Chapter Four

WHAT ARE THE SIGNS?

If the houses are the "many mansions" in which man as an individual has his experience, the signs are the similar departments in the heavens by which life itself, or the experience of all men together, is given character and distinction. This means that the approach to an understanding of the signs must be a little different from the means used to give the beginner his initial idea of the houses.

The easiest way to define a "sign of the zodiac" is to identify it as the section of the heavens through which the sun moves during some thirty days of an astrological "month." The sun is always at approximately the same place for the same day of every year because a "year" is the total movement of the sun through these twelve signs. The calendar year begins January first, and the astronomical or astrological year in March, but the same span of time is indicated by both. Therefore the sign in which any person's sun will be found can be learned by merely asking him the month and day of his birth. It is obvious that the sun has a very special relation to the signs, and the simplest approach to their meaning is also the most effective way to understand the nature of the sun itself. For this reason, even more than the lack of charts with a singleton sun, the consideration of the planet has been deferred from the prior chapter.

Two vital factors of the horoscope are created by the regularity of the sun's annual motion through the skies or by the rhythmic succession of spring, summer, autumn and winter brought about with its swing to the north and then to the south once a year. First, the path in which this motion takes place is given a definite character. It becomes the zodiac. Secondly, these seasons establish common factors of experience among men, and lead to a real dramatization of all human experience in the zodiac. Thus youth is the springtime of life, and old age the winter of experience. Summer is a period when play is brought to a high point, especially in the climax of a vacation. Recreation and amusement become the means by which men increase their social intercourse and add to their common experience, as in the great crowds at various contests and the interest in sports generally. Autumn and harvest bring about a different tempo of existence, so that even in city life there is the opening of a new "year" in business, a new term in school, a new season in the theatre, and so on. The Christmas and New Year holidays give a turn to deeper or inner things for most people, and unpleasant weather helps magnify home affairs, personal ties and spiritual values.

The beginner need not attempt any deep study of these details, or try to make any philosophical analysis of the various human institutions around him, but he must recognize the basic orderliness or rhythm which underlies every phase of life, and realize that it is constant or predictable, at least in general outline. The zodiac is the pattern of man in this respect. It has its correspondence to affairs on the earth, first in terms of the seasons, and then progressively through a host of relations, all of which have their common foundation in the seasonal distinctions. Ecclesiastes voices a very sound astrology when it remarks, "To everything there is a season."

The Zodiac and the Constellations

The word "zodiac" means "circle of animals," and the name refers to the means taken by ancient astronomers to identify its various parts. Selecting stars that could be connected by lines to give a rude representation of some appropriate figure, they established twelve of these. The original signs, traced out this way in star patterns, are known as the "constellations" or collectively as the "natural zodiac," and they are seldom used in astrology. The reason is that the astronomical point which is taken as the zodiac's beginning has a very slow clockwise movement in the skies. This is known as the "precession of the equinoxes," and it is sometimes used to define the great "ages" of human history. In the more than two thousand years since the zodiacal signs were established, the star-patterns which still name them are found about a whole sign out of position. This fact, not understood by opponents of astrology, is often cited as evidence of its supposed "unscientific basis."

The "animal" designations of the various signs were not only for the purpose of identifying the twelve sections of the heavens, but were also designed to dramatize the successive stages in human experience. The sun as a symbol of the will makes its annual "pilgrimage" through the zodiac and the order of events, or seasons of effort, are visualized as "ordeals" which in one way or another are typical in the lives of all men. This is the concept which took classical form in the twelve "labors of Hercules."

Since each person has his sun at birth in one out of these twelve divisions of the zodiac, the signs also sort people into twelve classes. Each class gives a special emphasis of some one part of the experience symbolized by the whole annual pilgrimage of the sun, or the will. The idea is that each man is found at some special point in this "pilgrimage" because it affords him the fullest chance to use his particular talents. The resulting concept of twelve basic types among human beings is represented in the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles.

How the Zodiac Describes Experience

The annual "pilgrimage" of the will is a symbol not only of the ordinary recurrent seasons of experience for all men together, but of the whole span of any given life. It becomes a symbolical gamut of experience. This has already been suggested in the idea of youth as springtime and of old age as winter. This zodiacal wholeness, however, is not merely a sort of longer "year." It is rather the continuing repetition of both beginning and maturity throughout the everyday activities of life. A man begins a little "year" when he wakes in the morning, and also a special "year" when he enters any new experience or launches any fresh enterprise. His capacity to initiate things is an activity of Mars, but it is also a persisting phase of his experience which, apart from its other relations, is permanently represented by the first sign of the zodiac because that is the point of what might be called springtime capacity in his make-up. Ordinary language recognizes this when it speaks of a man "springing" into action.

Astrology requires a tangible means for expressing this form of relationship, and achieves it through the fact that all living organisms have a tendency to grow, and to distribute their functions, in a consistent head-to-foot pattern. The spring-to-winter order of relations in the zodiac has a necessary correlation to this head-to-foot order in natural organisms, and the astrological correspondences are revealed by establishing a hypothetical human body around the heavens in the zodiac. This establishes a direct relationship between a given section of the skies and a particular part of the body, and it is by no means as arbitrary or artificial as it might appear at first glance. The pictorial diagram of this "zodiacal man" is commonly used on kitchen almanacs and in other popular astrological material; a scheme more widely familiar than the horoscope itself.

If the particular sign of the zodiac containing the sun of a particular native is a means for sorting him out into one of the twelve basic "types" of human nature, then it must also follow that he will be sorted out in similar fashion among the possibilities of physical make-up, depending on that part of the universal or heavenly "body" to which his sun-sign corresponds; i.e., his build or functional development will reflect that "season" of general human possibility which he is making particularly his own. This is his "appearance," or the total sum of his physical characteristics; and it is a further and very important matter indicated by the signs. While it is impossible, of course, for one man to look like a head, or another like a knee, yet the sign ruling the head indicates a marked tendency towards a large nose, among other things, and the one corresponding to the knees will usually identify a person with a definitely knotted and angular appearance.

The Importance of the Sun-Sign

In consequence of all this, the most important indication of the signs in the horoscope is through the one which holds the sun. There are nine other planets which have their testimonies to give, according to their own basic activities in the life, and there is also the vital information given by the signs on the cusps of the houses, particularly by those on the four angles. However, the signs are best learned through actual cases in which the sun will emphasize each in turn, first by revealing the fundamental "point" to the life which this particular planet shows, and then by delineating the outer appearance which the sun sign shapes in a basic structural fashion.

The analysis of a native's physical make-up is the greatest single difficulty in astrological practice. The same man will present a different appearance to different people, and will also appear differently according to the occasion and the mood of any moment. He will look taller among shorter companions and will seem more aggressive among less dynamic associates. Distinctions ultimately depend on their familiarity, as is illustrated in the great trouble any individual will have in telling Orientals or colored people apart, unless he has had appreciable experience among them. Astrological "appearance" is a composite of many things, and the position of the sun by sign will indicate only a few among them. These will be of foundation importance, but they will not be easily distinguished from the other factors in actual practice.

In general, the ascendant or cusp of the first house will seem to have a much greater influence on the personal appearance. This will be the superficial everyday modification, but no less a difficulty. The moon's sign is often most important, especially in giving a clue to the native's play of moods and unconscious "play-acting." The beginner must remember that the sun-sign gives a basic tendency only. He must never expect too literal a conformity to what after all can only be general suggestions for the sign, especially when they must be written to apply to all people of a given race and culture.

Summary

In summary, what has the beginner learned in this fourth chapter, as an introduction to the thumbnail sketches of the signs to follow? He has been shown that the signs of the zodiac are created by the regular movement of the sun through the heavens; also that the seasons established by the sun are the basis for the zodiac's distinctions on the one hand, and for the identification of the common or universal elements in human life on the other. He has found that the signs of the zodiac are symbolized by "animal" figures, designed to represent various phases in mankind's experience, and that each one of them also corresponds to some special part of this experience, or creates one of the twelve basic types among human beings.

He has discovered further that the zodiac has a relationship to each individual's whole life, and that the twelve signs will correlate to the persisting types of experience in the given individual's case; so that it is possible to delineate the human body in the skies and make the zodiac a "heavenly man" or "zodiacal man" to represent this relationship. He has seen that the difference in individual appearance is the result of an emphasis upon certain areas in individual experience, and that this is indicated by the sun-sign most fundamentally, but also importantly by the ascendant and the sign containing the moon.

