Carolyne Faulkner - The Signs in Love: An Interactive Cosmic Road Map to Finding Love That Lasts

Lovers dont finally meet somewhere; they are in each other all along.

Rumi

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

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Copyright 2023 by Carolyne Faulkner

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Artwork and illustrations by Adrian McCrickard, Carolyne Faulkner, and Danielle Johnston for D/A London

Trade paperback ISBN: 9780593538616

Ebook ISBN: 9780593538623

Cover design: Jess Morphew

Cover illustrations: (astrological symbols) Adrian McCrickard and Carolyne Faulkner for Dynamic Astrology

Book design by Silverglass Studio, adapted for ebook by Kelly Brennan

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Introduction

Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;

For love is sufficient unto love.

Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

Two strangers can fall in love the moment their eyes meetbecause its not the first time their souls have met. These unforgettable encounters rarely are due to chance. Real love spans lifetimes, not years or decades, and is beyond our concept of linear time. Understanding this is freeing.

This little book is a result of my own search for meaning among the debris of one of the strangest, most unpredictable collective experiences in modern times. After many conversations with those far wiser than me, I concluded that our world needs more love, and the only solution is to be love. That means starting where we are, and making all our moves with kindness and compassion as the silent drivers. Writing this book helped me resuscitate my own heart, and I sincerely hope it benefits you, too. There has been so much dark, but lets also remember the light, and how exhilarating it feels when we join forces and love each other.

If youre reading this, you probably just want to know about your romantic compatibilitiesand you will find that information in abundance in the following pages. But first, take stock of your own ability to raise your consciousness, knowing that what you decide to do today, a million other people may do tomorrow, and every thought you have and decision you make has an impact. We have infinite potential, and we can make a difference just by being more aware, moment by moment, of how amazing it feels when we respond thoughtfully to everything and everyone around us. To achieve real happiness and a lasting sense of contentment, its time we put our own needs on the back burner and think about the effect we have on others, for better and for worse.

It has never been truer: if all we need is love, the answer is to be lovewithout condition.

The Signs in Love reveals how, why, and largely what tends to happen when the signs combine and begin that electrifying dance known as falling in love. Whether you step to the beat of a rumba, slow and sensual like water signs; sidestep each other with a playful tango, like air; or flow with the rise and fall of the perfectly timed waltz, like the earth signs, this is all about that initial starry-eyed attraction and each unions potentialand, of course, its pitfalls. This book is written in layers so you get to choose how far to go within the pages and, indeed, within yourself. When you highlight the more profound lessons of your past and present relationships, it deepens the unions you already have, attracts and strengthens the ones you want, and dissolves the pain of past hurts that only hold you back from dancing freely with your soul mate.

As a professional astrologer, Im repeatedly asked, Which sign would be my best match? I explain repeatedly that: (a) people are more complex than the zodiac; (b) the signs interact in different ways based on how the elements (air, fire, water, earth) are balanced within each person and how the elements combine as a couple; and (c) there is no such thing as one sign being totally incompatible with another. Some matches are more challenging than others, but you just have to work a little harder to understand those strengths and the stumbling blocks. Every relationship we have, both personal and professional, requires compromise and subtle yet constant (re)negotiation to prevail. My method, Dynamic Astrology, offers a tried and tested yet loose framework rather than a prescriptive and definitive road map. In this book I share what I tell my clients about love, the signs, compatibility, and how to guard against unhealthy attachments, which better prepares you for the roller-coaster ride of uncertainty that comes when you love another person.

Much of what Ive written is part of a lifelong practice for me, too. I am learning, along with you, about how different everyday life can be when love is considered first, before we act or react. Only then do we manage to defuse anger, negativity, and fear and instead come from a place of loving-kindness. Unless you are blessed with the patience of a saint (and I am not!), its all too easy to let people get under your skin. When you do manage to win over difficult or negative folk and transform the encounter into something beautiful, its incredibly gratifying.

This book was created to trigger light-bulb moments of recognition of your unhelpful patterns and to give you the support to alter your attitude toward all your relationships. To attract and retain a suitable life partner or soul mate, you first must be in the right place yourself. Only then are you able to recognize them and transcend that often-fleeting passionate love to something incredible that endures. When you embrace the dance of love and all its chaotic potential, your daily life becomes more poetry in motion and less reenactment of a Shakespeare tragedy. Understanding your own patterns in life and lovewhats flowing well and also not so wellunlocks the potential to genuinely align with another and then build something monumental.

Why are some unions destined to last forever and others for only a season? We all know that the former takes compassion, communication, and equal amounts of compromise. Beyond that, its your own soul that gives you the answers, and its quiet inner voice is hard to hear above the din of a busy life and chattering mind. When we learn to take refuge in stillnessor better still, silencewe can discern the polarity between fantasy and reality. Reality isnt harsh; reality is beautiful because it leads to tangible results that last far beyond one lifetime.

In the search for answers, I realized that love is the only emotion that has the capacity to truly evolve humanity. So know this, dear reader: adopting any of the practices and reflections in these pages will help you not only in your quest for the right union(s), or to maintain the one(s) you may already have, but also to become a more considerate person in general, which is such a beneficial contribution to society. Start where you are, and act moment by moment, day by day. If you start by increasing your own tender, heartfelt vibes, youll become more loving as a human being. It takes only one light to illuminate the darkness; may you be that light in all you do.