Astrology in the Seasons
The quadrants initially described the four seasons. The modalities described the change within those seasons. Understanding what they initially showed in nature allows a much deeper and rawer understanding of their intrinsic nature, even in our modern day.
1st Quadrant (Aries, Taurus, Gemini): Spring. The days get longer, the nights shorter. Life starts to sprout after the cold winter months and seeds get sowed. Animals start to awaken, to build their nests and breed new life, lively energy returns. The weather gets warmer.
2nd Quadrant (Cancer, Leo, Virgo): Summer. The days are long, the nights short. Everything is in bright bloom and what‘s been sowed is harvested. Young animal life is abundant. Life is exuberant and it is here that nature has modt to offer to us for use. The weather is warm.
3rd Quadrant (Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius): Autumn. The days get shorter, the nights longer. Plant life changes and eventually “dies”, animals and humans alike start to prepare for the winter months while some others leave. The weather gets colder.
4th Quadrant (Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces): Winter. The days are short, the nights long. Close to nothing is in bloom and many animals either left to warmer places or fell into hibernation. The weather is cold and any snow that falls makes the world a little quieter.
Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn): The on-set of the seasons. Each season starts with a cardinal sign, allowing a strong and willful beginning of it. This is where the season starts to unfurl, actions are taken, the new cycle is introduced and brought into movement.
Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius): The fixation of the seasonal change. The second month of each season is crowned by a fixed sign. They describe the settling in of the seasons, where changes start to slow down and the working of the season just continues on, steady and strong.
Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces): The transitional time. The last month of each season is taken care of by the mutable signs. It is here where we are already aware of the coming end and it is thus a time of preparation for transition. The stead-fast flow starts to dissipate, the world gets flexible to ensure a smooth transition. Here we finish the tasks of the season and progressively look to the next cycle.