The Clash of the Zodiac: Subjective vs. Objective

I’ve been engrossed with writing and researching for my astrology book, the Zodiac Abstract. And I came across a polarity between the first and last 6 signs of the zodiac that I wanted to explore in pithy depth. The psychological and emotional perspectives vary from sign to sign and element to element, but the most drastic variation occurs between the hemispheres of the wheel. And that is where you’ll find the Zodiac Clash.

The first half of the zodiac, from Aries to Virgo, is the most slanted portion. All those six signs know is their inner awareness. They take things very personally and they hurt easily. It is difficult for them to empathize with other people because of their lack of wisdom and experience.

This isn’t meant to imply that the 6 signs are totally self-centered. All of the signs are self-absorbed in their own unique way, but not all of them are as subjective as Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo. This group has difficulty splitting their viewpoints from reality, because they actually believe their viewpoints are, in fact, reality.

Perspective, objectivity, and disconnected indifference are not instincts of the first 6 signs.

Now, the second half can be just as self-involved, but they aren’t as sensitive as the first half. What I mean to say is, they aren’t as affected and don’t take things so personally. This often affects their thoughtfulness.

Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and yes, even Pisces can be considered very indifferent signs.

Pisces may come as a surprise, because the mutable water sign is notoriously associated with compassion, and is often labelled gullible.The Fish are unconcerned with the incentives of their fellow man. Pisceans are compassionate and merciful, but they are not condemnatory in any way.

You’ll never find a person born  under this sign trying to influence or interfere in someone’s life like Cancer or Aries. Instead, the Fish adopts a belief that a person’s life is theirs to live, and Pisces will not be the one who give a sermon on morality. Ethics are, like Pisces, ambiguous, and therefore subject to different interpretations.

Meddlesome Cancer, however, being a traditionalist at heart, has an idea of how people should go about life. This idea is fashioned by Cancer’s prejudice, which is often a side effect of their home life. Cancer always remains somewhat of a child no matter how old they get, and they find it tough to break away from the bigotries of Mom and Dad.

Scorpio lies somewhere in the middle gray area between Cancer’s snooping and Pisces’ pacifism. The Scorpion, inheriting Libra’s sense of justice, judges only when there is an act of war or unnecessary gain. Cancers, confused by their subjectivity, think everything is an unnecessary act of war. Crabs have a tendency to preoccupy themselves things that don’t, or at least, shouldn’t directly affect them, acting like the parents of the world. There is both maturity and apathy in Scorpio that resists this Cancerian hyper-concern.

All of the water signs are, to a certain degree subjective and empathetic, but because Scorpio and Pisces come later in the circle, they aren’t roused as easily as Cancer.

The second half of the zodiac isn’t easy to fool, because experience (and sometimes suspicion) comes naturally to them.

Take for example the 2 air signs, Libra and Aquarius. These two airheads are worlds different from Gemini, who can be as sensitive to criticism and hurt as a child. Because Libra and Aquarius belong to the air element, they still have an inbred interest in people, but it’s completely unemotional.

Gemini wants to learn about people and things in an effort to hopefully find the one idea or person who can pull all the pieces of the Twins together. Their inner curiosity of self is directed out towards the world, and they are likely to project their fears and insecurities onto others.

Nondiscriminatory Libra, represented by the Scales is sort of the zodiac’s judge. They impartially cherry-pick facts that directly affect the balance (or imbalance) of harmony. It’s (literally) nothing personal with Libra. Neither Libra nor Aquarius is concerned with the emotional motive behind an act, statement, or person.

Aquarius is notoriously the coldest sign in the stars, because it is the air sign which has travelled the farthest from the original seeds of inner development. Again I reiterate that this does not exclude or excuse the Water Bearer from acting selfishly, they just aren’t slanted by personal preconceptions.

All of the signs are doing something in some way to satisfy the needs of their ego, the second half is just better equipped to shut their feelings away while doing so. This can be a positive trait, however, because it means they are better furnished for sacrifice – at least in terms of personal will.

