Astrological sign

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Astrological signs represent twelve equal segments or divisions of the zodiac. According to astrology, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression. There are "sun" signs and "moon" signs, which both depend on your date of birth.

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 consistent. Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to longest, equal and shortest days of the tropical year), while Jyotiṣa or Vedic astrology measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year). Precession results in Western astrology's zodiacal divisions not corresponding in the current era to the constellations that carry similar names, while Jyotiṣa measurements still correspond with the background constellations.

In Indian astrology, the twelve signs are associated with constellations, while in Chinese astrology and Western Astrology there is no connection with constellations, as it is simply the line of the equator that is divided into twelve equal segments.^{[citation needed]}

In Western and Asian astrology, the emphasis is on space, and the movement of the Sun, Moon and planets in the sky through each of the zodiac signs. In Chinese astrology, by contrast, the emphasis is on time, with the zodiac operating on cycles of years, months, and hours of the day. A common feature of all three traditions however, is the significance of the ascendant or rising sign, namely the zodiac sign that is rising (due to the rotation of the earth) on the eastern horizon at the moment of a person's birth.

From the viewpoint of earth (geocentric), the Sun appears to move along a circular orbit across the celestial sphere, this circular orbit is called the ecliptic. The zodiac refers to the thin band along the ecliptic composed of the zodiac signs and constellations. The zodiac is divided into twelve different signs each of which is 30 degrees long and begins at Aries. In Tropical Astrology Aries begins at the vernal equinox. The order of the zodiac signs is Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. It is believed that the concept of the zodiac had evolved from Babylonian astronomy, and was later influenced by Hellenistic astronomy.

During ancient times, people monitored the passage of the sun because it was useful in predicting the change of seasons. Over time, however, people have begun to associate the zodiac sign, or Sun’s position in the zodiac, with birth dates and characteristic

Western zodiac signs

Zodiac symbolism

Main article: Astrological symbols

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological signs

This table shows the zodiac names in Latin with their English translation. It also shows the element and quality associated with each sign.

Symbol	Sign names	English name	Element	Quality	Polarity	Planet	Period of birth
	Capricorn	The Sea-goat	Earth	Cardinal	Negative	Saturn	December 23 - January 20
	Aquarius	The Water-Carrier	Air	Fixed	Positive	Uranus	January 21 - February 19
	Pisces	The Fish	Water	Mutable	Negative	Neptune	February 20 - March 20
	Aries	The Ram	Fire	Cardinal	Positive	Mars	March 21 - April 20
	Taurus	The Bull	Earth	Fixed	Negative	Venus	April 21 - May 21
	Gemini	The Twins	Air	Mutable	Positive	Mercury	May 22 - June 21
	Cancer	The Crab	Water	Cardinal	Negative	Moon	June 22 - July 22
	Leo	The Lion	Fire	Fixed	Positive	Sun	July 23 - August 21
	Virgo	The Virgin	Earth	Mutable	Negative	Mercury	August 22 - September 23
	Libra	The Scales	Air	Cardinal	Positive	Venus	September 24 - October 23
	Scorpio	The Scorpion	Water	Fixed	Negative	Pluto	October 24 - November 22
	Sagittarius	The Archer/Centaur	Fire	Mutable	Positive	Jupiter	November 23 - December 22

Four elements

Main article: Triplicity

Four Classical Elements; this classic diagram has two squares on top of each other, with the corners of one being the classical elements, and the corners of the other being the properties

Empedocles, a fifth century BCE Greek philosopher, identified Fire, Earth, Air, and Water as elements. He explained the nature of the universe as an interaction of two opposing principles called love and strife manipulating the four elements. He stated that these four elements were all equal, of the same age, that each rules its own province, and each possesses its own individual character. Different mixtures of these elements produced the different natures of things. Empedocles said that those who have near equal proportions of the four elements are more intelligent and have the most exact perceptions.

Each sign is associated one of the classical elements (water, fire, earth and air.) Fire and Air signs are considered positive or extrovert, masculine signs; while Water and Earth signs are considered negative, introvert, feminine signs.

