I read it in the stars - The History of the Zodiac

I READ IT IN THE STARS

- THE HISTORY OF THE ZODIAC -

For as long as we can remember we wanted answers about our future. But without the technology to give them to us, we turned to more mystic ways: hand reading, spells and incantations, or even astronomy and astrology. Astronomy refers to the position of stars, constellations. This science helped us invent the calendar. Astrology, on the other hand, refers to the significance of constellations on our lives. Until the 17^th century it was believed to be the same science.

The stars have been with us since the beginning, so it only seems normal to search for answers in them. They possess the knowledge of thousands of years. Some even believed that understanding the stars meant understanding the Gods, stars being some sort of door to our world. People started studying them, and, with time, discovered some patterns. With even more study, they found out that people born under the same constellation have, regularly, the same personality. So, people born under the Sagittarius constellation tend to be more optimistic and adventurous than others, and those born under the Libra are more cooperative and diplomatic.

You might think that astronomy is a recent science, born at the same time with the telescope, however, different horoscopes date back to the Mesopotamians (ca. 3000 – 2000 BC), on the Babylonian line. The most known zodiac, which is still used today, comes from the Greeks.

A)   Babylonia

Babylonian astronomy is the first known to documented the zodiacal signs by dividing the sky into 12 sections. It is not surprising as this is where the time measurement comes from. The Babylonians were obsessed with particular numbers, such as 12 or 60. This is why a minute has 60 seconds and a cycle of hours (am or pm) has 12 hours.

This division happened in the first half of the 1st millennium BC, but studies of the stars occurred even earlier. They comprised this information in star catalogs, such as the MUL.APIN catalog (around 1000 BC).

The MUL.APIN

Around 1200 BC, the „Enūma Anu Enlil” (When the Gods Anu and Enlil…) is the oldest astrological calendar in Mesopotamia. It is made out of 68-70 stone tablets. It is written in cuneiform handwriting (the first codified language ever reported). It contains thousands of predictions. Its main purpose was to predict the future of the crown. It is believed that some of these tablets ended up in India and put the basis of the Indian calendar and zodiac (ca. 400 BC).

Enūma Anu Enlil

The most important star calendar from Babylon is the MUL.APIN catalog. It contains 71 stars and constellations as well as rising and setting times. There are also associations with deities. In the later versions, the number of major constellations decreased from 18 to the 12 knowns today, which comprise the zodiac.

In the MUL.APIN	Signification	In the western zodiac
LU.HUNG.GA	Field Worker	Aries
GU.AN.NA	Heavenly Bull, The Bull of Heaven	Taurus
MASH.TA.BA	Twins, The Great Twins	Gemini
AL.LUL	Pincers, Crayfish	Cancer
UR.GU.LA	Lion, The Lion	Leo
AB.SIN	Daughter of Sin, The Seed-Furrow	Virgo
ZI.BA.AN.NA or GISH.ERIN	Heavenly Fate, The Scales	Libra
GIR.TAB	That Which Claws and Cuts, The Scorpion	Scorpio
PA.BIL.SAG	Defender, The Overseer	Sagittarius
SUHUR.MASH	Goat-Fish, The Goat-Fish	Capricorn
GU.LA	Lord of Waters, The Great One	Aquarius
SIM.MAH	Fishes, The Tails, Swallow Tail	Pisces

B)    Egypt

Egyptian astronomy was based on the night sky. They considered that the constellation we were born under had a major influence on our life. From this is evident that Egyptian astronomy has strong ties with modern astrology. However, whereas our zodiac is based on the shape pf constellation, theirs was based on Gods and Goddess. The god or goddess of your sign represents your character, behavior, strengths, weaknesses, and skills.

There are 2 zodiacs in Ancient Egypt. The first one (the traditional) is based on the Decans. The Egyptian Astrology contains 12 constellations that form 36 Decans, which are groups of stars. Each decan has its ruling planet and covers 10 degrees, lasting for 10 days. As every decan lasts only 10 days there are 36 Decans. Each sign covers 3 Decans or 30 days. However, the year has 365 days, and that’s why they added an extra 5-days at the end of the year to reach 365. They were mainly used for festivities.

The second one is deeply influenced by the Greek and Babylonian astronomy. The latter method of assigning a date is very similar to Western Astrology.

In 525 BCE Egypt was conquered by the Persians so that’s where the Mesopotamian influence comes from. A solid evidence is the Dendera Zodiac. The Dendera zodiac is an Egyptian bas-relief from the ceiling of a chapel dedicated to Osiris in the Hathor temple at Dendera. It contains images of Taurus (the bull) and Libra (the scales).

