Cusps

A cusp is that mysterious boundary between one Zodiac sign and the next. When the Sun, or any planet, changes signs, it shifts the energies from one to the other.

If you were born on the cusp of two signs, you may feel like you embody characteristics of both, but the actual sign you were born under is your true, natural sign.

Look at it this way: Humans love order. We can’t control Mother Nature, but we sure can try! When it comes to time, we’ve devised all kinds of systems: calendars, clocks, Daylight Savings in the summer... We run on schedules, but the universe isn’t so regimented.

For example, we have Leap Years because our 365-day calendar doesn’t reflect the actual, natural cycle of a year; we adjust for the slight variation with an extra day in February every four years.

Because the Zodiac does not align perfectly with the calendar, there can be confusion about when the Sun changes signs. But really, there is no confusion. According to astrology’s mathematical calculations, you’re born under one sign or the other; not both. If you were born on a cusp, you may feel influenced by both signs, and for good reason.

Planets that are close to the Sun, like Mercury and Venus, often lie either in the same sign as the Sun in your birth chart, or in the sign just before or after. Your Sun sign is still the core of your being, but you’re also strongly influenced by the other planets’ placement in your chart.

The 12 signs of the zodiac are: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces