Zodiacal Systems - Signs and Constellations


The Signs of the Zodiac is the one thing most people will know about astrology, even when they know absolutely nothing else. What fewer people in the general public seem to know is that those signs are (theoretically, at least) based on actual groupings of stars, called 'constellations'. The star groups (asterisms) are arbitrary, of course. Much like pareidolia (seeing faces in inanimate objects), those asterism are completely arbitrary and made up, as any given star within a constellation may be millions of light years away from another star in the same constellation. However, the recognized constellations seem to be quite ancient, with evidence suggesting that some of the modern constellations have been recognized as the same image or archetype for many millennia, perhaps tens of thousands of years.

 While I do not assign the importance to 'signs' that many astrologers do, I still use them, both the Tropical seasonal representations and the actual constellations, and they do have relevance to the reading of charts. They just aren't the end-all-and-be-all that they are sometimes portrayed as being. I gave them much more relevance in the past, but the longer I have studied, and as I have integrated the use of different zodiacal systems, I have come to realize that the 'signs' are not as solid and immutable as sometimes suggested. They are like a layer of highlighting on top of the energies of the seasonal quadrants and the geometric aspects between the planets and other points in the chart.

 I find the Tropical signs are most applicable to the two lights (Sun and Moon), the inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn), and the astroids Ceres, Pallas and Vesta, with Jupiter and Saturn having the least influence from the Tropical seasonal signs. I find that the outer planets will have far less influence from the Tropical signs. However, with that said, I look at all the chart placements I use in both Tropical and Sidereal placements, and consider both. In my experience, the seasonal sign and the constellational sign have an equal influence on the Inner planets, with the constellational signs having a stronger influence on the outer planets, with marginal influence from the seasonal signs on the outer planets. 

 In my experience, you can't just consider one or the other of the zodiacal systems and get a comprehensive picture. You need to look at them both, because they are not just variations of the same thing. It is my view that the energies of the seasonal signs are (perhaps figuratively) an emanation of the sun reaching out to the planets, while the energies of the constellations (perhaps figuratively) are energies moving in toward the planets from beyond the solar system. A final thing to consider is that the True Constellational system also integrates the constellation Ophiuchus. We will look more at Ophiuchus in future posts.
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