The Astrology of Anger

Faced with the same situation, one person explodes while the other sits contently.
It's the difference in their astrological energies that causes this difference in their interpretation, feelings, and reaction to the same situation.

Based on your elements and modalities, we can breakdown these differences and outline how your astrological signs determine your vulnerability to the throes of anger.

THE ELEMENTS & ANGER

1 Fire Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
By far, the fire signs experience and express more anger than the other signs. They are naturally reactionary. Fire signs act on gut instinct before they feel, think of solve. They erupt and try to crush out problems with shear the force of raw anger.


2 Water Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Anger is an emotion. Experiencing the world primarily through emotion, water signs are sensitive and easily spiral into anger when their feelings are hurt. Their self-protective nature feels many things as threats and they defend themselves with emotional, and often very irrational angry outbursts.

3 Air Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Air signs have a great deal of energy, which can make them react quickly to problems, but their primary response is to think and reason. They see anger as primal and irrational. Air signs prefer to use reason in order to rationalize or solve problems that would otherwise cause anger is other signs. They experience some frustration, but a relatively low amount of anger.

4 Earth Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
The signs that experience the least amount of anger are the earth signs. Their energy is stable and they see things clearly. A practical approach is used to deal issues that would otherwise cause anger. Earth signs have long fuses and a great deal of patience. They have to be pushed pretty far before the get angry.



THE MODALITIES & ANGER

1 Cardinal Signs: Aries, Libra, Capricorn, Cancer
The modality with the most anger is the cardinal signs. With their constant need to push forward, they succumb to anger easily because they often feel thwarted by anything that impedes their forward momentum. Furthermore, they get frustrated by anyone or anything that takes away their ability to be in charge.

2 Mutable Signs: Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces
The mutable signs often feel a lack of control, which causes them anger. It is common for them to feel controlled by circumstances or other people without a real ability to force or defend their own agenda. Their inability to lead and their lack of self control, causes some anger.

3 Fixed Signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
It's the fixed signs who are least susceptible to anger because of their great self-control, which actually restrains anger. They also have less desire to lead than the cardinal signs and less fear of being controlled by others as the mutable signs. Therefore, they experience less frustration and less anger. Having fixed signs actually works to reduce anger.



THE SIGNS FROM MOST TO LEAST ANGRY

(By combining the above breakdown of element and modality, we can rank the signs on their vulnerability to anger.)

1 ARIES - FIRE & CARDINAL
This cardinal, fire sign has absolutely no patience for anyone or anything that stands in its way. Easily angered by threats, Aries react to them quickly and forcefully. Fire doesn't think, feel or plan. It reacts, and the cardinal nature of Aries is always pushing forward. This combines into a powerful force. When angered, Aries people will erupt without any sense of the consequences of their actions. They simply want to push through their anger quickly with as much force as possible. Huge displays of anger with plenty of yelling, cursing and even the destruction of property are common for Aries people. Yet, they get over their anger quickly and don't hold grudges.

2 CANCER - WATER & CARDINAL
As a cardinal sign, Cancer lets nothing impede its progress. But Cancer is also a water sign that is self-protective and processes the world through emotions. So, as soon as Cancer feels threatened, their feelings boil them into a frenzy. They immediately become infused with an intense feeling of having been violated. The need to protect themselves takes over and rather than think or plan, they let their emotion overtake them. They lash out with harsh words and try to inflict emotional pain on whomever they believe is threatening them. What's more, Cancer holds onto the anger for a very long time, and if they feel it's appropriate, they plan revenge.

3 SAGITTARIUS - FIRE & MUTABLE
Easily annoyed, Sagittarius has a short fuse when it comes to anything that takes away from their pleasure and freedom. This happens a lot! Life isn't meant to be as easy as Sagittarius wants it to be. So, Sagittarius people are constantly frustrated, and they can't stop themselves from talking about it. To the rest of us, this is called complaining. They don't have powerfully grand displays of anger. Rather, it's a steady stream of constant bitching. Nothing is good enough for them, and no one treats them fairly. Sagittarius people seem to live with a constant undertone of frustration and they never stop trying to get things their way.

4 PISCES - WATER & MUTABLE
You never know what is going to set off a Pisces. It comes when you least expect it, over things that seem petty and meaningless to other people. But, it's a big deal to the Pisces. If something gets under their skin, it takes over their whole being and they have to go through a long emotional process of working through it. Don't bother trying to help them. It's a personal thing based on their own feelings. The trigger is usually something that makes them feel trapped or someone who makes them feel insignificant or used. They deal with it by trying to push all of their angry feelings back out into the world. This usually means blaming other people for their problems and acting as though everything is someone else's fault.

5 LEO - FIRE & FIXED
Leo's fixed nature makes them seem strong and stable, and their fiery nature exudes power. But, it's the fire that is also their weakness. They react. No matter how hard they try to resist it, the element of fire overpowers their fixed nature. When pushed, they explode. It doesn't happen often, because they want to appear in control. But when it does, it's dramatic. It's like a bomb that was contained, under pressure for a long time. When it blows, it's big. Yet, like a bomb, it's over quickly. They make their statements loudly with pin-point accuracy. It's actually embarrassing for them when they lose self-control, so they try to move through it quickly.

