The subject of polarities has been on my mind lately. Life is really all about this principle. There is always a give and take, success and failure, happiness and sadness, good and evil, sickness and health.
I’ve been thinking about how being aware and accepting of the way opposites function could work for us in a positive way psychologically and result in our transcendence to another level. When we look at polarities in astrology, it helps us to achieve personal growth through working through struggles between one extreme and another. The goal is to find the middle ground and reach balance or to learn important lessons for our development. How do we integrate the opposites to achieve higher consciousness?
There are 12 signs in astrology therefore we have 6 polarities. Each sign always has its direct opposite on the zodiac wheel creating a special relationship between the two. The opposite signs are as follows:
Aries and Libra
Taurus and Scorpio
Gemini and Sagittarius
Cancer and Capricorn
Leo and Aquarius
Virgo and Pisces
The same is true of the houses on the wheel and works in the same way. The house polarities are:
First/Seventh: corresponds to Aries/Libra
Second/Eighth: corresponds to Taurus/Scorpio
Third/Ninth: corresponds to Gemini/Sagittarius
Fourth/Tenth: corresponds to Cancer/Capricorn
Fifth/Eleventh: corresponds to Leo/Aquarius
Sixth/Twelfth: corresponds to Virgo/Pisces
Opposites attract even when they seem to have nothing in common. They actually bring out the best in each other. It is a very powerful connection between the two. One looks to the other to help define areas where there may be confusion. Often, in terms of personal issues, the opposite point is where resolution is found.
Aries/Libra (1st/7th) This polarity is about finding balance between self and your relationship with others. It teaches lessons about valuing your independence while keeping in mind your commitments to others. Since Aries is a very reactionary, passionate and assertive sign, learning to pause and listen before reacting is very important. Include some of the Libra qualities of compromise, cooperation and diplomacy in order to have more successful relationships and life experiences. Libra can benefit by learning to be more decisive and trusting in their own viewpoints without the advice of outside sources.
Taurus/Scorpio (2nd/8th) represents the polarity between personal possessions/resources and those you share with others. Taurus is about being grounded and calm while Scorpio is intense and highly spiritual. Taurus is very pragmatic and very much attached to the physical world, finding their self-worth through money and possessions. The intensity and passion of Scorpio needs to find balance within the serene and peaceful personality of Taurus. Taurus can benefit by learning to use and trust the strong intuitive sense of Scorpio and learn to build deeper emotional connections and find a joy in sharing.
Gemini/Sagittarius (3rd/9th) are all about the mind and communication. Gemini is more analytical and uses the lower mind of logic and reasoning to reach understanding. Gemini is in the moment and intellectually curious. Sagittarius represents higher thought processes, higher education, faith in the big picture of life, learning through listening to their intuition and higher self. Both are restless and are interested in other people and the stories they have to tell. Gemini can learn lessons from Sagittarius on how to go beyond facts and logic and embrace intuitive and philosophical insights. Sagittarius can benefit by applying their idealism and faith in the everyday world using some of Gemini’s logic and reasoning.
Cancer/Capricorn (4th/10th) both value security. However, Cancer needs emotional security while Capricorn needs material security. This polarity is the push and pull between home life and career. Private life vs. public life. In astrology, Cancer represents the mother who wants to put all her nurturing skills into home and family, while Capricorn represents the father who wants to use his supportive energy in success, profession and earning a living. For Cancer, when emotions take over, try incorporating earthly embodiment practices to help ground you in the real world. In the opposite, Capricorn would benefit from learning the stability that home and comfort offer.
Leo/Aquarius (5th/11th) both have ego issues but in very different ways. Leo is ruled by the Sun and is personally driven. Leo believes he is the center of the Universe, a natural born leader, an attention seeker, warm and vibrant but at the end of the day it is all about what is good for themselves first. Aquarius is also a leader but in a more humanitarian way. Extremely independent and intelligent, while being more emotionally detached. For Aquarius, it is about the greater good for the collective rather than the greater good for himself. In order to create balance, it would benefit Leo to let go of some of those self-centered qualities and learn to be of service to humanity. Use their leadership qualities to aid society instead of purely supporting their own personal ambitions. Aquarius can learn from Leo how to look at an individual’s needs instead of the big picture all the time. It is important to step into the spotlight from time to time and give themselves credit every now and then.
Virgo/Pisces (6th/12th) reflect the elemental energies of earth and water. These two signs both reflect the desire to be of service to others. However, Virgo wants to serve in an earthy, grounded, and practical way. Virgos often gets lost in the details and get so caught up in achieving goals and manifesting that they forget about a vision. Pisces is more about selfless service in a watery, spiritual way. They can be too dreamy and get lost in their intuition and imagination. Virgo would do well to work on incorporating some of Pisces qualities such as intuition, emotional sensitivity and imagination in order to enlighten themselves about the things that are not always seen. Using a disciplined approach through guided mediations would bring good results to begin moving in this direction. Pisces could do with some reality checks by incorporating more organizational and practical applications to their lives. If Pisces could include these traits with those of their imagination, they could more easily manifest their visions.
Although this is a very basic article introducing polarities in astrology, I find it can be a thought-provoking way to recognize negative behavior patterns and work on changing our thinking and moving our lives in a different direction.
As written for September 2022 issue of Live, Love and Eat Magazine