Strong and stable or stuck in the mud with no hope of escape? If you’re a fixed sign, you may be either – or both – of those things at any one time, but one thing’s for sure – you have particular personality traits which can be attributed to the nature of your fixed zodiac sign. Let’s take a closer look at what fixed signs are and what it means to be a fixed zodiac sign.
What are the Fixed Signs in Astrology?
The four fixed signs in astrology are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. Taurus is a fixed earth sign, Leo is a fixed fire sign, Scorpio is a fixed water sign and Aquarius is a fixed air sign.
Because each of the four fixed signs belongs to a different astrological element, the way they reveal their fixed quality in astrology is subtly different to each other.
What Does Fixed Mean in Astrology?
The word fixed comes from the Latin figere meaning to fix or to fasten in place. With fixed signs in astrology, the word fixed means exactly what you might intuitively expect it to mean – zodiac signs which are fixed in their nature and way of acting.
The fixed signs are stable and dependable. They have set ways of thinking and behaving and don’t like to change these very much. The upside of the fixed sign personality is that they are extremely reliable and always there – think salt of the earth type of person. On the other hand, this fixed nature can result in a lot of stubbornness and sometimes dogmatic beliefs. There’s a fine line between stable and stuck and the fixed zodiac signs are not always on the right side of that line!
Fixed zodiac signs like to preserve the status quo, so generally speaking they are quite traditional and conservative in their approach to life. They are also good at defending and maintaining situations they like – it’s very hard to tell a fixed sign they’re wrong, because they just won’t see it that way. They maintain a strong focus on where they’re heading and are not easily distracted from their course. Patience and tenacity are key attributes for a fixed sign and these placid individuals can take a lot before reacting.
Loyalty is another key factor in a fixed sign’s makeup, and they are especially strong on preserving relationships through hard work and patient understanding. However, the fixed sign’s dislike of change can very easily backfire upon them, and these are the zodiac signs most likely to find themselves stuck in a rut, bored or unable to manifest positive change.
What is the Significance of the Fixed Signs in Spiritual Astrology?
Spiritual or esoteric astrology is a particular branch of astrology which is concerned with the soul’s path back towards the divine cosmos. Some astrologers see the twelve zodiac signs as being symbolically representative of this path, with each sign marking a stage on the journey.
The fixed signs, together with the mutable signs and the cardinal signs, each mark a particular type of journey progress.
If you look at the calendar, you’ll notice that the four fixed signs are active during the middle of each of our four seasons. In the northern hemisphere, Taurus is active in mid-spring, Leo in mid-summer, Scorpio in mid-fall and Aquarius in mid-winter. This situation of being in the middle of a season is symbolic of the fixed sign’s spiritual roles, that of being in the middle of a journey stage, maintaining progress, solidifying learning and shoring up what has been built or accomplished so far.
In spiritual astrology, the fixed signs are the sustainers of the zodiac, responsible for upholding what has gone before. Before a fixed sign becomes active, the previous sign is always a cardinal sign, which has initiated something. It’s the job of the fixed sign to take that new beginning and manifest it into something solid and practical.
How is Each of the Fixed Signs Different?
As mentioned, each of the fixed signs belongs to a different astrological element, and this is how and why they each express their fixed quality in a slightly different manner.
Taurus is a fixed earth sign, expressing stability and consolidation of practical things, such as a person’s own talents and their material possessions. Very materially aware, Taurus is attached to the physical world, which also makes this a highly sensual sign. Unwilling to let go of the material means, Taurus can be extremely stubborn and overly cautious about risk.
Leo on the other hand is a fixed fire sign, and it expresses stability and consolidation through the protection of status and pride. Leo is driven to succeed on a personal level and seeks attention to sustain – that word again – its ego and its sense of self. Generous, warm and creative, Leo can nonetheless also be very dogmatic and demanding.
Scorpio is a fixed water sign. Because water by its nature is fluid and constantly in motion, and the fixed quality is generally thought of as still and immovable, Scorpio is one of the most misunderstood signs of the zodiac. Scorpio expresses stability and consolidation through protection of its own emotions and feelings. Hugely resourceful, because they are able to draw on some of the deepest emotions around, Scorpio is nonetheless quite a vengeful sign – if hurt, they will neither forgive nor forget.
The last fixed sign, Aquarius, is a fixed air sign, so it expresses stability and consolidation via ideas and ideals. Known as the most humanitarian of all zodiac signs, Aquarius keeps faith with lofty ideals and strives towards them. Although considered a revolutionary, wanting to create change, the underlying nature of Aquarius is fixed – it is their fixed sense of purpose which remains unwavering, even as they seek to bring the rest of humanity up to speed.
Are Fixed Signs Compatible with Cardinal Signs?
Astrological compatibility is a highly complex field and depends on much more than just what Sun sign you are and whether that Sun sign is fixed, mutable or cardinal.
However, fundamentally, there can be tension here. Because cardinal signs like to control and fixed signs refuse to budge from their own position, there can be a clash of wills with this combination. However, cardinal signs can be good for fixed signs, helping them to move forwards and get out of a rut. Likewise, fixed signs can help cardinal signs to exhibit more common sense and they can bring stability to a relationship.
Are Fixed Signs Compatible with Mutable Signs?
Again, with the caveat that astrological compatibility is much more complicated than this: yes.
Fixed signs and mutable signs can co-exist well because the mutable sign will allow the fixed sign freedom to stay set in their ways. The fixed sign partner can bring grounding and common sense to the sometimes flighty mutable partner, while the mutable sign can help the fixed sign partner to adapt and change when life gets tough.
Can You Have Too Much Fixed Quality in Your Astrology Chart?
Ideally, your birth chart will have a good balance of astrological qualities and you’ll have some fixed, some cardinal and some mutable signs active in your makeup.
You can get a quick rough idea of whether you have too much or too little fixed quality by noting the signs for your Ascendant, Sun, Moon and ruling planet. If any of those are in a fixed sign, then you probably have enough of the fixed quality.
If you don’t have very much fixed energy in your natal chart, you may lack a sense of purpose and find it difficult to get stuck into hard work. Creating very small micro-goals each day may help you to achieve more, since you tend to balk at big projects and major milestones.
If on the other hand you have lots of fixed energy in your birth chart, you may be a little bit obsessive or suffer from tunnel vision. Probably opinionated and strong-willed, you would benefit from a wider circle of friends to bring you into contact with other ideas, other cultures and other ways of being.
