WHAT’S IN A CUSP?

Interpreting Zodiac Sign Boundaries      

September 2024

copyright © 2024 by Judith Hill

Clients who are born on the day between two signs are said to be born on the “cusp”. These natives may rightly question “what sign am I, anyway?”  Some ‘cuspers’ evince shock or disappointment once learning that their technical birth sign is not, in fact, the sign they had always believed it to be! This must feel like opening the results of a genetic test that is far from what was expected!

It would seem self-evident to technical thinkers, that you “are” the sign your Sun was in at birth, even if it was moving through the very last minute of that sign! But, like so much else in chart reading, it’s just not that simple.         

The renowned medical psychic, Edgar Cayce, remarked that being born on a cusp was similar to standing at a state boundary line with a foot in each state! I must agree. However, some astrologers allow two or even three days on either side of sign boundaries to qualify as the “cusp”. I disagree. I’d give one or two days preceding, and maybe a half day following the movement of the Sun over a cusp line. Once the Sun has passed forward fully into a new sign, it makes sense that the cusping effect greatly lessens, (however there are no studies to firmly prove that notion).

Let us take, for example, the rather dramatic cusp between the zodiac’s last sign Pisces and its first sign, Aries. These two signs couldn't be less alike, so what sign might a person born on this cusp favor? I’ve closely observed one friend born at 29˚-29˚.59 Pisces. Typical of “cuspers”, she exhibits some rather extreme character traits of both signs. Sometimes she seems so extremely Piscean, (keeping the light house at the beach, playing folk music, etc.). Yet sometimes, she is so wildly Arian (racing horses alone across the Western plains). In voice and appearance, this gal is classically Pisces, with a light splash of Aries. Although I also met one “perfect Aries” physical type born on this exact same last day of Pisces! You never quite know which way a cusp might swing in the traditional looks department! Yes, the twelve zodiac signs traditionally express certain tell-tale physical traits. Astrologers have documented this phenomena for millennia.

As an aside, we must keep in mind that the end of every sign automatically has a Piscean flavor, existing as it does in the twelfth, or last section of a sign (and Pisces is the twelfth sign).  I’ve noticed a particularly “selfless” and sacrificing quality to the last two and one half degrees, or one twelfth of all signs, and will address this later on!

To continue physical traits, cuspers may favor the traditional looks of one sign over the other. Let’s continue with the other side of the  Pisces-Aries cusp.

It has been my personal experience that persons born between 0˚-1˚ Aries will present more purely ‘Aries’ in nature and appearance, but this rule is not absolute. Curiously, two of the most famous mimes in history were both born at 0˚ Aries (Charlie Chaplin and Marcel Marceau).

This is the vivid day of the Spring Equinox, marking the first “degree” of the Tropical Zodiac! Strangely, the first client I encountered born on this same equinoctial degree was also a professional mime! Clearly, this degree creates natives that are just as vividly expressive as is promised by first day of Spring.  However, the equinox still occurs upon the Pisces-Aries cusp! We see in these individuals the love of whimsy, so classic to Pisces.  Their clowning, flowing motion, and a penchant for cloaked identities are also telltale penchants of that sign type!   

Generally speaking, this pattern follows all sign cusps. The last, or “anaretic” degree of a sign appears to produce extreme behaviors of both signs involved, whereas the first degree of a sign expresses the new sign more purely.  This might be caused by the fact that the Sun is moving forward into and towards the new sign - as if anxious to leave the experience of the previous sign behind. Or, could it be an artifact of what we call “progression”? This would occur because the Sun of a late sign ‘cusper’ immediately advances by progression into the next sign at the rate of one degree yearly following birth. This means that approximately the first thirty-thirty one years of life will enjoy a background vibration of the sign on the forward sign of the cusp line. Keep in mind that cusps are strange and unpredictable places. There may be many interesting outcomes not discussed here, or are yet to be documented.

In personality assessment of cusping signs, we must also realize that Venus and Mercury never venture far from the Sun. Therefore, there is a high likelihood for anyone’s natal Mercury or Venus to be tenanting the immediately neighboring sign, thus pulling some of that influence into the personality expression. This is definitely true for Mercury, the planet that governs our manner of communication!

There are many other interesting ideas about cusps. For instance, there is a Jyotish tradition that the anaretic, or final (and therefore cusping) degrees of the masculine fire and air signs are “dead”, i.e. lacking motivational force. Albeit, I use the Tropical zodiac I’ve made a note to study this phenomenon in my clients born with planets in these supposed “dead zones”.

