Are the Cardinal signs controlling?
Yes they are! So are people with lots of planets in the Cardinal houses (1st, 4th, 7th, 10th) but you should not assign this a negative connotation!
ALL ENERGY IS NEUTRAL UNTIL IT’S DIRECTED.
Yes, your Capricorn mother may try to control your life. But she may just as easily opt to control herself, and her own life. Her example may teach you how to control your own life. This would be a positive.
I have some emphasis on Cardinal signs and I control this blog. If I did not have the ability and the willingness to assert some control, this blog would not exist!
Do some Cardinal types try to control others?
Of course! If it bothers you then stay away from them.
Control is a complex phenomena. For example I have a terrible time making decisions courtesy the Libra in my chart. I am greatly relieved if you choose the restaurant where we eat! If you choose what I should order from the menu, I will appreciate that as well. This is a situation where I will readily give up control.
You can’t look at a chart and assume the energy you see described is poorly played. If you believe otherwise, you probably know less than you think you do!
Are you controlling? What’s the astrology?
I have planets in 1 4 and 7 which are fixed signs for me. As good as I am at managing things and getting things done, I too have Libra (mercury and moon) so I draw a blank when someone asks me where I want to eat or what movie to see, etc. Luckily I have a new libra/sagmoon friend who is the decider believe it or not. I call her the entertainment director. Its great, she calls up and says, hey want to do this or that and I just say “sure”. I told her recently though that I am not going to the clubs any more cuz I’m tired of dancing with 20something guys. I’m too old for them and they are boring to me after five minutes. I’ll leave that seed planted and hope she finds some good stuff for us to do that doesn’t involve hip hop.
Interesting bit about reading the chart and assuming the energy there is poorly played. I’d been doing so much of that with my own chart, finding all sorts of evidence to indicate what a lousy person I am.. Self-awareness is one thing, self-flagellation is quite the other!
Elsa, thanks for this series. I’m learning a lot.
Thanks, Elsa.
Does Libra control? How?
And where would the rest of us be without the pioneers, the initiators, the always forward moving, forward thinking, inventive, the launchers … I think it works best when there is some other energy in the chart or else there will be a lot of stuff half done, and they need others (or other energy) to complete things they launch, but we do need all that energy.
I don’t have a lot of trouble being controlled by cardinal energy although they do try! But can you imagine actually controlling the immovable Taurus with the slippery duplicitous Pisces coating? After a while they give up and go find a Virgo, lol.
Libra can control by making you seem like you are the one making the decisions, when you really aren’t. Say, by claiming they can’t decide on something, but make little negative comments about one side to veer you towards choosing the other. They can also be manipulative by pretending to be diplomatic.
I know how this works having a Libra stellium with Pluto and Mercury in it. 😉 mwahaha!
Elsa I’ve had foolish people who thought they were astrologers pull the same crap with me. I have a lot of difficult placements natally. I was actually told forget ever thinking about having a career and that I was the cause of all problems in all my relationships and that I’d never heal from abuse I’ve suffered in real life. Beginning astrologers need to remember they are bound by ethics just as psychologists are.
“Beginning astrologers need to remember they are bound by ethics just as psychologists are.”
Actually they are not bound by anything so it’s buyer beware.
I like my situation because my perspective and personality is so PUBLISHED people have reams of information that can allow them to choose whether or not they would like to work with me.
Oh really? I did not know this! Well, that helps me make my decision. No more consulting astrologers to begin with! No ethics widely allows potential abuse of clients with no recourse whatsoever. If one pays an astrologer, there’s no way one can report said astrologer to the BBB for abuse of ethics then, right? That’s awfully disgusting.
I’m a Cardinal type. Controlling others doesn’t interest me, but NOT being controlled by others is a big deal for me. Just won’t do anything unless I decide to. I feel secure when I’m in charge – of myself, my thoughts and feelings, my life, my plans, my time, everything. Letting someone else control anything that has to do with me is just really difficult. So yes, I’m a control freak, but only when something directly involves me. Heh 🙂
Most of my planets are in fixed signs – only 2 in cardinal signs. I have been accused alot of being controlling so not sure what that means.
