Chapter One: Planet Earth

Chapter One: Planet Earth

Ancient astrologers used to think, along with the view that the Earth was the centre of the solar system, that it was the signs and planets that somehow exerted influence upon the lives and characters of the inhabitants of our planet.  In the twenty-first century we know better.  We now appreciate that there is nothing magical about either signs or planets and that they themselves exert no influence whatsoever over us.  What we have come to realise is that the constant bombardment of our planet by waves of one kind or another does have an effect upon both the planet itself and its inhabitants.  The movement of the planets, including Earth, around the Sun - the central star of our solar system - interferes with that bombardment and causes changes to the density and flow of the waves.  It is these interruptions, shown by the movements of the planets and their relationship to each other, which is the essence of today’s astrology.

The part of the constellation belt known as the Zodiac has long since moved away - and is still retreating - from the positions seen by ancient astrologers.  Nevertheless the points in space, as seen from earth when using absolute longitude remain the same.  Astrologers use absolute longitude to work out planetary positions, which are then converted to their ancient zodiacal placements for symbolic interpretation.  We know the signs themselves have no ability to influence human or animal behaviour, but nevertheless they can still provide a useful tool for identifying characteristic traits.

Earth itself is more often than not ignored by astrologers.  Because the map of the heavens (known as the natal or birth chart) is viewed from Earth, its own place on that map is disregarded as unimportant.  It shouldn’t be.  The Earth not only receives but also sends out impulses.  Its position in the heavens therefore causes changes in the ever-present wave movement and astrologers should therefore ignore it at their peril.

Earth's astrological position cannot generally be found in an ephemeris, but it is very easy to locate.  Its position is exactly opposite that of the Sun (180º apart).  Therefore if the sun is found at say, 05º 32’ Aries, then earth's position is 05º 32’ Libra.  All you need to know is the sun’s degree to be able to find the position of Earth at the moment of birth.  The following are The Polarities or the opposite signs of the zodiac.

Aries/Libra
Taurus/Scorpio
Gemini/Sagittarius
Cancer/Capricorn
Leo/Aquarius
Virgo/Pisces

Planet Earth has a specific function in a birth chart and a subtle role in astrological analysis.  The position of the Sun indicates the ego but that of the Earth shows the alter-go - one’s other self.  Earth appears to represent dormant qualities and latent resources. These seem to make themselves available in moments of crisis.  When individuals have reached the end of their tether, it is then that inner resources instinctively manifest.  They can be drawn upon at other times, proving we are aware that they are available to us.  Let’s take a look at the signs of the zodiac in sets of two, The Polarities (the relative sun and earth positions).

Aries/Libra
The astrological mix of Aries is fire/cardinal/positive; whilst Libra's is air/cardinal/positive.  They are both cardinal and positive, but have different elements: Aries fire and Libra air.

When the sun falls in Aries and earth in Libra, fire dominates air, leading to the pushily active, impulsive behaviour that is so typical of the Ram.  Aries is aggressive (as is the planet most associated with it, Mars) and it is with self-centred aggression that those with sun in this sign set out to get what they want out of life.  But people with sun in Aries also have earth in Libra therefore the latent resources of this balanced sign are also available to them.  When Aries sun-sign individuals give themselves time to think a problem through, it is Libran logic that helps them reach the right decision.  Perhaps it is also the Libra in them that makes hot-headed Aries quick to make up after arguments and rifts.  Aries rarely stays angry for long.

When the sun falls in Libra, an intellectual air sign, it is Aries that becomes the earth-sign.  This reverses the picture.  Libra is noted for its indecision.  However force a Libran into a corner and insist upon an instant decision and the likelihood is that the Aries ability to come up immediately with an answer will surface.  It may also be the Aries Earth in Libra sun-sign people that gives them their argumentative streak.  Libra folk hate discord yet contrarily seem unable to prevent themselves from arguing (they like to call it debating!)

Aries sun-sign people should take note of the positive qualities of Libra, which are: DIPLOMACY: Much needed by those with sun in Aries. IDEALISM: Aries has plenty of its own, but in a very limited, all or nothing, way. GRACE/CHARM: Something Aries really could do with a slice of.

Libra sun-signs likewise should be aware of the positive qualities of Aries, which are: CONFIDENCE/COURAGE: Libra already has plenty of guts, but needs more self-belief. BOUNDLESS ENERGY: Libra really could do with some of this; endurance is not a strong point. ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT: Again something Librans perhaps needs to cultivate, for, although a strong-minded sign, Libra often lacks self-esteem and is therefore not always prepared to take risks. ENTHUSIASM: Both signs are strong on this one, but Libra tempers it with logic and common sense.

