As above, so below

By Robert Nason

It is a basic human instinct to look up for answers. For most major religions, the source of life comes from above as we “look up to the heavens.” Jesus ascended into heaven. Muslims raise their hands to heaven to pray to Allah. And many occultists connect all things on Earth with what is above us. The phrase “as above, so below” derives from the ancient Emerald Tablet, a legendary text embraced by alchemists and philosophers for thousands of years. The full translation notes: “That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below, to perform the miracles of the one thing.” The tablet is just one example of ancient people looking upward for the meaning of life.

Historians believe the Babylonians were the first civilization to scientifically begin noting the movements of the stars and planets. These first-generation astronomers divided the night sky into 12 sections, each stretching 30 degrees of celestial longitude, and within each section were noticeable star patterns, later to be known as constellations.

Because many of the constellations, of which there are 88, represent animals, the Greeks called the celestial zones zōdiakos kyklos, meaning circle of animals, which is where we get the English word zodiac. The origin of the zodiac symbols is unknown, but they first appear in Greek texts around the late Middle Ages.

During Alexander the Great’s reign of Egypt, the field of horoscopic astrology emerged, combining Babylonian astrology with the Egyptian decan system, which subdivided each zodiac sign. This where we get into some deep weeds—like zodiac houses, sun signs, moon signs and other calculations—but the result of this merging was used to better pinpoint a person’s time of birth, their character traits and perhaps their destiny. This moment was called horoskopos in Greek, which means ascendant and is where the English word horoscope derives from.

The Greeks eventually introduced astrology to the Romans, and Tiberius was the first Roman emperor known to have a court astrologer to advise him. About a century later, in 104 BCE, the Roman astrologer Ptolemy published Tetrabiblos, which is considered the astrologer’s bible, even today. The book gave a detailed explanation of zodiac signs, zodiac houses, the stars and planets and focused on accurate mapping in order to chart the relationship between a person’s birthplace and date with the stars.

For much of the Middle Ages, astrology was an accepted practice for kings, doctors, scientists and mathematicians. Versions of zodiac signs spread throughout many parts of the world, including India and China. It wasn’t until the Roman Church began to gain prominence and power in the Western world that the practice was labeled superstitious paganism. The Age of Enlightenment brought astrology back among the aristocrats of Europe, but only as an entertaining diversion.

Here are the signs and some simple characteristics for each (according to costarastrology.com):