In astrology, it’s not just what’s in your chart—but what isn’t. Sometimes, you just have too much of a good thing, or not enough of something else. By exploring your chart, you can learn how to balance the essential forces and get unstuck. We call it “Astro-Ayurveda”—using astrology to bring balance to your chart and life.
Astro-Ayurveda uses astrology to balance to your chart and life
While many astrologers treat the chart as deterministic, we believe that once you learn what’s in under the hood, you can tinker with the engine. Awareness expands consciousness, which gives us free will and the power to change.
The philosophy behind Ayurvedic medicine is that all disease and suffering stems from an imbalance in the three doshas, or energy types. Similarly, when your chart is skewed too heavily (or not enough) in one direction, you may feel lopsided until you consciously introduce one of the other energies into your life.
To Astro-Ayurveda your chart, you can look at:
- The 4 elements: How many planets are in fire, earth, air or water signs?
- The 3 qualities: How many planets are in cardinal, mutable or fixed signs?
- The 2 polarities: How many planets are in yin vs. yang signs?
Start by doing your free birth chart. Then use the Astro-Ayurveda keys below to count out how many of each item you have.
The 4 Elements: Fire, Earth, Air and Water
In astrology, the zodiac signs are grouped into four elements: fire, earth, air and water. There are 3 signs (or “triplicities”) in every element. (Read more about the elements here.)
Using the key above, look at your chart and write down how many of each element you have.
Fire = action, initiative, drive, impulsivity, energy
Earth = security, practicality, material needs
Air = communication, the spread and exchange of ideas, intellect, change
Water = nurturing, emotion, connection, feeling, creativity, sensitivity
The elements in your chart
Many charts have at least one planet in each of the four elements. You may notice that you’re evenly distributed between them or maybe you’re skewed heavily toward one or two elements. You could be lacking in just one.
Example: Maybe your chart is heavy on planets in impulsive fire signs, but lacks the grounding earth element. As a result, you’re always starting a million things, but lose steam once you have to deal with the practical details.
Instead of being perpetually in the “honeymoon phase,” you can work WITH your chart. You could consciously develop more discipline by working with a coach or learning management skills. Or, you could partner with people who love handling the mundane tasks while you play a creative role.
What did you discover? Where could you use more balance?
The 3 Qualities: Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed Signs
The zodiac signs are also grouped into three qualities: cardinal, mutable and fixed. (Read more here.)
Using the key above, look at your chart and write down how many of each quality you have.
Cardinal signs
Cardinal = initiators, spokespeople, trendsetters, start the action, crave recognition, need a title or their own “turf”
The four cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) start every season. As a result they, like to be “first” and can often be found initiating projects or thriving in the early stages. If your chart has a lot of planets in cardinal signs, you may prefer to be the #boss.
Fixed signs
Fixed = workhorses, do-ers, roll up their sleeves and get the job done, may prefer to work behind the scenes
The four fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) are large and in charge. They know what needs to be done and how to carry that out. If cardinal signs kick off the game, fixed signs carry the ball all the way to the goal. If your chart has a lot of fixed planets, you may be stubborn or set in your ways, or have “fixed” ideas about how things should be done. You may need to work on being less rigid. Or, you may need a career where you achieve a lot of tangible results to feel satisfied.
Mutable signs
Mutable = polishers, editors, add the finishing touch, disruptors, communicators and idea people, need variety, like to put their individual stamp on everything
The four mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) like change and variety. They come in at the last stage and polish, tweak, perfect. If you have a lot of mutable planets in your chart, you might leave the managerial and repetitive tasks to someone else while you lend your creative finishing touch to their work.
What did you discover? Where could you use more balance?
The 2 Polarities: Yin and Yang
The zodiac signs are divided in half by yin (water and earth) and yang (fire and air) signs.
Yin (water + earth signs) = receptive, passive, creative, need support, introverted
Yang (fire + air signs) = proactive, driven, extroverted, take charge, lead
If you skew yin, you may need a partner who pushes you to take action. Or, it might take you a minute to find your voice and feel comfortable leading the way. Speaking up or asking for what you need can be challenging until you establish a sense of security in your environment.
If your planets are heavily yang, you could be a strong leader, but maybe not as good at playing well with others. You may need to slow down, listen and take feedback. Delegate and spread the power around, even if it seems easier just to do it all yourself.
What did you discover? Where could you use more balance?
Putting it all together in Astro-Ayurveda
Balance me, please!
So, now that you’ve scored and weighted your chart, here are a few suggestions for balancing your Astro-Ayurveda.
When you have a lot of…
Fire signs: You can be impatient, impulsive, domineering, burn out or lose interest fast. Work on finishing what you start, not taking on too much at once. Be a compassionate listener instead of preaching or trying to save the day.
Earth signs: You can be overly fixated on safety and security, judgmental. Work on increasing your risk tolerance by taking small and calculated chances. Step out of the echo chamber and surround yourself with people who challenge you.
Air signs: You can get scattered, be “all talk, no action.” Work on being on time, keeping your word, waiting to share about your ideas until you have real results.
Water signs: You can be fearful, insecure or hide behind others. Work on establishing trust and widening your comfort zone, sharing even when you’re scared. When you feel out of place, nurture or volunteer and you’ll feel more at ease.
Cardinal signs: You can be entitled, elitist, exclusionary, self-serving. Work on humility, including others, creating more win-win scenarios. Find a worthy outlet for your natural leadership gifts, but watch that dictatorial tendency.
Mutable signs: You can be flaky, irresponsible, all over the map. Work on finishing what you start, not trying to turn every hobby into a career. You may be happiest in a career with a strong social component, or a field that involves writing, teaching and speaking.
Fixed signs: You can be rigid, judgmental, closed-minded, and have tunnel vision. Work on more tolerance, embracing different ideas and opinions, flexibility. Pull yourself out of “obsession” mode.
When you don’t have many…
Fire signs: You can be fearful or self-doubting. Work on taking more risks and going with your gut. Allow yourself to express anger in the moment, rather than stuffing it down.
Earth signs: You can be ungrounded and have trouble managing or holding onto money. Work on following simple systems and cultivating habits that keep your feet on the ground (and money in the bank). A financial planner or advisor could be your saving grace.
Air signs: Change and movement are hard for you. Work on proactively trying new things, opening your mind and exposing yourself to new experiences to avoid getting stagnant. Ask more questions instead of assuming.
Water signs: Compassion is not your strong suit; you may turn to your head instead of your heart for answers. Work on tuning into your body and intuition and stepping into people’s shoes before judging.
Cardinal signs: You may have a hard time taking initiative Get training around leadership, management and self-worth so you can rise to the top.
Mutable signs: You can get stuck in a one-track game or avoid change. Proactively push yourself to try things way out of your comfort zone and add more variety to your life to keep from feeling bored.
Fixed signs: You have a hard time rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard work. You either need an awesome team of assistants or to push yourself through those diva moments. Cutting corners will come back to bite you.
