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IN the previous chapter we were concerned with the twelve mundane houses, or the twelve equal divisions of the circle of observation, an imaginary circle drawn round the earth from East to West and passing overhead and underfoot through the zenith and the nadir, the observer being in the centre.* We shall now proceed to consider the twelve signs of the zodiac. The word zodiac means a group of animals, and the twelve signs are really so many types of beings, symbolised in various ways among various nations.

We have now to consider the movement of the earth from the standpoint of the sun as centre; that is, we have to regard the annual revolution of the earth in its orbit round the sun; whereas in our first chapter we merely considered the rotation of the earth on its axis, by which movement the Sun appears to pass round the earth once daily.

Now the earth completes its circuit round the Sun in one year, or twelve months; and hence the space passed through by the earth in one month—that is, one-twelfth of the circle—is analogous to one of the Mundane Houses (in fact there is an exact correspondence between them, as has been said already). These twelve divisions are called the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac; so we can see that practically the Zodiac is really the orbit of the Earth, as explained in Chapter XII of Casting the Horoscope. But as we are obliged to view everything from the Earth, we have to consider how this will appear from our standpoint. This is fully explained in the first chapters of the book just referred to, but it may be briefly put as follows:—

As the earth pursues its yearly course round the sun, an observer on our globe seems to see the sun changing its place among the stars to the rate of about 1° per day, and thus describing one complete circle in the year. Now it is this circle of the ecliptic, or the sun’s apparent path round the earth, which is what the western astrologer means when he speaks of the zodiac. It is divided into twelve equal parts, the signs of the zodiac, which correspond as just stated to the twelve mundane houses; the first sign to the first house, the second sign to the second house, and so on. The zodiac commences at that point at which the Sun crosses the equator in its northern path, which it does about March 21st each year.*

The Twelve Houses of the Horoscope govern the physical framework, and the fate connected with environment; that which may be overcome by the inherent will of the native. The Twelve Signs of the Zodiac are the covering of the twelve houses and give the colouring and quality to the twelve divisions of the horoscope, being more related to the psychic and inner nature. Their relation to each other may be understood in this way: if we think of the houses as transparent vessels, each having its own shape and pattern according as it is angular, succedent or cadent, oriental or occidental, above the horizon or below,—then the signs will supply the contents of such vessel, giving a special substance, colour and quality to each house.

Everywhere throughout Nature there is analogy, or rather, a reflection of attributes, from that which is above to that which is below—As above So below runs the Hermetic axiom. Thus we find the division of the twelve signs into the three primary qualities, or quadruplicities, has its correspondence in the twelve houses, the Cardinal or movable signs corresponding to the angles, the Fixed signs to the succedent houses, while the Mutable or common signs will be similar in nature to the cadent houses. Again the four triplicities correspond to the four angles, while the four quarters of the day, dawn, noon, sunset and midnight, have their similitude in the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. The fiery signs are related to spring by Aries, the middle of summer by Leo, and the end of autumn by Sagittarius; the beginning of summer is signified by the watery sign Cancer, the middle of autumn by Scorpio, and the end of winter by Pisces; the commencement of autumn by the airy sign Libra, the middle of winter by Aquarius, and the end of spring by Gemini; the entrance of winter by the earthy sign Capricorn, the middle of spring by Taurus, and the end of summer by Virgo.*

The signs, like the houses, also govern the various parts of the body, as follows: Aries, head and face; Taurus, throat and ears; Gemini, neck, arms, shoulders and lungs; Cancer, breast and stomach; Leo, heart and back; Virgo, bowels, liver and pancreas; Libra, groin and kidneys; Scorpio, secret parts; Sagittarius, thighs; Capricorn, knees; Aquarius, ankles; Pisces, feet.

The zodiac is also divided into thirty-six decans or decanates, each sign containing three decanates. But these must be considered later, for it will be first necessary to understand the nature of each of the twelve signs before we can comprehend their parts.

Taking the circle of the twelve signs and dividing them into angles or triplicities in a similar manner to that adopted in the last chapter, we shall find a deeper meaning attached to each sign than has hitherto been explained by astrological writers.

The main classes into which we shall divide the twelve signs will comprise the ‘triplicity’ and ‘quality,’ uniting as far as possible the quality belonging to each triplicity. In each of the four triplicities or trigons the three qualities are harmoniously blended, and hitherto no clear explanation has been given as to the nature of either triplicity or quality; and yet upon a correct understanding of these factors rests the fundamental basis of Natal Astrology.

