05th Mar 2009
Astrology Temperament In The Zodiac Signs
Traditional astrology has four main types of personality, or more accurately, temperament. Most people exhibit a blend of two types, although pure examples of one type are clear as well. The four main types are choleric, sanguine, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Now these seem like big words, but they match up with other more “modern” words, as we will see.
For a really excellent analysis of these types of personalites, I highly recommend Dorian Greenbaum’s book Temperament: Astrology’s Forgotten Key. She has an excellent grasp of the classic astrology texts and authors. She synthesizes this knowledge into a cohesive discussion about rating individual’s temperament through a set of chart points and conditions. It’s a very neat and logical approach.
Temperament is entirely an internal formulation. It cannot be shaped from external factors. It’s what you were born with. More like your true nature that is always a part of you.
So let’s start with the first one. Choleric temperament is characterized by a very aggressive attitude. It is a leader and an assertive essence. It also corresponds to the yellow bile fluid. Seasonally as you might imagine, it goes with hot and dry summer. It also matches up with the fire element.
Cholerics are very demanding of themselves and others. Things are pretty cut and dry with them. There’s not a lot of shades of grey. Lots of energy and activity is used by these types. From a zodiac sign perspective, these types exhibit a lot of Aries and Scorpio qualities. The planet Mars is a suitable ruler for them.
These types of astrology and zodiac sign personalities need to recognize that their intense-energy nature can lead to burnout and over-exertion. Keeping meditation in mind and practicing stress management can be beneficial to their overall health and wellness.
As Dorian Greenbaum states (pg. 93): “Cholerics get along with sanguines who say “happy to help with your project; it sounds like fun!” They get along with phelgmatics because they can easily boss them around. On the other side of the coin, cholerics paired up with other cholerics are more challenging because there’s a natural rivalry between two aggressive persons. And finally, cholerics matched up with melancholics aren’t very pleased because the melancholy types sit around and whine about the expectations too much. The choleric type simply wants to do it and not think too hard about the consequences or details.
The author has, in my opinion, an outstanding creation of taking various zodiac signs from different parts of the chart to assess and assign an overall temperament. It’s somewhat advanced for a novice to astrology. But learning about the zodiac signs and the strong impact they have in shaping who you are can give you special insight into seeing what changes can work best for you in life.