Author: Alison Price – Published: October 2024

Note: Signs are 30 degrees wide

Born on a Cusp

In this article I want to talk about people who were born on the cusp. A sign cusp refers to the transition point between two zodiac signs. It is the boundary where one zodiac sign ends and the next begins.

Cusp Debate

There’s some disagreement among astrologers about the exact width of the cusp and its influence. This cusp debate has to do with the width of the Sun’s influence by its actual disk which is about 0°29′.

Some astrologers believe cusp-born individuals have a unique blend of characteristics from both signs, while others strictly adhere to the sign the Sun was in at the time of birth. I am firmly of the latter persuasion. I believe that if a planet is at 29°59’ of a sign, it is in that sign. I believe that if the Sun is in 0°00’ of a sign, it is in that sign and it has taken residence.

My main reason for this is because a planet at a cusp is like a person standing in a doorway threshold from one room to the next. They are exiting the room they are leaving, but all their focus and energy is on the new room they are entering which is the new sign. I’m pretty firm on these things, but you can choose to see it differently if you wish.

Sun Sign Ingress

This all comes back down to your Sun sign. Your Sun sign is decided by the Zodiac sign that the Sun was in at the moment of your birth. Inconveniently, the Sun does not change signs at midnight.

The Sun will change signs at any time during the day. So, people who were perhaps born in the morning may have a Taurus Sun, and others born in the afternoon could easily have a Gemini Sun. This works for all the sign cusps.

Poem: Between Two Worlds

By Claude

Straddling realms of fire and earth,

A soul emerges at day’s birth.

Not quite Aries, not full Taurus,

A blend of gentle and uproarious.

One foot in passion, one in grace,

Two natures etched upon one face.

Bulls and rams clash in the stars,

As cusped child breaks through cosmic bars.

Stubborn drive meets flighty spark,

Dawn’s light pierces through the dark.

Neither here nor fully there,

A bridge between, so strange and rare.

Cusped soul, you dance on edges fine,

Two signs entwined like grasping vine.

Your path unique, a dual-starred way,

Where yesterday meets coming day.

In you, the zodiac finds its seam,

Where endings flow to new beginnings’ stream.

Embrace your gift of double sight,

Born of twilight, child of light.

Horoscope Columns

The Sun changes zodiac signs approximately every thirty days, though the exact date can vary slightly from year to year. When you read a horoscope column either online or in a magazine, the astrologer generally uses the dates listed below for when the Sun enters each zodiac sign:

Aries: Around March 21
Taurus: Around April 20
Gemini: Around May 21
Cancer: Around June 21
Leo: Around July 23
Virgo: Around August 23
Libra: Around September 23
Scorpio: Around October 23
Sagittarius: Around November 22
Capricorn: Around December 21
Aquarius: Around January 20
Pisces: Around February 19

These dates are approximate and can shift by a day or two depending on the year. The exact time of the Sun’s ingress into a new sign can also vary this is discovered when you cast the chart. So this is the simplistic way of categorizing each person by the actual date they were born. And for the general public this is normally good enough.

However, for astrologers it is not. Your clients may come to you and say, “I’m a Virgo” and when you cast the chart, you discover the’re actually a Libran.

Cusp Days

A cusp day is a day when the Sun changes zodiac signs. So typically, this is around the 20th to 22nd of each of the months. But there are two special things that you need to pay attention to with cusp days. There are two ways that need to be looked at to find the difference on cusp date.

Each Year

Each year, the actual cusp day may move from the 21st to the 22nd or even to the 20th. Every year is different. What was the cusp day this year may not be a cusp day next year.

Leap Year Reset

Because the Earth takes 365 and a quarter, plus some minutes, to go around the Sun each year. After every four years we add an additional day to the year, February the 29th, which is of course the leap year. This is the first step that realigns the Sun to the earlier cusp time.

Capricorn Ingress

Table

From this table you can see that when the cycle starts, at the leap year, the Sun, in subsequent years, makes the ingress into Capricorn later and later on the day on the 21st. And finally, the Sun moves its ingress onto the 22nd of December.

Leap Year for Capricorn

Then at the leap year reset, the Sun once more goes back to the earlier time on the 21st of December and it slowly creeps forward each year from there. Here I’m just giving the example of the Capricorn ingress, but it’s the same for all the signs. The Sun starts off early and then each successive year is later and later in that day, or the next, until we get to the next leap year when it resets to the earlier time.