Aquarius disapproves of any form of partiality or bias, and such things initiate their rebellious instincts. They will flee to another place (either physically or mentally) if they sense the temperatures rising in conversations, dates, or debates. The Water Bearer is altruistic, concerned with the progression of humanity, but he is the least likely to be governed by personal passions.

The fire signs are notoriously egocentric, but only Sagittarius has the outer awareness and external curiosity to seek something that is bigger than the Centaur. The drive and aggression of Aries is always directed towards a selfish goal. The Ram has to have a personal stake in whatever crusade he or she pursues. And the same can be said for Leo. Recognition and applause from an outer source eases the Lion. All is right in the emotional jungle when the earth orbits Leo.

Even though they exude a sense of confidence, both Aries and Leo are at the mercy of their ego, and are very sensitive to any external examination.

There is a larger-than-life quality in all of the fire signs that has them seeking the spotlight of center stage. But Aries and Leo aren’t always equipped with the thick skin to handle insults or disapproval. Sagittarius is the single sign that is impervious to offenses and insecurity. They aren’t afraid to fail, fall, or joke around. And it’s because they have the wisdom to recognize the defamations of the ego.

The first half of the zodiac finds it exceptionally challenging to separate themselves from what they think, believe, feel, and experience, whereas the second half were gifted with this ability from the onset.

Capricorns, like their Goat counterparts, are pretty good at swallowing any form of criticism and digesting it painlessly. However, their earth signs cohorts, who live in the subjective side of the circle, aren’t as capable of allowing criticisms to roll of their backs. Taurus and Virgo confuse reproaches with insults.

Virgo, because they are often so harsh on themselves to begin with, are especially prone to feel like their job assessment is a personal attack from their supervisor. These private worries show up on or inside Virgo’s body (a 6th house theme), which further shows how the sign internalizes affronts.

Taurus is very restricted by their boxed-in way of thinking and understanding, primarily due to their sense dependence and aversion to change. So if their employer or lover is criticizing them, they view this as an attempt to rob them of their self-worth (because their self-worth is represented by their possessions, a 2nd house theme). So Taurus digs their heels in as a way to resist or combat this imagined burglary.

As you would expect and rightfully assume, when planets are placed in these signs or the quadrants, it affects the desires and expression of them as well.

Planets in the first 3 houses, ruled by Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, shifts focus to asset development and personal growth. Heavy placements here mean that the person is a self-starter.

The next quadrant, the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th houses from Cancer to Virgo, focuses on a happy and pleasurable home and work environment. An abundance of planets here means that inner fulfillment is sought through creating joy and satisfaction for others. Awareness is still colored by the inner receptivity and acceptance of an outer world.

Planets in the signs Libra, Scorpio, and/or Sagittarius and their corresponding houses believe in reaping the rewards of hard work through fairness, justice, and truth. Attention turns towards equal sharing, agreements, and learning from past experiences, and there is now an external awareness of the outer world.

The final quadrant, home to Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces rules the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th houses. Planets will feel compelled to rise above limitations to serve the larger community and accept responsibility, even if the planet is in an “irresponsible” subjective sign like Aries or Gemini. The inner world is realized through outer awareness, and there is a desire to give hope to others.

It may seem as though being born to the second half signs Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, or Pisces, or having many placements in these houses or signs is more advantageous. It is true to a certain extent that these signs are apparently limitless because of their detachment and neutrality, but this autonomy can actually be limiting. Being biasedly unbiased is counterintuitive.

Ignoring the emotional and personal perspectives characteristic of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo can cause the other signs to ignore or repress what they believe to be the immature aspects of themselves. Both objectivity and subjectivity are needed for all 12 signs to feel like functioning human beings. That’s why there are 6 sets of opposing signs.

Aries and Libra are meant to learn from one another to better lead; Taurus and Scorpio are meant to learn trust and security; Gemini and Sagittarius both possess traits the other is destined to developed; and so on with the rest.

The zodiac wheel is a cycle of development and growth. Each sign learns from the previous one to grow into the next so that the emotions and the mind can evolve little by little. There is no sign better or worse than another.

By Camille, the Cosmic Cannibal