One of the most helpful things for me to learn the zodiac signs was by learning the different categories they can be grouped in, because this helped me break down their energy. If you know what it means to be a feminine sign, a water sign, and a cardinal sign, you know what it’s like to be a cancer.
You can break down the signs into dualities: masculine and feminine, the elements: fire, earth, air, and water, and the modalities: cardinal, fixed, and mutable.When it comes to the masculine and the feminine, I don’t mean pick versus blue. Masculine energy is what we have to project into the world. Masculine strength comes from what we physically do. Masculine signs are much more extroverted in nature. Feminine energy, on the other hand, is much more introverted. It is our energy that lies within. It is our inner strength. These signs usually need down time in order to recharge.
The masculine signs are Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius. The Feminine signs are Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces.
By understanding which duality the sign is in, you can understand on what field the energy works. If we are talking Capricorn we are talking about inner discipline that will take you to the top, but if were talking about Sagittarius we are talking about outer exploration of the world.
Everyone has both masculine and feminine energy in them whether you are male, female, both, or neither. We all have outward strength and inner strength. We all have the ability to have an inner and outer world, and we have the energy needed to explore both.
Many people ask if gender plays a role in astrology. A lot of people are quick to say that gender doesn’t really matter, however this is ignoring how the gender we are raised as impacts how we express our energy.
Think of a Pisces man for instance. Growing up, he would have been very vulnerable to negative energy around him. Pisces energy is sensitive. It feels and understands subconsciously and that is it’s inner feminine strength. When a Pisces Sun learns how to master this energy, it is wonderful. However, if growing up a Pisces boy was always told to toughen up and quit being so sensitive, he will grow up learning to suppress his feminine energy. Rather than using his gift of understanding to help others, he begins to use it in a more negative expression. He learns to use manipulation, even if on a subconscious level, to get what he wants. You could also find drug use or alcohol as a form of escapism in unhealthily expressed Pisces energy. Rather than embracing his feminine energy, the Pisces man tries to fit it into a masculine mold and it just doesn’t work.
I think the clash between the female gender expectations and masculine energy is a little easier to deal with then a male as a feminine sign. Most women will find that they are perfectly happy as a Gemini or a Sagittarius, however there is still some room for tension. The one sign that may have the most problems is Aries. Aries is ruled by Mars and represents pure masculine energy. Think of a young Aries girl with a mother who tries really hard to get her to be feminine. She signs her up for cheerleading, buys her lots of dresses and make up, and nothing. The Aries doesn’t want to be dainty, she wants to be competitive and passionate. If the Aries finds resistance, she will learn to use her Aries energy for war. Aries will use anger to get what they want, and this child would learn to be aggressive with her wants so that she can be heard.
This doesn’t mean of course that every female masculine sign and every male feminine sign will express their energy negatively, it’s just something that they may need to consider. Feminine energy will have a better chance at expressing the positive traits when allowed to show its strength in a feminine manner. At the same time, masculine energy shines best through a masculine outlet.
Again, this doesn’t mean that you should exclude yourself to only feminine energy if you are a Cancer and only Masculine energy if you are a Leo. We all have a mixture of energy within us. You may be a Leo Sun, so your ego expresses itself in a masculine way, but you have a Scorpio moon so your emotional strength will be feminine. You like to be the life of the party usually, but when it comes to your emotions you like to be very private.
I find that men have more struggles relating to integrating their feminine side. In today’s society it is okay for a women to wear pants or a skirt, but a man must only wear pants. Because we live in a society that values masculinity, men are expected to act like men. Think of how many insults that come from feminizing a man. Men are expected to only rely on their masculine energy. This can cause problems when there is an imbalance. The universe will keep sending obstacles their way until they learn to embrace the feminine energy as well. For women, it’s becoming more acceptable to embrace both sides so there tends to be less complications here.
If you don’t identify as the gender you were raised, you may be wondering how gender and astrology plays out for you. Don’t be quick to discredit any influence on your biological gender. Even though you don’t identify and express yourself as that gender now, it still influenced how you were raised. If this conflicted with the energy you express now, you would experience similar conflicts to that of the Pisces man or Aries woman example. If you identify as female now, but were raised as male then you may have struggled with how you expressed your feminine energy. If you identify as male now, but were raised as female your struggles may have been with masculine energy.