6 SCORPIO - WATER & FIXED
Here at number six, we are right in the middle of the ranking with the sign that feels plenty of anger, but never wants to show it. It's an interesting tipping point. Scorpio is a water sign that processes the world through emotion, but it is also a fixed sign that strives for self-control. This creates an internal contradiction. These people feel everything, but they know people will see their emotional sensitivity as vulnerability. They also know that expressing their anger puts them in the weaker position. So, Scorpios feel a great deal of internal, festering anger because they have a hard time expressing it. When they do express it, it is generally with carefully chosen words that cut straight to the point. They hold most of it in and feel it forever, which makes them end up expressing it with long-term vindictiveness and resentment.



7 LIBRA - AIR & CARDINAL
Libras want to be happy and cordial. They see anger as ugly, so they try to avoid showing it when they feel it. However, as a cardinal sign, they are easily frustrated by people or situations that get in the way of their goals. Furthermore, even though they are an air sign, their seemingly purely intellectual need for justice and fairness actually stirs a great deal of anger. They get extremely agitated by unfairness and unjust situations. Combine this with their cardinal nature and they can really get angry. However, they think things through and try to see things from other peoples' point of view. They actively work through anger with reason and try to dissipate it internally so they don't have to show it and appear ugly and unpleasant.

8 CAPRICORN - EARTH & CARDINAL
At number eight, we are in the lower half of the ranking. But, Capricorns still get angry. Capricorn's goals are material success and high social status. These goals aren't easy to achieve. Obstacles are constantly encountered, which creates anger for this sign. As a cardinal sign, Capricorn is always pushing forward. The momentum created by this cardinal modality and their great desire for success, makes Capricorn vulnerable to situations of frustration and anger. However, Capricorn is also an earth sign. So, its practical nature actually anticipates problems because they are a natural part of existence. This gives Capricorn patience and a realistic outlook that helps them handle anger pretty well.

9 GEMINI - AIR & MUTABLE
Gemini's detached, intellectual nature gives them an innate ability to avoid deep anger. They do get irritated quickly however, which they deal with by efficiently dishing out sharp, harsh words that cut with pin-point accuracy. Yet, they simply don't feel connected to anything or anyone deeply enough to stir deeply-rooted, intense anger. What's more, they generally don't think about things long enough to get angry about them. When confronted with a problem or obstacle, they get frustrated at first, but don't move very far into it. Instead, they quickly change gears and move away from it while intellectualizing it. They prefer to see it as a problem outside of themselves and immediately work to solve it. When it comes to the emotional, people issues that anger many signs, they are also pretty much in the clear regarding anger. Geminis don't get that deep into the feeling part of relationships. They stay detached, which keeps them removed from the trenches of emotional turmoil that haunt many other signs.

10 VIRGO - EARTH & MUTABLE
As the practical, problem solvers of the zodiac, Virgos don't get moved by anger as intensely as most signs. They are keenly aware of why they should be angry and they certainty feel a great deal of frustration with people and situations on a daily basis. But, the extremely high level of clarity in their thinking and their practical approach to the world squelches most feelings of anger. Most of their anger comes from people not living up to their expectations. They set up standards in their own minds for how people should behave and they assume people should always help them. Of course, people rarely live up to these standards, and the Virgos get annoyed. But, their anger is not intense because in the back of Virgo's mind, they always know it's unlikely that people will actually come through for them.

11 AQUARIUS - AIR & FIXED
The fixed, air sign of the zodiac, Aquarius, is generally calm, rational and accepting. Aquarians know things aren't always going to go their way and that it's a messy world. They expect challenges and sort them out intellectually, which reduces the amount of frustration and anger they experience. Although they are bothered by people they consider to be either selfish or immature, Aquarians are patient with them. By not taking things too personally, Aquarians generally remain above the drama. When confronted with conflict, an Aquarian immediately translates their frustration into a rationalization. They even come up with excuses for the bad behavior of those around them. Although this can make them seem pompous at worst or parental at best, it does work to quell their frustration and anger.

12 TAURUS - EARTH & FIXED
Taurus has the ultimate anger-reducing combination of being fixed and earth. Therefore, this sign has enormous internal peace and self-control. Taurus also operates largely on common sense. It sometimes seems as though the world can go crazy around them and they are unaffected. Their patient, slow and steady way allows them to deal with many frustrations by simply waiting for them pass. Taureans are not quick to jump into any activity. Angry reactions are a lot of work and create a great deal of trouble in their world. In a way, Taureans are too lazy go through all of that trouble. It's easier to let things work themselves out on their own. A practical outlook also helps Taurus people keep things in perspective and avoid anger. Of course, if pushed far enough, Taurus will get angry. It doesn't happen often, but watch out when it does. It's powerful and they will make their point.