Diana emailed:
The paradigm, “People never change” is commonly used, but I was wondering if it’s a frequent thought of fixed and cardinal signs. I don’t think I’ll ever hear a mutable sign say that.
Diana, probably not but the mutable signs also never change the fact they change and I’d say neither state of being is preferable. It is interesting to watch from a marketing standpoint. For example Pepsi keeps making Pepsi for the fixed crowd but constantly comes up with new flavors to interest people like me. Cherry Pepsi, Pepsi with lime, Pepsi with strawberry cream, etc. Shampoo, breakfast cereal and everything else you can think of, same thing.
My first husband had 5 planets in Scorpio and a Leo rising (all fixed). I always run with fixed people, otherwise I will mutate right into oblivion but anyway he was a Cheerio eater and back then they came out with this big innovation – Honey Nut Cheerios. Thrilled, I brought home a box: “Hey! Something new,” I said.
He was not impressed. In fact he didn’t have the slightest interest in putting one of the little pieces in his mouth and no amount of my eating and saying, yum, would budge him and this was incredibly instructive to me. I have never bothered to change a fixed sign off their brand since.
Do you switch brands often?
Yeah, October, he didn’t see the point of that. He said there was nothing wrong with a Cheerio – it could not possibly be improved upon and he was even bothered they would try.
Of course now “line extensions” are the norm..
Another ex, the AMF(also mega scorp) used to get pissed off because he couldn’t plain white whitening toothpaste without crap in it or gel. Every time he needed toothpaste he was forced to buy a derivative and boy would he bitch.
that’s funny, satori because although I didn’t specify, it was Colgate that he liked too. Vid uses cinnamon now and the soldier cringes. I like cinnamon, the soldiers Aquafresh and my own… usually peroxide, baking soda, crystal gel, ultra white… whatever looks most spectacular and exciting
well, i have all of my air and mutable-ness, but i have moon in scorpio opposite venus in taurus (tastes)… once i find something good, i’m not likely stray from it unless i get absolutely sick of it. i wouldn’t call myself brand loyal, seeing as i’m sure it’s only a matter of time before i get obsessed with something else until i can’t take any more. but i’m not interested in “new”, either.
…my libraesque answer.
Like your first husband, I am Scorpio, Leo rising. 2 planets in Scorp, Pluto on the ascendant. I do have a tendency to stick with things I like, although I can be coaxed to try new things by telling me “it’s sort of like” or “just like” something I already like.
Most of the time I suffer boredom with products (shampoo, cereal, clothes,) and places (restaurant, bus route home, the park), however other times I definitely want an entirely predictable experience so I usual have stand by products around (shampoo, conditioner, cereal). I’m pretty sure both leanings are affected/triggered by transits.
I’m definitely more change than consistency though.
I’m more consistent than change but I like change in odd doses. I have as many personal planets in fixed as mutable signs. My SO has no fixed signs is bored if he has to look at the same food two days in a row. He loves left overs but when he serves them up they are never like they were the day before.
I have sun in Leo and Scorpio ASC, and I definitely stick with the tried and true. Also, I think my Capricorn moon gives me a love for nostalgia, so I stick with the things that remind me of my childhood.
oh. my. god. YES. I like the plain white colgate. I thought I finally found some and bought the five pack. turns out it was ONE tube of white and four tubes of GEL. grrr. and the corker? they changed the flavor in the white. AAAAAUUUUUUGH!
I have a couple brand loyalties. Dove makes all things wonderful and I will always ALWAYS be a Coke person even though both Coke and Pepsi are evil, horrible, megalomaniac behemoth companies out to destroy the world. Also Tampax. I had a brief foray into Playtex and I have several pairs of ruined underpants as a testament to how I feel about Playtex.
i love trying new brands, variations, flavors or packaging. if it’s new, i’ll try it. hey…it might be better or more fun than what i am already using, right?
my chart is highly mutable. like gem’s so, when i serve leftovers, i do change ’em up and serve them a different way each time, too. don’t want to be boring!
