Modes of the 12 Zodiac Signs

We’re back with another Birth Chart Basic! This week, we’re covering the Modes—qualities—of the 12 Zodiac Signs. Modes define the expression + energetic approach of each sign.

There are 3 unique Modes in the chart

Cardinal

Aries, Capricorn, Libra, Cancer

Fixed

Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, Scorpio

Mutable

Sagittarius, Virgo, Gemini, Pisces

Remember how the elements defined the “vibes” of each sign? Well, think of Modes as the filter which applies the energy, how we act in that energy, and our preferred plans of action to express our authentic nature.

Each zodiac sign has a Mode, so we find + tally our modalities in the same way we tallied our elements: look at the sign placement of the planets in the chart, and then apply the qualities of the mode + the element of that sign to the area of your life ruled by each planet.

The purpose of learning each layer of meaning in the birth chart separately is that we have built a foundation of understanding which makes each new layer that much easier to apply + understand. We wouldn’t be able to play a tune from a sheet of music if we didn’t know what all the lines + symbols + spaces were trying to tell us.

How would you string a coherent thought from a language without knowing what the words mean, or even deeper, what each letter sounds like or stands for—catch my drift? Astrology feels like learning an entirely new language, where the glyphs + symbols of all the components are like letters, the connections express coherent statements, the birth chart is the larger test of proficiency—is it a language you can not only grasp on a textbook level...do you know the connotations + slang + nuances of all the moving parts within it?

All of this is a long way of saying that it’s cool to be patient with ourselves as we absorb each new layer of Astrology, knowing that mastery of the discipline is equatable to a lifetime of speaking a language that is entirely new to you.

I encourage you to sit with the information provided in the Birth Chart Basics leading up to this post or invest in an astrological book to deepen your now growing practice, which are all linked in the Astro resource master-list as the end of this blog.

If you’re ready, and you feel confident in your understanding of the planets, the signs, the houses, and the elements in the birth chart, then get ready to have even more a-ha! revelations through learning the Modes and how we can utilize their qualities like astrological, authentic super powers for our self-actualization.

Cardinal—The Starter

Aries (Spring) + Cancer (Summer) + Libra (Autumn) + Capricorn (Winter)

Cardinal Modalities get shit started, get “the ball rolling,” get the fire burning. It’s no coincidence that the four cardinal signs are the bringers of each season. Cardinal modality is one of entrepreneurship—spot the problem + opportunity, be the first to act on it or solve it. Cardinal signs do not hesitate, they initiate.

Like the elements, we may not have an ideal balance of our modalities. Too many cardinal signs could leave you unlikely to follow through on things, making you the starter of a handful of potentially great successes that wind up half-baked or abandoned.

If there aren't enough cardinal qualities in the chart, it may be difficult to begin working on your true purpose + realized aspirations—leading to procrastination, a heart full of dreamy motivations but no evidence or satisfaction of the creative process.

finding cardinal balance

The remedy + call to action for cardinal heavy charts is to team up with other modalities to help you follow through on your vision. Cardinal lacking charts will benefit from rallying partners, coaches, and inspiring role models to ignite the motivation to start.

Fixed—The Constant

Taurus (Spring) + Leo (Summer) + Scorpio (Autumn) + Aquarius (Winter)

Fixed modalities bring on the staying power. These signs are consistent, persistent, and reliable. If cardinal signs are the entrepreneurs, then the fixed signs would be the CFO’s, the project managers—you get the picture, they’re organized.

Fixed energy buys into the hot new idea + goal and uses practical strategies + enduring devotion to follow through on the completion + manifestation of them. Think of this mode in the literal sense: fixation—a refusal to abandon an idea or a goal before it comes to fruition.

Fixation can be a hindering energy if it is not managed authentically. Fixed modality struggles with unexpected change, because their focus on “how things are” would be compromised or complicated by any unforeseen variables. Fixed likes control.

Lacking fixed energy could manifest as a lack of commitment or persistence in pursuit of your desires + your purpose.

Finding Fixed Balance

Fixed heavy charts will need to lean on mutable signs + cardinal signs to help with flexibility + spontaneity. Fixed lacking charts will need to lean on fixed signs to help them carry out their big plans + visions.

Mutable—The Modifier

Gemini (Spring) + Virgo (Summer) + Sagittarius (Autumn) + Pisces (Winter)

The nature of mutable signs is flexible and adaptable. Mutable energy takes on changes with ease and pivot in the face of any obstacle or circumstance set in their way. Each new turn leads mutable signs down a new path of discovery—quenching their innate thirst for variety and stimulation in their lives + relationships.

We go to our mutable peers when we need to think out of the box, when we are unable to see the infinite possibilities that exist beyond our closed perception of our circumstances.

Highly mutable charts can fall victim to being wandering souls. The constant impulse to pivot could be for inauthentic turns that lead us away from our highest purpose—becoming lost or losing our sense of self on our path.

Mutable lacking charts will struggle deeply to adapt or change when called to. These charts lend toward the qualities of stability + strong opinions.

Finding Mutable Balance

Super mutable charts will benefit from the persistent nature of fixed signs. Mutable lacking charts will benefit from other mutable signs to teach them how to compromise and cooperate in the face of change.

Here’s a recap on how everything we’ve covered so far in the Birth Chart Basics relate to each other:

Planets are WHAT is being expressed.

The Signs—given their elemental energy + mode of action—are HOW the planet’s function is being expressed.

The Houses are WHERE in your life, from love to career, the expressions are taking place.

The North Node tells us where we’re going—our character arc—in this cosmic theater, and the South Node reveals our karmic path, what we’re called to shed or reprogram for our character’s development.

Our perception of 3D physical reality—that’s the stage where all of these things play out. The birth chart tells us the role we were meant to play, the lines which will propel our plot, the general themes we’ll face throughout the performance. Our connection to our faith, our own pursuit of fulfilling our purpose, is the drive to perform when we don’t even know how the hell we got on stage in the first place or what happens when the roses are thrown and the curtains fall.

I hope that long, theatrical metaphor helps you understand your part in the bigger picture of the universe, how we’re all the star of our own show—according to our ego—but our part is merely a supporting role in an ensemble of other autonomous egos, with the cosmos calling the shots while also directing us toward a standing ovation—whatever that means to us. The energy of your character, the traits which make that part uniquely yours, are expressed thanks to your modality.

The more we cover, the more we can uncover moving forward! I’m proud of us for making it so far already, and I’m excited to get a little more complex beyond the basics. I’m also taking my time to research + process + reread + practice everything we’ve learned so far about astrology. There is no rush to learn this language, and the fun manifests in the process of discovering ourselves along the way.

Ready to dive deeper? Send me a DM on instagram about the dominant modality of your birth chart, and how you might be able to harness those superpowers to help you pursue or uncover your purpose.

Check out the links in the astrology resource list below to learn even more about the birth chart, the cosmos, and the part we play in this celestial show we call Livin’.

Stay safe, stay well, stay present!