Good evening all,
I hope you have all had a blessed and enjoyable weekend.
I wanted to reach out to those who study astrology or use it in their practice (and to anyone who has an opinion really) about the subject of cusps.
Now there is a lot of debate about this subject and many astrologers reject the cusp theory. Basically, the theory is that if you are born near the time when the sun moves from one sign to the others.g. From Aries into Taurus, then you will possess traits of both signs. It has widely been refuted as a made up theory used in main stream media horoscope pages to appease those who said their horoscope did not marry in with who they were.
Cusps DO exist but perhaps not in the way you think. It is not a shadow period between signs but actually the lines that define the 12 houses of the zodiac. Therefore, according to many astrologers, cusps DO NOT exist in terms of signs. They also stated that you only have ONE sun sign because the sun is in one position ( and therefore one sign) at the time of your birth. How far into the sign though may determine the intensity of the traits. Each sign has 0-29 degrees. Someone born at 0 degrees Taurus is Taurus as is someone born at 29 degrees. 0 degrees is the purest form of the sign while 29 is the most intense.
As mentioned, cusps were made as a way of helping those who did not identify fully with their sun sign. The truth is, most people may never have seen their birth chart and therefore have not saw the complex relationships and interactions that form it. This means they could very well share the traits of adjacent signs, but perhaps not for the reasons they think.
What are your opinions about cusps? Are they a real force or are they a made up theory to please those who have not fully delved into the complexities of the language that is astrology?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially since cusps were mentioned by some as possible content in my astrology guides?
Blessed be
Alan
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Cusps are relatively new to me. I learned a little about them, but in various books & even at the time I took the courses, they weren’t mentioned. Just the signs based on dates 
& degrees. Which is what makes sense to me anyway.
When I first heard about them was here in 2020. That is when I went seeking information. I feel like my initial understanding of the signs was more correct. Based on more of what I’ve learned & read not specifically mentioning them & having to sort of seek out information when I first joined & heard about them! 
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I have never come across cusps in the sense of sharing two signs in any book i have read. I have heard them mentioned as the dividing line between 2 houses though but the idea of the shared traits does not seem to be mentioned, making me lean towards the idea above that they are not a traditional part of astrology but a modern addition to appease those though who feel they dont fit with their sun sign. My feeling towards that is that they haven’t explored their charts, only their sun (or star) sign in a magazine or newspaper.
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Such a great question! I had to dig in and think about this one 
I’ve heard a lot about cusps over the years in discussions and chats. To the best of my memory, I’ve heard about cusps almost entirely in relation to sun signs and to a lesser extent moon signs- I can’t recall anyone talking about being on the cusp of other planets or Houses (although there may be people out there who do claim a cusp for those areas!)
I wouldn’t qualify as someone on the cusp for my sun sign, so I haven’t included it much in my own personal readings. But it also doesn’t bother me if someone who does fall on the cusp between two sun signs resonates strongly with both- I guess I can say I’m pretty neutral about cusps! 
In my mind, I view the cusp between sun signs like someone who was born and raised close to a border between countries. You’re living in and a citizen of one country, but a non-physical line is a hard one to draw. Culture, language, societal norms- these things don’t just stop when they reach an invisible and intangible wall. There’s some “leakage”, a zone where things are naturally mixed. I suppose I feel the same about the Zodiac signs- those living close to the border may feel some influence from the nearby sign. Whether it is a lot or a little would depend on the other influences in their natal chart 
This is a really great point, and I think a vital one in the discussion of cusps!
After thinking about it a lot more thanks to this post, the importance of checking out your entire natal chart just can’t be stressed enough. It can be confusing at first (and a ton of info to explore!) but it’s really the best way to pinpoint exactly what is what- if you’re feeling the influence of being on a cusp, if it’s something else in your chart, or if you’re having some kind of blockage between yourself and your sun sign.
Fantastic and thought-provoking discussion, @Cosmic_Curiosity- thank you so much for opening it up! 
Blessed be!
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@Cosmic_Curiosity to be honest, the first time I had even looked at my birth chart was after I joined Spells8. My interest in astrology & all the things kind of went through the roof, so I had taken lessons & read more than one book & continually explore the traits of planets, houses, & their effects too.
@BryWisteria I can understand the basis on the country borders, but I think I fall more into exploring your chart. Certain aspects & placements of the other planets, rising, & moon will affect people & some stronger than others but also at different times in their lives, depending on what is going on OR make some things become clearer as to how they feel connected.
I think it also is worth mentioning that I have also never heard of cusps being related to anything but Sun signs, but the Sun sign is more around your self-identity & self-image, kind of like the boss of your outward personality. So it’s a constant learning process over your lifetime. The Moon sign is how we deal with emotions & habits as well as express them at least within private; habits & instincts. The Rising sign is sort of the mask you wear when meeting others, or the initial response when you are meeting other people.
I feel like at different times on your travel through life, the 3 signs don’t come & go, but you connect with them more to integrate them within yourself as a whole. In my case, I may not always connect with Scorpio as I’m dealing with or going through something it may be my Moon or Rising or a combination of them based on the events or life lessons I’m working through during a portion of my life as I go through different stages of life through childhood, teenager, young adult, & then throughout adulthood.
Factor in the planets & their aspects, houses, & all the things… just reading your sun sign but connecting with another, the connection you’re feeling may be a reflection of something going on in your birth chart & the part of life you are experiencing.
I really hope that makes sense 
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@Susurrus @BryWisteria
Its really interesting. I have been doing a bit of digging and keep coming across a similar messages;
cusps are real but not in the way you think
Cusps are just the borders between signs/houses
The sun can only be in one sign at a time
The further into a sign the sun is, the more mature/intense the feelings
I guess it is down to a matter of opinion or personal preference. I do believe that those who cannot resonate with their sun sign would probably do so more if they had a full interpretation of their birth chart. It may explain why things don’t quite fit. E.g. you.may be Aries but link more with Taurus…this may be due to Venus being in Aries in your chart.