This also had me thinking about my dad, who will NOT try anything new for the life of him. He has a lot of fixed and cardinal in his chart. For instance, he’s been with Geico ever since he’s been driving, and I keep telling him he might find a better rate if he looks around, but noooooo……he’s been with Geico for years, blah, blah, blah. The same goes for everything else. Same David sunflower seeds, same beef jerky brand, the man still watches old VHS recordings he did of VH1 and MTV when they used to actually play videos…and I keep telling him he can get a better picture if he just searches the videos on youtube.com…….but noooooooo. 🙂
I am way Cardinal, so all I do is focus on the marketing manipulation attendant with new products. I do try new things, but only if I feel like it’s in my interest to do so.
“I am way Cardinal, so all I do is focus on the marketing manipulation attendant with new products.”
Me too, Stephanie.
I do try new brands, but if something is great, I don’t see the point of changing just to change. In choosing restaurants, I’m particularly frustrated in my own tendencies and at that point most Cardinal. I definitely won’t go with the flow with other people’s choices if I’m in a group, I want to try something new (though good)/have an air of innovation, but I am balky/can’t bring myself to do it. It’s sometimes hard for me to try new things.
I do love changing brands and trying new things. It’s more exciting. But I also keep a few things the same for some time when I really like them.
I’m Sagittarius with a Sag stellium.
I have a lot of mutable in my chart and I will try new products but when it comes to restaurants, I eat the same thing 99% of the time. Sometimes if I’m in the drive-thru and they don’t have my usual, I’ll just drive away! LOL
hmmm. I’m way Cardinal too…but I love change and newness. I just can’t stick to the same product for long. Trying the next flavor, color, smell is exciting! If I don’t try the new variation, I feel like I’m missing out on something I might like (can’t know till you try it right?). There are some favorites as backup in case I can’t find anything I like, but variety is definitely my preference. I’m always the first to try some new thing that comes out 🙂
Gem – I do the same thing as your SO, lol. I literally lose my appetite when the same food from lunch shows up again at dinner, and then again the next day. I cook in small portions and buy the small variety packs of cereal, juice, tea…it keeps me interested in finishing the box. I don’t understand the ‘bulk’ items – 64 oz. of this and 10 lbs of that. That’s a big commitment…to boredom!
Perhaps it’s my Uranus, or my Gemini ASC that explains this.
I change all the time, everything, mix and match, because of the Pisces rising (and ADD) it’s hard for me to focus on the product or what it costs, let alone whether it is neatly placed in the grocery cart. I am one of the ones naively swayed by any new marketing approach.
The only notable exception being Starbucks, where I always get the same thing.
it’s not change or not, so much as whether or not they have certain ingredients i want, and don’t have ones i don’t.
and product lines keep changing, so i have to keep reading the ingredients list.
but i’m brand loyal at least for certain brands who almost always seem to have similar philosophies to mine. within that, i enjoy trying new stuff… but only when i run out 😉
(suitably virgo, eh? uhm, with an uranus/mercury oppsition is aspect to my virgo….)
Satori, that was so funny – I can totally relate!
I seem to be an even split of fixed and mutable. So I will try new things, (maybe there’s something better out there)but it drives my absolutely nuts if it’s a crappy product. I HATE wasting my money.
And I would have to say that I am pretty much a brand snob. Funny, I used to like Timmy’s coffee, but finally tried Starbucks. Now, if there’s no Starbucks around (say I’m on the road) and I have to cave and drink Timmy’s – OMG it tastes like dishwater!
Ana: It’s not about resisting change for change’s sake (i.e. being fixed) so much as a control issue. You like change and are choosing it for yourself. You’re in control. I like change too and do change, but I definitely have issues about how that process works and want to maintain control over it. Very much what Dina’s describing.
My finances dictate how much I change. For example, I almost always use Dr. Bronner’s soap but I can’t afford it right now, so I’m using some bar soap someone gave me. I’ll bide my time until I can afford it again.
I once tried steak tartare (topped with a raw ostrich egg) at a wedding reception, for the sole reason that I like to try everything at least once, but when the hell would I pay to go to a restaurant and eat raw beef?
My SO was horrified but after hearing my reasoning he actually ordered it as well.
