The three modalities

Every zodiac sign has a modality (cardinal, fixed or mutable) drawn from where it falls in its season. If the element is what a sign is made of, the modality is how it moves: whether it starts things, holds them, or adapts. Here is each one, with the four signs that carry it.

• Cardinal beginnings, initiative, momentum Aries · Cancer · Libra · Capricorn
• Fixed persistence, depth, holding Taurus · Leo · Scorpio · Aquarius
• Mutable adaptability, versatility, transition Gemini · Virgo · Sagittarius · Pisces

The three modalities and the four elements together place every sign precisely: four signs share each element, four share each modality, and no two signs share both. Almost everyone is a blend across their whole chart, which says more than the Sun sign alone.