The Three Modes
The mode describes the speed and the durability of a matter; by looking at the mode of the querent's or the quesited's significator, you read how quickly the matter is likely to stir.
Cardinal
Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn. Cardinal signs initiate a matter: it begins quickly and finishes quickly, moving at a fast pace. When the significator is in a cardinal sign, the matter stirs within a short time.
Fixed
Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. Matters remain in place, resist change and endure. When the significator is in a fixed sign, the matter proceeds steadily but slowly; it does not turn easily.
Mutable
Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces (Lilly calls them common signs). They carry the cardinal and the fixed natures together: they both begin and sustain, which is why they appear indecisive or changeable and often shift direction; in timing they run at a medium pace. When the significator is in a mutable sign, the matter follows an indecisive course between the two extremes.
Sample question: "Will I remain in my present job for much longer?" — if the quesited is in a fixed sign, the tendency you read is "settled and enduring"; if in a cardinal sign, the tendency is "it will change or stir soon".
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