(Taurus Sun/Mercury opposed Scorpio Uranus/MC)
I hate buying the same brand twice when it comes to personal items (hair care, makeup, etc.) & most food items. I’m one of those people who will usually order something different each time I visit a restaurant. Now, if I really, REALLY love something, I will usually stick with it. But, I’m always looking for new things to try. 🙂 My chart is mostly Cardinal though, so I don’t know why that is. Maybe it’s a Mars thing? My Mars is Mutable, but my Venus is Fixed (which explains the rare cases of “brand loyalty”). 😉
I just bought–on a total, weird whim–that nail polish that you rub on instead of painting on.
I am too lazy most months to polish my nails, and I was looking to feel well taken care of in an easy but luxurious way that day. I ended up in Walgreens. And I bought this. Who knows when I will use it but it is sort of a cheery thing to have around.
I only switch if I want to feel better & there has been an improvement.
If it is the same old flim flam with sparkles in it, I won’t buy it, unless it actually improves it.
I DO get really into the ideas on the infomercials–the girdle thing that sucks in your back fat?!?–but a quick google search shows everyone’s horrible experience getting ripped off so that’s a no.
I’m sun, mars, merc in Leo in the 9th w/ a taurus moon–I think it’s sort of like: I’ll zoom in to check out the new thing, but if it is BS, Sag says no, or tacky or cheap in any way, Leo is not interested, neither is Taurus.
If it is truly more beautiful, gives me more down time, fixes some petty irritation, leaving me more time not to think about little logistical stuff, then I will pay too much money for the new brand in a second, however.
My current favorite thing is that travel store, Flight 001, which is FULL of this kind of new take on mundane products.I also looooved Ikea when it arrived but am now bored with it. But will go back for certain things I know are quickest, easiest, least ugly for a low price.
Depending on what you count I’ve got four planets and my ASC in Cardinal signs, four Fixed planets (throw in Chiron and it’s five), and three Mutable planets (four with N.Node). And all of my personal planets are either Cardinal or Fixed.
One would think I’d be adverse to change, but, like Stephanie and Dina, I’m not. I’ll try anything at least once (how else will you know if you like it, as satori said) and will try things I don’t have a strong reaction to a few times to get a clear impression.
If I already use a product of a certain type and the changes make sense, I’ll by the shiny-new version. I make a point of trying foods I hate every few years to make sure I still hate ’em! *lol* And unless it’s somewhere pretentious or out of my budget, I’m always in a new restaurant the first week it’s open — especially if it’s a style of cooking I’ve not had. If they’ve got good food, I’ll come back until I’ve tasted everything on the menu.
There are some things I won’t compromise on, like hair care products (Hello! I’m a Leo!) and my brand of tampon, but even there I’ll try a different line from the same brand sometimes.
In spite of all that, though, in my world people don’t change. Usually. 😉
w/ a mostly fixed emphasis I truly dislike or resist change but then with a sag moon and uranus squaring the ruler of both my ac and sun I also can’t help myself from straying away and far! LOL I’m conflicted and have no straight answer here.
That’s funny, I never thought of how I shop before. I have a lot of Cardinal and a little Mutable, hardly any Fixed. I tend to buy the same things, but not usually because of brand loyalty. It’s just that I’ve figured out in my stores which things tend to have the best value. Except for OB tampons and Heinz ketchup. The first because they work the best and as someone mentioned, you really want something that works in that department. The second because the other brands truly are markedly inferior in taste.
I am very unlikely to buy something that is a new innovation unless it is a vast improvement or is a taste I really like.
Not only do I buy the same brands all the time, but I also buy the same FOOD all the time.
And here’s another member of the plain white Colgate crowd, waving my hand in the air.
I’m not totally fixed, though. When I was a kid it was Cheerios and Wheaties; now it’s Kashi and Puffins. But cereal is a bad example because that crap is so expensive I really only buy it as a “treat.”
I LOVE to change! I also have loyalties towards certain brands but I LOVE to try different kinds within that brand. I totally dislike to eat the same kind of cereals within the same month or even week. That’s why I buy at least 2 different boxes of cereals!! The only thing I never change is my soap bar (ALWAYS Dove unscented!!) BUT I ALWAYS buy different types of body wash!! 😀
Although I’m an Aquarius rising Cancer, I have plenty of mutable planets (lots of Pisces and Sag!)