The four triplicities are Fire, Air, Water and Earth—Spirit, Space, Time and Matter—and in this order we shall study them.

The three qualities are Cardinal or movable, Fixed, and Mutable or common.

These seven tendencies or powers are each governed by a lord, angel or Deva.

The four triplicities govern the four castes. They are also the indicators of the force, active and energetic, represented by the fiery signs; the quality of solidity and stability denoted by the earthy signs; powers of extension and expansion indicated by the airy signs: and finally the plasticity and mobility shown by the watery signs.

The three qualities or quadruplicities, cardinal, fixed and mutable, represent what are known by the Hindas as Rajas (activity), Tamas (stability) and Sattva (rhythm). They may be likened to the three phrenological temperaments, the motive, the vital, and the mental.*

These three qualities in terms of consciousness may be described as consciousness in general, instinctual consciousness, and self-consciousness; or again as activity (Rajas, cardinal), stability or will (Tamas, fixed), and wisdom (Sattva, mutable).

There are also three modes of motion that may be compared with the three qualities and three groups of signs: Translation, Rotation and Vibration. Of these, translatory motion means movement from one place to another, but the real idea underlying it is that the motion is continually tending to go onward without stopping, as indicated by Newton’s law of motion; and this pairs off with Rajas and the cardinal or movable signs. Rotary or vortical motion is the most stable of the three and compares with Tamas and fixed signs. Vibration, of course, is movement to and fro, like a pendulum or clarionet reed; Sattva, rhythm, mutable signs.

The Cardinal signs govern the head as a centre of consciousness in the same manner as the angles. They divide the circle of the zodiac into four quarters, answering to the four quadrants of the horoscope. Their chief characteristic is activity, which shows out in any department of life to which it may be directed, physical, emotional or intellectual. In each of these directions they are signs of external contact, bringing the native into continual touch with the outer world, and vice versd, directing constant impacts from the environment upon the native. They bring the greatest amount of outward experience; they are the most diffuse and the least concentrated. In a way their influence may be regarded as continually passing from angle to angle or from cardinal point to cardinal point, across the four fields of their unceasing motion.

The Fixed signs are associated with the heart and desire. They contain the same amount of motion as the former signs, but tend to gather it into a fixed centre, and so make less outward show. Inertia and stability characterise them. They bring experiences evolving out of themselves, repetitions of the same conditions taking place over and over again until turned outward by the movable signs or modified and harmonised by the common.

The Mutable or common signs are associated in the animal body with limbs, lungs, and bowels. Just as vibratory motion passes from one point to another and back again, linking together the two extremes of its motion, so these signs stand for everything whether in the body or in consciousness that is intermediate between the head or intellect and the heart or will. They correspond, as we have seen, to cadent houses, which stand for means of communication, servants, agents, journeys, and for other matters in which the idea of an influence uniting two extremes can be plainly discerned. They are dual in nature and fluctuating in character, as are the men that are born of them.

These three qualities, operating through three groups of signs, correspond to the three phases of man’s own being: will in motion, or action; feeling, emotion, passion, intuition, or instinct; and thought or reason. But this correspondence must not be applied in too hard and fast a manner, for each quality can operate on each plane. Thus we have the slow-moving will, the extremely active will, and the balanced or harmonised will; and so with the other two classes, the feelings and the thoughts.

The student will find it an interesting task to trace this symbology out in planetary and zodiacal positions. For instance, taking the Sun as will, its position in fixed, cardinal, or mutable signs indicates the three types just mentioned, and there is a good and a bad interpretation of each. Then the Moon may be taken as an indicator of the feelings, which would have three corresponding classes, each with a good and a bad side. Finally, the Ascendant may be taken as signifying the type of mental activity most natural to the body through which the soul acts while functioning in this world; and here would be the same three modes, according to the sign rising.

TABLE OF HOUSES, ELEMENTS, QUALITIES AND POLARITIES

The column here for convenience headed Polarity refers to the division of the signs into two groups. The odd signs are all positive male day signs, and the even are negative female night signs. They refer to the duality shown everywhere in nature. Thus the words positive, male, and day convey precisely the same idea only expressed differently, and refer to the force or life side of things; while the words negative, female, and night signify the matter or form side.

We will now consider the signs separately, taking them in groups as just described.