Earth Signs
Earth Signs
(religion, spiritualism, and occult)The 12 signs of the zodiac are subdivided according to the four classical elements: earth, air, fire, and water. The earth signs (the earth triplicity or earth trigon) are Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn. Astrologically, earth refers to practicality. Earth sign practicality manifests as an aptitude for the financial and material dimension of life.
The practicality of the earth element shows itself somewhat differently in each of the signs of the earth triplicity. Taurus’s earthy nature emerges as interest and skill in the accumulation of material resources. Virgo’s comes through as attention to details, attention to physical health, and the ability to construct material objects. Capricorn’s earthy nature typically manifests as the talent to manage business.
Negative earth people can be so practical that they miss the other dimensions of life. Unless counterbalanced by other factors, excessive earth in a chart indicates an individual who is materialistic, insensitive, and unimaginative. Conversely, lack of earth can indicate a person who is impractical and unreliable.
One finds the same set of four elements and the same classification of signs by element in Vedic astrology. The connotations are basically the same as in Western astrology.
Earth is also one of the five elements of Chinese astrology—earth, water, fire, wood, and metal. In this system, the elements are not permanently associated with each of the signs of the zodiac. Rather, each one of the 12 signs of the East Asian zodiac can be a different element. For example, an individual born as an Ox in 1949 is an earth Ox; an Ox born in 1937 is a fire Ox; an Ox born in 1973 is a water Ox; etc. The connotations of earth in Chinese astrology are similar to the connotations of earth in Western astrology.