posted January 17, 2011 10:26 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by Lonake:
Because the sun sign with the degree is fixed.
House cusps aren't so they're more open to interpretation.
Also there's a basic difference in how they're read.
Early degree of a sign = close to zero experience
Late degree of a sign = something that is strong and well developed, ease of experience
Early degree of a house = just opening the door and walking into the activities
Late degree of a house = Pooling all the knowledge learned to use in the next house

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Thank you Lonalake, that's a great answer to my original question. That makes sense, too.

posted January 17, 2011 10:27 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by NickiG:
yes, the energy is concentrated on those planets so they are much stronger than other planets

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posted January 17, 2011 10:36 PM            

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted January 17, 2011 10:36 PM            

Come to think of it, not sure what to think of the fact that if you're a strong, willful female, nobody every believes you're a Cancer.

posted January 17, 2011 10:38 PM            

My mom tended to have a bouffant hairdo. She had thick hair.

My Mom has Sun in Gemini and Cancer Ascendant.

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted January 17, 2011 10:39 PM            

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Originally posted by Glaucus:

I am not sure what you mean by big hair.

My mom tended to have a bouffant hairdo. She had thick hair.

My Mom has Sun in Gemini and Cancer Ascendant.

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LOL, your mom sounds like fun!

posted January 17, 2011 10:41 PM            

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted January 17, 2011 10:51 PM            

This is my mom with me when I was 3 http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q112/Astynaz/Raymond/?action=view¤t=ray3yrsold.jpg

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No..I am not a Virgo.

posted January 17, 2011 11:07 PM            

And forgive me Glo, I thought you were female up until now.

posted January 17, 2011 11:08 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by blugrey:
Houses are determined by the degree of the cusps, while signs are determined by the degree of the planet. If you think of the House like a planet instead of a cusp, and that a it's conjunction to that planet.

I'm 0 degrees Gemini.... I do have a Taurus Rising and some second house placements, but other than that I don't feel like a Taurus at all. I have my moon on my 8th house cusp and I can feel it both in my 7th and 8th house...

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posted January 17, 2011 11:13 PM            

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Originally posted by Moons Of Jupiter:
Thanks for sharing BG, perhaps it applies more to signs approaching the end of their sign...as Lona pointed out, early energy is very much in the early stages of a sign...could be it, not sure though, still trying to work around the cusp concept.

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My Scorpio ex was very very Scorpio even though he was at 29 degrees.:\ Dunno. I don't believe in sign cusps because usually the only reason people feel like they are is because they more often have planets in the neighboring signs (merc/venus/etc) rather than their own.

posted January 17, 2011 11:21 PM            

quote:

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Originally posted by blugrey:
usually the only reason people feel like they are is because they more often have planets in the neighboring signs (merc/venus/etc) rather than their own.

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posted January 18, 2011 12:51 AM            

Not all Leo Suns are "outgoing" and overtly "showy." I'm an introverted Leo Sun, in fact I sometimes relate more to the opposite sign- Aquarius than Leo. In fact my progressed Sun is in the 29th degree of Leo and will finally move to Virgo this summer.

posted January 18, 2011 03:06 AM            

The cusp of a house is an actual astrological point in your chart, a passive point, but a point never the less. For example, if we were going to pretend that the house cusp was a planet, then another planet would be considered conjunct that planet (Cusp) if it were with in about 5 degrees of it. House cusps, especially the angular ones, work like this. The junction between signs, however, is more about a change in how a planet’s energy is expressed rather than it being an actual ‘point’ in the astrological chart. To put it plainly there is no such thing as a cusp where the signs mix. Unless you are born on the exact moment of transition your planet will be in one sign or the other. It might be worth noting that Linda Goodman also held this belief about there being an exact cut-off point to a sign…

BUT…

There are other explanations as to why you might feel the influence of the sign just in front or just behind your own. The first one is that we often have Venus or Mercury in this sign, or that your natal chart shows the influence of this sign elsewhere, such as through the moon or the Asc, or even mars. Another thing to consider are decans and duads. Decans and duads show in very specific detail how a single sign can be broken down into smaller sub-sections which show influences from other signs of the zodiac.

