much perhaps as five degrees on either side. This would mean that a person with the Sun in 25° Aries or in 5°
Taurus, or any of the degrees between, would be spoken of as an Aries-Taurus cusp; and so on for all but the
Cardinal cusps.
In addition, there is undoubtedly a third-dimensional motion above and below the plane of the Sun's travel.
Latest astronomical opinion is that the 14° band in which the planets revolve is inclined by approximately 60°
to a similar band in which the stars in the Milky Way galaxy revolve around the Galactic Center. This would
appear to indicate that the locating of the Earth's nodes of intersection of the Sun's orbital plane are a third
factor that is necessary to a true three-dimensional analysis of the conditioning one acquires by virtue of birth
when the Earth is in some one of these twelve heliarcs of its annual travel.
There are thus (a) four arcs in which there is a reversal of motion and a new start in the opposite direction; viz:
The four Initiating Cardinal or Leading signs: (b) four arcs wherein two motions strike a balance, the Executive
or Fixed signs; and (c) four arcs wherein a motion is retarding to a dead center, preparing for a reversal of
motion; the Deductive Common or Mutable signs. These three groups of four signs each are generally spoken
of as the Quadruplicities or Qualities.
Another and quite different relationship exists between the arc in which a motion starts, that wherein it is
balanced by another motion, and that wherein the overcoming motion slows to a dead stop. These four groups
of three signs each, are spoken of as the four basic types: the Elements or the Triplicities. These are:
..........Inspirational type: Spirit - aspirational, imaginative.
..........Emotional type:.....Soul - intuitive, passionate.
..........Mental type:........Mind - reasoning, intellectual.
..........Practical type:.....Body - matter-of-fact, materialistic but
sensory.
Thus of each of the four types, there are three qualities - Initiating, Executive and Deductive, as follows:
Qualities
..............Inspirational.....Emotional.....Mental.........Practical
Initiating....1 Aries...........4 Cancer......7 Libra.......10 Capricorn
Executive.....5 Leo.............8 Scorpio....11 Aquarius.....2 Taurus
Deductive.....9 Sagittarius....12 Pisces......3 Gemini.......6 Virgo
Out of the cosmic conditioning inherent in these formulas, it is possible to deduce delineations of each of the
twelve arcs, that to an amazing extent are in accord with the analyses that are the cumulative result of some 50
centuries of observation.