Western Zodiac

IntroductionSince ancient times, the stars and planets have fascinated the human mind with their mystery and have inspired unwavering curiosity, wonderment, and awe. Two disciplines of knowledge—astronomy and astrology—inseparable at first, have sought an understanding of the physical and metaphysical nature of the sky and its relationship with the Earth and humans.Astronomy eventually became a science of the physical laws governing the universe while astrology concentrated on the mythical and metaphysical connections between the universe and the Earth. In the West, astrology has endured ups and downs in acceptance but has remained alive and popular, and has developed into a complex psychological system of interest to psychologists.What Is Astrology?According to Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1993), the word astrology comes from Greek astr, denoting a star, plus logia/logy, denoting a study. It has two meanings:the first, archaic—astronomy; and, second,—“the divination that treats of the supposed influences of the stars upon human affairs and of foretelling terrestrial events by their positions and aspects”(Webster’s, 1993, p. 135). Another definition of astrology was given by Gauquelin (1991), a French psychologist and one of the most devoted researchers of astrological claims: “astrology is the art or science, opinions differ on this point, of describing the character or destiny of a person by observing the position of the stars at the moment of the person’s birth”(p. 13). This later argument on whether astrology “is the art or science”will find its reflection in a flurry of controversial findings and opinions on the value of the ancient discipline. Before the 17th century, astrology was considered a science and often studied in conjunction with astronomy (Gauquelin, 1969). A few prominent scientists whose discoveries laid the foundation for modern science also contributed to the development of astronomy and astrology. Copernicus, Galileo, and Kepler studied and used astrology in conjunction with their astronomical research (Rutkin, 2001). Following the separation of the mystical and spiritual from the material prompted by Descartes‘, Kant‘s, and many others‘ philosophical ideas, astrology lost its status, and began to be considered a pseudoscience.Historically, different systems of astrology have developed all over the world. Vedic, Chinese, and Tibetan astrologies have evolved in the East for thousands of years. Western astrology has been practiced in Europe and North America, and is believed to have originated in Babylonia, Egypt, and Chaldea as far back as 3,000 BCE (Gauquelin, 1969). Over 2000 years ago, Plato (1961version) in Epinomis referred to the first observations of the planetary movements made in Egypt and Syria that “stood t he test [for] a vast, indeed incalculable, lapse of years” (p. 1528). Whereas various systems of astrology differ on in their methods of interpretation, and even use different zodiacs—sidereal in the East (Braha, 2001), tropical in the West, or the year based zodiac in Chinese astrology (Wu, 2005)—they agree on the basic premise that the stars and planets impact human life in a predictable and meaningful way.Foundations of AstrologyThe fundamental premise of astrology is that the Universe is one interconnected system, where microcosm reflects macrocosm and vice versa. The Solar System has particular significance for the affairs on Earth, although other fixed stars and some asteroids are alsoconsidered influential. The zodiac belt surrounding the Sun‘s ecli ptic is believed to radiate different types of psychic and physical energy, which is carried to the Earth by the planets of the Solar System. Each planet represents a particular principle, for example: Mars—energy an drive; Venus—relationship and harmony; Jupiter—wisdom and fortune; Saturn—discipline and tradition; Mercury—mind and communication. All living beings on Earth are receivers of these energies imprinted in a horoscope—a map of the sky at the moment of one‘s birth. Thus, astrologers believe it is possible to read personal character and destiny from the horoscope by interpreting the meaning of planets and signs of the zodiac in relation to each other.Different systems of astrology are impacted by the philosophical and spiritual beliefs present in their originating cultures. For example, modern Western astrology started developing in the 20th century and presupposes that the free will of an individual has significant impact on his or her life. It focuses on psychological traits reflected in the horoscope, and operates on the principle that character is destiny. Traditional Western astrology places more emphasis on fate but does not deny free will. Rather it considers that astrology provides information for aligning one‘s will with the cosmic forces at large (Plato, 1961 version). Eastern astrology, such as Vedic practiced in India, is more predictive although it also recognizes the importance of free will (Braha, 2001). It surmises that one‘s destiny is a result of actions conducted in previous lives, and can be read with certainty in a horoscope. Due to the fact that modern Western astrology is more psychological in nature, it was chosen as the focus of the conducted study.Definition of TermsMany technical terms specific to astrology and psychology are discussed throughout this study. This section defines all commonly used terms for consistency and for the reader‘sconvenience. As the conducted study focuses on astrological symbology, basic astrological terms will be introduced first.Astrology is an ancient discipline concerned with the planetary influences on human affairs, character, and destiny. The zodiac refers to a belt of constellations centered around the Sun‘s ecliptic and divided into 12 segments, called the signs of the zodiac. Tropical zodiac is based on the division of 360 degrees of ecliptic into 12 equal signs corresponding to the equinoxes—2 days in a year when day and night are equally long, and when the Earth‘s axis is inclined neither away nor towards the Sun. The Vernal (spring) Equinox always coincides with the Sun entering 0 degrees of Aries, and the Autumnal Equinox coincides with the Sun‘s entering 0 degrees of Libra.In contrast, Sidereal zodiac is based on the 12 signs closely corresponding to astronomical constellations along the Sun‘s ecliptic. Due to the precession of equinoxes ”rotation