Readers, please enjoy this guest post by Sally Cragin, author of Astrology on the Cusp and The Astrological Elements.
Image by Zoe Timms Photography
I realized I had something interesting to explore when the chapter I wrote on cusps was left over from my first book, The Astrological Elements. That was published in 2010, and is a general interest primer on the twelve signs, which divides them into their four elements: fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and water (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces).
As a Libra I am always looking for the quickest path, as well as for patterns. The Astrological Elements meant I had to think about four categories first—before the twelve signs. So when I started re-reading my unused chapter on cusps, I thought about them as pairs, rather than individual signs. That opened up a new world.
At first, I was struck by the paradoxes. Aries is about being a leader and having initiative. How does that work with Taurus, who needs to feel part of a group? Aries can switch gears quickly, but Taurus likes consistency in all things. I found out that people born on this cusp want to be versatile in their daily dealings, and they also have that Taurean trait of being “the person who’s relied upon.”
In Astrology on the Cusp, I divided the cusps into sections (before, during, and after) and also cover careers and vocation. Each cusp includes two sections with specific dates that are the most auspicious and most challenging times to take action.
And so, here’s a very quick summary of how the cusps interact. Believe me, there’s a lot more in Astrology on the Cusp!
- Taurus-Gemini cusps are steady, but open to influence from others. They can also have trouble completing a project as planned—there’s usually a “better way.”
- Gemini-Cancer is intuitive and intellectual. They’re not always in touch with their own feelings of vulnerability or needs, but they are very tuned into what others need.
- Cancer-Leo is powerful—here emotions and courage combine. This cusp comes with bravery above and beyond.
- Leo-Virgo is multi-talented and can learn nearly anything very quickly. These are the “instant experts” we rely upon.
- Virgo-Libra loves beauty, and has a firmer grasp on decision-making than many Libras.
- Libra-Scorpio is deep, but conceals their seriousness with an affect that’s either very jolly, or very secretive.
- Scorpio-Sagittarius is concerned about the wider world and taking care of groups of people. It’s an independent cusp (as is Sagittarius-Capricorn; these cusps don’t “need” another to be whole, but they do seek out challenges and difficult professions).
- Capricorn-Aquarius has an amazing ability to dream, but also likes routine and predictability.
- Aquarius-Pisces loves the performing arts but never wants to be rushed.
- Pisces-Aries likes partners and followers, and can be a maverick, and sometimes needs to learn the same lesson over and over.
Overall, I learned a lot about “fine-tuning” the attributes of adjacent signs. And, when you add up the number of cusps there are, particularly if you venture a few days before and after each cusp, you have something like twenty-two percent of all birthdays—a significant number!
Our thanks to Sally Cragin for her guest post! For more from Sally, read her articles, “Astrology on the Cusp” and “The Astrological Elements: How Compatible Are Your Sun Signs?”.
