The Zodiac is a band around the sky about 18° wide, centered on the ecliptic, in which the Sun, Moon, and planets move.

The significance of the zodiac stems from the fact that the ecliptic -- the narrow path on the sky that the Sun, Moon, and planets appear to follow -- runs directly through these star groupings. Since ancient times, the Sun, Moon, and planets have been known as special astronomical objects -- they "wander" through the background stars of the zodiac, which remain fixed with respect to each other. It was reasoned that these zodiacal constellations must be special to make up this path, and the relative positions of the "wandering stars" within them bore great importance.




The ecliptic is the great circle cut in the celestial sphere by an extension of the plane of Earth's orbit; equivalently, the apparent annual path of the Sun against the background of the stars. Because of Earth's axial tilt, the ecliptic is inclined at about 23.4° to the celestial equator, an angle known as the obliquity of the ecliptic. The ecliptic intersects the celestial equator at the equinoxes. The ecliptic poles are the two points on the celestial sphere that lie 90° north and south of the plane of the ecliptic. The orbits of the planets, with the exception of Pluto, lie close to the ecliptic.




A great cirlce is the line of intersection of the surface of a sphere and any plane that passes through the center of the sphere. The shortest route between two points on a sphere, such as the Earth, is along the great circle that connects these points. A great circle is a geodesic.



A geodesic is a path on a given surface that is as straight as possible; in other words, a path that doesn't deviate either to the left or to the right, and only bends when forced to do so by the curvature (if any) of the surface. If the surface is an ordinary plane, the geodesics are straight lines; on a sphere the geodesics are great circles.

The celestial sphere is the imaginary sphere upon whose inner surface celestial objects can be considered to lie for the purpose of describing their position. The celestial sphere is centered on the origin of whatever system of celestial coordinates is being used.

In astronomy and navigation, the celestial sphere is an imaginary sphere of arbitrarily large radius, concentric with the Earth and rotating upon the same axis. All objects in the sky can be thought of as projected upon the celestial sphere. Projected upward from Earth's equator and poles are the celestial equator and the celestial poles. The celestial sphere is a very practical tool for positional astronomy.









Perspective of Earth and celestial sphere, showing the ecliptic (plane), the celestial equator (overhead the Earth's equator) and the Earth's polar axis (which also points to the celestial poles). The intersection shown between the equator and the ecliptic (the vernal equinox point) is not associated with any particular location on the Earth (despite the diagram), because the Earth rotates daily, while the celestial sphere does not.

We can again see that the ecliptic is an imaginary line that shows the path the Sun apparently "travels" against the fixed stars (celestial sphere) as the earth revolves around the Sun during the year. In more accurate terms, it is the intersection of the celestial sphere with the ecliptic plane, which is the geometric plane containing the mean orbit of the Earth around the Sun.

The ecliptic serves as the center of a region called the zodiac, which constitutes a band of 9° on either side. Traditionally, this region is divided into 12 signs of 30° longitude each. By tradition, these signs are named after 12 of the 13 constellations straddling the ecliptic.

The celestial axis is the projection of Earth’s rotation axis, north and south, onto the celestial sphere. The celestial poles are the two points where an extension of Earth’s axis intersects the celestial sphere and about which the celestial sphere appears to rotate daily. As a result of precession, the celestial poles complete a circle around the ecliptic poles every 25,800 years.

Precession is a slow, periodic conical motion of the rotation axis of a spinning body, most familiar in the wobbling of a toy top or gyroscope. Earth's axis precesses, once around every 25,800 years, as a result of it not being perpendicular to the ecliptic (the plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun). Being tipped over at about 23.5°, it is affected by gravitational perturbations from other bodies in the Solar System, including the Sun, Moon and planets. These bodies pull harder on the part of Earth's equatorial bulge nearest them than on the part farthest away, resulting in a torque(force) that is the underlying cause of precession.