Aries

The sun is in Aries from March 21st through April 19th. This is the fullness of spring, or the time of year for original and dynamic activity, and it makes Aries the sign of the pioneer. The symbol is the ram, represented by his horns, and expressing the persistence of life's springtime return to activity. Aries in any chart will show a native's capacity to initiate things. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the head. It therefore reveals the source of determination and the general direction of a native's efforts.

The sun here describes a fearless individual who is usually able to make his own place in life; who will generally meet any problem with quick and positive action. The beginner has had an example of this in the chart of Bismarck, who made good use of the aggressive genius of the sign, and who demonstrated to his own generation what a real leader could accomplish. A further example of the Aries driving force, in what outwardly was quite a gentlemanly fashion, will be seen in the horoscope of J. P. Morgan. Aries as a factor in appearance tends towards a closely-knit body, medium to tall in height, with a long neck, broad forehead and a narrow chin.

Parenthetically, since the sun's movement from sign to sign will vary slightly from year to year, the dates can only be given approximately.

Taurus

The sun is in Taurus from April 20th through May 20th. This is the falling away of the springtime drive, or the time for evaluation of the personal energies, and it makes Taurus the sign of stamina. The symbol is the bull, represented by his face and horns, and expressing life's persistent exercise of its powers. Taurus in any chart will show a native's capacity to maintain his everyday interests. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the throat and neck. It therefore reveals a native's basic approach to reality in the terms of the materials he takes into his body, and the voice he gives to his reactions.

The sun here describes an individual who is eager for experience, if he can have it on his own basis; who is inclined to be patient and to hold steadfast to his own ideals. The beginner has had examples of this practical temperament, with its accompanying mastery over materials, and its drive for expression, in the charts of Freud and Shakespeare. Taurus as a factor in appearance tends towards a rather filled-out body, ranging from short to medium, with a full neck and emphasized shoulders, a face apt to be round, and a full mouth with dimpled cheeks or chin.

Gemini

The sun is in Gemini from May 21st through June 20th. This is the rising anticipation of summer, or the time for marshalling talent and enthusiasm, and it makes Gemini the sign of life-giving. The symbol is the twins, represented by two linked upright lines, and expressing the irrepressible restlessness by which man divides himself and widens his experience. Gemini in any chart will show a native's versatility. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the shoulders, arms, and hands, together with the lungs. It therefore reveals the effort of a native either to manipulate experience directly, or to intensify experience by a deeper "breath" of participation.

The sun here describes an individual who is unusually aware of everything around him, and anxious to put it all to use; who is active and cooperative as long as events proceed on a familiar pattern. The beginner has had examples of this common-sense enthusiasm and adaptability in the charts of the resourceful lady, Queen Victoria and Pope Pius XI, and will have further illustrations in the horoscopes of Elbert Hubbard and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Gemini as a factor in appearance tends towards a slender body, inclined to be rather tall, with long lines in features and figure, and to have quite round eyes, a lengthy nose and a wide mouth.

Cancer

The sun is in Cancer from June 21st through July 22nd. This is the fullness of summer, or the time for self-consummation and an abandonment of all restraint, and it makes Cancer the sign of growth. The symbol is the crab, represented by the conventionalized claws, and expressing the self-gathering tenacity by which all life constructs its own actual world. Cancer in any chart will show a native's capacity for rebuilding things. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the stomach, the chest and the breasts. It therefore reveals a native's taking and giving of nourishment, or his participation in the general enlargement of all experience.

The sun here describes an individual who has an unusual insight into the possibilities of a situation, and will stick to any course of action to the end; but who can see things only in terms of self-interest. None of the example charts in this book have the sun in Cancer, but Henry VIII and Cecil Rhodes are excellent cases of aggressive self-interest for the beginner to consider. Cancer as a factor in appearance tends towards a broad or stout body, ranging rather short, with marked angles in form or features, and often with a high chest or forehead, also sometimes with an exceptionally round face.