Element	Associated signs
Fire	Aries
	Leo
	Sagittarius
Earth	Taurus
	Capricorn
	Virgo
Air	Gemini
	Libra
	Aquarius
Water signs	Cancer
	Scorpio
	Pisces

Three Qualities

The Qualities assign the Signs into Quadruplicities, three groups of four. They are occasionally referred to as crosses because each quality forms a cross when drawn across the zodiac. Christian astrology relates the three qualities to the three aspects of God in the trinity.

Quality	Associated signs
Cardinal signs	Aries
	Cancer
	Libra
	Capricorn
Fixed signs	Taurus
	Leo
	Scorpio
	Aquarius
Mutable signs	Gemini
	Virgo
	Sagittarius
	Pisces

Additional classifications

While knowing the element and quality of a sign is sufficient to define it, several other groupings^{[citation needed]} can be used for those interested in better understanding their symbolism. The most common is a sequential cycle detailed below.^{[citation needed]} Although most commonly used to define planets, it is valid for signs as well. This cycle has been used as a metaphorical descriptor of the process of birth, development, and death, of humans, societies, or even humanity.

• Personal Signs
  • Aries
  • Taurus
  • Gemini
  • Cancer
• Interpersonal Signs
  • Leo
  • Virgo
  • Libra
  • Scorpio
• Transpersonal Signs

  are principally aware of and concerned with humanitarian and existential concerns.

  • Sagittarius
  • Capricorn
  • Aquarius
  • Pisces

The Tropical Zodiac Primary Factors

These factors were presented by Dane Rudhyar in his book "Astrological Signs - The Pulse of Life, and are 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 of constellation factors. The primary seasonal factors are based on the sunlight. In fact the tropical zodiac could be defined as the changing ratio of light and darkness across the year.

• First factor

Half of the year daylight is increasing, and the other half darkness is increasing.

• Second factor

Half of the year there is more daylight than darkness, and the other half there is more darkness than daylight.

• Third Factor

the four seasons

• Winter

Daylight is increasing and there is more darkness than daylight.

• Spring

Daylight is increasing and there is more daylight than darkness

• Summer

Darkness is increasing and there is more daylight than darkness.

• Autumn

Darkness is increasing and there is more darkness than daylight.

Planetary rulerships

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological planets

In traditional Western astrology, each sign is ruled by one and only one of the seven visible planets (note that in astrology, the Sun and Moon are termed The Lights by astrologers, while the other bodies are called planets, which literally means wanderers, i.e. wandering stars as opposed to the fixed stars). The traditional 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), Pisces (Jupiter). Psychologically-oriented astrologers often believe that Uranus is the ruler or co-ruler of Aquarius instead of Saturn, Neptune is the ruler or co-ruler of Pisces instead of Jupiter, and that Pluto is the ruler or co-ruler of Scorpio instead of Mars. Some other astrologers believe that the planetoid Chiron may be the ruler of Virgo, while other group of modern astrologers acclaim that Ceres is the ruler of Taurus instead. Traditional astrology adheres to the rulerships system listed in the paragraph above, and the debate continues between those who consider the newly discovered planets as rulers or co-rulers of certain signs and those that do not.

Alternatively, some astrologers use the former planets Pallas, Vesta, Juno and Hygiea in their delineations and rulerships, for example Vesta to Taurus and Pallas to Virgo.

Some astrologers do not even use the astrological signs at all (mostly Cosmobiologists and Uranian Astrologers/Hamburg School); therefore they do not take into account planetary rulerships and the essential dignities when interpreting an astrological chart.

Note that, if one starts from Leo and Cancer, the planetary rulers are arrayed in the same order from the sun as they occur in the natural solar system. Sun rules Leo, Moon rules Cancer, then Mercury rules Gemini and Virgo, Venus rules Taurus and Libra, Earth Co-rules Taurus, Mars rules Aries and Co-rules for Scorpio, Jupiter Co-rules Pisces and rules for Sagittarius, Saturn Co-rules Aquarius and rules Capricorn and Uranus rules and Saturn Co-rules for Aquarius.

