I am a great believer that we are born at a specific moment in time, incarnated with a specific birth chart, with specific parents, in a specific culture, to experience what our soul yearns to experience in this life. All this occurs so that our soul can further develop along its trajectory. I don’t like to use the words ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ but I guess my philosophy leans in that direction. I do know that there are certain soul markers that you can’t miss in your life–that person, that accident, that health crisis, that lottery win–they stand like beacons, beckoning your soul onwards. And make no mistake. That is your soul working through you. So it’s not about the romantic partner, the car accident, the heart attack or the windfall. It’s about how you respond, what you choose to do in those moments that are checked off on your soul’s scorecard.

And that’s where astrology comes in.

I saw an Instagram post recently where a spiritual influencer was bemoaning the circumstances in her life as  a “first daughter and a Capricorn”. She related tales of childhood abandonment, taking responsibility for her siblings, having to work hard from a young age to provide for herself and others, and now, as she grows older, taking on responsibility for an ageing parent.

Psychological research supports the notion that the first-born children are responsible, sensible, and practical. Coincidentally (or not) these traits are also ascribed to Capricorn. They are dutiful and hardworking. They shoulder responsibility because, let’s face it, who else will? The spiritual influencer was suggesting that the circumstances of her life were pre-ordained, and that she couldn’t escape them because she was a first daughter and a Capricorn. I wrote a reply to her post, gently suggesting she turn that assumption on its head. Those circumstances can happen to anyone, I pointed out, not just first daughters and Capricorns. And if those same circumstances happened to a Sagittarius, or a Cancer, or an Aquarius, or a Taurus, their response would be different because they are hardwired differently. For the record, the Sagittarius might treat the whole thing as an adventure, and take the siblings on the road, finding jobs with the circus. The Cancer will likely dissolve into a fit of hysterical crying at first, before drying their eyes and reaching out to another family member for help. The Aquarian is likely to brainstorm a solution that no one else would have considered. And the Taurus would simply stay put, gather all their resources, and figure out the simplest solution to their dilemma. The circumstances of our life, particularly those that appear to happen beyond our control are designed to elicit a response from us. As a first daughter, and a Capricorn, the Instagram influencer responded in the exact way she was hardwired to respond. She took charge, made sensible, practical decisions for herself and others, and worked hard to keep a roof over everyone’s head and food in everyone’s mouth. I suspect that her problems arose when, as she matured, she failed to develop that first daughter/Capricorn energy fully, and instead of encouraging those for whom she felt responsible to contribute in some way, or to stand on their own two feet, or to become responsible for themselves, she’s chosen instead to continue to shoulder the full burden for everyone.

In other words, she became a victim of her own astrology.

The problem arises when we believe we are victims of our lives, our circumstances, even our birth order and astrological chart. But we are not victims. We are simply hardwired to respond in a particular way. As we mature, and develop self-understanding, we are called to evolve how we live and function in our lives, families and relationships. Those ways are still rooted in our birth charts–that influencer is a Capricorn and can’t suddenly decide to be a Pisces–but an evolved Capricorn will build a structure that supports everyone, while instilling those same values of duty and responsibility in others.

Continuing to function on the survival level of any planet or sign, as this influencer was doing, keeps you stuck on the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder.

And your soul came here for so much more than that.

The Reach of Evolutionary Astrology

At its core, evolutionary astrology maps the journey of the soul throughout multiple lifetimes. Our natal chart is a blueprint for what the soul came into this life to learn, grow into, or move towards. The primary tools for analysis are Pluto (as the soul’s accumulated emotional and behavioural patterns), Uranus (as the soul memory) and the nodal axis, which represents the past (South Node) and the urge forward in this life (North Node). I’ve studied and practiced evolutionary astrology in some form or another for the better part of twenty years, and I still find it curious that three of the four pillars of core evolutionary astrology relate to the past (Pluto, Uranus, South Node) while only one point (North Node) shows any indication of where the soul might be headed in this life.

Then I read Steven Forrest’s Elements series of books. The series is incredible, and foundational for any budding or practicing astrologer. But perhaps the most valuable lesson I took from the series was this:

While Pluto, Uranus, and the Nodes specifically point to the soul’s past and future, the entire chart, when viewed through an evolutionary lens, becomes a blueprint for what the soul came here to experience; what it wants to confront, conquer and integrate, and most importantly how we, as individuals, are to live our lives in service of our soul and its evolutionary journey.

via Steven Forrest

Archetypal Forces at Work

The spiritual teacher Caroline Myss has done some brilliant work on archetypes. Part of her philosophy is that each archetype that works through us is seeking to evolve. And while it’s easy to allow the archetype to work through us on the most basic, what I call survival level, it is up to us to elevate the function of the pattern operating through us.

