Children Born on the Cusp

A cusp is the point between one sign and another. A child born on the last day or two of a particular sign often exhibits as many characteristics of that sign as he does of the next sign. Take August 22, the last day of Leo.

A child with this birth date may have the Leo flair for drama, the need for being the center of attention. But she may also have Virgo's penchant for self-criticism and may not think he's worthy of being the center of attention. He's a confusing mixture of both signs, a perplexing mystery to herself and to everyone who knows her.

If you're not sure about the sign into which your child falls, table 1 will clarify it.

Our neighborhood has a hundred and thirty-five homes, most of them occupied by families with children who range in age from infants to teens. It's a kid's paradise because there's always someone to play with.

We've lived here for nearly nine years, since our daughter was six weeks old, so many of her friends are kids she has known all her life. From the time she was old enough to understand the concept of friend, I noticed certain patterns in Megan's friendships. I began to collect the birth dates of her playmates and, eventually, I collected their times and places of birth as well.

The picture that emerged deepened my appreciation of astrology as a tool for depicting broad personality patterns. In terms of specifics, I found myself paying closer attention to two distinct groupings of Sun signs: the elements-fire, air, earth, and water-and the qualities-cardinal, fixed, and mutable, which describe how we approach and react to circumstances in our lives.

I realized that, in terms of Sun signs, the kids Megan gets along with the best have Sun signs that complement her Sun in Virgo (earth) or who share the same quality as Virgo (mutable). In some instances, her closest buddies have their Moons or ascendants in signs that complement her Virgo Moon and Pisces ascendant.

When you begin to notice the deeper patterns that operate in your child's life, it enriches your experience as a parent and your appreciation of your child. Table 2 summarizes the attributes of each element.