An Earth-Sign Understanding of Change

The signs represented by the element of Earth – Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn – are known for their steady, prodding and practical approaches to life. Taurians, being also of a fixed modality, do not relish change and can be down right stubborn about it when life presents new situations.

Capricorns create their own changes through long-range planning and slow steady movements toward the goal. Virgos, among the earth signs, could be said to be the most flexible, but that is often a survival strategy and not a choice.

With only one earth sign in my chart, I have often found it difficult to reckon with what to me appeared to be stodginess and perhaps laziness in those around me who are heavily weighted with earth in their chart.

Now, however, being so immersed in the beauty and magnificence of earth and nature in this vast land called Alaska, I am getting a deeper understanding of the value that the earth element contributes to my life.

Don’t get me wrong…I still relish change and recognize its eternal presence in life itself, but there is something to be said about “earth-style” change.

As Chuck and I drove from Fairbanks north to the Artic Circle (only road and it was mostly gravel) to spend the night at a rustic inn in Coldfoot 60 miles above it, we moved from spruce-forested rolling hills to the treeless visual expanses of the arctic tundra with the Brooks mountain range as a backdrop. The farther north we got (nearly latitude 67!) the greater the pull we felt to go farther, but with road conditions and without enough time we had to stop there.

The tundra grows very slowly. A two or three foot spruce tree may be 150 years old because the conditions for growth are not plentiful. When a fire comes through, usually sparked by lightning, it may burn for miles. We saw many blackened areas of long gone fires, now blooming with low-lying plants and delicate flowers.

Growth comes slowly to the tundra as with earth sign people. And when their life circumstances present lightning-like change, it may also take time for the darkened terrain to produce new growth, but it will bloom again.

If you or someone in your life is heavily weighted with planets in Taurus, Virgo or Capricorn, be patient and understand that trauma from any changes will surely result in dark feelings of despair. Within the despair lies the fertilizer, however, for blossoming new life, just like the scorched tundra after a fire.

Remember underneath every devastating experience of change there is a rock solid, earth-like foundation. The tundra has permafrost and you have the eternal guidance of your Spirit or Higher Self.