THE ZODIAC

The word zodiac is derived from the Greek word ‘zodiakos’ which literally translates into ‘circle of animals’.  It is the zone or a belt in space around which the luminescent Sun apparently moves throughout the year, deriving its energy from those celestial signs and transmitting the energy to earth.  Basically there are twelve zodiac signs.  They are as follows:

  • Aries (The Ram)
  • Taurus (The Bull)
  • Gemini (The Twins)
  • Cancer (The Crab)
  • Leo (The Lion)
  • Virgo (The Virgin)
  • Libra ( The Scale)
  • Scorpio (The Scorpion)
  • Sagittarius (The Centaur)
  • Capricorn (The Goat)
  • Aquarius (The Pitcher)
  • Pisces (The Fish)

These twelve zodiac signs can be grouped into four elements:

EARTH: Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn
WATER: Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces
AIR: Gemini, Libra and Aquarius
FIRE: Aries, Leo and Sagittarius

ZODIACAL CONSTELLATIONS:

The precise origins of the twelve constellations of the zodiac are unknown. Why were these zodiacs given the shape of animals? The shape of the constellations may not have been a factor as these constellations bear little or no resemblance to the mythical characters that they were named after. Earlier on people believed that all their actions and all events that did happen on Earth were mirrored in the skies. This led them to believe that all important mythical creatures on Earth must be represented in the skies above. It is probable that this led to the naming of the zodiac constellations. 

ZODIAC IN ASTROLOGY:

Astrologers use the zodiacs in the night sky primarily for making their predictions. It remains in use in modern astrology as well. There is a great conflict among Tropical Astrology (Astrology used by Western Astrologers) and Sidereal Astrology (used by Indian Astrologers). The debate is whether the signs should be defined in terms of zones derived from the Earth’s motion during the Tropical year or if it should be defined by the way the signs are aligned roughly with the constellations of the same name. In other words, the link between the signs and constellation is broken in the Western Astrology whereas it remains intact in the Indian Astrology.