What Your Astrological Sign Says about Your Character

If you’re feeling destabilized right now, psychological astrologer Jennifer Freed has some wise advice for us. In times of conflict and crisis, Freed sees this as an opportunity to double down on our core values. But that doesn’t mean we’ll always be perfect, she explains. The key to staying in alignment with our true selves means asking for help when we need it and surrounding ourselves with positive influences when we can. “We can do our best and we can learn from our mistakes,” says Freed. “When we veer from our core values, we can notice this, reset, and get back on track.” Freed gave us a rundown of each of the astrological signs’ character strengths and reminds us what we can learn from the current alignment of the planets.

Why Character Is Our Destiny

By Jennifer Freed, PhD

We are in the thick of the most stressful moment in modern history. We find ourselves under quadruple threat: a pandemic, a profound confrontation with racism, an accelerating set of natural disasters linked to climate change, and an economic storm. This set of challenges is reflected in the planets and stars: astrologically speaking, the next few months between October and January are poised to be the most demanding in our lifetime.

Three key planets—Jupiter, Saturn, and Pluto—remain in the sign of Capricorn. This translates to an expansion in the deconstruction of social, financial, and political systems. These three planets are also squared by the powerhouse planet Mars, which translates to aggressive, willful intensity that is applying stress on all of these systems. To the degree we realize that all hands and voices need to be involved in redesigning and rebooting old systems, we have the power to create new paradigms that are more relevant, inspiring, and culturally competent.

We need to remember that crisis is the origin of opportunity and that it helps define our core values as we live out the truth of our character under pressure. During trying times, we all find out what we are made of.

Character is about our moral and ethical compass and our code of personal honor. If we do not have a strong center of character during stormy times, we can easily be more swayed by negativity and be overwhelmed in despair and hopelessness. In some cases, we can be led to do or say harmful things to others.

Character is an unwavering commitment to our core values—a set of firm stands that make each of us influential leaders in our own lives and solution seekers instead of problem dwellers. Character comes through values like honesty, integrity, humility, kindness, compassion, authenticity, reliability, consistency, love, and healthy boundaries. It means placing priority on noticing when we are out of alignment with our values and doing what’s necessary to return to them.

Maintaining and growing character requires:

• Self-awareness: the ability to self-reflect and correct; the ability to name what you feel and to think about and ask for what you truly need.

• Self-management: the ability to manage emotions and refrain from destructive communication and behaviors.

• Social awareness: actively demonstrating your care and empathy for others—including those who are part of groups and belief systems that you are not part of.

• Healthy relationships: spending most of your time connecting with people who you uplift, love, and help, those you feel loved by and inspired to be your best version of yourself.

• Responsible decision making: refraining from impulsive, reckless, and rash short-term decision-making; instead, weighing things thoughtfully and making decisions based on your long-term core values.

The key to maintaining our character is surrounding ourselves with people and influences that affirm and support our values. All of us know how horrible we feel when we indulge in divisive social media conversations or frequent news outlets that lower our moral compass and how that feeling can translate into emotional overwhelm that pushes us to lash out at ourselves or others.

Most all of us need extra personal time-outs right now to stay in our centered, strategic, balanced selves. It helps to have a few great friends or family members who hold us to a higher standard; to stay away from inflammatory influences, substances, or conversations; and to move with intention toward things that uplift us (an incredible podcast, for example, or people who are up to spectacular things).

Character is a choice we make each day; character development is an ongoing process. Right now, every person has encounters with unbearable tension. Some of us are facing incomprehensible loss. This is the moment when we all need to ask for help when we need it. We have no control over much of what we face right now, but we do have absolute control of what we choose to do about it. We can do our best and we can learn from our mistakes. When we veer from our core values, we can notice this, reset, and get back on track.

We can use the qualities of astrological signs to reinforce our commitment to raise the excellence of our character. The qualities listed here are especially valuable character qualities for this moment in history.

Aries: Bold, brave courage to do the right thing no matter who is watching.

Taurus: Steady, calm, and reliable in the face of any adversity.

Gemini: Wise, informed, thoughtful communications.

Cancer: Nurturing, containing, and soothing of all difficulties.

Leo: Radiant, creative, expressive love to all in need.

Virgo: Service for the highest good with impeccable boundaries.

Libra: Balanced, poised diplomacy and an unflappable ability to listen with equanimity.

Scorpio: Deep, transformative power for healing trauma and fear.

Sagittarius: Embodied wisdom, positivity, and unwavering optimism.

Capricorn: Stellar integrity and contributions that last lifetimes.

Aquarius: Visionary for the highest good of humanity.

Pisces: Ultimate compassion and empathy with complete faith in people’s ability to rise up from adversity.

We can all borrow these qualities at any time, as all twelve signs are somewhere in every astrological chart. A completeness is inherent to each of us.

The world will always reflect the sum of each person’s character en masse. Never before have we had such a profound call to tilt the future of the world toward a more noble character. This is why no one can sit this out, watch, and wait. The outcome of this time will depend upon every person on the planet believing they can make a difference. At the end of each day, all we can do is rest knowing we did our best. The good news is that if enough of us work to live out the excellence of our character, we will create the social and structural transformation we are longing for.

Jennifer Freed, PhD, is a consultant, workshop leader, and author with more than thirty years of experience in the fields of psychological astrology and social-emotional learning. Freed serves as a consultant for the app Co-Star and is the author of Use Your Planets Wisely: Master Your Cosmic Potential with Psychological Astrology.

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