At the same time, I do not see that the energy of a particilar sign stops at the border and goes no further. I think the idea of 3-6 days either side of a transit is perhaps a bit much and think it may affect those more who were born on a day that the sun transits from one sign to the other.
This video made some interesting points (although just one person’s opinion and she does try to flog her subscriptions) but basically said that we have thenfixed dates for each season but that each year the actual transit can be a day after or before. This means you may identfy as one sign based on the traditional dates bit that it may have changed a day earlier or later in your birth year, making you a completely different sunsign, hence why you cannot resonate. She also attests that planets on house cusps DO affect both houses. The planet knocks on the door of the next house 
I have also read about something called secondary prgressions where your chart progresses using the day for a year method. Basically your current age is how many days your chart has progressed since your birth. This would mean my sun has went through taurus and now sits in gemini. This could explain my period of real increase in confidence when speaking out abd communication in general which would have occured when i was 24, the year i started teaching!
Its really fascinating and just highlights what a minefield astrology can be!
Blessed be
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I’m totally new to the idea of cusps and I can’t relate too well. I identify with my sun sign 100%. Most of you can probably guess what mine is (I’m a Leo, for those who don’t know me well). My birth chart is like reading a biography. It’s a little uncanny.
However, my husband was born on a cusp. He is also a Lep, but was born on the first day of Lep season. He definitely has traits of Leo… loves to be the center of attention, thrives off of social energy, is a leader, etc. but he also has a lot of Cancer traits: he’s very sensitive, he is excellent at stepping in and caring for others (sometimes annoyingly so), he is a fixer… he wants everything ok with everything. There have been times when we are discussing signs that I will shake my head and go… that’s totally not you. I don’t know. He is definitey more leo than not, but it is definitely an idea to think about.
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I was actually just thinking that it wouldn’t always be specific dates necessarily but the actual transit times of the sun within those days would differ, so a day or so of difference. (not the amount that is referred to by some in their teachings or writings) Much like when the Moon transits, sort of the Sun’s “Void of Course” as it transitions, which woukd be different by a larger margin than the Moon’s which is less than a day. The houses also are in there as well, so where your chart lies in terms of the sign & house placement would affect you depending on how close to the border they are or were.
When thinking in general terms of my chart (what I can remember as far as signs of the planets & other placements off hand anyway) I have at least 3 (I want to say maybe 4) planets/points in Scorpio :scorpious: as well as my Sun. I have 1 in Cancer 
& I believe only 1 in Pisces 
… I have always connected with what I thought at the time was just my Sun 
in Scorpio. When I did my birth chart… I am heavy in the Scorpio 
energy as well as Water 
signs through out my chart. So a lot of other things about me make a lot more sense. When reading about Moon & Rising, I can’t necessarily pinpoint but theres definitely parts of my life where I could say that I really started to connect the dots & see where the different planets placements in the signs & houses really started connecting & evolving in a better for me as I’ve experienced stages of my life as well as life’s events.
So now I can say yes that makes sense because looking at & reflecting on myself now & over time… its like the big oicture has become clearer… like an Ah ha!
I have some signs & houses really close to their neighbors on 1 side of them or the other & so during different times, I may feel one, the other, or even both within the same period or I have before.
It’s a lot really Where I got my chart & interpretations is always updating their information & adding in the interpretations for different aspects & placements… I think I’ll run it again!
Another good topic to look at, which due to some more personal things around my birthday this year I totally spaced on looking into it… is your Solar Return. A topic that has a lot of information, but is also very interesting to look at too.
Thank you for sharing the video 
It’s always interesting to see how other’s interpret it & possibly learn something new!
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This is super interesting to me as I was technically born on a cusp. I do know that I’ve associated with traits of both Capricorn and Aquarius, but I haven’t really dived into astrology beyond the basics so I never thought too much about it.
I’m interested to see everyone’s take on them and dig into some of the information shared here.
Thanks for sharing and asking!
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This is well-said, and a really interesting part of astrology to explore!
When it comes to astrology and all of the different influences, I feel like we are each our own unique painting, with all of the colors and shapes coming together to depict the whole picture 
. But unlike a still painting, people grow and change and adapt- I complete agree that while someone may not identify with their sun or moon or rising/ascendant sign at first, those traits may become more apparent to them later in life 
In that sense, for those on the cusp, taking the time to look at both signs and figuring out what does/doesn’t resonate might help them to eventually become more open to other areas in their charts. It might be part of the key to opening up more understanding about themselves! 
(Or perhaps I’m just going too far down the rabbit hole with this 
)
Interesting! The Gregorian calender we use to mark dates is helpful for a lot of things, but it’s not always perfect when it comes to matching with the shifting cosmos. It makes sense to me that having one or two days as leeway for calendar error is worth considering, especially for those who feel strongly that they resonate more with their neighboring sign than the sun sign the calendar says they are.
Thank you for sharing the video, Alan! 
Hahaha I like it! A “minefield” is a very exciting way to describe an area of study that is full of surprises and certainly likes to keep you on your toes! 
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Out of interest, were you born later in capricorn season?
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Interesting. This means you have a stellium on your chart in Scorpio and are therefore likely to feel the Scorpio energy and its traits more intensely. It is likely to bring intense focus and the will to overcome and survive what life throws at you. Passionate and a natural healer, you are likely to be intuitive and I afraid to work with your shadow.
I have a stellium in Scorpio too (and in Gemini and Capricorn).
Blessed be
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I remember when I first read about stelliums & then found out that I have 3 stelliums 
Of course 1 of them would be Scorpio
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