The component of precession caused by the Sun and Moon is called lunisolar precession; that caused by the action of the planets is called planetary precession. The sum of lunisolar and planetary precession, known as general precession, results in a westward movement of the equinoxes (the nodes of the ecliptic) known as the precession of the equinoxes. This movement amounts to an average of about 50.3" per year – the so-called precession constant. Precession means that a number of different stars in the circumpolar regions of the celestial sphere serve as pole stars on a cyclical basis.

An equinox is:

1. Either of the two points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator intersects the ecliptic.

2. Either of the times at which the center of the Sun's disk passes through these points.




The vernal equinox (or spring equinox), when the Sun reaches its ascending node (i.e., crosses the celestial equator moving northward), falls on or around March 21 and marks the start of spring; the autumnal equinox, when the Sun reaches its descending node, occurs on or around September 22 and marks the start of autumn. These are the two days of the year on which, everywhere on Earth, day and night are of equal duration: hence the name.

The equinoxes drift very slightly across the sky because of precession. For example, in the time of Hipparchus, about 2,100 years ago, the vernal equinox lay in Aries and it is still referred to as the First Point in Aries, even though it has now moved into Pisces. Likewise, the autumnal equinox, also called the First Point in Pisces, now lies in Virgo.

As mentioned, the position of the vernal equinox is not fixed among the stars but due to the lunisolar precession slowly shifting westwards over the ecliptic with a speed of 1° per 72 years. A much smaller north/southwards shift can also be discerned (the planetary precession, along the instantaneous equator, which results in a rotation of the ecliptic plane). Said otherwise, the stars shift eastwards (increase their longitude) measured with respect to the equinoxes — in other words, as measured in ecliptic coordinates and (often) also in equatorial coordinates.

Using the current official IAU constellation boundaries — and taking into account the variable precession speed and the rotation of the ecliptic — the equinoxes shift through the constellations in the Astronomical Julian calendar years (in which the year 0 = 1 BC, -1 = 2 BC, etc.) as follows:[1]

- The March equinox passed from Taurus into Aries in year -1865, passed into Pisces in year -67, will pass into Aquarius in year 2597, will pass into Capricornus in year 4312. It passed along (but not into) a 'corner' of Cetus on 0°10' distance in year 1489.
- The June solstice passed from Leo into Cancer in year -1458, passed into Gemini in year -10, passed into Taurus in December 1989, will pass into Aries in year 4609.
- The September equinox passed from Libra into Virgo in year -729, will pass into Leo in year 2439.
- The December solstice passed from Capricornus into Sagittarius in year -130, will pass into Ophiuchus in year 2269, and will pass into Scorpius in year 3597.

The celestial meridian is the great circle on the celestial sphere that passes through the celestial poles and the zenith of the observer. The celestial equator is the great circle on the celestial sphere that divides the northern and southern hemispheres and serves as the zero-mark for declination; it is the projection into space of Earth’s equatorial plane.

Declination is the angular distance of a celestial body north (positive) or south (negative) of the celestial equator: the equivalent of latitude on Earth. The declination of the Sun is the angular position of the Sun at solar noon with respect to the plane of the equator.

The celestial latitude is the angular distance on the celestial sphere measured north or south of the ecliptic along the great circle passing through the poles of the ecliptic and the celestial object. The celestial longitude is the angular distance along the ecliptic from the vernal equinox eastward.

The Zodiac band is divided into 12 signs of the zodiac, each 30° long, that were named by the ancient Greeks after the constellations that used to occupy these positions; "zodiac" means "circle of animals," and only Libra is inanimate. Over the past 2,000 years, precession has moved the constellations eastward by over 30° so that they no longer coincide with the old signs.

The Elements

There are four elements in astrology; fire, earth, air and water. In the zodiac, three signs share the same element, thus there are 3 fire signs, 3 earth signs, 3 air signs and 3 water signs.  Each element is identified by specific characteristics and signs that share the same element are said to be positive towards each other.  The elements are the primary or basic states of being.  It is your basic nature or
natural temperament.

