Signs
The Zodiac is like a belt which engirdles (encircles) the earth; it consists of the 12 Constellations which the Sun's ("ecliptical") path travels directly through --- making them of prime importance in our relationship to the stars. (The other constellations do are above or below the Sun's path.)
12 is a sacred number. There are 12 Constellations. There is said to be 12 great philosophers, who comprehend life from 12 Ways. There are even the 12 Disciples (of "the One").
It is important to approach an understanding of the 12 Signs by realizing that --- at this level --- we are dealing with an Ideal Principle.
It should be pointed out that the actual Constellations we see with our physical eyes are not even close to being the same size. They vary in size. The biggest difference is between Virgo and Libra. Virgo is more than three times the size of Libra. That's what our bodies eyes report, our physical eyes.
Remember, as stated above, that we are in the midst of an Ideal Actuality ... when we realize the Signs -- which we have come to love -- each are exactly 30 portions long (30 degrees) because they represent Soul, and the Soul is Transcendent.
Do you see with your Mind's Eye?
The Signs represent a Higher Reality, and we, beneath them are copies.
In point of fact, everything exists in a level lower than the Perfect Ideal 12.
The ancients called the Realm of the Constellations, the 8th Sphere. Beneath them are the 7 tradition VISIBLE planets.
If you want to comprehend the Signs, you must think of it as containing Infinity --- or more accurate still, "Intelligent Energy".
Perhaps a Thought Exercise will be of help.
Picture yourself, if you will, laying on the ground, your body against an endless sea of sand, in the desert on a cool night -- without a cloud in sight. And you are looking up, at the night sky above, and you seem to peer into "an infinity forever." Is this just a romantic Idea, or what? Your being is filled with awe and marvel and wonderment.
Wow to the Creator of all this !!!
The divine Plato clearly stated the fact that:
above the physical realm we see with our imperfect subjective bodily senses there exists higher realms -- included geometrical and mathematical realms -- where an abstract, higher reality exist, accessible to Mind alone, and, being closer to the One, superseding all of what is beneath it.
In other words, the Signs are divided into 12 solely because it is an Ideal Geometrical Reality.
That which is beneath the Signs takes the qualities of the Signs, in a material body.
That's what SOUL means. Somewhere there exists ... say, your Soul. Can you see it ? Where does it exist ? Your Soul is what you TRULY are. The material form we are so familiar with is attracted to the Soul, and the Soul is said to attract to it, suitable (physical) material, which is organized by It (Soul).
It is almost as though our bodies eyes are lying to us about the actual nature of the Reality.
Whoa to we modern people who live a life based on material consumption! The true reality is something we must Ascend to, by denying the physical reality, say the ancient peoples.
I know about one of Christ's followers who was taken up into the third heaven 14 years ago. I don't know if the man was still in his body when it happened, but God certainly knows. As I said, only God really knows if this man was in his body at the time. But he was taken up into paradise, where he heard things too wonderful to tell.
Corinthians 2; 12:2
VIDEO period of Saturn is 28 years. 14 is 1/2. That's why the sentence is repeated "I don't know, God knows. I don't know, God knows" -- because the author is completing a band around the reader, encircling them, and knowingly and with God's blessing. Saturn is the farther sphere. Saturn rules the earth and its material. When you have gone beyond the material -- was he in his body or not -- you are in the divine realm.
With all that in place above, we can turn now our attention to the more concrete realities of the Signs, which is what most people think of.
Each Sign can be thought of as a Palace, containing a Storehouse of Qualities. The Element associated with the Sign plays a vital role in this, giving it its material substratum, its substance. (Leo is "Fire-Like" Taurus is "Earth-Like" etc.)
Each Sign also has a Gender (male or female) and Quality; Tropical, Immovable or Double-Bodied.
The ancients not only understood this, but they always managed to decipher specific traits.
For instance. Capricorn is said to be Enigmatical. What does that mean? Aries is Haughty. It's no secret. Cancer and Scorpio are shelled, they have an armoring. Pisces is mute; Fishes doesn't talk (except that one time in a fish market in the holy city). Gemini is hermaphradidic. Libra pertains to the ripeness and shape of olives and seeds. Scorpio hates their own family, so does Aquarius. Taurus is placid. Leo is famous.
There are other qualities as well. Certain Signs are said to be whorish. These are the Signs ruled by Mars and Venus, which are the two stars that have erotic signfications associated to them. Aries, Taurus, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, Pisces. Other Signs are said to be "crooked" or "straight", on account of how quickly the Zodiac ecliptic rises over the horizon. Other Signs have little or no offspring, while other Signs are said to be prolific.
BONUS
There are no such things as Cusps in ancient astrology. Briefly, each Sign is associated to a letter of the Alphabet (astrology means "star speech" we know that "in the beginning (of creation) was the Word") -- each Sign is one letter. Taurus is T, Gemini is D, Cancer is K, etc. Just like we said above, each Sign is a perfect Whole. We must keep it that way, or else we are no longer dealing with the Ideal, but the curruptable. It is the work of the Will to resist this temptation to sink into defilement and the senses!
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Planets
The important thing to understand about the above is that the Zodiac represents the 8th Sphere. The planets are the 7 Spheres below the All-Empassing Octave.
(Sound File, Scale, Octave = everything is contained in it)
So the Zodiac represents the infinite intelligence, the resource, or spring-house when all resources (included our bodies, for we are made of stars even at that level) have their origins in.
The job of the planets in astrology is to fetch the resources in the Signs. They are about Doing. What good is a Kingdom (Sign) without a Worker (Planet) to Access the Goods? The planets, dear reader, are actively going into the Storehouse and grabbing hold of resources.
Take my Venus, for instance. I was born with Venus in her own degrees, in Gemini. She is readily able to access beautiful and flowery and poetic (Venus) language (Mercury = Gemini). Only a planet in its own proper places is able to access what is in the Sign. There is a condition where a planet is none of its own places in the Zodiac -- called being Peregrine -- and that planet will be difficult to manage! When it becomes an active ruler, strange things occur.
For this reason, at the creation of the World, the Planets were assigned to the Signs at various levels.
The Signs are essential Nouns. The Planets are Verbs.
Planets are classified into malefics and benefics.
Places
The Signs, Planets and Houses all intertwine.
Thus you look at a chart and see, "the 9th place is Virgo which is ruled by Mercury".
It should be said that the 12 places have to do with what happens in our terrestrial world, the affairs of life we are familiar with here on earth; -- our horizon of experience, if you catch my drift.
The 1st is body and breathe and apperance
The 2nd is money and possessions
The 3rd pertains to cities and dreams
The 4th pertains to foundations
The 5th pertains to good fortune
The 6th pertains to bad fortune
The 7th is the place of the spouse
The 8th pertains to idleness and dysfunction
The 9th is called God
The 10th is the place of Actions and Fame
The 11th is good spirit
The 12th is bad spirit
The places are called topics. You look at the topic, in combination with the Sign and the Planet. Depending on the details, you have information about the fate of the individual.
Aspects
Aspect is a Latin word meaning, "to see or hear". When two planets are in geometrical relationship to one another, they essential witness each other. Depending on the aspect and if it is friendly () or hostile (), they planets are said to assume a certain kind of stance towards to other planet. So for instance, it is bad to have Mars and Saturn in opposition, because they are malefic, and because the opposition is said to be most severe. However, if Jupiter, the great benefic, observes the harmful opposition of Mars and Saturn, from a Trine (which is stabilizing), then the native will suffer hardship, but will be raised up again, only to fall again under the pressure of existence.
Joseph is a proud practitioner of the Hellenistic Astrology.