Control is such a bad word in our culture because it assumes that each individual can be controlled. People are so very afraid of anything but free-will. They get upset about labels, about people who want things from them. It’s like our culture is entirely built around uranus. Freedom from everything at any cost.
But people are people- social creatures. We need each other (not including hermits), and in a society, we have to give up a certain amount of control in order to get the things we want. People can be labeled. People should be controlled to an extent.
It is this that makes me hesitate to admit that I am controlling in only two areas of my life and both are venus-ruled. You would think different. I’m aggressively in control of my finances, and I try to be aggressively in control of my lovers. Since I tend to attract people who are attracted to my otherwise free-wheeling nature, clashes ensue. But it’s probably time for me to just admit it, free and clear of any explanations: I am controlling in love and money. Problem is, money is inanimate and doesn’t care if I control it. Lovers do. So how do I find someone who is a strong personality but willing to go along with my plan?
I know a lot of pussy whipped dudes, they are everywhere, I don’t see why you should have a problem finding one.
Most serious astrologers have a strong internal ethical core in the readings they do which is based on a spiritual and interpersonal feeling of being bound to honor the karmic situation re: life and ethics. Belief in karma and everything associated with it is a strong motivator for true believers, which include most good astrologers, therefore is a much stronger ethical motivating force than any review boards or lawyers could ever think about mustering up. But if you don’t have enough beginning skills to be able to tell the good ones from the bad, perhaps it IS wise to take some time off to study up on your own.
It is interesting but in my perception control of others in our society is considered bad, but the control of oneself is prized. Control your appetite, control your desires, control your fears, control your sadness, control, control, control. But, heaven forbid, do not try to control others! That’s bad, bad, bad!!!
It’s interesting.
Other than the few remaining nomadic people on earth, we are definitely all controlled.
yes that sounds crazy but I guess I fantasize about freedom from civilization because lately I’ve been realizing that the time when there was no computer, phone and facebook is over. Those times were so different and will not return in my lifetime. On the other hand I yearn for the future. Oh well, its crazy, I know.
“I’ve been realizing that the time when there was no computer, phone and facebook is over. Those times were so different and will not return in my lifetime..”
I wouldn’t bet on that at all. I would say you’ve got 50/50 odds there and that is at best.
so what is our emergency plan? so how will the global astrology network find each other when we all all boomeranged back to dark ages? where’s the meetin place??!!! 🙂
aml – Fate will take care of that.
its funny how in this age of budding technology where things should really work smoothly for us all juxtaposed to the breakdown of financial systems or the bursting bubble, that it in the end its people helping people to get things done. I’m seeing more and more handshake agreements and the need to trust people lately because people just don’t have credit any more. So it kind of like we can’t ignore that people still need eachother.
Buyer beware, damn straight Elsa. That comment was Laconic in the good way, like a swift spear. applause. In regards to the topic, I have a stellium in Libra and yes, I control people with my fabulous good looks 😉 Is it right, is it wrong? doesn’t matter, I can’t help it. don’t hate me because i’m beautiful. just follow me. and maybe you too can be beautiful.
“Don’t hate me cuz I’m beautiful.” for those of us old enough to remember (in the US) which Adv was that? I think maybe, lady clairol? LOL, good one!
Notatirem, are you beautiful on the inside too? If so, I’ll be glad to be amongst your followers ;-), because, I, too, would love to be beautiful. Both inside and out.
Somewhere a meteor flies through the heavens. An astrologer living in a cave on an island in the outer hebrides, sees it and flips an ancient coin. Heads says the days of computers, facebooks and phones are over. The coin slips and falls into the ocean and she smiles to herself as she thinks that the fate of mankind is unknowable. She goes back to collecting firewood and contemplates her theory that the future curves, but more importantly what is her man cooking for dinner?
I have 2 planets in cancer and 3 planets in libra. there is something control freak in me and that is only to make sure i am in balanced. the freedom i give myself is arts such as painting and writing. people say i am good in teaching and nurturing which i never thought of. maybe later on. thanks for this post.