DECANS AND DUADS

A single sign in the zodiac can be broken up into three sections known as decans. Each decan represents other signs of the same element having a sub-influence on your nature. For example, the first 10 degrees of Cancer is pure Cancer, the second 10 degrees of Cancer has a sub-influence of Scorpio, and the last 10 degrees of Cancer are a mixture of Cancer and Pisces. This explains some of the variations with in a single sign. My moon happens to fall within the last decan of Cancer, and while I can relate to a lot of the descriptions of Cancer moon the Pisces part also fits. I’ve always had a very vivid imagination and a strong tendency to daydream.

Duads, sharpen the focus even more. Each sign of the zodiac can be broken down into twelve sections that are two and a half degrees wide. Each of this twelve ‘sections’ or duads represent each sign of the zodiac. The entire zodiac repeats itself in minute sections within a single sign. For example my moon in Cancer falls into the Gemini duad, which fits as I’m a person who has always had a lot of internal dialogue/mental chatter even when I‘m outwardly quiet. This makes my moon a combo of Cancer, Pisces and Gemini.

The existence of decans and duads show that the zodiac is a very detailed and precise thing. When looked at closely there is not much wiggle room for the mixing of energies, which is why I’m one who believes in an exact sign cut-off point for the end of signs in the tropical zodiac. I mean astrologers can calculate the change to the exact second when there is a sign change.

WHY PEOPLE MIGHT FEEL LIKE THEY ARE THE NEXT SIGN ALONG

Aside form having planets apart from the sun in the other sign that you may ’feel like’, duads also help explain the cusp phenomenon of feeling like you're made of ‘mixed’ signs. The reason is that the last duad of a sign is always in the opposite ‘gender’ of the of the whole sign. For example, the last two and a half degrees of the sign Capricorn are in the duad of Sagittarius. Which means there is a little bit of Sag in this part of Capricorn. Of course the next whole sign along is Aquarius, which is a very open sign with themes about freedom ect. in it’s nature. Sagittarius, while being different to Aqua in some ways, does shear similar themes of idealism and freedom. So a person born with the sun within the last two degrees of Cap my see themselves as being on the ‘cusp’ because they can feel in their natures that streak of openness, and curiosity which Capricorn is supposed to lack.
This theme continues throughout the zodiac. The last duad of Aries is Pisces, which is passive in nature like Taurus. The last duad of Taurus is Aries. And the last duad of Gemini is Taurus. It’s almost like having the last duad of a sign in the opposite gender of the whole sign itself helps get us ready for the next whole sign that planet will pass through. It also reinforces the last two whole signs we had to pass through. Back to the last duad of Capricorn example, Capricorn ends with a combo of Capricorn and Sagittarius, the last two signs the planet in question had to pass through, on an evolutionary level, before it moves forward into Aquarius.

SENSING FUTURE CHANGE

While I do not believe the psychological traits of signs mix on the cusp I do believe there is something about the very end and beginning of a sign which feels different then the rest of the sign. For example, at the very end of a sign, while you still have the traits of that sign, on some level you may feel that your lesson with the planet in question is almost done, and soon you’ll be going on to something new. It feels as if you a just putting your final touches on a project of yours before you hand it in. My moon in Cancer is at 29 degrees and while I do relate strongly to a lot of Cancerian issues, it feels in this life as if on an emotional level I’m just finishing up on a huge saga that’s been going on for ages, and right now I’m focusing on resolving a few final touches, before moving on…

The beginning of a sign feels like a new born baby. You may feel a little clueless on how to handle your own energy at times and feel as if you are just in starting in your area of focus. It’s like your first day at school. Because of this people with planets at the very beginning of a sign may go to extremes with the traits of that sign, especially when young, before they start to get a handle on themselves and be more moderate.

PROGRESSIONS
One important factor I haven’t discussed yet is progressions. As the planets in your chart progress from one sign to the next, to some extent it may feel as if you are taking on the traits of those signs, in addition to your natal placements. This is yet another reason why you may feel that your planet on the cusp acts like the next sign along.

posted January 18, 2011 03:27 AM            

Vertiver - yes, my natal sun is progressed in Leo now still, and will be there for a while. I do agree, I have met some shy and withdrawn Leos myself. Does make Linda's generalizations kind of redundant....

Lotis - wow, thanks for the detailed info, certainly heaps of new info for me to consider. This is the first I've ever heard of Duads, making my last two and half degrees in Gemini (wow, that's new!)

I've always wondered though, how is it that something as huge as a planet can simply be one sign or another, isn't it sitting in both constellations at SOME point during transition? Or am I thinking of this all wrong?