Dignity and detriment, exaltation and fall

A traditional belief of astrology, known as essential dignity, is the idea that the Sun, Moon and planets are more powerful and effective in some signs than others, because the basic nature of both is held to be in harmony. By contrast, the Sun, Moon and planets are held to find some signs to be weak or difficult to operate in because their natures are thought to be in conflict . The most important of these categories are Dignity, 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). Seventeenth century astrologer William Lilly compared rulership to a king on his throne, with considerable dignity. If a planet is in the sign opposite that which it rules (or is dignified), it is said to be weakened or in Detriment, for example the Moon in Capricorn.

In traditional astrology, other levels of Dignity are recognised in addition to Rulership. 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 to give of one's true nature. Contemporary traditional astrologers like John Frawley or J Lee Lehman explain further on the concept of Essential Dignity.

• Exaltation and Fall

In addition, a planet is also strengthened when it is in its sign of Exaltation. In traditional horary astrology, Exaltation denotes a level of dignity somewhat exaggerated compared to rulership. Exaltation was considered to give the planet (or what it signified in a horary chart) dignity, with the metaphor of an honoured guest - who is the centre of attention but the extent of their ability to act is limited. Examples of planets in their Exaltation are: Saturn (Libra), Sun (Aries), Venus (Pisces), Moon (Taurus), Mercury (Virgo, although some disagree to this classification), Mars (Capricorn), Jupiter (Cancer). A planet in the opposite sign of its Exaltation is said to be in its Fall , and thus weakened, perhaps seemingly more so than Detriment. The Planet in fall is passively rejected or ignored by the sign that it's in. It can be likened to a mayor of a rival city trying to make suggestions to the hosting mayor for how he should run his city: The host mayor finds it difficult to trust him and cannot see how his input could have relevancy to his city. The people of the city feel the same as their ruler. The result is impasse and failure on behalf of both mayors and the city.

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 describes the planet's "ability to act". So we might have, for example, Moon in Cancer, dignified by rulership, 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, 11th) are generally considered to be of medium ability to act. Besides Accidental Dignity, there are a range of Accidental Debilities, such as retrogradation, Under the Sun's Beams, Combust, and so forth.

Indian astrology

In Indian astrology, there are five elements: fire, earth, air, water and space. The master of fire is Mars, while Mercury is of earth, Saturn of air, Venus of water and Jupiter of space.

Jyotish astrology recognises 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.

Number	Sanskrit	International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration	Sanskrit gloss	Western name	Greek	Gloss	Tattva (Element)	Quality	Ruling Planet
1	मेष	Meṣa	ram	Aries	Κριός	ram	Tejas (Fire)	Cara (Movable)	Mars
2	वृषभ	Vṛṣabha	bull	Taurus	Ταῦρος	bull	Prithivi (Earth)	Sthira (Fixed)	Venus
3	मिथुन	Mithuna	twins	Gemini	Δίδυμοι	twins	Vayu (Air)	Dvisvabhava (Dual)	Mercury
4	कर्कट	Karkaṭa	crab	Cancer	Καρκίνος	crab	Jala (Water)	Cara (Movable)	Moon
5	सिंह	Siṃha	lion	Leo	Λέων	lion	Tejas (Fire)	Sthira (Fixed)	Sun
6	कन्या	Kanyā	girl	Virgo	Παρθένος	virgin	Prithivi (Earth)	Dvisvabhava (Dual)	Mercury
7	तुला	Tulā	balance	Libra	Ζυγός	balance	Vayu (Air)	Cara (Movable)	Venus
8	वृश्चिक	Vṛścika	scorpion	Scorpio	Σκoρπιός	scorpion	Jala (Water)	Sthira (Fixed)	Mars
9	धनुष	Dhanus	bow	Sagittarius	Τοξότης	archer	Tejas (Fire)	Dvisvabhava (Dual)	Jupiter
10	मकर	Makara	sea-monster	Capricorn	Αἰγόκερως	goat-horned	Prithivi (Earth)	Cara (Movable)	Saturn
11	कुम्भ	Kumbha	pitcher	Aquarius	Ὑδροχόος	water-pourer	Vayu (Air)	Sthira (Fixed)	Saturn
12	मीन	Mīna	fish	Pisces	Ἰχθεῖς	fish	Jala (Water)	Dvisvabhava (Dual)	Jupiter