Leo

The sun is in Leo from July 23rd through August 22nd. This is the falling away of the summer fullness of living, or the time for enhancing the values in personality, and it makes Leo the sign of self-sufficiency. The symbol is the lion, represented by his head and mane, and expressing the pride by which all life identifies and preserves its ideals. Leo in any chart will show a native's capacity for genuine self-exaltation. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the heart, the upper back and the spine. It therefore reveals the fundamental rhythm of a native's existence, together with the core or center of his everyday morale.

The sun here describes an individual who has a particular gift for dramatizing things, or giving importance to what he does; who can handle any situation he is permitted to dominate. The beginner has had one example in Sir William Rowan Hamilton, the only case of a Leo sun in the book, but further illustrations may be found in Percy Bysshe Shelley, who did not really succeed in controlling his circumstances, and in George Bernard Shaw, who by contrast has dominated his own situation completely. Leo as a factor in appearance tends towards a slender but round body, relatively short in stature, with sleek hips and a head that is usually full, round and even dome-shaped, and occasionally with large or protuberant eyes.

Virgo

The sun is in Virgo from August 23rd through September 22nd. This is the rising anticipation of autumn, or the time for marshalling social advantages and capitalizing on human contacts, and it makes Virgo the sign of readjustment. The symbol is the virgin, represented by the "M" of primitive matter with an added stroke to suggest a chastity girdle, and expressing the self-concern by which all life sharpens its critical powers. Virgo in any chart will show a native's capacity for cataloguing life and relations generally. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the intestines and the abdomen. It therefore reveals a native's power for assimilating the substance of experience, or sorting it out for use.

The sun here describes an individual who enjoys close and routine relationships with other people or things; who particularly likes to put various affairs in place. The beginner will have an excellent example of this tendency to reduce the world to order in the case of Goethe, often called the last universal genius, and an additional case is found in Queen Elizabeth, whose chart does not appear in the book. Virgo as a factor in appearance tends towards a lean but strong body, of great range in stature, with a generally flat and beautiful back and with a wide forehead, square brows and often a very long upper lip.

Libra

The sun is in Libra from September 23rd through October 22nd. This is the fullness of autumn, or the time for sharing the fruits of growth and for developing human cooperation, and it makes Libra the sign of equilibrium. The symbol is the scales, represented by the balance, and expressing the power of choice by which all life gains its ends. Libra in any chart will show a native's capacity for stimulating and sharing experience, or for establishing harmony in all relations. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the kidneys and lower back. It therefore reveals the subtle extraction of ultimate values from experience, as in contrast with Virgo's more tangible assimilative processes, and this is a native's gift for translating events into knowledge.

The sun here describes an individual who rejoices in adventure and change or revels in the chance to investigate life; who is quick to participate in any event most wholeheartedly, but who is subject to moods and is an extremist in all things. The beginner has had an excellent example of this quick response to the immediate state of things in the Hollywood man, and will have two more cases of its dynamic extremism in Annie Besant and Mahatma Gandhi. Libra as a factor in appearance tends towards a slender body, medium in height, with an oval face and symmetrically lovely features, the figure often sway-back.

Scorpio

The sun is in Scorpio from October 23rd through November 21st. This is the falling away of the autumnal refinement of experience, or the time for an examination of the values in life, and it makes Scorpio the sign of creative power. The symbol is the scorpion, represented by the "M" of primitive matter with a stinging tail added, and expressing the ability of all life to protect itself from undesired compulsion. Scorpio in any chart will show a native's capacity for developing and strengthening his own creative resource. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the eliminative and reproductive organs. It therefore reveals a native's discrimination between the higher and lower aspects of life, and the resulting sense of basic self-respect.

The sun here describes an individual who has real political gifts, and an ability to see deeply into the purposes of others; who is able to turn almost everything to his own account. The beginner has had one example of this high form of social craftmanship in Martin Luther and another illustration outside the book can be found in the case of Theodore Roosevelt. Scorpio as a factor in appearance tends towards a thick-set, sturdy body, of better than medium stature, with a face inclined to be square and broad, with thick lips and eyes characteristically drooped at the outer corners.