If you don’t identify with either gender, or both, that’s fine too. It’s important to focus on how the masculine and feminine energy express themselves, not what gender norms are associated with words masculine and feminine. I do find that people who transition or are gender fluid usually have influences of Neptune, Pisces, or the twelfth house as indicators. Neptune tends to blur boundaries and creates a fog, so that people see what they want to see, not what is truly there. Look for Mars, Venus, AC, or DC if you are interested.
~Positive Energy
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Katie Turner - Know Your Vibes Astrology 
I am a Pisces rising with Neptune on the mid heaven. I found this article very interesting, because although I was born a man, I do not relate well to masculinity, and traditional masculine values. I prefer to wear unisex clothing. I do not feel comfortable if I have to wear a suit and tie. I work in a job wear I do not have to wear gendered clothing. I do not like body hair or facial hair. I would describe myself as non cys-gender.
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This article is phenomenal and the only one that goes into detail about The Sun and masculinity. Gender is very much a social construct, but that social construct affects everything we do.
I appreciate this. It answered many questions I had.
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I have a male friend with sun in taurus moon in virgo and acsendant in cancer. He refuses to listen to reason, is in the company of self destructive people and is prone to self destructive habits. I ve just helped him quit smoking but i do not trust him on his own.
How to interpret his astrological signs in terms of feminine and masculine? I mean whr can i find more information?
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He has a lot of feminine energy for sure! Chances are he internalizes a lot, and doesn’t have the proper tools to deal with that and will need to foster those skills. Unfortunately though, this is something he will have to do on his own and not something you can make him do. There is also little information on this out there, at least in my experience, but I would suggest trying to support his sensitivities, help accept them in baby steps, and then try to unpack what’s going on, what is he feeling, and why is he feeling that way. Once you know that, you can do something about it and try to find a relief, but of course, this is something he will have to be open to. Good luck!
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i realize this post is 3 years old but i relate to it because you described my husband . he definitely has self destructive habits. i wish i knew how to help but that Taurus is a special Stubborn.
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Dear Ms Amber,
I d like to update you on my comment. The person. My taurus friend. Since that comment we broke up as friends and have gone our seperate ways. But in my heart i knew he d come back and lo behold. He did. Just for a brief period of a month. And that time i took to say goodbye to him. Since then i have not seen him. I know hes well through social media. But i ve not seen him.
I learnt a lot from him. And i learnt that no matter how stubborn a taurus is. Life is the only great changemaker. Even the mightiest taurus has to put his head down to the challenge of life. And the other tool that a taurus cant resist Is love.
They are lovable creatures who want and need love as much as they give.
So i ask u to decide. About ur feelings for your taurus. And then see whats best for you and him.
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I love this
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Thank you!
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I have a Libra sun, Aquarius moon, and Aries Rising (also my Mars and Venus are in Leo) and I am a proud woman! I am very feminine physically and love girly things, but I am like a man in many ways mentally. My thought process is very masculine, I am in school for Chemical Engineering and find that if other girls are in the courses that I am taking, they too have masculine dominant signs. This article makes a lot of sense! Thank you very much for sharing your information, it definitely has helped!
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Wow, this was extremely informative, interesting, relevant, and cogent. Thank you.
-Cap Sun
Taurus Moon
Aquarius Rising
Mars in Scorpio
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I am a Gemini, a positive masculine and my hub is a Pisces, negative feminine! We have a hard time being at peace ! It’s really hard! This explains a lot! We’ve been married ten years and it’s a constant struggle! We plan on sticking it out but had I known this years ago …I would have made a quick U-turn! How can we make happiness and lasting peace? Through God is the only answer!
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I completely understand how you feel. Im an Aquarius and my Hub is a Taurus. It is hard and like you, i wish i knew this when i was young. but still opposites will attract. I think Air signs match better with Fire signs also matching Fixed signs with Mutable signs makes it even better.
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Please answer my question I’m confused my asc is taurus my moon and mercury is in scorpio my venus and sun is in libra and my mars is in virgo the girly sign is dominating right? But I don’t like makeups and the way I act in every activities i was like a fire “I need to do this” “I have to finish this” “i will get it” thats my way. Now its looks like the masculine sign is dominating me but I have so many feminine sign and I can’t relate girly stuff or dramas. please help me to understand. btw my pluto is in sag maybe it affects me?
