{"id":10661,"date":"2012-07-05T19:55:09","date_gmt":"2012-07-05T18:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=10661"},"modified":"2012-07-05T19:55:09","modified_gmt":"2012-07-05T18:55:09","slug":"the-12-signs-of-the-zodiac","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=10661","title":{"rendered":"The 12 Signs of The Zodiac"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nBy Vic DiCara \/ Vraja Kishor das<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIntroduction<\/h1>\n

\n\t\t\tThis article is about the 12 signs of the zodiac. It’s not about, “If you are born between this and that date your personality is like this.” It is meant for people with a fairly serious interest in astrology, and is especially important for practicing astrologers.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tIt has two main parts. The first will explain how the 12 divisions of the zodiac are calculated, and will address the question of Tropical vs. Sidereal zodiac definitions. The second part will explain the characteristics of the 12 signs, and how these result from the mixture of their ruler, element, mode, and natural order.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tPart I – Measuring the 12 Signs<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe twelve signs are a way to measure space.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSpace is like as a sphere all around us. The Sun and planets move through a narrow band anchored around the middle of that sphere. The twelve signs divide this narrow band into twelve discrete sections.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWhy twelve<\/em>?<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe easiest way to explain is to use an analog clock. The clock’s round face represents space, the circular band through which the Sun and planets move. The hour hand represents the Sun. The minute hand represents the Moon.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tLet’s take a clock before it has any hands or markings on its face. Put the hour hand in place and watch the hour hand move around the clock’s entire circle. This movement represents the Sun moving through the circle of space. A complete revolution of the hour hand around the clock is analogous to a year, because a year appears to be a complete circuit of the Sun through the circle of space.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tNow put on the minute hand. Each time it goes around the clock is analogous to a month, because a month is defined as a complete cycle of the Moon through the circle of space; during which time we can see it change from full to new and back again to full.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tNow let’s set both hands to the 12 o’clock position, get out a pen, and let the clock start running. The minute and hour hands both move, but the hour hand moves much slower. Whenever the minute hand comes back to the 12 o’clock position, mark the clock face right where the hour hand is pointing. You’ll wind up with twelve marks.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWhat you’ve just done is exactly analogous to creating the twelve divisions of the zodiac. Each mark on the clock is the border of a new sign. There are twelve of them because the Moon makes twelve cycles through space in the time it takes the sun to make one. So, each sign contains the amount of space travelled by the Sun during the time it takes the Moon to make one complete circuit.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tTake a protractor and measure the distance between each of the twelve marks on your clock. Each one is the same: 30 degrees. That’s why each sign consists of 30° of the complete circle of space.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tSidereal and Tropical Definitions<\/h1>\n

\n\t\t\tSidereal and<\/em> tropical zodiac systems both <\/em>follow this definition. The only <\/em>difference is where they start “marking the clock.”<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tThe Tropical definition starts from the point where the circle of the Sun and planets (the “ecliptic”) is anchored to the middle of the sphere of space (the “celestial equator”). This point is called “equinox.”<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe Sidereal definition starts in reference to a specific star. There are several different opinions about which stellar point should be used. The most popular is the Lahiri Sidereal zodiac, which starts at the point in space that is 180 degrees opposite the star named Spica.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tThe sidereal zodiac starts from a star, but it is not <\/em>the stars themselves. Like the tropical zodiac, it is a system of twelve equal divisions expressing the lunisolar polyrhythm. The stars themselves form thirteen <\/em>divisions on the circle of space, and each one is a different size – some being twice as big as others! Clearly, the zodiac signs cannot be identical with the constellations that bear their names. Neither sidereal nor tropical signs are stellar. The sidereal zodiac, however, uses one star to define the starting point of the divisions.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tWhich One is Correct?<\/h1>\n

\n\t\t\tPeople on either side of the issue tense up over this question, because the perception is that if ones definition of the zodiac is incorrect then ones astrology, and all of its history and heroes, must be completely bogus. However, it is a misconception that using the wrong zodiac would invalidate an entire astrological system. Many factors remain similar or identical regardless of whether the zodiac is defined from a tropical or sidereal starting point:<\/p>\n