After the occupation by Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, Egypt came under Greek rule and influence. This is when the Babylonian astrology was mixed with the Egyptian Decanic astrology and created the Horoscopic astrology.

Very important to the development of the Horoscopic astrology was Ptolemy, a astrologer and astronomer who lived in Alexandria in Egypt. Ptolemy's work the Tetrabiblos laid the basis of the Western astrological tradition.

The Dendera zodiac

Egyptian zodiac	Date (based on the Decans)	Date (based on the Greek influence)	Personality
Osiris	1st – 10th Mar 27th Nov. – 18th Dec.	March 27 – April 25	Intelligent and trustworthy.
Amun-Ra	8th – 21st Jan 1st – 11th Feb	April 26 – May 25	Understanding, strong, determined and tactful.
Seth	28th May – 18th Jun 28th Sept – 2nd Oct	n/a	Freedom loving and adventurous.
Bastet	14th- 28th Jul, 23rd – 27th Sept 3rd – 17th Oct	n/a	Calm, pensive and reserved.
Anubis	9th – 27th May 29th Jun – 13th Jul	July 25 – August 28	Great imagination, joyful and curious.
Thoth	1st – 19th April 8th – 17th November	August 29 – September 27	Wise, creative and smart
Geb	12th – 29th Feb 20th – 31st Aug	n/a	Truthful, faithful and open.
Mut	22nd – 31st Jan 8th – 22nd Sept	n/a	Determined, goal orientated and calm.
Hapi (The Nile)	1st – 7th Jan 19th – 28th Jun 1st – 7th Sept 18th – 26th Nov	n/a	loving, kind and understanding.
Horus	20th Apr – 8th May 12th – 19th Aug	September 28 – October 27	Determined, real and ambitious.
Sekhmet	29th Jul – 11th Aug 30th Oct – 7th Nov	November 27 – December 26	Chatty, fun and positive.
Isis	11th – 31st March, 18th – 29th October 19th – 31st December	February 25 – March 26	Funny, creative and laidback.
Wadjet	n/a	Oct 28 – Nov 26	Cautious, very loyal to your beliefs and giving, handy
Shu	n/a	Jan 26 – Feb 24	very creative and talented, but you don't always trust yourself
Phoenix	n/a	Jun 25 – Jul 24	you take advantage of all opportunities, optimistic, caring
Sphinx	n/a	Dec 27 – Jan 25	very flexible, very disciplined, discerning, serious, sophisticated.
Hathor	n/a	May 26 – Jun 24	emotional and quite the romantic, jealous and angry, extrovert

C)    The Celts

The Celtic astronomy was created around 1000 BC and was practices by the Druids, the Celtic priests, poets, and philosophers. They were the Celtic scholars and the Celts took great meaning in their teaching. For the Druids, trees were very important. In their conception, every tree contained a spirit called a dryad, as well as a great deal of wisdom. With time, trees began to symbolize life and death. They were the basis of writing in the form of the Celtic Tree Alphabet, where each symbol or letter was the name of a tree. Druids noticed that the qualities of certain trees matched those of children born at certain times of the year. This helped them predict the life of a newborn, and it became Celtic Astrology.

The Celtic Astronomy comprises a 13-month calendar. Each month has 28 days and is associated with a tree. This means that there is a day left, December 23. They called it The Nameless Day.

The Celtic Zodiac	Date	Personality
Rowan	22 Jan – Feb 18	Idealistic visionaries with strong humanitarian and spiritual concerns
Ash	19 Feb – 17 Mar	Dual nature: having an artistic and vulnerable side and a logical and realistic side
Alder	18 Mar – 14 Apr	Adventurous, brave, competitive and funny
Willow	15 Apr – 12 May	Intelligent, stubborn, secretive, familyists
Hawthorn	13 May – 9 Jun	Charismatic, creative, sociable, clever
Oak	10 Jun – 7 Jul	Charismatic, determined, self-motivated, optimists
Holly	8 Jul – 4 Aug	Practical, strong, perfectionists, some-what introvertists
Hazel	5 Aug – 1 Sept	Clever, detailed-oriented, have a low self-worth, nervous
Vine	2 Sept – 29 Sept	Refined, perceptive, kind, mood swingers
Ivy	30 Sept – 27 Oct	Exuberant, unique, friendly, funny, optimistic, highly energetic
Reed	28 Oct – 24 Nov	Jealous, proud, great friends and leaders
Elder	25 Nov – 23 Dec	Highly intelligent, energetic, waste their young years, they think they are always right
Birch	24 Dec – 21 Jan	Goal oriented, need to succeed, workaholics, always have a routine

D)   Mayan Astrology

Like the Western Astrology, the Mayan Astrology analyzes the sky to predict the life of an individual, but also looks at the time. Time was a really big deal for the Mayans. They interpret the sky by looking at what happened on Earth at the time of the event.