I’ve closely known two men with their Mars positions on the last degree of masculine signs. Mars governs our muscles, passions, and available energy output. Mars would seem a particularly good candidate to test for the existence of dead zones occurring at the end of the masculine signs.  What were my findings?

The first subject was born with Mars in the last degrees of Aquarius. He intensely disliked sports, and made fun of how his fellow males “marched” around the forest with big boots.  One fine day, as we sat in a wild artichoke grove watching just such a procession on the trail below, he remarked that he disliked other men because of this marching attitude toward the earth!

He evinced no desire for competition, fighting, or war, and was extremely quiet. However, he had abundant physical energy - happily roaming for miles about the wild California hills, alone. As far as war making, machismo, weapons and bluster, he appeared to be, one might say, done with all that. His ‘anaretic’, cusping Mars-in-Aquarius appeared to “kill” the usual outward expressions of Mars-ruled machismo and sportiveness. Instead, his natal Mars was subverted to more spiritually inclined and solo activities.

The second gentleman was born with an anaretic, cusping Mars positioned in the last degree of Sagittarius. He was extremely athletic, but used this talent for mountain rescue work, of which he became a recognized expert. There is no violence in him.  As in the prior case, he appeared well “done” with Mars’ more war mongering habits, preferring to use his physical prowess in service to others.

Generally speaking, I’ve observed that (mars in) the final, or anaretic degrees of signs, especially of the “female” earth and water signs, prefer sacrificing and charitable expressions for whatever planet if located therein. Conversely, the first degrees of signs, especially if in masculine signs, are extremely self-oriented in presentation!  Both conditions straddle the cusp of two signs.

However, the Sun behaves differently than do “his” planets - and being born straddling a cusp presents a unique affair. On the last degree of any sign, it appears that the Sun’s energy leans eagerly towards the coming sign, while delivering a parting flourish of extreme activities related to the sign it yet resides in, if only for a few last minutes! You can expect some very extreme expressions of one sign, and then the next, all within one lifetime.

I fondly recall one 29˚ Libra native (Libra-Scorpio cusp). In youth he worked in many classic “Scorpio” trades such as private investigator, body guard, and surgery assistant.  In old age, he excelled as fine oil painter of delicate and beautiful scenes, and refused all meat. So it goes. Both signs were alive and well, in their extremity!

WHY IS A KNOWLEDGE OF  SIGN CUSPS SO USEFUL?

Armed with this knowledge, one can lend intelligent comfort to that baffled client who just learned that they were a ‘Cancer’ when they always thought they were a ‘Leo’, (losing all trust in astrology!) You can explain that they share some qualities of both signs, either well blended, or with the dominance shifting back and forth per time of day, or period of life.

More importantly, thoughtful practitioners must heed medical astrologer Robert Carl Jansky’s personal warning about hospital recorded birth times. Working in obstetrics wards, Jansky stated that birth times were invariably recored about fifteen minutes following a birth (after the delivery team washed up)! This means that most folks whose birth certificate times provide Ascendants between 0-3˚ of any sign, may really have been born with their Ascendant in the previous sign! Always be prepared for this phenomenon.

Knowledge of physical traits (astro-physiognomy), character, vocation, and chart rectification techniques will allow you to determine the correct Ascendant! For those who work with Whole Sign Houses, this is especially relevant. Personally, I’ve found this rule works a good half of the time. In practice, you will encounter many people with an early sign Ascendant degree whose looks and lives far better fit that of the previous Ascendant sign. Practitioners can acquire the skill and experience enabling them to out the true Ascendant sign.

UPCOMING CLASS

I’m detailing the traditional physical traits, appearance, medical syndromes, plus the unique vocational aptitudes, of each sign in my recently launched class series, The Twelve Zodiac Sign Syndromes and Body Types. Each class can be purchased as part of the bundle or individually and is also available virtually at any time afterward (recordings are posted for those that cannot attend in person). We will also venture one step deeper, in describing the unique type of spiritual awareness available to each of the twelve stages (signs) of the seasonal wheel. After all, the head waters of physical and vocational inclination begins with the distinct portals of consciousness available to each sign. Our next live class is on Taurus and Scorpio and just like the natives of these sign polarities, it promises to be a bit spicy!

ASTROLOGICAL TUTORING SERVICES

Our esteemed Academy Tutor, Marcus Romano, can be reached at: https://www.hillromanoastrology.com