I only have one planet in cardinal sign (Pluto in Libra) and (if you use the Equal house system) I don’t have any planets in the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house… yet I can be bossy!! Pluto does trine my Sun, ASC and MC and squares my Mercury and conjunct my Saturn so maybe it’s a Plutonian thing! I have a lot of mutability in my chart and some fixe effects but barely any cardinal shocks!!
I’ve realised (after getting a consultation with Elsa) that the Equal house system is a better description of my… well… myself and the Placidus one so not a lot of cardinal directiveness!
oops sorry meant a better description THAN the Placidus one…
and I just realised that I have a Cancer rising! Maybe that also counts as a cardinal effect!!
hmm, my Capricorn and Aries make my 12th house planets uncomfortable. I’m slowly learning to keep advice to myself with my kids. It may be right but if it’s not asked for, it’s seldom welcome.
I am ferociously independent. Absolutely the captain of my own ship, and like Elsa, love it if you decide where we are going for dinner, and what I’m going to eat. Leaves me free to float, which is a big part of my personality.
Just let me decide what color to paint the house, and how to put away the food in the fridge. Fourth house Cancer sun represent!
I’ll never tell you what you need to do, though, you can count on it. What I’m finding out over time, is that a lot of people like to be told what to do in relationships, and when I don’t do that, they go find someone who will… sigh.
i have sun jupiter in aries, moon and pluto in libra, saturn in cancer, and venus in 10, uranus in 4 saturn in 1. I dont like doing anything unless I feel like it, and I try to control people too which sens me over the top in terms of strong emotional expression when things dont go my way haha
“unless you like being an idiot and a fool and so forth. ”
*laughs*
“so what is our emergency plan? so how will the global astrology network find each other when we all all boomeranged back to dark ages? where’s the meetin place??!!!”
This is just my own person guess at this… I agree with Elsa’s 50/50 chance, so I’ve been thinking quite a bit about this. I have a sense though, that although there are many positives (advantages) provided by Computers, phones, FB, etc., most of us have experienced it’s ‘shadow’ side, that a complete breakdown might just be the ticket to allow some of these things to be reborn, reestablished, but (expanded) reconfigured into something ‘better’, ‘safer’. Maybe in such a way that you alone are able to ‘control’ the transfer of information (no spam filters, censoring, etc). Maybe something that has to do with ‘personal energy’ and not ‘electricity’ or some other type of source.
Hey, I’ve got Pluto & Uranus in the 10th, opposing Jupiter, plus I’m an Aries Sun- just saying…
I have a Capricorn moon and a packed 10th house but I don’t consider myself controlling. Maybe my kids have other ideas about that LOL.
I admit to controlling my own emotions at times and doing what I ‘should’ instead of what I really want but I seriously don’t think I try to control other people.
What I do hate, however, is to have anyone try to control ME.
My husband and friends and I (Libra) take turns deciding on the restaurants or places we go. Sometimes he’ll decide, sometimes they’ll decide, sometimes I’ll decide. All’s fair :).
And I only like to be controlled in the bedroom, but that’s another story for another time.
I have a butt load of cardinal, and I’m not very controlling of other people at all. Mostly I have a lot of self-control and I *used to* get really agitated when my schedule and structure got disrupted, but I’ve made a lot of progress with that and am learning to be more laid back. I think I use all the cardinal in a positive way, not as a means to control others.
I’m not controlling, I am authoritative 🙂
omg…. don’t get me started about “control”.
4-planets in 3rd house (sun, mercury, venus, neptune) which for me is scorpio. I hate surprises and new places, so knowing the gameplan is crucial to me. I will say all the years in the military has softened the hatred of new places, it’s still there.
rofl…. I was just about to “growl” about 1st house can’t possibly be cardinal (angular)…. until I looked it up in a reference book. Duh…. it verified elsa was indeed correct.