Taurus/Scorpio
Taurus and Scorpio are both fixed, negative signs, but the Taurus element is earth, whereas Scorpio’s is water.

When the sun falls in Taurus a very earthy individual is the outcome.  Taurus is practical and cautious, extremely single-minded and obstinate.  Very often with the combination of sun Taurus/earth Scorpio and vice versa, it is the negative characteristics that tend to predominate.  Both the signs are intractable, sensuous, sexy, possessive and jealous therefore the ego and the alter ego are very much in unison - sometimes with dire results!  The positive qualities of the earth signs really do need to be called into play.

For Taurus sun-signs the positive characteristics of Scorpio are: DETERMINATION: It has plenty of its own, perhaps an overabundance. INTUITION: Scorpio intuition is strong and could be of help to practical over-cautious Taurus. EMOTIONAL DEPTH: Taurus is sensuous and passionate (as is Scorpio) but is not at ease with emotional tides - preferring safety to excitement. EXCITING MAGNETISM: If Taurus could draw on this Scorpio trait it would enhance its rather dull, if pleasantly pleasing, external image.

For Scorpio sun-signs, the positive Taurus traits are: PATIENCE: Scorpio is not short on this except when dealing with people on a personal, emotional level, then it could do with a little extra. RELIABILITY: Again Scorpio is normally reliable, that is unless it lets pent-up emotions get the upper hand. LOVING NATURE: Scorpio is affectionate and caring but when sex rears its head then a purely physical, totally selfish, need takes over. Taurus is warm-hearted and loving, particularly in the area of romance.  A physical relationship for Taurus requires two-way satisfaction for both parties - Scorpio sun-signs take heed! PRACTICALITY: Scorpio can let emotions get in the way of practical results.  The Taurean need for material security could be drawn upon in this respect.

Gemini/Sagittarius
Gemini and Sagittarius are both mutable and positive, but Gemini is an air sign, while Sagittarius is fire.  Both signs are restless and changeable by nature.

Gemini is a clever sign but it can be unemotional and cold.  It is essentially light-hearted and friendly, but often lacks depth.  Unless it combines with some 'heavier' signs in a birth chart, its presence can indicate superficiality.  Geminians can be great fun to be with, full of gaiety and laughter, quick witted and lively, but cannot always be relied upon to deliver the goods.  Gemini should look to the positive Sagittarius traits for help in this respect.

OPTIMISM: Gemini can appear optimistic, but this can be an up front cover up of the rather insecure inner being. HONESTY: Gemini really does need this one! Geminians are not noted for being liberal with the truth.  Back them into a corner and their first line of defence is likely to be a lie and a most plausible one at that. PHILOSOPHICAL OUTLOOK: Gemini is too busy rushing about trying to avoid boredom to be philosophical, which is a pity as it does have the capacity to be profound.

Sagittarius has a much warmer feel to it but it too can be restless and superficial.  There is however a greater chance of restraining these traits than there is with Gemini.  Sagittarian individuals should look to the positive Gemini traits, which are: ADAPTABILITY: Sagittarius is reasonably adaptable itself but Gemini traits could add supreme versatility. COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS: Gemini combines intelligence with gregarious eloquence.  Sagittarius could learn much from its ability to convey even the truth in an inoffensive manner - diplomacy is not a Sagittarian strong point!  Sagittarius is communicative, in fact like Gemini it can and does display busybody tendencies, but Sagittarian communication is far more brutally honest.

Cancer/Capricorn
Both signs are cardinal and negative but Cancer’s element is of the emotionally motivated water group while Capricorn’s is practical earth.  In this polarity the two opposites show themselves very strongly.  Cancer is possibly the most emotional of all the signs - yes, even more than Scorpio and Pisces; its water element partners - while Capricorn is definitely the least.  The two have therefore much to gain from each other.

Sun-sign Cancer is a deep reservoir of emotional sensitivity, prone to sudden mood swings.  It is touchy, sometimes downright 'crabby', but also nurturing, caring and protective.  It is quietly ambitious and seeks both emotional and material security.  This sensitive sun-sign should look to the practical, unemotional, qualities of earth in Capricorn for assistance:

DISCIPLINED ATTITUDE: Cancer is disciplined in some respects, but lets emotions sway it. PRUDENCE: Cancer is careful and protective but lacks the emotional detachment of Capricorn.  Capricorn would never allow the heart to rule the head. AMBITION: Cancer has plenty of this on its own account, but may not be as straightforward in its application as Capricorn, or as patient in its long-term planning. HUMOROUS: Surprisingly Capricorn is one of the most humorous of all the signs, having a delightful sense of the ridiculous, although sometimes its sense of humour reveals a cruel inclination.  Laughter helps to ease the senses in a harsh, materialistic world.  Cancer has a sense of humour but finds it difficult to laugh at itself, a skill it would do well to develop.

