The Classification of the 12 Signs

The first division is by season and mode. Each season has three signs:

• Spring – Aries, Taurus, and Gemini
• Summer – Cancer, Leo, and Virgo
• Autumn – Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius
• Winter – Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces

Within each season

• First sign is cardinal, initiating change (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
• Second sign is fixed, representing stability and the peak of the season (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius)
• Third is mutable, marking flexibility and transition (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces)

Signs are also divided by polarity—masculine and feminine—which alternate around the zodiac:

• Masculine signs are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. They are outward, expressive, and active
• Feminine signs are Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces. These tend to be inward, receptive, and reflective

Another key classification is the triplicities, which group signs by the four classical elements:

• Fire signs—Aries, Leo, Sagittarius—are hot, dry, and choleric, embodying boldness, energy, and radiance
• Earth signs—Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn—are cold, dry, and melancholic, practical and grounded
• Air signs—Gemini, Libra, Aquarius—are hot, moist, and sanguine, social and intellectually active
• Water signs—Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces—are cold, moist, and phlegmatic, emotional and intuitive

Traditional astrologers also classify signs by hemisphere:

• Aries through Virgo are northern signs
• Libra through Pisces are southern

Additional groupings provide further nuance:

• Bestial signs—Aries, Taurus, Leo, Sagittarius, Capricorn—are linked to animal nature and instinct
• Humane signs—Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Aquarius—relate to social order and human qualities
• Fruitful signs—Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces—are associated with fertility and abundance
• Barren signs—Gemini, Leo, Virgo—are considered less fertile
• Feral (Leo and the end of Sagittarius), representing untamed energy
• Mute (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), denoting silence and depth