by Robert Wilkinson
A fan asked me the question, "Have any idea what affects differences within the same sign?" She wrote (edited for brevity), "I am a Scorpio and I have friends and family members who also are Scorpios. Typically we get along well and in a lot of ways are similar. But... there is this person who is a Scorpio and not at all similar to the rest of us... I'm just wondering if this has to do with the year, the particular time of month or which month (Oct/Nov) he was born in..." A great question, and one I've heard expressed by many. What does make two people of the same Sun sign different?
As I wrote, "Briefly, there are two big reasons for the difference. One is that each third of Scorpio is ruled by a different planetary formula. The second is that Scorpio is ruled by Mars, and depending on which sign someone's Mars is in, they will have that as a backdrop to their Sun in Scorpio. If you know some astrology, it's about dispositorship. And of course, some people are NOT living their light, but their feelings (Moon), fears (Saturn), or some other personality function not in line with their Sun."
Each sign has three distinct parts, known as decans, or decanates. Each of these ten degree segments is ruled by different planets. That is an entire article (or three!) in itself. For instance, the first 10 degree segment of Scorpio is ruled by Mars in both the modern and ancient systems, while the second decan (11 through 20 degrees) of Scorpio is ruled by Jupiter in the modern system, and the Sun in the ancient system. The third decan is ruled by the Moon in the modern system, and Venus in the ancient system. So a Scorpio born in October has a strong double Mars influence to their Sun, whereas a Scorpio born the middle of November is more under the influence of the Moon and Venus. This would create substantial differences in how they acted, interpreted things, and so on.
In another example, Libra's first third is ruled by Venus and the Moon, Libra's second third has a double Saturn influence, and Libra's third decan is under Mercury and Jupiter. Sagittarius' first decan is ruled by Jupiter and Mercury, second decan by Mars and the Moon, and third decan by the Sun and Saturn. Since some of these planets naturally oppose each other by sign rulership (Mercury and Jupiter, Sun and Saturn) these individuals have internal dilemmas due to the opposing nature of the rulership energies.
Others, like the first decan of Scorpio or the second decan of Libra, have doubled planetary influence, so will appear more integrated along the lines of that planet. Of course, if these are afflicted in the natal chart and haven't been transmuted, these people can be just as conflicted, if not more so, than someone with opposing planetary rulers, if these are harmonious in the natal chart. Though technical, this is an important factor in understanding individual differences between people of the same sign.
The second reason mentioned above is also important. Since Scorpio is ruled by Mars, a Scorpio with Mars in Taurus will show radically different Solar characteristics than a Scorpio with Mars in Virgo, or Sagittarius, for example. This involves the concept of dispositorship, which I've touched on in previous articles. The planet ruling the sign any planet is in sets the "backdrop" for that planet's energies. In our example, a Scorpio with Taurus background will be much more stubborn than a Scorpio with a Sagittarius backdrop, who is apt to be more open but less focused.
This principle can be applied to all the planets. The Moon, for example, is our personal way of feeling our immediate experience. A Moon in Libra seeks harmony, beauty, and idealism in their day to day life. That said, a Moon in Libra with Venus (Libra's ruler) in Virgo will have a much different way of pursuing and defining beauty and harmony than someone with a Venus in Aries. Then there's the situation where a planet is in its home sign, such as Jupiter in Sagittarius, or Venus in Taurus or Libra. So any planet in its home sign is its own dispositor. Moon in Cancer, Mars in Aries or Scorpio, and so forth.
The final factor in individual differences mentioned above is that some people in fact are not "living their light" of their Sun sign, but are more emphasized along the lines of their Moon, or Jupiter, or Saturn, or some other planet. The Sun sign is one's light, integrity, power, and sense of integration. It represents how we are illuminate, and how we illuminate others.
How many people are actually doing this, consciously or unconsciously? Most people seem to be more intent on living their Moon, i.e., their habits, feelings, and reflective consciousness than their radiant consciousness of their Sun. The Sun may be "who we are," but the Moon is the package we create out of our habits and feelings.
Of course the year one is born also shows us many differences between people of the same tribe, as do three other factors that come to mind in making one person of a Sun sign different from another of the same Sun sign. The first is to examine what planet is the most important in the Jones' Pattern of the chart, since it may well be that a person who must lead with their Jupiter may come to show the world more of those traits than their Sun.
The second factor is what planet precedes the Sun, since that is what leads into our Solar response, and conditions it according to the nature of that leading planet. Then there's the interesting fact I've noticed that males and females have different ways of responding to their Sun sign. Male Aries are very different in some major ways from female Aries, and a male Gemini seems to be substantially different than a female Gemini. Why that is could be an entire research project in itself.
(Originally published 10 August 2005)