Capricorn as a sun-sign produces the quiet, steady, ambitious, go-getter.  Life is a serious business.  Finances are of priority importance, as is status.  Capricornians climb their way steadily upwards, always aiming for the top.  Emotions can interfere with this endeavour and therefore, quite early on in life, are shackled and kept out of harm's way.  Without its essential ability to laugh, life for Capricorn sun-sign people would be very dour indeed.  It should look to positive Cancerian traits to ease this situation:

EMOTIONAL DEPTH: While Cancerians often find the swell of their own emotions over-whelming, some measure of their unfathomable depths would benefit materialistic Capricornians. INTUITIVE: Capricorn is careful and practical, with much common sense, but if it could draw on its opposite’s in-built intuition, the advantages would be immeasurable. PROTECTIVE/SYMPATHETIC: Capricorn is protective by nature; it certainly protects property and finances.  It is also protective towards those who fall under its care (both personal and business) but it often manifests this in an unsympathetic way.  Life is hard and sentimentality, even sympathy, can be viewed as an unnecessary luxury.  Capricorn really could do with a sprinkling of Cancer's gentler understanding.

Leo/Aquarius
Both signs are fixed and positive but Leo is a fire sign and Aquarius air.  Both signs need to be noticed; both are fixed in their opinions.  Leo is warm-hearted and out-going by nature whereas, albeit naturally friendly, Aquarius nevertheless presents to the world a somewhat cold and detached persona.

Sun-sign Leo has a great deal going for it.  Not the least of which is its attractive and extrovert personality.  People automatically like Leos.  They may get a bit fed-up with the constant showing-off, but still appreciate the fact that they are good to have around.  There is something wonderfully reassuring about them; full of self-confidence, brimming with their own self-worth, and generally jovial and entertaining.  Is there anything then for this sun-sign to draw from its cold, detached Aquarius Earth?  There certainly is:

HUMANITARIAN OUTLOOK: Leos are sometimes so full of their own ideas and interests that they tend to forget other people’s wants and needs. ORIGINALITY: Leo is bright and entertaining but not always over-original. INDEPENDENCE: There is a strange anomaly about self-sufficient, self-assured Leos; they really do need people.  It may only be so that they can claim what they see as their rightful place, namely the centre of attention. Sometimes it is in order to take control, (the power-freaks in human society often have a Leo sun-sign). Whatever the reason, Leos can develop a dependence on others. INTELLECTUALITY: Leo could do with help in this respect because, whilst it is an enormously creative sign, which is certainly never dull in its thinking, it limits itself through an inability to see the other person's point of view.

Aquarius is a naturally friendly sign yet as a sun-sign it can be a rather cold placing.  It is original, idealistic and intellectual in make-up, like Capricorn it prefers to keep emotions under control; but for very different reasons.  Capricorn emotions interfere with ambition.  Aquarius however, simply lacks understanding.  It often feels uncomfortable when relationships begin to get too close. Aquarians find emotions, even their own, incomprehensible and troubling.  As friends they are dependable, wonderfully supportive and caring, but begin to move in too close and they’ll automatically back off.  A fear of losing their all-important independence may be the root cause of this trait.  Aquarius should draw on the warm, positive traits of its Leo earth-sign.

GENEROSITY: Leos are generous, not necessarily materialistically, but they do have a generous spirit. BROAD-MINDED: Aquarius likes to see itself as the ultimate forward thinker, innovative and original, but it can be very narrow minded, sticking doggedly to its own ideas and opinions. CREATIVE: Aquarius is inventive and original, add to that some Leo creativity and sparkle and the results could be tremendous. ORGANISED: add this trait to the Aquarian humanitarian outlook and the benefits would be unlimited.

Virgo/Pisces
Virgo and Pisces are both mutable and negative signs but Virgo’s element is earth, whilst Pisces is water.  Like the other two mutable polarities, Gemini and Sagittarius, they have restless natures; Virgo in a highly-strung, nervous way and Pisces in a super-sensitive, emotional one.

Sun-sign Virgo is a very difficult sign, possibly the most complex of all to analyse and understand.  It is practical and cautious, fussy, meticulous over details and a natural worrier.  Its highly-strung nervous system can lead to inner tension, which often erupts in physical ailments, the stomach or bowels being particularly sensitive.  Relaxation does not come easily to it.  Virgos should look to the positive traits of earth in Pisces for assistance.

