodiac from each other.
The three modes, cardinal, fixed and mutable are so basic that often we don't
pay much attention to them. But each of us lives out our lives according to
the one mode by the sun sign alone; in addition, there will often be other
groupings of planets by sign, house position or angles that give chart 'the
flavour' of one mode over another. I have found that usually one mode is more
clearly dominant than the other two, in some noticeable way. It is always
interesting when a person has their sun in one mode and yet their ascendant
and Moon or most of their other planets in an other mode. Often the ascendant
and one of the luminaries is in the same mode. Before we have begun to work
with the chart in any detailed way, we can notices the modes and what that
means with regard to the person on whose behalf we are working.
Quadruplicities refer to modes of activity - how we go about doing things
in life. And this is indeed important, because how we go about doing things
in a large part determines what we will do and how we will do it. The modes
describe our differing methods of creativity. Whether we are geared for action
in the present, planning and envisioning the future, or reclaiming wisdom
from the past has to do with the quadruplicities. The cardinal cross consists
of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. These are the angular signs. They
are able to initiate action, start new enterprises, direct and lead others.
The are what we call 'self-starters'!
A while back I did an informal study of birth dates of approximately 200
Canadian CEO's. I discovered that it wasn't necessarily the money signs such
as Scorpio or Taurus nor the leadership sign of Leo that dominated. Interestingly
enough, if you want to be a CEO, you'd better try to be born as a Cancer or
a Libra! In Canada, there are 26 CEO's with Cancer birth dates and 23 Libras.
The next two highest numbers were Aries and Taurus with 20 each. And on it
went down to Pisces, with the lowest of all, 4.* In terms of modes, it was
definitely the angular cardinal signs that were CEO material! And not Aries
and Capricorn as one might have thought but Cancer and Libra. To be a CEO
you have to work with people, be a team player but also a leader - you need
to be able to take charge, take action, get out there and DO. It is important
to remember this when you make suggestions to your cardinal mode clients.
Be careful what you suggest because they may very well act on you advice,
and act promptly and forcefully. They usually able to be self-starters, they
are, after all, CEO material! They may, however, be more resistant to phrase
your counsel in such a way as to make it appear to be their own idea! When
working with cardinal mode clients you may sometimes feel like you are not
getting through to them. But once they have a new idea and once they can convince
themselves it really did come from them, watch out, they will initiate action
and go for it!
The fixed cross signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Unfortunately,
with the fixed modes clients you will definitely feel like you are beating
your head against a wall if you DARE to ask them to change their course of
action! Take in a new idea - unheard of! Usually, consultation with a fixed
mode individual consists not so much in in-putting new information but rather
in diplomatically suggesting they may consider rethinking their present modus
operandi in small way.
This needs to be a subtle process! The more you push, the firmer the fixed
mode individual will dig in their heels and protest "But I have always
done it this way." However, once pointed in the right direction, these
individuals will persist, work hard, set goals, overcome obstacles. Therefore
getting fixed clients onto the best path for them is of utmost importance,
because once on a given path they reach the goal or achieve the future-oriented
end they have set their sights on.
When doing astrological consulting work for a fixed mode client remember to
be diplomatic, ask for small changes, work within their own framework as much
as possible and try to give a different angle on their thinking. Realize that
if they actually decide to act upon your counsel, their actions could be carried
out to an extreme or fanatical end. So as well as being persuasive in a non-confrontational
way, be careful of helping to keep that individual on their true path, since
their ability to deviate from a given course of action once started on is
limited.
The quadruplicity of mutable signs, Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces
is completely different from the cardinal and fixed modes. Cardinal is here
and now; the fixed cross is in the future; the mutable mode is able to loop
back and bring to us the riches of the past. The mutable signs are able to
bring the past with them and incorporate what they have learned into how they
need to act and adapt and change to fit the present. Their greatest strength
is their ability to be flexible, to meld into a new persona, new role, new
mode of thinking whenever necessary. They don't break under pressure - they
simply bend and adapt. And, mutable mode individuals are actually capable
of learning from past experience and making necessary changes to incorporate
what they have learned. They know there is more than one way to skin a cat!
As long as they can decide which way is best for them!
