on cusps...
artwork by jean-baptiste bertrand
i think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of astrologers do not agree with the concept of cusps. a few years ago, it was one of the things that would be guaranteed to get my eyes rolling when i saw it. luckily, i am no longer so judgemental, but i still don’t agree with cusps.
if you're thinking “what’s a cusp?”, allow me to explain. as we know, each sign’s season lasts around a month before the next one starts. the exact dates often change year-to-year, and because of this, some people believe that one can be born “on the cusp” between the two signs, during the first or last few days of one sign’s season. for example, if i were to agree with the concept of cusps, i would be one myself (my birthday is only a couple of days into libra season). the theory behind these cusps is that you take on traits of both of the signs in question, becoming a sort of blend.
so now we’ve established what a cusp is, maybe you’re thinking “so what’s so terrible about it?”. really, nothing; it’s a pretty harmless belief, mostly propagated by people who don’t understand astrology very well, and often, by people who don’t really feel their sun sign fits them, people who can relate more to their neighbouring sign. but that’s exactly what proves cusps to be a false concept.
so the theory of the cusp, as we’ve talked about, is that some people are a sort of blend of two signs, so they’re in between – in the space after one sign and before the next. but that just isn’t possible. when we look at a natal chart, we can see that each sign is exactly 30 degrees. twelve signs at 30 degrees each = 360 degrees. a perfect circle. there’s just no space between the signs for a cusp. and each sign has a definitive start and end point, too. when you are born, your sun sign will be at a certain degree of x sign, but it can never be in between two.
another factor to consider, is the rest of your chart. there’s a lot more to a chart than just your sun sign, for sure! a personal example: i never really related to the libran archetype growing up. i identified much more with virgo, and, being “on the cusp” of libra season myself, i’m shocked i never considered myself a cusp… as it happens, when i pull up my chart, it turns out that i am definitely a libra, but with a virgo rising and mercury in the first house! super strong virgoan energy there! so it’s no wonder i related more to virgo than libra.
if you are someone that considers themselves to be a cusp sign, please pull up your birth chart and take a look! i’m not telling you what to believe, but you may find out why you don’t feel your sun sign fits if you get to see the whole picture. i found it very empowering to understand my natal chart for what it is, and it’s my hope that you will too.
if you enjoyed this post, please consider taking a look at more of my work! thank you xo
