The three modalities describe the mode or way an energy flows. In astrological terms an energetic quality, or modality, is either Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable.

Cardinal energy has a creative quality to it. It is the energy of Spring and creation. Cardinal signs usher in new ways of doing things, and carve out new pathways. Going ‘where man has never gone before’, exploring new frontiers, being at the forefront of evolutionary processes is a quality of cardinal consciousness. The challenge for cardinal signs is they may experience restlessness if they have to stay with one idea, plan, job or project too long. The cardinal signs are Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn.

Fixed energy has a stabilizing quality to it. It is the energy of Summer: a place-holder energy that stabilizes forms for the duration of their lifespan. Fixed signs have the ability to create structures and hold them in place. If water needs to be channeled from A to B we need a structure, a canal, to get it there. This ability to create structure, channels, frameworks etc. is a hallmark of fixed consciousness. The challenge for fixed signs is change, getting stuck in a rut or fixed way of thinking is a possibility, and stubbornness can be a problem. The fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius.

A popular concept these days is changing beliefs. “If we change our beliefs we will change our reality”. This is true to a point, when we change our beliefs, our perception of reality will shift significantly. But how easy is it to change beliefs? Can we just wake up one morning and say, “I don’t believe that any more”. If we could, then there would be nothing to do because the change has already happened.

The hardest thing to change is something we really, really, believe. Those are the things that usually have to do with our sense of self. Notice how often you get agitated, or defensive. When we experience an emotional charge, it is usually when something we believe is being challenged in some way. We may not even be aware of what that is. Beliefs are sometimes so deeply embedded that we don’t notice we are believing them. An example might be “people should be on time”. 

So imagine you are very punctual. You believe it is very important for people to be on time, for work or for any other appointment. So you go to great lengths each morning, allowing extra time, to make sure that whatever happens, you will not be late. Now you can see that you have invested a lot of time, energy and thought into this belief. Maybe you find yourself  thinking, “I am punctual”. Maybe you take great pride in being punctual and it is on your resume. This belief is becoming so strong that you have woven it into the fabric of your personality. Now, not only do you believe the thought “people should be on time”, you are believing that punctual is who you are.

We have just outlined the stages of the mechanism through which we develop a ‘false’ identity:  we become attached to our thoughts, so they become strong beliefs, and then we think it is ‘who we are’. They become part of our identity. 

Now imagine you give your friend a lift to work, and they are never ready on time. Now you will find yourself becoming agitated, whenever they are tardy. It might appear as though your agitation is a result of them ‘making you late’, but if you look closely you will see that the root cause, is your own underlying belief that “people should be on time” and more importantly, your identification with it. So when your friend is late, your very sense of self is threatened. The ‘fault’ is not in your friend, but in your false sense of self.

Catching ourselves in the moment that  we become agitated (or any other emotional charge), is one of the most beneficial things we can experience, because as soon as we realize that we are emotionally charged, we can bring mindfulness to ourselves and our situation, and explore what thought or belief we need to change or let go of. We cannot truly change a belief without being mindful enough to clearly see this process by which we became attached to the belief in the first place.

The more we stop blaming others, and examine our underlying beliefs, the more relaxed we become. It doesn’t mean we start being late! It does mean we can be more at ease with whatever is happening, and experience less stress. We can still do our best to be on time, and if it doesn’t happen, we don’t need to have stress, high blood pressure and a heart attack!

Take care, especially during this Mutable Grand Cross, to be mindful of what you think and what you say and ask yourself, "Is this really me? or Am I being swept along in an unconscious collective, energy dynamic?" These are especially good times to say nothing! Zip the lip, sit on your hands, and spend more time in meditation, until the storm passes!