Understanding the masculine and feminine energies in astrology can help us see much more clearly how the planets affect us and having this insight will help us better understand people. When we know the introverted (feminine) and extroverted (masculine) signs, we can better understand the birth chart as well as how the planets affect us in our day to day life.
The zodiac signs that are considered masculine are:
Then the zodiac signs that are considered feminine are the other six:
You can also categorize the planets as masculine and feminine.
The masculine planets are
The feminine planets are:
Mercury and Uranus are neutral.
To be clear, we are not talking about men and women or biological sex; rather, astrology uses the yin and yang interpretation of gender polarities.
The energy which we think of as ‘giving’ is yang or masculine and the energy which we think of as ‘receiving’ is yin or feminine. Astrology is learned by understanding categories such as the elements, qualities (Fixed, Cardinal, Mutable), signs, planets, houses and the polarities. However, this new insight into your own chart and people you know will give you deep understanding that you find very useful.
The Masculine & Feminine in Your Core Personality
If you have a masculine Sun sign, you probably have more of a tendency to take charge or take action when you want to accomplish things. However, if you have a feminine Sun sign, you’re more likely to let things come to you and find yourself intuitively gravitating to the right things at the right time. If your Sun sign is masculine, you will tend to use reason and logic to make decisions, but if it is feminine you will tend to prioritize emotion and gut feelings.
If your Sun sign is masculine (regardless of your gender) you will likely be extroverted and take charge in groups. You probably have a good amount of energy and like to be active. If your Sun sign is feminine, you’re probably more of an introvert and homebody who likes to hang out away from large crowds. You probably observe more to understand if your Sun sign is feminine, and if your Sun sign is masculine you probably try to teach people to enact change.
Our approach to life can definitely be colored by our Sun sign and we can certainly understand if someone is moving through the world as a masculine sign or letting the world move through them as a feminine sign.
Masculine & Feminine Moon Signs & Your Hidden Emotional Needs
Your Moon sign represents the emotional needs you have and reveals how you feel safe in the world.
If you have a masculine Moon sign, you will probably need a good amount of independence so you can make your own decisions in your life. You’ll also probably need to be around people to feel better. If you have a feminine Moon sign, you’ll need to be able to get in touch with your feeling to recharge. Additionally, you’ll probably want to connect to people more emotionally than in a competitive manner.
If someone has a masculine Sun sign and seems outgoing but they have a feminine Moon sign, they may need to have frequent deep conversations to feel good. This helps us see the complexities of human nature more clearly. Additionally, a feminine Sun sign and masculine Moon sign might display more traits of nurturing and emotional intelligence on the exterior but need to just forget their emotions with some good hard work to soothe their spirit.
How This Affects Us Each Month
Each month as the Sun moves through a sign we can see how the masculine or feminine energy affects our own energy. We can expect to have more energy to do things when the Sun is in a masculine sign. Alternatively, we can expect to rest, reflect and allow ourselves to take a break from pushing so hard when the Sun is in a feminine sign.
We can also dive much deeper to see these polarities depending on what signs the planets are moving through. Because each planet stays in a sign for different amounts of time and rules a different part of life, when we know when the planets are changing signs, we can know how that part of life will be affected according to the yin/yang principle.
For example, if Venus, the planet of love, moved from Aquarius into Pisces, we could expect our yearnings for companionship to increase being that Pisces loves to bond and blend while Aquarius loves to separate and distinguish itself. Or, let’s say the planet of passion, Mars, moved from action-oriented Aries into practical methodical Taurus. We may expect our passion to move from socializing and making decisions about our life goals to more passion for the close to home, intimate and family-focused things in life.
Masculine/Feminine & Yin/Yang
Each year, the Chinese Zodiac animal is either yin or yang, which will greatly color the energy for that year. You can predict if you will have more energy than other years and be out making changes and starting new things with a yang year or if you will be more spiritual and working on your emotional life with a yin year. This is a larger cycle that still is affected by the polarities and understanding and observing this energy will help you see why certain years feel so different compared to others.
Yin (Feminine) Chinese Zodiac Animals:
- Rat
- Tiger
- Monkey
- Horse
- Dragon
- Dog
Yang (Masculine) Chinese Zodiac Animals:
- Ox
- Rabbit
- Sheep
- Rooster
- Snake
- Pig
2019 being the year of the Earth Pig is a yin year, a feminine year of receiving abundance.
Additionally, when the outer planets move through a masculine or feminine sign, it can shift the area of life that that planet affects. For example, Jupiter, which affects our luck and fortune, stays in a sign for a year and if it’s in a yin or feminine sign, we can expect to receive easier but if it’s in a masculine or yang sign, we will need to get to work to be successful. Some years are planting seeds and some years are harvesting.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, those born under even number years are yin and those born under odd number years are yang. The numbers in numerology and Tarot also follow this pattern that even numbers carry feminine energy and odd numbers carry masculine energy.
The Masculine & Feminine in Your Daily Life
The Moon, being the closest to us, changes signs most frequently. If we want to know how the energy for the day will be, we can look at what sign the Moon is in. This helps us understand why we can wake up feeling so different from day-to-day.
Of course, knowing the traits of the sign will help and a part of knowing the traits of the sign is knowing its element as well as which polarity of energy it brings. On a day when the Moon is in Aries, for example, we will feel like getting things done, but on a day when the Moon is in Taurus, we’d rather lounge and enjoy a good meal.
Closing Thoughts…
The reason that these polarities won’t show up as black and white in us is that the birth chart is more than just the Sun, Moon and Rising signs. If you have a lot of masculine zodiac signs in your chart, you’re likely to lean toward more masculine energy and vice versa. Additionally, for those that are more androgynous, they likely have a more equal balance of the polarities in their chart.
The people you gel with easily may not be predominantly feminine or masculine like you, they may be more balancing to you. We often find safe harbor in friends who are like us but are intrigued by those who can help balance our own polarities. This may help to unravel the saying, ‘opposites attract,’ or the statement, ‘you’re the yin to my yang.’
When it comes to compatibility, it would help to see how much of each polarity you both have. This can help you understand the dynamics of work and personal relationships.
Related Article: Kings & Queens: The Masculine & Feminine in Tarot