What are Cardinal Signs in Astrology?
Introduction to Cardinal Signs
In astrology, there are three qualities: cardinal, fixed, and mutable. Each of these qualities contains four signs, four elements, and four houses. Each quality affects all of these things in different ways. The cardinal signs quality is the first quality of each season, and it is the focus of this article.
Cardinal Signs: Cardinal Quality Basics
What does cardinal mean in astrology? The cardinal sign name originally came from the Latin word “cardinalis,” which means first, most important, and other things along this same line of thought. This word is used to describe this quality because cardinal signs are people who start new projects and get others working. Cardinal houses help to get people moving and working towards their goals, whether they are also a cardinal sign or not.
Cardinal signs in astrology come at the beginning of each season. Aries begins on the Spring Equinox, Cancer marks the start of the Summer Solstice, Libra begins at the Autumn Equinox, and Capricorn kicks off the Winter Solstice.
The cardinal signs begin at the beginning of a season is not only an important date to remember, but it also gives them the wonderful personality trait of being the type of person who isn’t afraid to begin a new project, gets others motivated, and to have all of the energy that they need to start working on their goals. All cardinal signs have this trait in common.
Cardinal Signs and Personality Traits
As mentioned above, the four Cardinal Signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn. Each of these signs has the quality of being a go-getter. Their other personality traits go along with their cardinal trait, making all of the signs use their cardinal trait differently.
1. Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Aries is a highly motivated sign, which could be in part because of its cardinal trait. Unlike some of the other cardinal signs, Aries is good at starting to work on their goals and following through with them for a decent amount of time.
Competition drives Aries, but once the competition is over, they may begin to slack off. They need to be constantly motivated if they are always to show their cardinal trait.
2. Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Cancer people are determined to complete their goals, but their goals are more likely to revolve around their family life and social life than around a job or hobby. As an example, Cancer parents love to make and take care of their babies.
As the years go by, they may find this to be more difficult. They are likely to excel in their family lives for the most part, because of their cardinal motivation. As they focus on one part of their life, they lose focus on another.
3. Libra (September 23 – October 22)
Libra is the most balanced sign of the zodiac. They are great at getting started on creative and intellectual hobbies and jobs, but they often struggle to follow through and complete their goals.
Libra people have a hard time finishing their goals in part because they get distracted by their social life or other things going on in their life, because they are trying to keep all parts of their lives balances, or because their cardinal trait is overreacting and giving them ideas for new projects to begin all of the time.
4. Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
Capricorn is great at taking on and beginning problems, but like the rest of the cardinal signs, they often have problems completing their goals. They can finish short-term projects just fine, but long-term projects may as well be a mysterious process to complete for the Capricorn person.
They often focus on learning new skills or hobbies, which they may find difficult to stick to. The Capricorn person will need help from other signs who know how to plan better if they complete all of the projects they start on.
How the Astrological Elements Affect the Cardinal Signs
There are four cardinal elements: earth, air, fire, and water. These elements match up with the four cardinal signs. While these signs have a lot in common, their different elements make the signs use their cardinal traits differently.
1. Aries: Fire Sign
The cardinal fire sign, Aries, has added a boost of energy from the fire element. This excites their imagination and fuels their creativity. Images of their next great idea flash before their eyes.
Based on the cardinal signs, they can sometimes even make their friend’s ideas better. They are always planning something big, but sometimes they can get burnt by their raw energy and heat when things don’t go their way.
2. Cancer: Water Sign
Cancer is the cardinal water sign. Their emotions push them to get things started. They can sometimes feel uneasy when trying something new, but their intuition and feelings keep them moving forward. Sometimes the Cancer person’s water element can also get them into trouble when they get too invested in someone else’s emotions.
3. Libra: Air Sign
Libra is the cardinal air element. They get new ideas quickly and often. They are likely to balance all of their new ideas, making it hard to focus on just one. Libras can sometimes sweep up other people’s ideas, which can get them into trouble. They will need to balance this part of their life to be happy.
4. Capricorn: Earth Sign
The cardinal earth element sign is Capricorn. Earth elements try to stay practical, which can sometimes stop the Capricorn person from following their more creative dreams. They are likely to make long-term goals, but they will likely have a hard time completing them, which is actually strange for an earth sign, considering that earth signs are usually more determined to complete their goals. Capricorn’s cardinal only gives them the boost to start working on their goals, not to finish them.
Cardinal Signs: Cardinal Houses
Each quality rules over four houses out of Twelve Astrological Houses. The cardinal quality rules over the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth houses. When a sign is in one of these houses, they may feel an urge to start a project or do something similar to something that cardinal signs would do.
First House
The first house is about a person’s feelings about their looks and personality. This is not to be confused with caring about what others think of them.
However, the actions a person makes during this time could change how people think of them. During this time, people are likely to start to make changes to their personality or their appearance so that they can work towards improving themselves.
Fourth House
The fourth house is concerned with a person’s current home life and home life as a child. The fourth house can also sometimes represent the subconscious domestic thoughts a person has.
Family-oriented cardinal signs in astrology may consider having a baby or making other large family changes during this time. Now is also a common time for signs of beginning home improvement projects.
Seventh House
The seventh house has to do with marriage and other interpersonal relationships. Big changes in this area of a person’s life are likely to begin when their sign is in the seventh house. This could be a time to begin making a relationship better, starting a partnership, or even filing for a divorce.
Tenth House
The tenth house is all about a person’s reputation. Unlike the first house, this is all about what others think of them. When in this house, people are likely to improve themselves, not for their own good but to impress others.
Social statuses are likely to be highly important to certain signs during this time. The signs are likely to begin any project that they believe will make them more successful or respected during this time.
Summary: Cardinal Signs
The cardinal signs, houses, and elements all have a big impact on these four signs, but it also affects the rest of the zodiac signs in other ways. Get ready to start something new when your sign is in a cardinal house!