Читать книгу Astrology For Dummies - Rae Orion - Страница 65

IN THIS CHAPTER

Appreciating Aries

Tuning into Taurus

Considering Gemini

When I was in college, I bought my first astrology book in a train station, and by the end of the ride, my understanding of life had been transformed. The book — it was one of many by Zolar, a name used by a succession of astrologers — described the people I knew with uncanny accuracy, based solely on their Sun signs. My parents, my roommate, my so-called boyfriend — all were there, in stunning detail. Later, I learned that every chart also includes the Moon, eight planets, twelve houses, and more. But the core of almost every horoscope is the Sun.

The Sun begins its journey through the signs and the seasons on or about March 20, when it enters Aries. On that day, the Vernal Equinox, day and night are approximately equal. But soon the balance shifts. For three months, the night grows shorter and the day progressively longer as the Sun spins through the signs of spring — the most youthful signs of the zodiac. When the day reaches its maximum length, spring is over. The three signs of spring are:

 Aries the Ram (March 20 to April 18), the sign of positive (or yang) cardinal fire. Aries is bold, energetic, youthful, and gifted at setting things into motion.

 Taurus the Bull (April 19 to May 20), the sign of negative (or yin) fixed earth. Taurus is tenacious, pragmatic, resourceful, and — in case you thought that earth signs are only about practicality — talented, sensuous, and pleasure-loving.

 Gemini the Twins (May 21 to June 20), the sign of positive (or yang) mutable air. Gemini is spontaneous, curious, quick-witted, restless, sociable, and capricious.

If your birthday falls into one of those signs, you are in the right place.

The Sun’s placement in the sky at the moment of your birth determines your sign. If you have any doubt about your Sun sign, perhaps because you were born at the beginning or end of a sign, turn to Chapter 2 without delay. It will tell you how to get a free, accurate copy of your birth chart. Once you have that, you’ll know for sure.

Figure 4-1 represents the Sun. In ancient cultures, the Sun always symbolized something big, like life and death. The Incas thought of the Sun as a divine ancestor. The Egyptians and other civilizations considered the Sun a god. The astrological symbol reflects that importance. The outer circle represents infinity, the universe, and your cosmic potential. The dot within it represents your human individuality.

© John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

FIGURE 4-1: The symbol of the Sun.

Each sign has a polarity (positive or negative, yang or yin), an element (fire, earth, air, or water), and a quality or modality (cardinal, fixed, or mutable). For more on those terms, turn to Chapter 1.