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Hi! Feminine signs has nothing to do with how “girly” you are. It has nothing to do with genders as we know them today. Capricorn, the sign that rules career and CEO is feminine, but you don’t usually equate CEOs with drama! Feminine just means more introverted energy. Masculine is more extroverted energy. You get a lot done, but that comes from your -internal- strength which comes from the feminine signs.
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I guess I’m ambivert bcoz I can change my energy to intro to extro can u explain it? Thank you btw
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It doesn’t have to dictate your introversion/extroversion on that level. What it is asking is: is your energy more reflective and internal (ie thinking to yourself, keeping to yourself, before talking with others) or is it more expressive and outward (talking or competing with others, and then reflecting inward).
If you’re both that’s okay too. We all have both sides in us. The goal is to have a nice balance between the two!
You’re welcome.
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Wow! Such an interesting, amazing and insightful read this literally explains me in a nutshell. I’ve always felt I was introvert and extrovert (some how balanced). Explains a lot as I am Aries sun sign and Virgo moon.
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I have the Sun, Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, all in masculine signs my ascendant in Leo and I consider myself feminine in spite of being a man …. what happens?
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Where is your Venus? What houses are each of these planets in? A full chart can help put together the missing pieces.
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Great Article. Opened new doors of understanding for me…Thank you!
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Thank you for reading! I’m glad it could help.
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Thank you so much for this article. I am a Man taking the initiative to get in tune with my emotional side and channel these different energies in the proper fashion. My sun is Leo,Moon,Capricorn,Rising Pisces. Its quite the battle its usually an emotional roller coster with me lol
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I’m so glad you’re diving into your emotional side! The more you do, the easier it will be.
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Hello. I’m just gonna say Capricorn is not a female sign. Most women I’ve seen with the sign are usually tomboys and/or show many male qualities. They usually have a short temper but can definitely gain self control compared to Aries. They also are usually the type to hide their emotions/put them aside. Which men do much more than women.
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Capricorn is a feminine sign. This isn’t based on if it has male or female qualities but based on the traditional classification. Earth and water signs are feminine. Fire and air signs are masculine. This is fixed and objective.
Capricorn is ruled by Saturn which relates to the father. This can explain some of the traits you’re referencing, but it’s still technically a feminine sign.
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This is an interesting article, but what is equally intriguing are people’s comments.
I have Virgo Sun, Moon, Rising, Mercury, & Venus. Than I have Sag in Mars, & some other placements, along with Gemini in a lot of placements but anyways. I come out in readings as a fire sign ironically, & I guess it is because of that placement in Mars, & with that I’ve come by as a Masculine energy, yet it has been brought to my attention in mainly negative ways…lol, that I am VERY feminine, but I work exceedingly hard so I don’t get harassed too much. I also come through in readings as soft, & gentle. I’ve worked in labor, & construction. & I am NOT built for it, but I am stronger than I look, & strong within.
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I have an Aquarius sun and stellium in the 11th house, Taurus moon, and then Pisces mars and ascendant.
I was born a boy, but recently I’ve finally realized that I am actually gender fluid. Being raised by traditional conservative values caused me to repress my overwhelming feelings from a very young age. I’ve always felt alienated from the group and remained very introverted. As I got older, like 18 – 19, I began to have substance issues (still kinda do) just to escape my feelings and my ego grew toxic. I knew deep down that I had a softer, more passive side, yet I didn’t want to accept it. My fits of rage would get so bad. Now, after finally accepting this more receptive side of myself, I can start to integrate it into my life, however, this is a lot easier said than done. Sometimes, I feel an overwhelming urge to do my makeup and dress like a woman, and when I act on that, it feels so good! However, it’s still very difficult to come to terms with this side of myself because of how the people in our society might look at it. I’ve been making steps in the right direction and feel a lot better already for it. This article helped me to understand my chart better and it confirms how I feel inside, thank you!
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My sun sign is scorpio
Moon sign is pisces
ascendant is Taurus
Born as male
Which personality i m
So much confused
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Gender in astrology doesn’t necessarily reduce to biological gender. Feminine signs are more introverted while masculine signs are more extroverted. You may feel more introverted in nature but because you were born a man, raised to appear more extroverted but your true self may be more personal.
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