Zodiac sign
What is a zodiac sign?
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A zodiac sign is a 12-month period of
the year, corresponding to the cycle of the sun. It is used for horoscopes and
astrology. Everyone in the world has a zodiac sign, but many people don't know
what it means. A zodiac sign is like a label you can use to describe your
personality and more.
In Western astrology, astrological
signs are the twelve 30 degree sectors that make up Earth's 360 degree orbit
around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring known as the
First Point of Aries which is the vernal equinox. The Western astrological
signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio,
Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. The Western zodiac originated in
Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by Hellenistic culture. Each
sign was named after a constellation the sun annually moved through while
crossing the sky. This observation is emphasized in the simplified and popular
sun sign astrology. Over the centuries, Western astrology's zodiacal divisions
have shifted out of alignment with the constellations they were named after by
axial precession while Hindu astrology measurements correct for shifting. Astrology
has developed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well.
Astrology is a pseudoscience.
Scientific investigations of the theoretical basis and experimental
verification of claims have shown it to have no scientific validity or
explanatory power.
According to astrology, celestial
phenomena relate to human activity on the principle of "as above, so
below", so that the signs are held to represent characteristic modes of
expression. Modern discoveries about the nature of celestial objects have
undermined the theoretical basis for assigning meaning to astrological signs,
and empirical scientific investigation has shown that predictions and
recommendations based on these systems are not accurate.: 85, : 424
Scientific astronomy used the same sectors of the ecliptic as Western astrology
until the 19th century.
Various approaches to measuring and
dividing the sky are currently used by differing systems of astrology, although
the tradition of the Zodiac's names and symbols remain mostly consistent.
Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to
equal, longest, and shortest days of the tropical year), while Hindu astrology
measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year).
Western zodiac signs
History
Western
astrology is a direct continuation of Hellenistic astrology as recorded by
Ptolemy in the 2nd century. Hellenistic astrology in turn was partly based on
concepts from Babylonian tradition. Specifically, the division of the ecliptic
in twelve equal sectors is a Babylonian conceptual construction. By the 4th
century BC, Babylonian astronomy and its system of celestial omens influenced
the culture of ancient Greece, as did the astronomy of Egypt by late 2nd
century BC. This resulted, unlike the Mesopotamian tradition, in a strong focus
on the birth chart of the individual and the creation of Horoscopic astrology,
employing the use of the Ascendant (the rising degree of the ecliptic, at the
time of birth), and of the twelve houses. Association of the astrological signs
with Empedocles' four classical elements was another important development in
the characterization of the twelve signs.
The
body of the Hellenistic astrological tradition as it stood by the 2nd century
is described in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos. This is the seminal work for later
astronomical tradition not only in the West but also in India and the Islamic
sphere and has remained a reference for almost seventeen centuries as later
traditions made few substantial changes to its core teachings.
Western astrological correspondence chart
The
following table shows the approximate dates of the twelve astrological signs,
along with the classical and modern ruler ships of each sign. By definition,
Aries starts at the First Point of Aries which is the location of the Sun at
the March equinox. The precise date of the Equinox varies from year to year but
is always between 19 March and 21 March. The consequence is the start date of
Aries and therefore the start date of all the other signs can change slightly
from year to year. The following Western astrology table enumerates the twelve
divisions of celestial longitude with the Latin names. The longitude intervals,
are treated as closed for the first endpoint (a) and open for the second (b) –
for instance, 30° of longitude is the first point of Taurus, not part of Aries.
The signs are occasionally numbered 0 through 11 in place of symbols in
astronomical works.
The
twelve signs each have opposites, resulting in six opposite couples. Fire and
air elements are opposites, and earth and water elements are opposites. Spring
signs are opposite to autumn ones, winter signs are opposite to summer ones and
vice versa.
- Aries is opposite to Libra
- Taurus is opposite to Scorpio
- Gemini is opposite to Sagittarius
- Cancer is opposite to Capricorn
- Leo is opposite to Aquarius
- Virgo is opposite to Pisces
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Polarity
The three modalities
The
modality or mode of a given sign refers to its position in the season it is
found in. Each of the four elements manifests in three modalities: cardinal,
fixed, and mutable. Since each modality comprehends four signs, they are also
known as Quadruplicities. For example, the sign Aries is found in the first
month of spring in the Western Hemisphere, so practitioners of astrology
describe it as having a cardinal modality. The combination of element and
modality provides the signs with their unique characterizations. For instance,
Capricorn is the cardinal earth sign, impressing its association with action
(cardinal modality) in the material world (earth element).
Triplicities of the four elements
The
Greek philosopher Empedocles identified fire, earth, air, and water as elements
in the fifth-century BC. He explained the nature of the universe as an
interaction of two opposing principles, love and strife, manipulate the
elements into different mixtures that produce the different natures of things.