*crawls under my large rock, pulls book off shelf, grabs brewski from fridge, put’s on glasses, sets off on studying my chart* sips brew.
I had an astro reading that was completely off the mark in that way. The person was so in love with the story they had perceived that they didn’t want to hear, or help with, the facts. My interjecting the facts messed up their story. I minded only because I never got my reading, a reading that addressed my true situation.
I spoke with a Capricorn pal today – she has friends coming over, she’s been busy as hell.
“I told ’em, I don’t want here you say, hey ______. You’re not keeping this house up. Hey, ______, you’ve got some dog hair over there..”
I love this! House rules / control maaaan. Defense!! Sometimes it’s appropriate ya know. Like when you have big mouth busy body friends! 🙂
Elsa, I lived with a cardinal ruled mother and she just sucked all the energy and life out of me! I had to detach from her and never looked back again. Like you said once, us 8th house type people and Scorpio type people easily amputate.
And I lived with her for 22 years! After college I had to get away from her. I was surprised I wasn’t mentally insane after living with her. She controlled everything; from the clothes I wore, money, my college funds, who I hung out with, she wanted to control my lovers, and she even dared to control father! It’s like living in prison. It’s living under repression!
sounds like my mother ^^ but she means well. it’s hard living with a dominantly cardinal individual. They exude leadership skills and always wanting to move move move, get things done. if I stay over there with my mother, she will control what I drink in the morning xDD you see? I have to leave house before she wakes. LOL xD
Lol, notatirem!
Every single person in my family is heavy on the Cardinal, except one sibling who has Leo ASC and thinks we are just a bunch of squabbling peasants:)
(For the record, she’s probably right).
Eek! This reminds me of a question SaDiablo asked me in another post. I mentioned something like someone has to do it or it won’t get done… Something along those lines. But I also have Venus, Neptune, and Uranus in my 1st house. Venus and Neptune are 5 and 6 degrees Capricorn. I’m Sag rising with my chart ruler being Aries Jupiter in the 4th house. And I have Saturn directly on my asc. giving me a Capricorn flavor overall… Even though I’m Sag Sun.
Not to mention my heavy hitting Scorpio placements, Mars, Pluto (conjunct) and Mercury. Scorpio can also be controlling.
Mostly I just try to control myself… But sometimes I do try to control others. I tend to lead more often than not… I’m very bossy but not in a mean way. Not most of the time, and when I am I’ll be the first one to admit it.
I have to start taking control of my house back. My roommate is driving me crazy, moving stuff around. I keep opening the drawer that used to hold the blender—-for YEARS–and it’s now—->there.
I’ve been struggling with this, because I want her to feel it’s her house too. I worry I’m being controlling, but I also want to be able to find my things where I kept them. Some days I feel like I live in a goddamn zoo. I wish I didn’t have to live with a roommate at all. Even though I love her to bits, she’s driving me batty!!!
I WISH my mother was a Capricorn, LOL!
What I like about the Cardinal orientation is the sense of initiative overlaying a structure or plan. An awful lot of business people I’ve admired have been Aries, Cancers, Capricorns and, yes, Libras (who particularly seem to excel in the creative business – Sting, John Lennon and others too numerous to mention.) To me, and I do have a moon and mercury in Cap (though everything else for me is fixed or mutable), wanting to control something, or helm or steer it, is entirely justified when there’s a plan in place, a vision. I actually admire that and appreciate and often benefit from that kind of energy. Viva los Cardinals!
What’s considered a lot of planets in cardinal signs or houses?
I think the people I have admired the most for what they have achieved (esp because it was always early in life) have been Caps. My family and close friends are practically all Caps, and that they have made good solid decisions that they have been able to build on is irrefutable. I only have one teeny problem with them, a characteristic I dislike, but I will not mention it because overall there is a lot to admire.
Does it help that Pluto is in Capricorn? Maybe we will all get a power boost to our cardinal-ness..
maybe telepathy’s the go? I get it started er or should I haha (Cancer sun Libra asc & moon, saturn in 5th house bla bla bla hehe) oh sooo cardinal too 😛