At the Mayans, days are grouped to form something like a calendar. The most important group comprises 260 days and it forms the Mayan Calendar, also called tzolkin. The tzolkin is the base of the Mayan Astrology.

The tzolkin contains:

1.                      Day-Signs – These are a part of the Mayan zodiac signs. The calendar divides the year into groups of 20 days, each having its sign, which reveals the personality and life purpose.

2.                   The Trecena - This is another kind of Mayan zodiac sign. They are like the moon signs from Western Astrology. The tzolkin is divided into 20 groups (13 days each) that tell us about the deeper qualities of the personality.

3.                      The Lords of the Night – The tzolkin is further divided into groups of 9 days. These groups correspond to a particular God of the Underworld and symbolize the part of ourselves we keep hidden.

4.                      The Year – The tzolkin also groups years into cycles of 52. Each year in a cycle has its name and its quality. People born in a specific year have similar qualities as other people born in the same year.

5.                      The Cycle of Venus – The tzolkin also looks at the 4 phases of Venus. The phase you're born into tells you your social values and your role in society.

The Mayans have a small connection to the Western Astrology. Whereas the Western zodiac attributes an element to each sign, The Mayan attributes a direction (North, South, East, or West) to every day-sign.

Mayan zodiac sign	Meaning	Direction	Personality
B’atz	Monkey	East	Great planner, easily able to see the bigger picture, artsy, outdoorsy
E	Path	West	Diplomatic, a natural leader, a gifted storyteller
Aj	Authority	North	Bookworm, intelligent, cheerful, spiritual, great secrets keeper
I’x	Jaguar	South	strong, passionate, courageous and full of energy, dreamy, natural affinity for animals
Tz’ikin	Bird of Power	East	very lucky with money, outdoorsy, generous, friendly, a great strategist, sociable
Ajmaq	Curiosity	West	Healthy, analytical, quiet and great secret keeper, mysterious, nice
No’j	Knowledge	North	noble, wise and intelligent, too trusty, great in relationships
Tijax	Double-edged knife, obsidian	South	Sickly, great with people, highly talented, and extremely intelligent, a nice balance between intuition and rationality
Kawoq	Family	East	highly motivated and caring, a calming influence on those around you, intelligent
Ajpu	Sun	West	Confident, optimistic, energetic, careless, picky, in love with the idea of love
Imox	The Left Side	North	Homebody, generous, open-minded, stubborn, dramatic, romantic
Iq’	Wind	South	Devoted to your passions, impulsive, changeable, obsessive, intelligent
Aq’ab’al	Dawn	East	Happy, spiritual, determined, generous, respected, slow ager
K’at	Net	West	Honest, genuine in what you do, curious, materialistic, emotional, energetic
Kan	Snake	North	Natural leader, introvert, very intelligent and a natural athlete, bookworm
Kame	Death	South	the ability to predict the future and to solve the unknown, intuitive, intelligent, spiritual, charismatic, adventurous
Kej	Deer	East	great adviser and leader, analytical, gentle, romantic, determined
Q’anil	Seed	West	very creative and intuitive, adventurous, outdoorsy, bookworm, protective
Toj	Fire	North	very lucky and receive many gifts, charismatic, warm, full of energy, jealous
Tz’i’	Law, Dog	South	Faithful, kind, lucky in love, balanced, able to get rid of the negative energy

E)   Greece

Greek zodiac is the most famous zodiac in the world. Their zodiac signs and interpretations had passed through time and, in the end, became the basis of the Western Zodiac.

Greece didn’t know much about the interpretation of the stars. They came into contact with it after being conquered by Alexander the Great. At the moment of the Greek conquest, Alexander the Great already ruled over a vast empire that occupied 3 continents: Europe, Asia, and Africa. So, Alexander the Great had an important role in the widespread of astrology as his work meant the Greeks now became accustomed to the Babylonian and Egyptian zodiac. After the vast empire dissolved, Greece entered the Hellenic period.