Often mutable mode clients need help in making decisions, making a plan,
and sticking to it. It is a wonderful virtue to be able to see both sides
of an issue. But, since the modes are how we go about acting, doing, being
creative, carrying out activities in life, we usually have to limit our choices
in order to actually pursue a course of action. And, being a human, we can
usually only do one thing at a time. (Although Geminis certainly talk on the
telephone and do almost everything else they need to do at the same time!)
The Billy Crystal movie, "City Slickers" featured Jack Palance
in the supporting actor role, for which Palance received Academy Award recognition.
He played the part of the old, wise, seasoned, experience, weather-beaten,
hard-hearted, been-there/done-that cowboy who told his greenhorns the secret
of life: "one thing" was the kernel of his life's wisdom. Too much
flexibility, too many sides of an issue, being too adaptable, can be a detriment
to action. The consulting astrologer can help individuals with mutable mode
to use discernment and clarity to help the define their actions (as in the
current television ads for 'clarity'!) With these individuals, it becomes
a sorting out process. Priorities are important. They need help in refraining
from "riding off in all directions at once!" if you can help these
clients to focus, they will be able to put into action the versatility and
adaptability and past learning to successfully follow a single course of action.
"My study of the birth dates of CEO's in Canada was informal and did
not take into statistical account greater or lesser birth rates during different
months. However, this is the breakdown of CEOs in Canada according to their
birth dates: Cancer - 26, Libra - 23; Aries and Taurus - 20 each; Virgo and
Leo - 15 each; Scorpio - 13; Aquarius - 12; Capricorn - 11; Gemini - 10; Sagittarius
- 6; and Pisces - 4.
The modes or crosses, as delineated in the first part (see the above)of my
article (THE GUILD NEWS, vol. 9, issue 4) are accurate in their description
of how we go about doing things in life. The modes describe our different
methods of both creativity and activity. The triplicities indicate tendencies
of our individual temperaments. The elements describe who we are, our innate
dispositions. There are four signs in each mode (hence quadruplicity) and
three signs in each element (hence triplicity).
When we approach a horoscope, the combination of mode and elements can tell
us a great deal, immediately. The modes and elements are the building blocks
for an understanding of the entire horoscope, just as the primary colours
are the basis for our wonderful world full of colour. It is when the four
elements are combined with the three modes that we have the twelve distinct
astrological signs, representing twelve personality types, or twelve fields
of energy, or twelve archetypal patterns for human temperament and behaviour.
The zodiacal signs are remarkably descriptive in their ability to pinpoint
how a person will behave, both in temperament and action. From the primary
colours, the combinations of colour, shades, hues becomes seemingly endless,
just as interpretations of a horoscope can involve myriad techniques and nuances
of meanings. But when we consider the dominance of modes in a horoscope and
the balance or imbalance of elements, we then have a firm basis for interpretation.
The four elements are one of the major foundations of humanist thought that
are used throughout history and in different cultures as a model for describing
human nature. The number four is of tremendous significance in both the natural
and metaphysical worlds. There are four quarters of the world, four winds,
four elements, four seasons. The horoscope has four quadrants; Buddhism describes
the four-fold path; there are four stages of man's life. Ancients described
four physical and emotional humours: choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and
phlegmatic. Swiss psychologist Carl Jung classified four personality types:
sensation, intuition, thinking, and feeling. However, it is in astrology that
we have an extremely detailed and accurate depiction of innate temperament
through the four astrological elements with the triplicity of three signs
in each element.
An individual's Sun is their vital I AM energy---a person is said to be "in
their element" or "out of their element." Who we are can be
related by our Sun's energy, by element and mode. The element of our Sun sign
can effect how we experience life. We need to live in harmony with our own
element---we need to be in that element in order for us each to feel fully
alive, in tune with our own I AM energy center.
The triplicity of fire signs, Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius are active, positive,
willful, impatient, aggressive, and inspired. The earth triplicity of Taurus,
Virgo, and Capricorn are able to utilize their senses, their concrete abilities,
their patience, discipline and endurance. The water triplicity of Cancer,
Scorpio, and Pisces possesses the capability for deep emotions, connectedness,
subjectivity, sensitivity, and intuitive perceptiveness. The air triplicity
is Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. Air signs need to circulate, think, dream,
mingle, conceptualize, and socialize.
Earth and water signs are further described as feminine, passive, or yin;
while fire and air signs are masculine, active, or yang.
There is a direct connection between the signs and their literal elements.