Location

From this we can see that the Sun will enter Capricorn either on the 21st or the 22nd, bearing in mind that is GMT, and it does depend on where you live in the world. If you’re very East of Greenwich, it can also be on the 19th and if you are very West of Greenwich, it can on occasion, be on the 23rd.

Leap Century Reset

400

Leap years have 366 days instead of 365, with an extra day in February. The old Julian calendar made every 4th year a leap year, but this method adds too many leap days – about 3 extra days every 400 years. Which results in us having too many leap days over time, causing the calendar to drift away from the actual seasons.

To fix this, the Gregorian calendar, created in 1582, only makes century years (like 1700, 1800, etc.) leap years if they’re divisible by 400. So, 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 (a common year) wasn’t. This helps keep the calendar more strictly matched to the actual length of the solar year and the seasons.

This change shifts the calendar year to match the Earth’s orbit around the Sun far closer, keeping the seasons better aligned with the calendar.

The Year 2400

This won’t bother us astrologers, but it shows how the Sun’s path drifts slightly all the time. The year 2400 will be the next century year that’s also a leap year.

In century leap years:

January 1st is always on a Saturday
December 31st is always on a Sunday
February 29th is always on a Tuesday

Anaretic Degrees

Anaretic degrees refer to the final degree of any zodiac sign, specifically the 29th degree (as each sign has 30 degrees). This concept is significant in interpretation.

Anaretic Definition

The anaretic degree is 29°00′ to 29°59′ of any zodiac sign.

Anaretic Significance

These degrees are considered critical or sensitive points in a natal chart or transit.

Anaretic Interpretation

Planets or points at anaretic degrees are often seen as:

Unstable or in crisis.
At a turning point or transition.
Carrying extra weight or importance.
Representing completion or culmination of the sign’s energy.

Energy

The anaretic degree is thought to embody the most intense expression of that sign’s qualities, as if the energy is at its peak before transitioning to the next sign.

Karmic implications

Some astrologers view anaretic placements as indicating unfinished business from past lives or lessons that need urgent attention.

Transits

When planets transit anaretic degrees, it indicates a time of important decisions or changes related to that planet’s themes.

Natal

Natal planets at anaretic degrees suggest areas of life where the person feels pressure or experiences significant developments.

Interpretation

I think that while I always note planets at an anaretic degrees, they should be considered within the context of the entire chart.

Solar Returns

Birthplace

This continuous movement of the Sun as ingresses the signs is why your solar return is frequently not on your birthday even if you stay at your birthplace.

Relocation

Of course, your solar return will not be on your birthday if you move very east or west of your birthplace either. I always have my solar return the day before my birthday because I’m in Vancouver and was born in England which is a move of around eight time zones west.

More on SOLAR RETURNS

Extend Yourself

Transiting Sun Ingress

See for yourself how the Sun changes times and dates for each of its ingresses into your Sun sign. I’ve done Capricorn (see table above), now you can do this experiment for your Sun sign. So, if you are a Sun Libra, do the Libra ingress.

In your astrology journal, please do the following:

Draw a table like the one I have above.
Find the precise date and time that the Sun entered your birth Sun sign this year.
Continue checking the exact dates and times that the Sun will ingress your own Sun sign every year until 2032, which is a leap year.
See if you find the realignment at each leap year to an earlier date and time.

Extend Yourself Further

Your Born-on-a-Cusp Client

Most people do not understand why if they were born on December 21st, and they’ve always thought they were a Capricorn, that their natal chart returns them to be a Sagittarius. Unfortunately, the born-on-a-cusp issue adds confusion that surrounds the astrological techniques and the astrological community, so we need to develop some clarity here.

In your astrology journal, please do the following.

Write a few of paragraphs and simply explain how two people who were born in different years, but on December the 21st, so they have the same birthday, why one person has a chart which returns a Sagittarius Sun, and the second person has a chart that returns a Capricorn Sun.
Use simple language and consider what you would say to describe this phenomenon to your client (500 words).

Author Bio

Alison Price: Professional Astrologer

Alison helps you uncover your individual creativity and lead a fulfilling life using your own astrology. She shares her wisdom from the heart with a touch of humor. She offers Consultations for everyone and Coaching for Aspiring Astrologers.

If you’d like to get in touch with Alison, you can reach out to her via email at starzology@gmail.com.

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