Returning to my earlier story about the Instagram influencer, it’s clear to me that she is allowing the archetypal Capricorn blueprint to work through her at the most basic, survival level. It’s a no-brainer to hang out on the bottom rung of the evolutionary ladder, particularly if your blueprint allows it. But if she was my client, I would challenger her to evolve beyond that survival mode and shift her life onto more lofty Capricorn foundations.

The Time to Embrace This is Now

Why is this so relevant right now? As I write this, in January 2026, we are mere days from Neptune moving fully into Aries for the first time since 1861. Soon Saturn will join him in Aries, and by the end of April Uranus will have completed his transit through Taurus and be settled in Gemini. Pluto is already embedded in Aquarius and in July Jupiter moves into Leo. This means that come mid-year, all the outer planets will have transitioned from the slower, more introspective and grounded earth/water signs into the quicker, more outward/action-oriented and combustible fire/air signs.

And that means things will start happening pretty fast, for all of us.

Front and centre of this transition is the Neptune/Saturn shift from ephemeral, collective, dissolving Pisces, into bold, assertive, instinctual, independent Aries. The siren song of this change is simple: merging with the collective is out. Being yourself is in.

And the most stunning thing is this: being yourself is so much easier than trying be someone else.

Because you’re hardwired to be you.

The Truth of Each Sign Lies Along a Continuum

There is a point in every story where the storyteller shows their character/s “behaving badly”. The idea of a story is to take some poor soul, drop them into a scenario, throw a bunch of obstacles in their way and see how they react.

In that way, story is clearly a metaphor for life.

In the story, the character will respond by embodying both the best and worst of themselves. That’s the point. That’s how we get to experience the character arc, how they change over the course of the story.

According to evolutionary astrology, that’s exactly what you are here to do in this life. The key is to recognise your worst behaviour, and learn how to choose the growth behaviour instead. But growth is change and change is scary. And humans are hardwired to resist change.

Ah, the moral dilemma of it all.

My aim in writing this article is to present keywords for the worst, most basic (survival) mode of each sign, and contrast this with the best, most elevated and aspirational version of each sign. As you read through the list, you’ll no doubt recognise parts of yourself in your Sun sign. But don’t stop there. Make sure you read for your rising sign (Ascendant) and your Moon sign as well. If you’re familiar with your entire chart, extend your examination to your Mercury, Venus and Mars placements. And if you really want to get jiggy with it, throw yourself at the mercy of your Jupiter and Saturn signs. After all, they represent the transpersonal aspects of you. Only leave Uranus, Neptune and Pluto out of it for now.

As you read the keywords you’ll notice a sizeable gap between the best and worst of each sign. The truth is that we all function somewhere in between the survival line and the aspirational line most of the time, so give yourself a bit of leeway for not being the very best version of yourself all the time.

But don’t let that stop you aspiring for more. Our aim is to give our soul a fighting chance to experience what it came here for, and to help it evolve along its trajectory.

Aries: Survival – selfish, angry, reckless. Aspirational – bold, pioneering, instinctual

Taurus: Survival – stubborn, frustrated, over-complicating. Aspirational – sensual, natural, simplify

Gemini: Survival – gossip, scattered, easily bored. Aspirational – storyteller, curious, multi-passionate

Cancer: Survival – emotionally controlling, moody, clingy. Aspirational – nurturing, kind, inclusive

Leo: Survival – attention-seeker, childish, elitist. Aspirational – creative, dramatic, star power

Virgo: Survival – self-critical, perfectionist, workaholic. Aspirational – humble, hardworking, analytical

Libra: Survival – co-dependent, shallow, wishy-washy. Aspirational – artistic, diplomatic, loving

Scorpio: Survival – vengeful, dark, manipulative. Aspirational – intense, truth teller, powerful

Sagittarius: Survival – restless, insatiable, grass is always greener. Aspirational – adventurous, open-minded, journeyman

Capricorn: Survival – judgmental, controlling, overly cautious. Aspirational – self-discipline, integrity, legacy builder

Aquarius: Survival –  rebellious, detached, outcast. Aspirational – visionary, authentic, genius

Pisces: Survival – addicted, escapist, invisible. Aspirational – mystical, divine, compassionate

These few keywords are a long way from a full analysis of a birth chart but they’re enough to get you started.