Water Signs

The signs expressing the element of water are Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces. Cancer, the cardinal water sign, ruled by the Moon, reflect its early environment and memories of childhood and the home. This person relies on their ‘gut instincts’ and they usually receive impressions and an overall feeling about a person. The type is usually very much in tune with its emotional needs, and form a powerful attachment to their early ’roots’. Cancerians often delve into their family tree and study subjects like history. This person needs emotional contact through the family and home. Scorpio is a fixed water sign ruler by Mars and Pluto and probes into the environment, it signifies deep water where transformation takes place below the surface of life. Scorpio presents the tougher side of water and is extremely self-protective, secretive and tends to distance himself from social situations.

Scorpio is based on the flow of feeling of mutual entanglements and merges with others in a profound way, the sign penetrates emotionally in order to strike at the very heart and soul of emotional experiences. Plutonian feelings are hot, fiery emotional and prone to violent eruptions. Scorpio responds to the darkest depths of human emotion, and we often form our most profound bonds in life through life and death situations, but also through emotional confrontations. Although, it must be said, that the Scorpion does tend to 'provoke' what lies beneath the surface of life, even if it dredges up ugly emotions. Above all, the sign values emotional honesty, and needs to know how others really feel, and are not fooled by social niceties, pretence or keeping up appearances.

Pisces, the mutable water sign ruled by Jupiter and Neptune dissolves and crosses boundaries, signifying the widest of emotional experiences. This person can be extremely submissive and the most changeable of the water signs and their emotions are constantly shifting, moving and changing. In essence, the water triplicity responds beautifully to anything coloured with human emotion and are sensitive to the needs of others, reacting appropriately to the mood of the moment. Classically, water loves emotional drama and sink easily into feelings of melancholy. Usually there is a deep psychic sensitivity to life and need for secrecy and privacy.

“Of all the elements, the Sage should take water as his preceptor. Water is yielding but all conquering. Water extinguishes Fire, finding itself likely to be defeated, escapes as steam and reforms. Water washes away soft Earth or, when confronted by rocks, seeks a way around… It saturates the atmosphere so that Wind dies. Water gives way to obstacles with deceptive humility, for no power can prevent it following its destined course to the sea. Water conquers by yielding; it never attacks but always wins the last battle.” John Blofeld’s, The Wheel of Life

The water elements take all shapes and forms: the pond, to the calm, tranquil and sometimes violent sea, or the hard frozen lake. Water signs tend to be ‘deep’ and introverted, they value relationships and need emotional bonds and closeness with others. At worst, they can get waterlogged and bogged down by too much negativity in their environment, and there is often a vulnerability in all water signs. Sometimes prone to suffering from extreme ‘mood swings’ the water types are often ‘inarticulate’ souls. However, these emotional types have the capacity to feel and react to others in a caring and sensitive way.

“The watery type is usually well-acquainted with the darker side of human nature, which earns these signs their reputation for compassion and empathy. There is the inherent capacity to feel what another feels, and to assess things in what appears to be a totally irrational way which can be infuriating to the airy type, who must reason everything out, “Why don’t you like him?” says air, and water replies, “I don’t know, I just don’t feel good about him.” But you must have a reason.” I don’t need a reason, I just know.” “But surely you don’t expect me to accept your judgement without a reason!” By Liz Greene, Relating