He stated all the elements are equal, the same age, rule their own provinces,
and possess their own individual character. Empedocles said that those born
with nearly equal proportions of the elements are more intelligent and have the
most exact perceptions.The elemental categories are called triplicities because
each classical element is associated with three signs The four astrological
elements are also considered as a direct equivalent to Hippocrates' personality
types (sanguine = air; choleric = fire; melancholic = earth; phlegmatic =
water). A modern approach looks at elements as "the energy substance of
experience" and the next table tries to summarize their description
through keywords. The elements have grown in importance and some astrologers
begin natal chart interpretations by studying the balance of elements in the
location of planets (especially the Sun's and Moon's ascendant signs) and the
position of angles in the chart.
Celestial body rulerships
Rulership
is the connection between planet and correlated sign and house. The
conventional rulerships are as follows: Aries (Mars), Taurus (Venus), Gemini
(Mercury), Cancer (Moon), Leo (Sun), Virgo (Mercury), Libra (Venus), Scorpio
(Pluto), Sagittarius (Jupiter), Capricorn (Saturn), Aquarius (Uranus), and
Pisces (Neptune).
Dignity and detriment, exaltation and fall
Dignity and Detriment: A planet is strengthened or dignified if it falls within the sign that it rules. In other words, it is said to exercise Rulership of the sign. For example, the Moon in Cancer is considered "strong" (well-dignified). If a planet is in the sign opposite which it rules (or is dignified in), it is said to be weakened or in Detriment (for example, the Moon in Capricorn). This may also be termed “debility". In traditional astrology, other levels of Dignity are recognized in addition to Ruler ship. These are known as Exaltation, Triplicity, Terms or bounds, and Face or Decan, which together are known as describing a planet's Essential dignity, the quality or ability of one's true nature.
Exaltation and Fall: A planet is also strengthened when it is in its sign of exaltation. In traditional horary astrology, this denotes a dignity just less than ruler ship. Exaltation was considered to give the planet's significance(s) the dignity of an honored guest: the center of attention but constrained in power. Examples of planets in their Exaltation are: Saturn (Libra), Sun (Aries), Venus (Pisces), Moon (Taurus), Mercury (Virgo, although some disagree with this classification), Mars (Capricorn), Jupiter (Cancer). A planet in the opposite sign of this is in its fall, and thus weakened, perhaps more than Detriment. There is discord as to the signs in which the two extra-Saturnian planets may be considered to be exalted. The following table summarizes the positions described above:
In addition to essential dignity, the traditional astrologer considers Accidental dignity of planets. This is placement by house in the chart under examination. Accidental dignity is the planet's "ability to act." So we might have, for example, Moon in Cancer, dignified by ruler ship, is placed in the 12th house it would have little scope to express its good nature. The 12th is a cadent house as are the 3rd, 6th and 9th and planets in these houses are considered weak or afflicted. On the other hand, Moon in the 1st, 4th, 7th, or 10th would be more able to act as these are Angular houses. Planets in Succedent houses of the chart (2nd, 5th, 8th, and 11th) are generally considered to be of medium ability to act. Besides Accidental Dignity, there are a range of Accidental Debilities, such as retro gradation, Under the Sun's Beams, Combust, and so forth.
Additional classifications
Each
sign can be divided into three 10° sectors known as decans or decanates, though
these have fallen into disuse. The first decanate is said to be most
emphatically of its own nature and is ruled by the sign ruler. The next
decanate is sub-ruled by the planet ruling the next sign in the same
triplicity. The last decanate is sub-ruled by the next in order in the same
triplicity. While the element and modality of a sign are together sufficient to
define it, they can be grouped to indicate their symbolism. The first four
signs, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, and Cancer, form the group of personal signs. The
next four signs, Leo, Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio form the group of interpersonal
signs. The last four signs of the zodiac, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and
Pisces, form the group of transpersonal signs. Dane Rudhyar presented the
tropical zodiac primary factors, used in the curriculum of the RASA School of
Astrology. The tropical zodiac is the zodiac of seasonal factors as opposed to
the sidereal zodiac (constellation factors). The primary seasonal factors are
based on the changing ratio of sunlight and darkness across the year. The first
factor is whether the chosen time falls in the half of the year when daylight
is increasing, or the half of the year when darkness is increasing. The second
factor is whether the chosen time falls in the half of the year when there is
more daylight than darkness or the half when there is more darkness than
daylight. The third factor is which of the four seasons the chosen time falls
in, defined by the first two factors. Thus,
- The winter season is when daylight is increasing and there is more darkness than daylight.
- The spring season is when daylight is increasing and there is more daylight than darkness.
- The summer season is when darkness is increasing and there is more daylight than darkness.
- The autumn season is when darkness is increasing and there is more darkness than daylight.
Indian astrology
In Indian astrology, there are five
elements: fire, earth, air, water, and ether. The master of fire is Mars, while
Mercury is of earth, Saturn of air, Venus of water, and Jupiter of ether.
Jyotish astrology recognizes twelve
zodiac signs (Rāśi) that correspond to those in Western astrology. The relation
of the signs to the elements is the same in the two systems.
