Every sign in one place. This is The 9th King’s reference page for the zodiac: pick a sign to read its full deep dive, or use the charts below to see how the twelve signs fit together. Bookmark it; it grows as the series grows.
On this page
Choose your sign
Dates are approximate tropical ranges; the exact day the Sun changes sign shifts a little each year. Born on a boundary day? Check a chart with your birth time. Ophiuchus sits apart because it is a constellation, not one of the twelve tropical signs.
Elements and modes
Each sign is one of four elements (how it engages: fire acts, earth builds, air connects, water feels) and one of three modes (how it moves: cardinal starts, fixed sustains, mutable adapts). No two signs share both.
| Element | Cardinal (starts) | Fixed (sustains) | Mutable (adapts) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Aries | Leo | Sagittarius |
| Earth | Capricorn | Taurus | Virgo |
| Air | Libra | Aquarius | Gemini |
| Water | Cancer | Scorpio | Pisces |
Rulers and dignities
In traditional astrology each sign has a ruling planet, and some planets work with more or less ease in certain signs. These describe a planet placed in that sign; a Sun sign only takes on the Sun’s own condition. Modern rulers are shown in brackets. Deborah Houlding’s Skyscript glossary is a clear guide to the system, which goes back to Ptolemy.
| Sign | Ruler | Exalted | Fall | Detriment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Mars | The Sun | Saturn | Venus |
| Taurus | Venus | The Moon | — | Mars |
| Gemini | Mercury | — | — | Jupiter |
| Cancer | The Moon | Jupiter | Mars | Saturn |
| Leo | The Sun | — | — | Saturn |
| Virgo | Mercury | Mercury | Venus | Jupiter |
| Libra | Venus | Saturn | The Sun | Mars |
| Scorpio | Mars (modern: Pluto) | — | The Moon | Venus |
| Sagittarius | Jupiter | — | — | Mercury |
| Capricorn | Saturn | Mars | Jupiter | The Moon |
| Aquarius | Saturn (modern: Uranus) | — | — | The Sun |
| Pisces | Jupiter (modern: Neptune) | Venus | Mercury | Mercury |
Opposite signs
Every sign faces its opposite across the wheel. The pair shares a theme seen from two sides, which is why opposites often feel both magnetic and challenging.
| Sign | Opposite | Shared axis |
|---|---|---|
| Aries | Libra | Self and other |
| Taurus | Scorpio | Mine and ours |
| Gemini | Sagittarius | Facts and meaning |
| Cancer | Capricorn | Home and the world |
| Leo | Aquarius | The one and the many |
| Virgo | Pisces | Order and surrender |
Three ways to count the zodiac
Most confusion about “my sign changed” comes from mixing systems. Tropical astrology (used here and by most Western apps) divides the Sun’s path into twelve equal 30° signs starting at the March equinox. Sidereal astrology also uses twelve equal signs, anchored to the stars with a chosen offset (ayanamsha). Constellation-based approaches follow the unequal star patterns themselves, which is where Ophiuchus comes in. Read the full comparison in Ophiuchus, the 13th sign.
Go deeper in your chart
Your Sun sign is one placement among many. Start with How to Read a Birth Chart, then your Moon sign, your Mercury sign and the twelve houses. For the shadow side of every sign, see Zodiac Shadow Work. For the spiritual meanings of all twelve, Code of Ascension’s Spiritual Meanings of the Zodiac Signs is the companion guide.
Astrology on The 9th King is interpretation and self-reflection, not prediction or established fact. Know your nature. Rule your life.