Elements And Modalities

Zodiac signs are the chart’s twelve styles of expression—each with a distinct personality and rhythm. Every sign belongs to an element (fire, earth, air, or water) and a modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable), which together describe how it moves through life: how it starts, steadies, adapts, and meets challenge. When a planet sits in a sign, that planet “speaks” through the sign’s element and modality—so its energy doesn’t change, but its tone does. It’s the difference between the same light shining through different kinds of glass.