Fire	Fire is intuitive, positive, future-oriented and inspirational.
Earth	Earth is stable, practical and good with money.
Air	Air is intellectual, communicative and good with social relationships.
Water	Water is emotional, sensitive and intuitive.

 

The Planets

The Planets are the "action" of the horoscope.  Each planet represents specific areas in your life.  Each planet is ruled by a sign and is associated with a house.  In addition planets forms aspects with each other.  Astrology is an ancient practice and so many signs share the same planet as a ruler.  This is because the planets Uranus, Neptune and Pluto were only discovered recently.

 

Note: The Sun and Moon are not planets, but are commonly referred as planets by astrologers.  They are also referred to as The Lights.

The Sun

Associated with Leo and the 5th house.  The Sun is one of the strongest influences in the natal chart because it is said to represent the ego. It is a persons creativity, will power, purpose, and driving characteristics.

The Moon

Associated with Cancer and the 4th House.  The Moon is also a very important factor in the natal chart because it represents a persons emotions, habits, patterns and overall needs.  Where as the Sun is said to be a father figure, the Moon is the mother figure.

Mercury

Associated with Gemini and Virgo and the 3rd and 6th houses.  In astrology the planet Mercury represents thinking and communication.  In a natal chart Mercury is the planet to look at to find a persons thinking style, speed of thought and ability to make connections, speech style and overall method of communication.

Venus

Associated with Taurus and Libra and the 2nd and 7th Houses.  Venus is the planet of love. It represent possessions -material or relationships.  In a natal chart, an astrologer will look to Venus to describe how the person deals with relationships in general, the ability to attract and describe the persons love nature.  Venus is also very important in considering compatibility.

Mars

Associated with Aries and Scorpio and the 1st and 8th houses.  Mars is the aggressive planet.  It represents actions, physical activity, argument's, debates and war.  The fiery planet is also associated with courage and confidence.  Mars is where astrologers look to see how the person gets their needs met.  Mars is also very important in considering compatibility. 

Jupiter

Associated with Sagittarius and the 9th house.  In astrology Jupiter symbolizes expansion, growth and good will.  It is called the luck planet and is considered a high octave of Venus.  An astrologer looking for a persons ways of excessiveness, optimism and luck, looks to the planet Jupiter.

Saturn

Associated with Capricorn and Pisces and the 10th and 12 houses. Saturn is the grouch of the zodiac - and gets blamed for nearly everything bad in life.  Saturn is about duty, responsibility, time, burdens, rules and authority.  An astrologer will examine a persons Saturn to find ambitions, weaknesses and what lessons need to be learned.

Uranus

Associated with Aquarius and the 11th house.  The planet Uranus rules the unexpected, original ideas, inspiration, friendships and the sense of community.   Astrologers look to Uranus to determine how a person responds to authority, restrictions on freedom and attitudes towards humanity.  Uranus is also considered to be a generational planet, meaning that whole generations feel its effect, and is not necessarily personal.  The strength and effect Uranus has on an individual can only be determined by examining the birth chart.

Neptune

Associated with Pisces and the 12th house.  Neptune is also a generational planet.  It's the nebulous planet.  It represents dreams, glamour, delusions and denials. This is the planet an astrologer examines to explore a persons dreams, spirituality and illusions.

Pluto

Associated with Scorpio and the 8th house.  It is the planet associated with hidden things, power, change and destruction.   Where ever Pluto lies in a persons chart is where they will experience the most intense changes in their life.   Pluto is the where a person learns an 'end' to have a 'beginning'.

 

The Houses

In Astrology each house rules over specific areas in your life.  Houses contain signs and planets. Each houses is ruled by a sign and the sign is in turn ruled by a planet.  Thus a houses is associated with both a sign and a planet.  Houses, signs and planets all interact together in your astrological chart. Planetary rulers of the sign, planets in the house and the aspects they form with other planets will strongly influence the houses and the areas it rules.