Sagittarius

The sun is in Sagittarius from November 22nd through December 21st. This is the rising anticipation of winter, or the time for marshalling the inner resources of personality, and it makes Sagittarius the sign of distribution. The symbol is the centaur archer, represented by the arrow, and expressing the continual association in life between animal and rational experiences. Sagittarius in any chart will show a native's capacity for unrestricted human relations. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the flesh of the entire organism, together with the hips and thighs. It therefore reveals a native's flush of personality, or his ability to give real "body" to his experience.

The sun here describes an individual who has a great love for human companionship, often without any great degree of discrimination; who is yet able to awaken the real aspirations of all other people. The beginner will have no examples of its spontaneous temperament in the book, but excellent illustrations are found in Benjamin Disraeli and Thomas Carlyle. Sagittarius as a factor in appearance tends towards a large body, often marked by fleshiness below the waist, frequently tall, and usually with a handsome face, high forehead, round clear eyes, and a distinct tendency to baldness, at least over the temples.

Capricorn

The sun is in Capricorn from December 22nd through January 19th. This is the fullness of winter, or the time for deeper satisfactions and genuine self-restraint, and it makes Capricorn the sign of the critic. The symbol is the goat, represented by the line of his head and horn, and expressing the extreme of creative resource in all life. Capricorn in any chart will show a native's capacity for discrimination. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the skin generally, and also the knees. It therefore reveals a native's power to draw experience into the limits of selfhood, and to compel a basic respect for everyday practical values.

The sun here describes an individual who is particularly clever in meeting emergencies, or rising to a situation; who exalts efficiency and conformity in every aspect and is in consequence very prone to worry. The beginner has had an example of this fretful and critical temperament in Woodrow Wilson, and will have another case of a more superficially volatile sort in Louis Pasteur. Capricorn as a factor in appearance tends towards a slender body, medium to tall, with the narrow jaw of the goat, a distinctly intellectual head formation, the high cheekbones occasionally giving a very round face; and with small, piercing eyes on the whole, together with a frequent but false suggestion of frailty.

Aquarius

The sun is in Aquarius from January 20th through February 18th. This is the falling away of the winter depths of experience, or the time for developing inspiration and desires, and it makes Aquarius the sign of perspective. The symbol is the water-carrier, represented by the waves on the ground as the liquid spills from the jar on his shoulder, and expressing the natural overflow of all life once the inner reservoirs are filled. Aquarius in any chart will show a native's capacity for the preservation of rights and traditions. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the blood circulation in general and also the ankles. It therefore reveals a native's ability to put himself into any and every function of individual or social experience, but yet to remain conventional, detached and largely unchanged in the process.

The sun here describes an individual who is doggedly optimistic, and inclined to depend on the cooperation of others; who is gregarious even to the point of concealing his own dogmatic opinions. The beginner has had an excellent example of this type, with its extraordinary difficulty in meeting life on any pliable basis, in Havelock Ellis, and will have two other cases in Lord Byron and General "Chinese" Gordon. Aquarius as a factor in appearance tends towards well-set, filled-out and strong people, generally above medium stature, with a long but very square face, and often with delicate features and a lovely regularity of form; sometimes with a bushy distinguished appearance.

Pisces

The sun is in Pisces from February 19th through March 20th. This is the rising anticipation of spring, or is the time for marshalling ideals and capitalizing on the common faith of men, and it makes Pisces the sign of poetic appreciation. The symbol is the fishes, represented by two curved lines with a stroke to suggest them as they lie bound together facing in opposite directions, and expressing the effort of all life to reach out continually into new or more wonderful experience on every side. Pisces in any chart will show a native's capacity for reflection and rationalizing. In the "heavenly man" the sign indicates the feet. It therefore reveals the fundamental "stand," as well as the poetic gracefulness, by which a native establishes his place among his fellows.

The sun here describes an individual who is always seeking the poetry or hidden meaning in life, or trying to draw out the best in others; who is able to maintain his own point of view under the most diverse circumstances, but is consistently emotional in his efforts to do so. The beginner has had an example of this highly Quixotic temperament in Richard Burton, and an illustration beyond the scope of the book is found in George Washington. Pisces as a factor in appearance tends toward a bodily delicacy which produces either grace or awkwardness, usually of medium stature, with features apt to be round, and with full, prominent eyes apt to show either great depth or watery uncertainty.