The dates for these zodiac signs are those in sidereal astrology, different from those in Hellenistic tropical astrology. Aries begins at the date when the sun enters into the constellation Aries, taking into account the precession of the equinoxes, while in tropical astrology Aries begins at the vernal equinox.

Nakshatras

Main article: Nakshatra

A nakshatra (Devanagari: नक्षत्र, Sanskrit nakshatra, from naksha- 'approach', and tra- 'guard') or lunar mansion is one of the 27 divisions of the sky, identified by the prominent star(s) in them, as used in Hindu astronomy and astrology (Jyotisha).

Chinese zodiac signs

Main article: Chinese zodiac

Unlike the Western or Indian zodiacs, the Chinese zodiac signs are not derived from constellations, and are not assigned to sections of the ecliptic. Instead, 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 sixty year cycle in combination with the Five Phases of Chinese astrology (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth). Nevertheless some researches says 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-jupiterian calendar.

Twelve signs

Chart showing the 24 cardinal directions and the symbols of the sign associated with them.

In Chinese astrology the zodiac of twelve animal sign 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 sixty 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.

Order	Hanzi	English	Yang yang	Trine	Fixed Element	Hours
1	子	Rat	Yang	1st	Water	11pm - 1am
2	丑	Ox	Yin	2nd	Water	1am - 3am
3	寅	Tiger	Yang	3rd	Wood	3am - 5am
4	卯	Rabbit	Yin	4th	Wood	5am - 7am
5	辰	Dragon	Yang	1st	Wood	7am - 9am
6	巳	Snake	Yin	2nd	Fire	9am - 11am
7	午	Horse	Yang	3rd	Fire	11am - 1pm
8	未	Goat	Yin	4th	Fire	1pm - 3pm
9	申	Monkey	Yang	1st	Metal	3pm - 5pm
10	酉	Rooster	Yin	2nd	Metal	5pm - 7pm
11	戌	Dog	Yang	3rd	Metal	7pm - 9pm
12	亥	Pig	Yin	4th	Water	9pm - 11pm

Five elements

The elements differ in Chinese astrology from their Western counterparts: Air is not one of the elements as defined by the Chinese. Instead, Wood and Metal are elements alongside Earth, Fire and Water. In addition, the elements also govern various aspects of one's personality, and are assigned to various other things such as directions (North, South, East and West), colours, seasons and planets. The characteristics of the four elements are as follows:

• Metal

The metal person is rigid and resolute in expression and intense, with strong feelings.

• Water

The water person is a good communicator and persuader, intuitive and sympathetic to others and good at conveying feelings and emotions.

• Wood

The wood person has high morals, is self confident, expansive and co-operative, with wide and varied interests.

• Fire

The fire person has leadership qualities, and is decisive, self confident, positive and assertive.

• Earth

The earth person is serious, logical and methodical, intelligent, objective and good at planning. Earth represents the change of seasons.

Associations

Element	Direction	Season	Animal signs for corresponding fixed element
Metal	West	autumn	Monkey
			Rooster
			Dog
Water	North	winter	Pig
			Rat
			Ox
Wood	East	spring	Tiger
			Rabbit
			Dragon
Fire	South	summer	Snake
			Horse
			Goat

The five elements operate together with the twelve animal signs in a sixty year calendar. The four elements appear in the calendar in both their yin and yang forms and are known as the eight heavenly stems. When trying to calculate the relevant year of the cycle in relation to the Western calendar, an easy rule to follow is that years that end in an odd number are Yin, those that end with an even number are Yang.