The 1st House

 

Sign Ruler: Aries
Planetary Ruler: Mars

In astrology, the First House is closely related to the Ascendant. The 1st house represents how you see yourself, attitude, general philosophy,  initiative, impulsiveness, new ideas, courage, your drives,  personal challenges and perhaps your physical appearance.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show how you see life in general, where you are most impulsive and daring, and where you face many of your personal challenges.

The 2nd House

Sign Ruler: Taurus
Planet Ruler: Venus

The 2nd house represents money and the ability to earn money, possessions, material possession and resources for acquiring them, spending habits, beauty and sensual pleasures.  In astrology the sign that occupies this house will typically show  what your attitude towards money, how you earn and spend money, what resources to material goods you have, and what gives you pleasure through material things.

The 3rd House

Sign Ruler:  Gemini
Planet Ruler: Mercury

The 3rd house represents mental and verbal activities like thinking, writing and speaking, neighbors, siblings, hobbies, communication, including all kinds of writings, radio, television and speech,  short trips, acquiring information and using information.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show your communication style, including speech and writing, what intellectual pursuits interest you, what kind of hobbies you might enjoy, and relationships with your neighbors and siblings.

The 4th House

Sign Ruler: Cancer
Planet Ruler: The Moon

The 4th house represents the mother, nurturing, your home and family, comforts, security and your environment.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show you the kinds of relationships you have with your family, how you feel about your home and what your need are for your home, and what gives you comfort and makes you feel secure.

The 5th House

Sign Ruler: Leo
Planet Ruler: The Sun

The 5th house represents your children, entertainment and recreation, pleasures, creativity, romance and gambling.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show how you deal with your children, the kinds of entertainment you enjoy.  It also shows how you express your creativity and your romantic inclinations.

The 6th House

Sign Ruler: Virgo
Planet Ruler: Mercury

The 6th house represents work, attitudes towards work, services to others, details and your health. The sign that occupies this house will typically show what kind of worker you are, how you best serve and help others, what you health is like and potential problems to your health.

The 7th House

Sign Ruler: Libra
Planet Ruler: Venus

The 7th House represents business partners, marriage, coworkers, enemies, contracts and justice.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show you the kinds of relationships you attract, how you deal with coworkers and partners, and your feelings of justice.

The 8th House

Sign Ruler: Scorpio
Planet Ruler: Pluto (co ruler: Mars)

The 8th house represents sex, sexual attractions, death, taxes, real estate, inheritance and money of others.  The sign in this house will typically show how you deal with money of others, possible inheritances, how you deal with death, and who you are sexually attracted to.

The 9th House

Sign Ruler: Sagittarius
Planet Ruler: Jupiter

The 9th house represents education, higher learning, traveling, expansion, religion, philosophy, legal systems, and law.  The sign in this house will typically show you feelings towards religion, attitudes towards the law and legal system, interests in traveling and inclinations towards learning.

The 10th House

Sign Ruler: Capricorn
Planet Ruler: Saturn

The 10th House is closely related to the Midheaven, like the 1st House is related to the Ascendant.  This house represents your motivation, career, reputation, ambitions, and all types of authorities.  This is the house that is said to typically represent your father.  The sign that occupies this house will show how you express yourself in these areas.

The 11th House

Sign Ruler: Aquarius
Planet Ruler: Uranus

The 11th house represents groups, social consciousness, ideas, inventions, rebellions, originality, friends, abrupt things, and astrology.  The sign that occupies this house will typically show what kind of friends you are attracted to, original thoughts and ideas, and perhaps accidents and rebellions.

The 12th House

Sign Ruler: Pisces
Planet Ruler: Neptune

The 12th house represents hidden desires, thoughts and fears, the subconscious, what lies beneath the surface, memories,  hospitals, incarceration, limitations and possibly mental illnesses.  It is also the house that is said to rule karmic relationships, past life memories and your past reincarnation. The sign that occupies this house will typically show what areas of life you might be in denial about, either through fears or unrealized ideas and desires.   Some interpretations include that the sign will show you what areas of life concerned you the most in your past reincarnation.