of Earth‘s axis that takes 25,800 years—currently tropical and sidereal zodiac differ by approximately 24 degrees. In other words, when Sun is at 0 degrees of Aries in the tropical zodiac, it is passing 6 degrees of Pisces in sidereal zodiac (Dreyer, 1997). Ecliptic is the apparent yearly path of the Sun as seen from the Earth. As the Earth makes its yearly rotation around the Sun, the Sun appears to be moving through the signs of the zodiac in a circular path.Masculine (positive) signs are the odd signs of the zodiac (Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, and Aquarius) and are associated with outgoing, expressive, outwardly directed psychological characteristics. In contrast, feminine (negative) signs—the even signs of the zodiac (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces)—are associated with introverted, responding, inwardly directed psychological characteristics. In astrological theory, the predominance of masculine signs in the individual horoscope symbolizes an extroverted and outgoing personality, while the predominance of feminine signs—a more reflective and introverted one.The term horoscope refers to a map of the sky at the moment of one‘s birth. The horoscope has four angles—the ascendant, descendent, midheaven, and nadir—which are associated with the most fundamental areas of one‘s life. Astrological theory considers the angles most powerful for the planetary expression. Astronomically, the angles are formed by the intersection between the lines representing the horizon (ascendant—descendant) and the meridian (midheaven—nadir) at the place of one‘s birth.The ascendant (rising sign) is the sign of the zodiac rising on the horizon at the time of one‘s birth and is associated with one‘s character and physical body. Some astrologers consider the ascendant the most important factor in judging the individual‘s character due to its symbolic affiliation to the individual‘s vitality and physical body(Morin, 1974). Others give it lesser importance than the Sun and the Moon placement, but all agree that it is one of the most significant points in the horoscope. For example, an astrologer might expect that an individual with Aries ascendant would exhibit a very independent, pioneering, and action-oriented personality in accord with the nature of sign Aries and its planetary ruler Mars. In contrast, an individual with Taurus ascendant would possess a resourceful, persistent, gentle, and artistically-oriented personality in accord with the nature of sign Taurus and its planetary ruler, Venus.The descendant is the sign of the zodiac opposed to the ascendant and is associated with partnerships and relationships in one‘s life. Midheaven or MC (Medium Coeli) is the sign of the zodia c that is at the top of the chart and associated with one‘s career and life direction. Nadir or IC (Imum Coeli) is the sign of the zodiac that is at the bottom of the chart and associated with one‘s family of origins and home. Astronomically, the top of th e chart represents the sky above the horizon, while the bottom of the chart represents the sky below the horizon.The angles of the horoscope start the angular houses. Houses of the horoscope are 12 segments of the ecliptic as seen from the Earth at the ti me and place of one‘s birth. Houses represent different aspects of human life such as health, wealth, relationships, career, and others. Planets are placed in the houses of a horoscope according to their position along the ecliptic. Rising planet is a plan et that rises on the horizon at the time of one‘s birth. Culminating planet is a planet that is in Zenith at the time of one‘s birth.As modern Western astrology is psychological in nature and has been influenced by Carl Jung‘s psychological theory, some of the key psychological terms coined by Carl Jung (1958, 1973, 1989) need definition. First is the concept of synchronicity—a coincidental occurrence of two or more events that form a connection that has a special and personal meaning for the perceiver. The principle of synchronicity is analogous to the basic premise of astrology that establishes an acausal connection between man‘s subjective experience and planetary symbolism.An archetype is a pattern representing fundamental themes in human experience or psychology. An archetype does not have a form; it is a pure idea in the Platonic sense, or a primordial form. The archetype may be perceived through various concrete forms. For example, the Mother archetype can be experienced in a womb, a fountain, or in an enclosed warm dark space. In astrology, each planet is associated with an archetype, for example, the Moon and Venus are associated with the expressions of feminine archetypes, while the Sun, Mars, and Jupiter are associated with the manifestations of masculine archetypes.The personal unconscious is a reservoir of individual psychological material forgotten or suppressed from the consciousness. In Jung‘s (1969a) definition, “the personal unconscious is made up essentially of contents which have at one time been conscious but which have disappeared from consciousness through having been forgotten or repressed”(p. 42). In contrast, the collective unconscious is “made up essentially of archetypes,”and represents “a psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals” (p.42). The collective unconscious is not based on personal experiences but is inherited and consists of “pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents” (p. 43).Individuation is the process whereby the individual integrates the unconscious into consciousness, or in Jung‘s (1969a) definition, “the process by which a person becomes a psychological ‗in dividual,‘ that is, a separate, indivisible unity or whole‘”(p. 275). In the process of individuation, the undifferentiated tends to become individual, or those processes through which differentiated components tend toward becoming a more indivisible whole. Jung (1969b) wrote: Individuation means becoming a single, homogeneous being, and, “in so far as individuality”embraces our innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness, it also implies becoming one‘s own self. We could theref ore translate individuatio n as “coming to selfhood” or “self-realization.” (p. 171)Thus, individuation for Jung is a process of self-realization and achieving psychological wholeness marked by the integration between the individual unconsciousness and consciousness.。