Astrology - 1.2 - Signs of the Zodiac

1.2 - The Signs of the Zodiac and Their Significance

Among the many group of celestial objects that stud the night sky, there are twelve which form a great belt around the earth. The signs of the zodiac Based on the SOLAR system each of these represents a month in the astrological year that runs from March 21 on through the succeeding March 20. These are called the signs of the zodiac.


Each month, the Sun enters a new sign, and all persons born during that period have it as their birth sign. According to astrology, there are twelve types of persons thus represented, as all individuals born under a given sign become imbued with its inherent characteristics. The signs and the dates when they exert their individual influences are as follows:

Aries or the Ram — March 21 through April 19
Taurus or the Bull — April 20 through May 19
Gemini or the Twins — May 20 through June 20
Cancer or the Crab — June 21 through July 22
Leo or the Lion — July 23 through August 21
Virgo or the Virgin — August 22 through September 22
Libra or the Scales — September 23 through October 22
Scorpio or the Scorpion — October 23 through November 21 Sagittarius or the Bowman — November 22 through December 21 Capricorn or the Goat — December 22 through January 20 Aquarius or the Water Carrier — January 21 through February 19
Pisces or the Fish — February 20 through March 20

The twelve charts that follow describe the basic traits attributed to each of these signs, and in many cases they fit the individual with surprising exactitude. All persons differ to some degree, however, and their variable traits will be discussed later, which cover in-between periods as well as planetary influences and their significance. These apply not only to the astrological month, but to the day and year of birth.

ASTROLOGY - 1.1 - Introduction

From the days human beings started to read and write, Astrology has played its part in the affairs of mankind predominantly, and its popularity persists even today. “Astrology” means 'knowledge of the stars". It is a by-product the subject now called astronomy. As such, astrology served in forecasting coming events. It is a Small wonder that people believed themselves to be controlled by the signs of the heavens when the courses of the stars and planets could be calculated to accurately.

New civilizations inherited astrology from the old. With it, the scope of the ancient science was extended. Birthstones were associated with the group of stars forming the signs of the zodiac. Metals were identified with planets; gold with the sun; silver with the moon and mercury, because of its elusive quality, with its namesake, Mercury. Everything mundane was interpreted astrologically.

Therefore, all sciences owe much to astrology. When they branched out on their own, astrology was not discredited; it merely returned to its original purpose, that of determining the shape of things to come. It is an interesting fact that when Tycho Brahe, the great astronomer of his time, sighted the comet of 1577 and classed it for what it was, he did not even guess at the year when it would next appear.

Instead, he used the comet as the basis of an astrological calculation from which he predicted that a prince to be born in Finland would become a great Swedish king and would invade Germany, meeting his death in the year 1632. That astrological forecast was fulfilled by the career of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. But astronomers haven't yet found out if Tycho's comet did come back ever.

However, skeptics insist that predictions of latter-day astrology depend mostly on coincidence or guesswork, as did some of the early findings of astronomy. At least, the abstruse calculations of astrology are of little interest to the public. People want to know what their birth signs and planetary influences may mean to them, if anything. Often, they would like to check those findings for themselves. That can be easily done.