The characteristics of each of the twelve Western astrological signs are listed emphasizing how they reinforce dominant or submissive roles. The terms in italics are considered the strongest negative factors for each role. Of course, all of these characteristics actually affect both roles, but some of them should have more relevance (that is, a greater likeliehood of being operational) for one role than the other. This characteristic can be added to the mix of meanings which the card spread produces, since it reflects how the questioneer tends to view the world and react to events within it.

Aries

dominant: fiery, forceful, bossy, combative, quarrelsome

submissive: bright, lively, attentive to personal appearance, can escape problems by talk, too competitive

Taurus

dominant: practical, self-reliant, persistent, patient, a bad enemy, a perfectionist, very stubborn

submissive: quite, secretive, patient, timid, a lifelong friend, careful, steadfast, lover of routine, dutiful but slow, obedient, doesn't like to take the initiative, resistant to excessive pressure

Gemini

dominant: energetic and enterprising, inconstant & lack of a firm direction

submissive: well-developed intuition, excessively talkative & detail-oriented

Cancer

dominant: strong desire to achieve his aims but timid, very tenacious, touchy & excessively sensitive to environmental influences

submissive: strong tendency to day-dream and fantasy, responds very well to sympathy and praise, very persistent, gentle natured, strongly domestic, can't tolerate much criticism

Leo

dominant: forceful and direct, loves having a dominant position, has high goals and is somewhat over-ambitious, passionate and daring, courageous and strong, generous and warm-hearted, a natural ruler, can be very domineering

submissive: thirsts for personal glory, kind, stable, trusts deeply, too much pride

Virgo

dominant: practical, studious, industrious, very capable at bringing plans to fruition, overy critical

submissive: easily takes orders and carries them out well, dependable and industrious, not easily satisfied

Libra

dominant: even-tempered, tends to scatter energies, not very confident, loves flattery, too sensitive to hurting others

submissive: charming and graceful, excuses others' behavior, affable, craves other's support, can't easily focus on requirements

Scorpio

dominant: a magnetic natural leader, has intense likes and dislikes, may appear cold and manipulative

submissive: strongly emotionally responsive, comfortable with the contradictions and complexities in the D/S lifestyle, very resourceful, not easy to understand and thus is troublesome

Sagittarius

dominant: a natural executive and manager, aggressive yet frank, outspoken yet charitable to others, when stressed may make poor decisions, can be excessively playful

submissive: usually cheerful, can take orders well, adaptable and realistic, impulsiveness can lead of offense

Capricorn

dominant: ambitious and works hard, skillful, practical and frugal, very responsible, deliberate and cautious, can easily manipulate the weaknesses of others

submissive: naturally submissive to those with recognized authority, adapts well when the benefit is clear, responds well to traditional social forms, knows how to be diplomatic, not very responsive to non-traditional situations and new departures

Aquarius

dominant: likes to explore progressive or unusual ideas, has a strong practical bent even for novel ideas, generally is altruistic, has strong likes and dislikes, tends to love the idea more than the reality

submissive: pleasant and cheerful, capable, can be easily detoured into argumentation

Pisces

dominant: very idealistic, does best in a peaceful environment, tendency to distraction, sympathetic, tends to extremes of temperament

submissive: malleable, tends to moodiness, tendency to distraction, excessively worries, very sensitive to environmental influences

[Copyright © 1998 by Robert G. Benson]