Nakshatras
A nakshatra (Devanagari: नक्षत्र, Sanskrit nakshatra, a metaphorical
compound of naksha- 'map/chart', and tra- 'guard'), or lunar mansion, is one of
the 27 divisions of the sky identified by prominent star(s), as used in Hindu
astronomy and astrology (Jyotisha). "Nakshatra" in Sanskrit, Kannada,
Tulu and Tamil and Prakrit also, thus,it refers to stars themselves.
Chinese zodiac signs
Chinese astrological signs operate on
cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day (also known as
shichen). A particular feature of the Chinese zodiac is its operation in a
60-year cycle in combination with the Five Phases of Chinese astrology (Wood,
Fire, Metal, Water and Earth).
Nevertheless, some researches say
that there is an obvious relationship between the Chinese 12-year cycle and
zodiac constellations: each year of the cycle corresponds to a certain disposal
of Jupiter. For example, in the year of Snake Jupiter is in the Sign of Gemini,
in the year of Horse Jupiter is in the Sign of Cancer and so on. So the Chinese
12-year calendar is a solar-lunar-jovian calendar.
Zodiac symbolism
The following table shows the twelve
signs and their attributes.
The twelve signs
In Chinese astrology, the zodiac of
twelve animal signs represents twelve different types of personality. The
zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and there are many
stories about the Origins of the Chinese Zodiac which explain why this is so.
When the twelve zodiac signs are part of the 60-year calendar in combination
with the four elements, they are traditionally called the twelve Earthly
Branches. The Chinese zodiac follows the lunisolar Chinese calendar and thus
the "changeover" days in a month (when one sign changes to another
sign) vary each year. The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order.
子 Rat
(Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water): Rat years include 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936,
1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032. The Rat also corresponds to a
particular month in the year. The hours of the Rat are 11pm – 1am.
丑 Ox (Yin,
2nd Trine, Fixed Element Earth: Ox years include 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949,
1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033. The Ox also corresponds to a
particular month in the year. The hours of the Ox are 1am – 3am.
寅 Tiger
(Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Tiger years include 1902, 1914, 1926,
1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034. The Tiger also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Tiger are 3am –
5am.
卯 Rabbit
(Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Rabbit Years include 1903, 1915, 1927,
1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035. The Rabbit also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Rabbit are 5am
– 7am.
辰 Dragon
(Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Earth): Dragon years include 1904, 1916, 1928,
1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036. The Dragon also corresponds
to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Dragon are 7am – 9am.
巳 Snake
(Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Snake years include 1905, 1917, 1929,
1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037. The Snake also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Snake are 9am –
11am.
午 Horse
(Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Horse years include 1906, 1918, 1930,
1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038. The Horse also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Horse are 11am
– 1pm.
未 Goat
(Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Earth): Goat years include 1907, 1919, 1931,
1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039. The Goat also corresponds
to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Goat are 1pm – 3pm.
申 Monkey
(Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Monkey years include 1908, 1920, 1932,
1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040. The Monkey also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Monkey are 3pm
– 5pm.
酉 Rooster
(Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Rooster years include 1909, 1921, 1933,
1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041. The Rooster also
corresponds to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Rooster are 5pm
– 7pm.
戌 Dog
(Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Earth): Dog years include 1910, 1922, 1934,
1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042. The Dog also corresponds
to a particular month in the year. The hours of the Dog are 7pm – 9pm.
亥 Pig (Yin,
4th Trine, Fixed Element Water): Pig years include 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947,
1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043. The Pig also corresponds to a
particular month in the year. The hours of the Pig are 9pm – 11pm.
The five elements
Wood: The wood person has high
morals, is self-confident, expansive and co-operative, with wide and varied
interests and idealistic goals. The direction associated with Wood is east, and
the season is spring, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs
Tiger and Rabbit.
Fire: The fire person has leadership
qualities, dynamic passion, and is decisive, self-confident, positive, and
assertive. The direction associated with Fire is south, and the season is
summer, which makes it the fixed element for the animal signs Snake and Horse.
Earth: The earth person is serious,
logical and methodical, intelligent, objective and good at planning. The
direction associated with Earth is Center. The season for Earth is the
changeover point of the four seasons. It is the fixed element for the animal
signs Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog.
Metal: The metal person is sincere,
has fixed values and opinions, is strong of will, and has eloquence of speech.
The direction associated with Metal is west. The season for Metal is Autumn. It
is the fixed element for the animal signs Monkey and Rooster.
Water: The water person is persuasive,
intuitive, and empathetic. The water person is objective and often sought out
for their counsel. The direction associated with water is North. The season for
Water is Winter. It is the fixed element for the animal signs Rat and Pig. The
five elements operate together with the twelve animal signs in a 60-year
calendar. The five elements appear in the calendar in both their yin and yang
forms and are known as the ten Celestial stems. The yin/yang split seen in the
Gregorian calendar means years that end in an even number are Yang
(representing masculine, active, and light), those that end with an odd number
are Yin (representing feminine, passive and darkness), subject to Chinese New
Year having passed.
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