Astrological sign

In Western astrology, astrological signs are the twelve 30-degree sectors that make up Earth's 360-degree orbit around the Sun. The signs enumerate from the first day of spring, known as the First Point of Aries, which is the vernal equinox. The astrological signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The Western zodiac originated in Babylonian astrology, and was later influenced by the Hellenistic culture. Each sign was named after a constellation the sun annually moved through while crossing the sky. This observation is emphasized in the simplified and popular sun sign astrology. Over the centuries, Western astrology's zodiacal divisions have shifted out of alignment with the constellations they were named after by axial precession of the Earth while Hindu astrology measurements correct for this shifting. Astrology (i.e. a system of omina based on celestial appearances) was developed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well but these astrologies are not based upon the zodiac but deal with the whole sky.

Astrology is a pseudoscience. Scientific investigations of the theoretical basis and experimental verification of claims have shown it to have no scientific validity or explanatory power. More plausible explanations for the apparent correlation between personality traits and birth months exist, such as the influence of seasonal birth in humans.

According to astrology, celestial phenomena relate to human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the signs are held to represent characteristic modes of expression. Scientific astronomy used the same sectors of the ecliptic as Western astrology until the 19th century.

Various approaches to measuring and dividing the sky are currently used by differing systems of astrology, although the tradition of the Zodiac's names and symbols remain mostly consistent. Western astrology measures from Equinox and Solstice points (points relating to equal, longest, and shortest days of the tropical year), while Hindu astrology measures along the equatorial plane (sidereal year).

## Western zodiac signs

### Western astrological correspondence chart

The twelve signs are positioned in a circular pattern, creating a pattern of oppositions related to different philosophically polarized attributes. Fire and air elements are generally 180 degrees opposed in Western astrology, as well as earth and water elements. Not all systems of astrology have four elements, notably the Sepher Yetzirah describes only three elements emanating from a central divine source. Spring signs are opposite to autumn ones, winter signs are opposite to summer ones and vice versa.

* Aries is opposite to Libra
* Taurus is opposite to Scorpio
* Gemini is opposite to Sagittarius
* Cancer is opposite to Capricorn
* Leo is opposite to Aquarius
* Virgo is opposite to Pisces

#### Triplicities of the four elements

 Air |  | Communication, socialization, conceptualization
 Negative
 Water |  | Emotion, empathy, sensitivity

#### Dignity and detriment, exaltation and fall

The following table summarizes the positions described above:

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jeremy B. Tatum, "The Signs and Constellations of the Zodiac Archived 2023-06-01 at the Wayback Machine", *Journal of the Royal Society of Canada*, **104** (2010), 103--104.
2. ↑ Opposition (it).
3. ↑ WoC :: Sefer Yetzirah.
4. ↑ The element of Air (it).
5. ↑ The element of Fire (it).
6. ↑ The element of Water (it).
7. ↑ The element of Earth (it).
8. ↑ As used in Sepharial's "The Manual of Astrology"-Brazilian edition (1988) by Editora Nova Fronteira S/A, Rio de Janeiro
9. ↑ Hone (1978), p. 40
10. ↑ Arroyo (1989), p. 30
11. ↑ Glyphs from the alchemical symbology.