Zodiac

Jean Limburg: The Anatomical Man, from the Book of Hours of the Duc de Berry, 15th century. The signs of the zodiac correspond to each part of the body, starting with Pisces, the feet, and working up their way to the head, with Aries, the ram, that has sacred connotations. In each top corner are painted the arms of the Duke of Berry. Each area is complemented by four Latin inscriptions describing the properties of each sign according to the four complexions (hot, cold, wet or dry), the four temperaments (choleric, melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic) and the four cardinal points: "Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are warm and dry, choleric, masculine, Eastern" in the upper left; "Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are cold and dry, melancholy, female, Western" in the upper right; "Gemini, Aquarius and Libra are hot and humid, sanguine, masculine, Southern" in the lower left; "Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are cold and wet, phlegmatic, feminine, Northern" in the lower right.

Zodiac with the daily movement of the sky and the opposite annual movement of the Sun. The information on the days on which the Sun is in a zodiac sign represent mean values and refer to a year with 365 days. Leap years are not taken into account. Therefore, there may be deviations of one day in a specific year.

The zodiac (from Latin/Greek Zodiakos/ζῳδιακός) comprises a zone about 20° wide around the apparent orbit of the Sun, the ecliptic, within which the movements of the Moon and the planets visible from Earth pass. Within the zodiac lie the twelve constellations that have given their names to the well-known twelve signs of the zodiac. Twelve cosmic directional forces are thereby established.

From a spiritual point of view, the zodiac is the physical expression of the first hierarchy, in particular the community of the Cherubim and Seraphim, whose dominions extend far beyond the boundaries of our solar system, whereby the Cherubim are to be addressed as the actual zodiacal beings.

The twelve signs of the zodiac

The signs of the zodiac divide the zodiac into 12 sections of exactly the same size, each 30°. At the time of their naming about 2500 years ago, the signs of the zodiac were largely congruent with the corresponding constellations, except for the different sizes of the individual constellations, which are not always exactly 30°. Due to precession, the signs of the zodiac shift in relation to the constellations by one whole sign each in about 2160 years. Only after 25920 years (= 12 x 2160) is the original state restored.

Western astrology, also called tropical astrology, is oriented towards the course of the year and continues to calculate with the original system of the zodiac signs despite the shift in relation to the corresponding constellations. The tropical zodiac begins with the vernal equinox, which is invariably equated with the beginning of the zodiac sign Aries. In fact, however, the vernal equinox today is astronomically already far in the constellation of Pisces. According to Rudolf Steiner, it had entered the constellation of Aries much earlier, namely at the beginning of the Greco-Latin period in 747 BC.

In Indian astrology, the sidereal zodiac is used. Here the signs of the zodiac are firmly bound to the constellations, which is why one speaks of sidereal astrology. In this system, the signs of the zodiac move gradually through all the seasons together with the constellations in the course of precession.

The Symbols of the 12 Signs of the Zodiac

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Libra

Scorpio

Sagittarius

Capricorn

Aquarius

Pisces

Literature

• Gisela Gorrissen: Astrologie aus anthroposophischer Sicht. Eine Einführung, Urachhaus Vlg., Stuttgart 2000
• Rudolf Steiner: Das Hereinwirken geistiger Wesenheiten in den Menschen, GA 102 (2001) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Ägyptische Mythen und Mysterien, GA 106 (1992) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org
• Rudolf Steiner: Das Rätsel des Menschen. Die geistigen Hintergründe der menschlichen Geschichte, GA 170 (1992) English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

References to the work of Rudolf Steiner follow Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works (CW or GA), Rudolf Steiner Verlag, Dornach/Switzerland, unless otherwise stated. Email: verlag@steinerverlag.com URL: www.steinerverlag.com. Index to the Complete Works of Rudolf Steiner - Aelzina Books A complete list by Volume Number and a full list of known English translations you may also find at Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works Rudolf Steiner Archive - The largest online collection of Rudolf Steiner's books, lectures and articles in English. Rudolf Steiner Audio - Recorded and Read by Dale Brunsvold steinerbooks.org - Anthroposophic Press Inc. (USA) Rudolf Steiner Handbook - Christian Karl's proven standard work for orientation in Rudolf Steiner's Collected Works for free download as PDF.