5 Zodiacs Who Still Have Work To Do Before They Reach Emotional Mastery

Have you ever known someone whose temperament seems as stable as a mountain? They’re never obnoxiously happy or frighteningly sad. It’s almost as if you could travel backward or forward in time 10 years and they’d be the same sea of tranquility. No matter what life throws at them, they remain calm, composed, poised, levelheaded, and downright unflappable. Those types of people are like Zen masters or yogis, and they are in complete control over their emotions. It’s admirable, but if you aren’t as stable as they are, you might even resent them a little.

Some zodiac signs are known for their consistency, their reliability. But I’m not here to talk about them today.

George Washington once compared government to fire, which he called “a dangerous servant and a fearful master.” The same thing applies to emotions—you can make them work for you, or you can be at their mercy.

The following five signs need to get a grip on their emotions before their emotions get a stranglehold on them.

1. Scorpio

Ruled by Mars (which makes them belligerent) and Pluto (which makes them methodically vindictive), this is the water sign whose emotional extremes tilt toward the dark side. Inside the Scorpion’s deceptively thick exoskeleton simmers a chaotic swirl of moody intensity. But unlike fire signs such as Aries and Leo, they are not so quick to anger as they are prone to relentlessly plotting their revenge. Scorpios are coldhearted rather than hotheaded. They refuse to let go of things and will scheme, connive, and calculate until they strike back, which may take years.

2. Aries

There’s a reason that Aries is symbolized by the Ram and not the Lamb. Guided by Mars, the red warrior planet, this explosive fire sign is quick to anger. They will strike quickly, and it will hurt. Despite their extroverted temperament and diplomatic skills (i.e., they can tell you to go to hell in a way that makes it sound as if you’ll enjoy the ride), if they truly feel slighted, they will drop all pretense of diplomacy and go for your jugular.

3. Leo

What’s with the egos on these Leos? Who expected the Lions to be so thin-skinned? Just like Aries, this gregarious fire sign has an outward veneer of confidence that masks their deep-seated need to be liked. In other words, their “confidence” is only a way of hiding their insecurity. They thrive on approval, and if they feel even slightly insulted, they may take drastic measures to avenge their wounded pride.

4. Gemini

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, that hot, tiny planet whose name forms the root of the word mercurial, which Webster defines as “characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood.” If you don’t like Gemini’s mood right now, all you have to do is wait five minutes, because it will change. Remember—this is the only sign represented by Twins. Asking them to achieve emotional mastery would be like asking them to both suddenly inhabit the same body. Ain’t gonna happen.

5. Sagittarius

Sags are celebrated for being “adventurous,” “curious,” and “free-spirited,” which are polite ways of saying that they can be “impulsive,” “volatile,” and “unpredictable.” They are the most easily bored out of all the zodiacs. Every front door finds them hopin’ they’ll also find a back door open. They are prone to bailing on a situation if they feel tied down, or even if they feel it’s grown stale and monotonous. Because of their wanderin’ drifter spirit, they are the sign most likely to ghost you. You may wake up one morning to find that they’ve gone without leaving a forwarding address