IMAGINATIVE: Virgo is a bit short on imagination preferring instead to rely on practical logic. SENSITIVE: Virgo is sensitive but turns away from feelings in order to avoid the hurt they may bring.  This sun-sign can consciously smoother its own emotions in order to save itself the pain of entanglement. COMPASSIONATE: Virgo is kind and can be extremely unselfish, particularly in a working environment (at home it may be totally selfish!)  The caring professions appeal to its nature; the medical profession in particular, but even here it can display an outwardly cold, detached personality, being critically analytical rather than compassionately sympathetic. UNWORLDLY: Virgo is materialistically inclined; being practical in the extreme.  Worldly monetary concerns are of vital important.  A touch of it opposite’s ethereal, rather dreamy character would definitely its often harsh exterior.

Sun-sign Pisces is super-sensitive and very vulnerable; it could certainly do with some of the analytical, critical qualities of its earth sign.  Pisces is highly emotional, gently creative and greatly compassionate, but often without the necessary get-up-and-go to put these positive traits to good use.  The positive Virgo qualities could be drawn upon to great advantage:

METICULOUS: Pisces can be downright untidy, even in its thinking. Virgo’s analytically logical thinking and meticulous attention to detail would help clear some of its emotional clutter. RELIABLE: Pisces really cares; it really, really, cares, but is not overly reliable; basically because it is too easily diverted by deserving causes and far too easily swayed by stronger personalities. DILIGENT: let's face it, Pisces can be a downright lazy sign.  It is poor at putting effort into anything - except perhaps its own creative endeavours, but even then it will be in a haphazard kind of way. INTELLIGENT: Pisces thinking can be a bit blurred.  Emotions interfere with clarity of thought.  It needs to draw on the clear, analytical thought processes of Virgo in order to enhance its mental capabilities.

Before ending this chapter let us take a look at two examples of sun/earth polarities in practice.

Sir Winston Churchill
Britain's wartime leader, Winston Spencer Churchill, was a Sagittarian by sun-sign.  He displayed the characteristics of this sign very strongly, being forthright and honest, often brutally so, highly intelligent and politically astute. In his youth he preferred sport and leisure pursuits, not to mention the lure of military danger, to academic endeavour (all very Sagittarian.)  He had a forceful presence that could not easily be ignored.  Like or loath, you couldn’t fail to notice him

His Gemini earth placing came into its own during the crisis years of the Second World War.  It was to the communicative skills of Gemini that Churchill turned to keep up the moral of the British people during the dark, dreadful years when they stood alone against a seemingly unstoppable enemy and when invasion seemed inevitable.  It was still with Sagittarian honesty and bravery that he used these skills, promising nothing but "blood, sweat and tears" and to "fight them on the beaches", etc.  But nevertheless it was his magnificent ability to communicate feelings of hope, together with an honest belief in victory as the final outcome, which lifted the spirits of a tired, war-weary public.

His communicative abilities also came to his own aid after the war when he felt deserted and spurned by the British public.  He set about writing his great literary work; significantly entitled, "A History of the English Speaking Peoples".  It was for this endeavour that he attained what he personally believed to be his greatest achievement: the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Sir Winston managed to utilise to the full the positive propensities of his Geminian Earth. The next example also drew significantly on his earth-sign; this time though it was its negative traits that were utilised - with terrible consequences.

Adolph Hitler
Adolph Hitler was a sun-sign Taurus, which means that his earth-sign was Scorpio. It was the obsessive, extreme tendencies of Scorpio, which were the essence of his anti-Semitic, fascist regime and which culminated in the introduction of his "Final Solution" - the results of which we know today as The Holocaust.

What caused the negative traits rather than the positive ones to manifest?  Well first of all, Hitler's chart is altogether a negative one; full of difficult aspects.  On top of which his sun lay in obstinate Taurus and his earth in equally obstinate Scorpio. With either of these signs once an opinion is formed, rightly or wrongly, it is formed for life.  But even more significantly, when the Sun falls in Taurus the position of Earth assumes a greater importance for the individual.  Its traits show in the general characteristics not only as the alter ego.  Why should this be?

My personal believe is that Planet Earth co-rules the sign of Taurus and therefore it is a blend of Taurus and Scorpio, together with sign in which the other co-ruler, Venus, is found (Hitler's Venus lay in self-centred, impulsive, aggressive, Aries), that make up the conscious characteristics of the individual.

The next chapter examines and explains co-rulership and takes a look at how they work in chart analysis.