When working with clients, it is important to determine whether or not the
person is living in their element; in order for them to be healthy, to feel
their energies are recharged, rather than depleted. It is also significant
when there is a distinct over-balance of an element or when there is an element
completely missing in a chart. For example, an air person needs ideas, socializing,
and mental stimulation. A life of mind-numbing physical work would not be
a satisfying path for an air sign. Fire signs need to be active, taking initiative,
making projects begin. I have recently lived through my Aries mother's long
convalescence from knee surgery. She has hated being tied down, unable to
get up, go, and try to do more at age 77 than I can sometimes do in a day!
Watch an earth person who lives and works in a downtown, glass and concrete environment find ways to connect to Mother Earth. My Capricorn step-son, pursuing his university degree in literature and psychology, has found a summer job working in an apple orchard-"in his element"---as a way to recharge his batteries and counter-balance city living and book studying.
For the ancients an imbalance in the four humours resulted in sickness. I
have observed my son, from a young age on, empty the hot water tank in his
daily showers, to get water into his system, as he lacks water in his chart.
He has always preferred to live near the ocean; he spent three years living
in Cape Town, and dreams of living in Hawaii. His first love was for a young
woman with a Pisces Sun and a Scorpio Moon. We can often find our "missing
element" through our relationships with significant others. My earth
and water husband has spent a lifetime lighting fires; his chart is low in
fire. He always says "I love a fire" and if he hears a fire engine
go by, off he races to see the blaze.
We need to live in our element; and we need a balance of elements. I have
two male clients with no earth in their charts who both drive---for hours
at a time---whenever they feel stressed or emotionally upset. Driving the
car grounds them. It's a practical, concrete, concentrated activity. Driving
makes them feel reconnected to the ground of their own being, when stressed
out.
As astrologers, we can be of great help in assisting individuals in their
understanding of how to keep in tune with their own element, and how to rebalance
the lack of an element in their chart. People with no fire in their chart
need attention, they sometimes need to be told they're great! They need help
getting going---they might look for another person to be their "fire
cracker!" No earth individuals need security, love and emotional grounding.
No air persons can sometimes compensate by becoming perpetual students who
are overly intellectual. A no water individual can become astonishing emotional---about
almost anything---over-reacting since emotions are not their natural element.
Our Sun's element reveals our basic, inner force. It shows how a person will
see life and feel life and behave. If earth is our element, we are capable
of living in the here and now. We can be practical in how we fulfill our needs.
We are cautious, dependable, patient, and able to persist and exercise self-discipline.
In Taurus, we are earth and fixed; in Virgo, earth and mutable; in Capricorn,
earth and cardinal.
When water is our element, we are in tune with our unconscious mind. We are
capable of feeling deep emotions, but we can also be secretive. Our sensitivity
can become intuitive and psychic. We tend to experience life subjectively.
In Cancer, our mode is cardinal; in Scorpio, it is fixed; in Pisces, our mode
is mutable.
Those of us whose energy is represented by the air element are creative and
can be dreamers; we love to generate theories, ideas, and concepts. We can
be objective, and yet are also sometimes accused of being impractical dreamers.
However, logos or thought is necessary to give birth to social organization
and action. Gemini is air and mutable; Libra is air and cardinal; Aquarius
is air and fixed.
When fire is our element, we are able to radiate universal energy. We are
the essence of the life force---asserting our own identity, warming others
with our enthusiasm, brimming with faith in life and the cosmos. We can be
a source of inspiration, and lead others to action. Aries is cardinal fire;
Leo is fixed fire; Sagittarius is mutable fire.
One of the greatest gifts astrology can offer us is insight into our own
natures, as well as tolerance and understanding for those who are not like
us. With the perception astrology offers, we can accept that each person needs
to live in their own element, and act according to their own mode. Astrology
is humanistic in its deepest delineation of the nature of our temperaments
and personality traits. If 'character is destiny' we can always benefit from
an ongoing meditation upon the facets of human nature revealed to us through
the crosses and elements.
Carolyn Joyce is a poet and astrologer who was born in Vancouver. She has an M.A. in literature from Simon Fraser University. She has lived in Montreal for the past nine years. In addition to astrology and literature her areas of study are creativity, mythology, archetypal and Jungian psychology. She has written a book called the Aquariansymbols with her husband. Check out her website www.Aquariansymbols.com or e-mail her at Carolyn@Aquariansymbols.com
© Carolyn Joyce, M.A. 2001-2002