 

The Ascendant and Midheaven

 

Ascendant, also called the rising sign

The Ascendant is how you see yourself.  But it is not just how you see yourself, it is also how you think you should be and what you strive to be. The placement of the Ascendant sets up the rest of the chart and each
corresponding house describes specific areas of your life.

 

The Signs

The 12 constellations or signs of the zodiac are:




Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricornus

Aquarius

Pisces




Some Zodiac Comments

A year is the time the Earth takes to complete an orbit of the Sun. From Earth, the Sun appears to move along the ecliptic across the Zodiac constellations. What actually moves during the course of years is Earth’s viewpoint of the Sun against a background of stars.

Historically, Astronomers by observing the course of the Sun and the seasons to keep the calendar accurate devised the calendar.

The twelve well-known Zodiac constellations are all located along the ecliptic. The ancients referred these to as a seasonal guide. The Sun takes approximately a month to move across a Zodiac constellation to the next.

According to Astrology,  the Sun is the star that determines your star-sign.
The Sun appears to pass across the 12 Zodiac constellations during the cycle of a year. On your birthday, the Sun is at the same place in a particular Zodiac
Over thousands of year since these were determined, the astrology calendar is now a month out of alignment, and appears to have lost the plot with the actual location of the Sun in the Zodiac.

The vernal or spring equinox occurs on March 21, in the northern hemisphere being the time of equal night and day. Astronomers allocated the vernal equinox as the zero degree point for the 360 degree, or 24 hour, equatorial coordinate system. Referring to the system’s right ascension (RA) coordinates, symmetry is apparent. The September equinox aligns at an RA of 180 degrees. The summer and winter solstice align at RA 90 and RA 270 degrees.

Astrology refers to the equatorial coordinate system, divided into 12, 30 degree segments, where the 12 Zodiac star-sign houses are located.

The original astrology calendar indicated the dates/houses when the Sun moved in each Zodiac constellation. The Sun rose in Aries, at the March equinox, when the astrology calendar was devised over 2000 years ago. This century, on the date of the March equinox, the Sun rises in Pisces at the zero degree co-ordinates. Due to precession, the astrology calendar and the zodiac star-sign dates are about a month out of sync with the location of the Sun.

If you remember the song  lyrics referring to the “dawning of the Age of Aquarius”, this applies to the constellation Aquarius. By the end of the next 300 years, Aquarius will move to the zero co-ordinate, when the Sun rises at the March equinox. At that time, the Age of Aquarius will be observed. The Egyptians who built the pyramids 4,000 years ago, observed the Sun rising in Taurus at the March equinox. Jesus lived 2,000 years ago, in the Age of Aries. Today we live in the age of Pisces, watching the dawn of Aquarius.

The scientific explanation for these changes is called Precession. Precession causes a slow shift of the Zodiac constellations along the ecliptic by one degree every 72 years. Since the era when the zodiac calendar was devised over 2,000 years ago, the first point of Aries has shifted from the zero degree to RA 22 degrees. The Zodiac calendar is about a month out of sync with what actually occurs in the sky. Nowadays, in 2011, the Sun moves across Aries in April, not in March as the Zodiac calendar depicts. Overall, the zodiac constellations have shifted 22 degrees since they were initially plotted. The ancient Zodiac calendar is outdated due to precession.

Precession of the equinoxes is caused by gravitational forces of the Sun and the Moon on the Earth. The period when a precession cycle is completed is 25,700 years – called ‘The Great Platonic Year’. Over thousands of years, each Zodiac constellations has a period when the Sun rises in it at the vernal equinox. In 23,000 years time, the Sun will complete a full circuit across the Zodiac to rise in Aries at the time of the vernal equinox. A Platonic year ends, a new one begins.


(Want To Learn More About The Solstices and The Equinoxes)