Okay, for the sake of an open mind, try to forget everything you’ve ever thought about change. Accept one thing. It really does have a purpose – to get you to grow. Not just to upset your carefully-laid plans or make you feel like you are perpetually living on a skateboard. Change is inevitable and its gift is to get you to step outside what you know and push yourself to new experiences. But, first, you have to want to do more than just get through the curve ball the universe has just thrown at you.
Now, you belong to one of twelve Sun signs and each of you approaches change differently. Some view it as opportunity, others view it as trouble and still others try to avoid it. Of course, I won’t name names.
One thing is true. Change is designed to get each of the 12 signs out of the rut built into their temperament. Every Sun sign has inner attitudes, beliefs and tendencies they like to hang on to. And these can leave them less able to express the best parts of themselves. So, let’s take a look at each Sun sign’s attitude toward change, how that can inhibit your growth, and finally, the key to maximizing the best qualities of your Sun sign. And, while you are at it, explore the signs your Moon and Ascendant are in for a more nuanced understanding of how you handle change.
Aries
Okay, so your definition of change means activity, movement. But constantly running in circles, no matter how large they are, doesn’t really alter anything. It might make you feel good momentarily, but when you come to a halt everything is pretty much where you left it. What you need is a goal. That motivates you to extend yourself, to challenge yourself. That, in turn, forces you to trust your instincts in pursuit of growth. And those instincts are your greatest asset. You have a built-in capacity for taking the right risk at the right time. It’s what leadership is really all about –forging into unknown territory, trusting completely in yourself. Stop worrying about whether you’ll have to abandon your latest impulse. Look past the temporary exhilaration it gives you, and take action that will lead to something that will profoundly move your life. The truth is you want to be like Neil Armstrong, not the person who took a bungee jump. Summon all that inner fearlessness and show the world the path to real change.
For Aries, the key to using change to create growth is purposeful action.
Taurus
Now stop pretending you’re hard of hearing. Or that you can’t spell. I know the word change strikes fear into your heart. Why? Because your assumption is that change will destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to build. It’s upheaval, pure and simple. And no self-respecting Taurus is going to put out the welcome mat for that. But, hang on a minute. Change really isn’t any different than winnowing out the plants in a garden that aren’t flourishing. It gives everything else a better chance to grow, to thrive. And the truth is you really love to grow things. Just remember to grow yourself as lovingly as you do everything else, and you won’t find change such a difficult thing to embrace or act on. In fact, you might even find yourself saying, “Bring it on.” Okay, maybe that’s pushing it. But change offers you the opportunity to finally realize that you are the rock on which you can build your life. That you are your security and nothing can change that, only you.
For Taurus, the key to using change to create growth is being prepared to eliminate what is no longer useful.
Gemini
You really don’t stop to think much about change. You’re too busy gallivanting around, bouncing from thing to thing, drinking in all that marvelous experience. However, curiosity is not a substitute for change. The one thing you have going for you is you really are built for change. You just don’t always know it. So, use that considerable talent for mental expansion for more than playing Trivial Pursuit or entertaining the latest thing to get your motor running. In truth, it’s not that difficult to get your attention. The challenge is assessing what’s being offered and asking yourself whether it will help you grow or whether it’s another dose of mental cotton candy. There’s so much personal growth to be mined from your experiences. Take time to put them in perspective. Get past the initial that-was-interesting response and find a context for what you’ve done. It will lead to a deeper awareness and a deeper satisfaction, both with life and with yourself.
For Gemini, the key to using change to create growth is reflection.
Cancer
I know you want to barricade the doors and windows of your psyche whenever change comes a-knocking. It disturbs your inner equilibrium. Why? Because change means loss to you, inevitably leading to an emotional earthquake that leaves you broken. But take this into consideration. You love to nurture – people, projects, all kinds of stuff. And opening up to change can allow you to do more of that, not less. It’s all about clearing the emotional deadwood out of your life so you can nurture – another word for growth – in a deeper, more satisfying way. It leads, dare I say it, to happiness as opposed to familiarity. And you know how you love to cling to old patterns. You can make the mistake of believing they are what’s meaningful in your life when they are just burdens, pure and simple. Clinging to the familiar isn’t any different than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Things might look different, but the ship is still going down.
For Cancer, the key to using change to create growth is releasing the old.
Leo
Your mantra? If it ain’t broke, why fix it? What do I need to change, you might be heard to mutter? Well, no one is asking you to change your essential wonderfulness, but you might need to recognize that potential isn’t the same as manifestation. The acorn is not the oak. Take a look at the fact that not everything you say and do springs from the best part of you. You have your less than stellar moments just like everyone else. Your challenge is you ignore them. Just like you ignore anything that doesn’t support your view of the world. It’s all good, right? Why? Because I am good. In fact, I am great. The need to maintain that belief at all costs leaves you at a disadvantage when change comes, because, of course, it will come. You will fight it because you believe it is telling you that something is fundamentally wrong with you. Not so. The things you use to resist change – integrity and honor, loyalty and steadfastness – are the very things that will help you grow your life. You will become the oak.
For Leo, the key to using change to create growth is humility.
Virgo
For you, change equals improvement. And, in your world that’s always a good thing. Why else would you change something if it wasn’t going to lead to something better? However, you always get side-tracked by two things. One, you’re never quite certain you’re going to make the right decision, so your commitment to change gets high-centered while you analyze, analyze, analyze. It’s hard for you to accept that you cannot anticipate everything. The need for perfection meets the reality that the outcome can never really be predicted. At best, every decision is a really good guess. Second, change isn’t always tidy or straight-forward. It can be equal parts messy and confusing. And that just drives you crazy. You hyperventilate and become hypervigilant. Every little thing that happens has to be a sign of success or failure. You’re never sure which. This makes it hard to grow because the growth of a human is not something easily measured or quantified. The solution? Relax. Embrace your capacity to make the best of any situation. It’s what helps you grow away from criticism toward healthy self-respect.
