3 Astrology

In western astrology the zodiac is a band on the celestial sphere which contains the perceived paths of the Sun, Moon, and principal planets and is divided into twelve equal parts of 30° each, called "signs of the zodiac" or astrological signs, each named for a constellation. At the center of this band is the plane of the ecliptic. The width of the zodiac allows for the fact that the orbits of the other bodies are inclined relative to plane of the ecliptic, and thus extend about 8º beyond the ecliptic.

The zodiacal year begins at the point where the plane of the ecliptic intersects with the earth's equatorial plane at the vernal equinox when the Sun moves into the northern hemisphere of the earth's equatorial plane. In western tropical astrology, although the signs derive their names from the constellations, they are not the same thing. For example, although the Sun always enters the astrological sign of Aries at the vernal equinox about March 20, it will not cross into the astronomical constellation of the same name until nearly a month later.

In sidereal astrology the signs are more aligned to their correct stellar constellations. However, the alignment still isn't exact, because the constellations all take up varying amounts of space along the ecliptic, whereas the signs each take up exactly 30°.

The zodiac includes twelve of the constellations that the ecliptic crosses. It actually crosses a thirteenth, Ophiuchus, but this constellation is not considered part of the zodiac because it was not made to cross the ecliptic until 1930 when the constellation lines were redrawn and standardized. Because the ecliptic lies in the general plane of the solar system, the Sun, Moon, and planets seem to move through the zodiacal constellations.

A traditional mnemonic:

The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins,

And next' the Crab, the Lion shines,

The Virgin and the Scales.

The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat,

The Man who holds the Watering Pot,

And Fish with glittering scales.

Sign	Symbol	Birthdates		Actual Astronomical Dates (as of AD 2000)
		Tropical	Sidereal
Aries	ram, ♈	March 21 - April 19	April 14 - May 14	April 19 - May 13
Taurus	bull, ♉	April 20 - May 20	May 15 - June 14	May 14 - June 19
Gemini	twins, ♊	May 21 - June 20	June 15 - July 16	June 20 - July 20
Cancer	crab, ♋	June 21 - July 22	July 17 - August 16	July 21 - August 9
Leo	lion, ♌	July 23 - August 22	August 17 - September 16	August 10 - September 15
Virgo	virgin, ♍	August 23 - September 22	September 17 - October 17	September 16 - October 30
Libra	scale, ♎	September 23 - October 22	October 18 - November 16	October 31 - November 22
Scorpio	scorpion, ♏	October 23 - November 21	November 17 - December 15	November 23 - November 29
Ophiuchus				November 30 - December 17
Sagittarius	archer, ♐	November 22 - December 21	December 16 - January 14	December 18 - January 18
Capricornus	goat, ♑	December 22 - January 19	January 15 - February 12	January 19 - February 15
Aquarius	water, ♒	January 20 - February 18	February 13 - March 14	February 16 - March 11
Pisces	fish, ♓	February 19 - March 20	March 15 - April 13	March 12 - April 18

The "tropical" zodiacal dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the vernal equinox) are used primarily in the United States and western Europe. The "sidereal" dates (those that divide the zodiac starting with the alignment of the Sun with a distant star in Aries) are used everywhere else.

Many people who don't know anything about constellations have heard about the signs of the Zodiac in an astrological context.

Astrologers would use astronomical observations of the movements of the night sky for divinatory purposes. Some of these applications were founded on correspondences between practical knowledge and celestial observations (for example, the relationship between solar position and stellar positions depends on the season, which has practical implications for agriculture), whilst others were completely unfounded.

The familiar "star sign", or more precisely the "sun sign", under which a person is born refers to the position of the sun in the signs on the tropical ecliptic at the time of his or her birth. Because of the precession of the equinoxes over the last three thousand years or so, the signs are out of phase with the astronomical constellations for which they are named by about a month. A few modern western astrologers, in common with those of India, cast horoscopes with reference to the actual constellations, rather than the signs. This is known as sidereal astrology.