In the Hellenic period, the zodiac became a subject of interest, especially, after Berossus, a priest from Babylon, arrived in Greece to teach them about astrology. That’s how Greek astrology was born: a mixed version of the two most known astrology. They took the names and dates from Babylon (as it was the prime source) and the link to the gods from Egyptians. But the Greek zodiac surpassed the Egyptian zodiac and became dominant in the African region. That’s why there were two schools of astrology in Ancient Egypt.

The Greek zodiac gives two interpretations of the stars: the horoscope, to establish precise details about the past, present and future, and the theurgic interpretation, meaning god-work, and emphasize the soul's ascent to the stars.

 

The Zodiac Sign	The Myth
Aries	the myth of the Golden Ram
Taurus	the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur
Gemini	the story of the twin brothers Castor and Pollux
Cancer	the second labor of the mighty hero Hercules (the killing of Lerna Hydra)
Leo	Hercules' very first labor, the capture of the Nemean Lion.
Virgo	he story of Demeter and her daughter Persephone
Libra	the symbol of Dike, a minor goddess of the Underworld.
Scorpio	the story of the mighty hunter Orion
Sagittarius	The might of Cheiron, the king of the centaurs
Capricorn	the birth of Zeus, the father of all gods.
Aquarius	The myth of Ganymede, the son of king Tros
Pisces	The story of Aphrodite

 F)   Hebrew

The astrology with its zodiac signs has always been a complicated subject for the Jews. They never considered it a proper science and never taught it, though there are many references to it in the Talmud (the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology). The rabbis have different views on it: some reject its validity, while others accept its validity but prohibit it. Still, some thought its practice to be meaningful and permitted.

Zodiac from the 6th century in a sinagoge

During the First Temple period, astrology was only mentioned regarding the Babylonian practices. During the Second Temple period, there is even less information about it. The Sibylline oracles praise the Jewish nation because it "does not meditate on the prophecies of the fortune-tellers, magicians, and conjurers, nor practice Astrology, nor seek the oracles of the Chaldeans (aka the Babylonians) in the stars". During the Talmud period, the first signs of Hebrew astrology appeared, in the form of planets dictating one’s character and medical practices (like not bleeding a patient on certain days). In the Middle Ages, astrology was practiced by some, both as a professional-art and as a science. Jews were sometimes thought heirs and successors of the Babylonians. For this reason, Jews sometimes were regarded by the Western world as masters of astrology.

 

Month	Hebrew name	Latin Name
Nissan	Taleh	Aries
Iyar	Shar	Taurus
Sivan	Teomim	Gemini
Tammuz	Sartan	Cancer
Av	Aryeh	Leo
Elul	Betulah	Virgo
Tishrei	Moznayim	Libra
Cheshvan	Akrav	Scorpio
Kislev	Keshet	Sagittarius
Tevet	Gedi	Capricorn
Shevat	Dli	Aquarius
Adar	Dagim	Pisces

 G)   India

The Indians refer to their astrology as Jyotishya, which means light, heavenly body. More recently, the Hindu astrology is also called Vedic Astrology. Vedic astrology is a recent term, having been used since the 1970s. It was popularized by publications on yoga. Vedanga Jyotishya is one of the earliest texts about astronomy within the Vedas. The mythologies Ramayana and Mahabharata contain multiple references about Rashi (zodiac sign) based astrology.

Dating back to about 5000 – 7000 years ago, Vedic Astrology is the oldest form of Astrology known to us. The Vedic Astrology uses the Moon Sign as the basis of all predictions. It also includes several systems of interpretation and prediction with elements not found in Hellenistic astrology, such as its system of lunar mansions, called Nakṣatra.

But Hellenistic astrology had its influences on Hindu astrology as well. From it comes the twelve zodiacal signs beginning with Aries and the ascendant. The Yavanajātaka (the early centuries CE) is the first evidence of the transmission of Greek astrology to India. It is considered the first Indian astrological treatise in the Sanskrit language. However, the main Hindu astrological texts remain the Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra (7^th – 8^th century), and Sārāvalī (800 AD) by Kalyāṇavarma.

 

Indian name	Latin name
Meșa	Aries
Vrșabha	Taurus
Mithuna	Gemini
Karka	Cancer
Simha	Leo
Kanya	Virgo
Tula	Libra
Vrscika	Scorpio
Dhanusa	Sagittarius
Makara	Capricorn
Kumbha	Aquarius
Mina	Pisces

 

 

H)    China

It is widely known that the Chinese zodiac is comprised of 12 zodiac signs, repeated in a cycle of 12 years. Each zodiacal sign represents an animal. In order, the 12 Chinese horoscope animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. 2020 is a year of the Rat. The Chinese zodiac uses the principles of yin and yang, which alternate. Chinese superstition says that in your birth sign year, you will offend the God of Age, and will have bad luck during that year.