For Virgo, the key to using change to create growth is adaptability.
Libra
In your world, change is just another word for compromise or is that accommodate or maybe it’s appease? Now there’s a trifecta and one that’s certain to please everyone but you. That’s okay as long as the boat doesn’t get rocked, and you don’t have to deal with things head-on. You’re always afraid that the purpose of change is to shine a light on something in your life that’s not very pretty. Well, that’s probably true. And you’re not having any of that. So, you continue to gloss things over, or you look for the tiniest of positive things to reassure you that everything is okay. And, when things keep on cracking or collapsing or becoming downright painful, you wonder why you’re being picked on. However, always being nice can make you brittle. The winds of change really want to free you from this self-imposed exile and grow you into the idea that subservience does not make for harmony or balance. Take all those things you’ve learned about making others happy. Plunk yourself in the middle. Make you the focus of your grace. See how good it feels.
For Libra, the key to using change to create growth is self-awareness.
Scorpio
Yeah, you love change. In fact, you’ll tell anybody who’ll listen you’re not afraid of it. As long as it doesn’t expose you too much. But that’s the trouble with change; it tends to blow things wide open, mangling both your carefully-constructed outer cynicism and all that camouflage you invest so much emotional energy in. After all, you have the do-not-disturb sign on your emotional cave 90 per cent of the time. So, let’s get real. You often need to hit full-blown crisis before you’ll push yourself to get in the game and use your mighty transformative powers to grow past that pantheon of fears that are buried deep within you. Open up a little, let down your guard, and cancel your security system. After all, it’s not really protecting you. It’s just keeping you from discovering your deeper desires and living your passion. Trust that infamous Scorpionic radar to tell you what’s really going on and, instead of deciding not to play anymore, change the rules of the game. Get rid of the crap. And give yourself permission to live life wholeheartedly.
For Scorpio, the key to using change to create growth is purification.
Sagittarius
You think your middle name is change. Largely because you hate to be pinned down. You always need to keep all your options open, and that leads you to believe that you love change. But you carry around one hefty condition to that. Change is good as long as it doesn’t lead to any kind of burden or trap. That can lead you to pass up things that truly will benefit you, because you mistake substance for inhibition. So, all those lovely little adventures you are so fond of going on don’t add the meaning to your life that you seek. Because meaning only comes from investing something of yourself into the things you value. And, no this isn’t a trick question. Or answer. The challenge is to know that embracing what is meaningful to you truly does give you more freedom and that’s what you need to grow. Forget running away because it ultimately leaves you with nothing. And that is your biggest fear – that life is about nothing at all. The only way to overcome that is to pick a destination you can commit yourself to lock, stock and barrel.
For Sagittarius, the key to using change to create growth is discernment.
Capricorn
If there’s one thing in life that haunts you, it’s change. You know what I am talking about. The kind that threatens your feeling that everything can be controlled. After all, if you don’t believe that, then how can you achieve the goals you’ve set for yourself. Not for you the zigs or zags of life. Just straight lines please. The ones that take you from point A to point B with no diversions in between. What you fail to comprehend is that going off the beaten path can actually create a better end result than sticking to the script. However, that means you’d have to see change as something other than random and that’s hard for you. Try taking a deep breath. Step away from the super-sized life plan. Take your absolutely fabulous gift for sizing things up and plotting the right strategy, figure out what the unexpected is trying to show you, and incorporate it into your overall approach. You’ll grow more appreciation for your own skills and make good things happen. That’s bound to be a whole lot more productive than moaning about the upside-down apple cart.
For Capricorn, the key to using change to create growth is flexibility.
Aquarius
All right, let’s acknowledge that you believe change is necessary. In fact, you think invented it! Heaven forbid that anything should ever be stagnant. But shaking things up for the sake of shaking them up doesn’t always create change. It just makes your life into a three-ring circus. Sure, things are never the same from moment to moment, but tending to a never-ending cycle of self-created chaos doesn’t actually lead to growth. It just zaps you, leaving you exhausted. So, let go of chaos and turmoil. Use what’s been shoved in your face to get beyond the need to resist. Admit it. You resist anything that isn’t your idea. And that includes change. No matter how much you embrace the idea of change, when it barges in to your life you’re still taken by surprise. You knew it was coming but hey, not like this. You bluster and complain until you morph the whole thing into something you planned to do anyway. Make life easier. Welcome things without resistance. Ignore the messenger. Pay attention to the message instead. Use your vaunted objectivity and your capacity to see outside the box to grow, not just tear things apart. That way people might actually listen to what you have to say.
For Aquarius, the key to using change to create growth is acceptance.
Pisces
You are definitely the most fluid person on the planet. You change realities with ease and grace, often moment to moment. However, what you don’t see is that dabbling in so many dimensions can leave you out of the loop in this one. And this is where you live. So, when the call for change comes, don’t fly off to another part of the universe. Life ultimately may be transitory, but you still have to live it. And that means being fully engaged, not dropping in and out like a flower child. To grow, you need to be present. All that visionary capacity that you have will go to waste if you don’t take time to focus. A dream is just a fantasy unless you do something about it. Put your considerable visualizing capacity to work. Use your magic to create growth. Sit down with your feet firmly planted on the ground and create the necessary framework to get the job done. After all, you can see it, can’t you?
For Pisces, the key to using change to create growth is being grounded.
Lesley Francis is a full-time practising astrologer, intuitive, writer and facilitator. She is also a member of the IAA Board of Directors. A version of this article originally appeared in the 2010 edition of the Llewellyn Sun Sign Book.