The idea of an astrological birth sign is that the person would have some characteristics of the mythic symbolism that the ancients identified with that constellation; so, for example, a "Libra" (the scales) will be balanced and stable. Also, because the planets are all found in the zodiac, the position of the Moon or a planet in a particular sign would have an effect on the life of that person. For example: A person may be born on June 1st. This is near the center of the sign of Gemini, and so Gemini would be his sun sign. Any planets also observed near the center of Gemini, would be in "conjunction" with the sun, and said to have a particularly strong effect on the destiny and personality of the person. At the same time, other planets are in other signs of the zodiac, and their effects would be felt on the portions of a person's life "ruled" by that sign. Significance is also associated to the angular positions of planets and signs relative to each other at the moment of a birth or other significant event.

4 Generally Accepted Phrases and Keywords Associated with Each Astrological Sign

• Aries -- "I want," action oriented, pioneering, assertive, "me" first, enthusiasm, leader, competitive, selfish, head/brain

• Taurus -- "I have," sensual, cautious, acquisitive, musical, traditional, stubborn, throat/neck

• Gemini -- "I think," curious, talkative, sociable, duality, mercurial, whimsical, intelligent, superficial, hands/arms

• Cancer -- "I feel," sensitive, tenacious, family and home oriented, helpful, nurturing, moody, stomach/breasts

• Leo -- "I am," passionate, dramatic, independent, noble, creative, leader, egotistical, heart/chest

• Virgo -- "I serve," practical, work and service oriented, critical, common sense, intelligent, health conscious, fussy, intestines/digestion

• Libra -- "We are," partnerships, balance, grace, charm, cooperative, social, ideas, lazy, kidneys/lumbar

• Scorpio -- "I desire," intense, controlling, sexual, compulsive, deep, secretive, mysterious, obsessive, genitals

• Sagittarius -- "I seek," philosophic, fun-loving, adventurous, blundering, wanderlust, scattered, hips/thighs

• Capricorn -- "I build," ambitious, cautious, authoritative, cunning, competent, stable, saturnine, knees/skeleton

• Aquarius -- "I know," friendships, cause-oriented, the group, society, progressive, eccentric, aloof, calves/ankles

• Pisces -- "I believe," feeling, duality, spirituality, soul growth, suffering, artistic, overly emotional, feet

5 The zodiac as a calendar

The concept of the zodiac was originated by the Babylonians certainly before 2000 BC as a method of visualizing the passage of time. The zodiac worked as a symbolic calendar. It was divided into twelve parts as suggested by the appearance of 12 moons in a year. The signs are geometric divisions of the celestial sphere, each corresponding to one twelfth of a year.

The signs of the zodiac, as enumerated by Egyptian astronomer, Ptolemy, in the 2nd-century AD, are the ones we know today. The same names are used for both signs in astrology and for constellations in astronomy, but it's important to make a distinction between signs and constellations. Signs are geometric sections, each 30° wide, corresponding with particular periods of time of the year, but which don't necessarily physically correspond with the constellations of the same name.

By the time of Ptolemy the zodiac was already at least two thousand years old. But together with its burgeoning astrological use the basic function and structure of the "calendar of the zodiac" remained. The sign of Aries marks the beginning of the year at the vernal equinox. The retreating crab in Cancer represents the retreat of the Sun from its farthest northern point at the time of the summer solstice. Leo, the symbol of fire, represents summer heat. The scales of Libra signify the balance between day and night at the autumnal equinox. The decline of the sun's power is represented in Scorpio by the scorpion, the symbol of darkness. The water-bearer, Aquarius, represents the rainy season which, in Egypt, meant the yearly flooding of the Nile. The fishes of Pisces, symbolize the return of life and the resumption of agriculture.

The concept of the zodiac spread form Babylonia to Greece and, from there, to Egypt where the Egyptians substituted their own symbolism. Aries became the Fleece. Two Sprouting Plants replaced the twins of Gemini. Cancer was re-named Scarabaeus. Leo became the Knife and Libra the Mountain of the Sun. Sagittarius was reduced to just an arrow. Capricornus became the image of life, represented by a mirror. Scorpio became a serpent. Aquarius became simply water, while Taurus, Virgo and Pisces were not changed.

6 See also

• angels of the zodiac
• astronomical symbols
• Chinese astrology

7 External links

• The origin of the zodiac — Essay by Gary D. Thompson.
• Born Under Ophiuchus and Ignored by the Horoscopes: A Modern Dilemma — An article discussing the omission of Ophiuchus from the Zodiac by astrologers.

Constellations Astrological factors

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