Each sign has an opposite, or Sister Sign. There are six sister sign pairings in astrology: Aries/Libra, Taurus/Scorpio, Gemini/Sagittarius, Cancer/Capricorn, Leo/Aquarius, and Virgo/Pisces.
Each of these pairings sits on an axis that speaks to a different aspect of our lives. They contain a view into the dichotomies of inner and outer life and how we reflect that in our lives.
When a sign sits opposite another, it highlights the qualities or characteristics that you may be lacking and vice versa. They also amplify aspects of yourself that you may not know exists.
While different, Sister signs operate on the same modality; cardinal fits with cardinal, mutable with mutable, fixed with fixed. The purpose of an opposition is to show you where the energy flow may be the tensest and how to learn and grow through that tension.
Truly, opposite signs have the same end goals, but different ways of getting there. With others, this can facilitate a relationship of growth and learning. When an opposition exists within your chart, your goal is to find the middle path.
You must work to harness the power of both signs to express and understand yourself and your place in the world in a more holistic way.
In the case of having an opposition within your “big three” (for example Ascendant/Sun opposition in Leo/Aquarius), you may struggle to express outwardly what you feel innate in your heart. Leo on the Ascendant indicates pride, a desire for creativity, expression and independence, where Aquarius in the Sun placement needs others to grow and feel community. To understand yourself and be able to change the world in the way you desire, you must find a balance between what you desire in the depths of your soul with what you wish to represent in your life.