The animal signs are also assigned to months, days of the week, and hours. According to some, the birth hour has more to do with one’s personality than the birth year. However, the birth year, month, day and hour all show the depths of one’s personality.

The legend behind the Chinese zodiac says that long before our time there was no Chinese zodiac. In these times, The Jade Emperor proposed a competition between the animals of the mortal land. He said that the first 12 animals to reach the Heavenly Gates would become his guards.

The rat woke up early and this was to his advantage. Unfortunately, he encountered a river he could not cross, but behind him, he saw the ox. The rat quickly climbed the ox’s ear and so they crossed the river. But when they were close to the gate, the rate jumped from his place and so he ranked first and the ox second. Next to court arrived tiger and rabbit, both fast and competitive. The next one was the dragon. The emperor was so delighted with it that he said the next rank (the 6^th) would belong to his son. But the dragon’s son didn’t come along, and, getting advantage out of the situation, the snake pretended to be the adoptive son. The horse and goat arrived next, but they both wanted to let the other go first. So, the emperor ranked them. The monkey, though he jumped between trees and stones, had fallen behind and ranked nine. Last come the rooster, the dog and the pig.

 

The Chinese Sign	Personality
Rat	Quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind
Ox	Diligent, dependable, strong, determined
Tiger	Brave, confident, competitive
Rabbit	Quiet, elegant, kind, responsible
Dragon	Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic
Snake	Enigmatic, intelligent, wise
Horse	Animated, active, energetic
Goat	Calm, gentle, sympathetic
Monkey	Sharp, smart, curiosity
Rooster	Observant, hardworking, courageous,
Dog	Lovely, honest, prudent
Pig	Compassionate, generous, diligent

I)   After Ancientry

The Ancient Times was the peak of glory for astrology. People back then chose to rely on astral predictions for their luck or to blame them for their unluck. They saw the messages was a sign of the Gods. But after the replacement of the polytheist religions with monotheist ones, especially Christianity and Islam, their fame began to decrease as people did not rely so much on them.

 However, astrology hasn’t perished, as at the royal courts of the medieval kings, predictors were looked upon. The most famous one was Nostradamus, a French healer, who published a book called Les Propheties in 1555. The book had ensured his popularity even after death. Even writers included astrological predictions in their texts. William Shakespeare is notorious for included an ill-fated prediction in almost all his plays, for example, in King Lear, where solar and moon eclipses predict death.

But during the Modern Era, the era of great scientific development, astrology’s place in the world diminished even more. Until then, astronomy and astrology represented the same science, and an astronomer was to one to cast predictions and read the stars. But the scientific progress meant that every so-taught science would go through “a filter” to decide if it was, in fact, a science. Astronomy passed to test, while astrology didn’t and at that moment a fracture between these subjects was made. And so, astrology was out of fashion for centuries.

In the 1900s, the horoscopes were invented based on the stars, and interest for astrology was reborn. It all started in 1930 with a London newspaper. The newspaper contained a special rubric with predictions in the honor of the birth of Princess Margaret. Many of the predictions came out to be true in a way or another. The most important prediction states that when the princess would be around 7 years an event of great importance for the royal family would occur. Just days before her 7th birthday, her uncle King Edward VIII abdicated, leaving his throne to his brother, George VI. Princess Margaret was the little sister of the current Queen of England, Elizabeth II. After the successful predictions, the author got his rubric in the newspaper and he began writing horoscopes for the citizens of England, based on their sun signs.

In the 1960s, astrology was in fashion again, zodiac sign having a place in songs. In 1968, Linda Goodman’s book Sun signs made the New York Times bestsellers list, having sold 300 million copies and being translated into 15 languages. Now, horoscopes have their place in the news and magazines, mostly for entertainment. They sometimes have therapeutic values as they can make us more positive, productive, and creative.

 

Astrology and horoscopes are intriguing for almost all people in the world. Every ancient civilization has its astrological system. They helped the ancient people by giving them a better understanding of their purpose or their day-to-day life. Horoscopes are interesting and entertaining, but no matter how fascinating they might be, we mustn’t let them seize and dictate our life. No matter how true their saying might seem, always remember we can always force our path.