| Astrology |
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| Background |
| Traditions |
| Branches |
| Astrological signs |
| Symbols |
Astrology has used the concept of classical elements from antiquity up until the present. In Western astrology and Sidereal astrology four elements are used: Fire, Earth, Air, and Water.
In Western tropical astrology, there are 12 astrological signs. Each of the four elements is associated with three signs of the Zodiac, which are always located exactly 120 degrees away from each other along the ecliptic and said to be in trine with one another. Most modern astrologers use the four classical elements extensively, (also known as triplicities), and indeed it is still viewed as a critical part of interpreting the astrological chart.
Beginning with the first sign Aries which is a Fire sign, the next in line Taurus is Earth, then to Gemini which is Air, and finally to Cancer which is Water. This cycle continues on twice more and ends with the twelfth and final astrological sign, Pisces. The elemental rulerships for the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac (according to Marcus Manilius) are summarised as follows:
In traditional astrology, each triplicity has several planetary rulers, which change with conditions of sect – that is, whether the chart is a day chart or a night chart. Triplicity rulerships are an important essential dignity – one of the several factors used by traditional astrologers to weigh strength, effectiveness, and integrity of each planet in a chart.
Triplicity rulerships (using the "Dorothean system") are as follows: [1]
| Triplicity | Day Ruler | Night Ruler | Participating Ruler |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) | Sun | Jupiter | Saturn |
| Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) | Venus | Moon | Mars |
| Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) | Saturn | Mercury | Jupiter |
| Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) | Venus | Mars | Moon |
"Participating" rulers were not used by Ptolemy, as well as some subsequent astrologers in later traditions who followed his approach.
In ancient astrology, triplicities were more of a seasonal nature, so a season was given the qualities of an element, which means the signs associated with that season would be allocated to that element. The seasonal elements of ancient astrology are as follows:
The seasonal qualities account for the differences in expression between signs of the same element. All the fire signs are by their nature hot and dry. However, the addition of the elemental qualities of the seasons results in differences between the fire signs. Aries being a Spring sign is wet (hot & dry, hot & wet), Leo being the midsummer sign gets a double dose of hot and dry and is the pure fire sign, and Sagittarius being an Autumnal sign is colder (hot & dry, cold & dry).
In the Southern Hemisphere the seasonal cycle is reversed. [2]
This yields secondary and tertiary elements for each sign.
| Sign | Element | Qualities | Season: North | Season: South |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Fire | Hot & Dry | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) |
| Taurus | Earth | Cold & Dry | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) |
| Gemini | Air | Hot & Wet | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) |
| Cancer | Water | Cold & Wet | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) |
| Leo | Fire | Hot & Dry | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) |
| Virgo | Earth | Cold & Dry | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) |
| Libra | Air | Hot & Wet | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) |
| Scorpio | Water | Cold & Wet | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) |
| Sagittarius | Fire | Hot & Dry | Cold & Dry (Autumn/Earth) | Hot & Wet (Spring/Air) |
| Capricorn | Earth | Cold & Dry | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) |
| Aquarius | Air | Hot & Wet | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) |
| Pisces | Water | Cold & Wet | Cold & Wet (Winter/Water) | Hot & Dry (Summer/Fire) |
These associations are not given any great importance in modern astrology, although they are prominent in modern Western ceremonial magic, reconstructionist neopagan systems such as neodruidism and Wicca.
Sidereal (Vedic) astrology shares the same system as Western astrology of linking zodiac signs to elements.
In addition, in Vedic thought each of the five planets are linked to an element (with space as the fifth). It was said in the Veda that everything emanated from the one basic vibration of "Om" or "Aum". From "Om" the five elemental vibrations emerged representing the five different tattwas (or elements). The five planets represent these five vibrations – Jupiter for Space, Saturn for Air, Mars for Fire, Mercury for Earth, and Venus for Water.
In many traditional Chinese theory fields, matter and its developmental movement stage can be classified into the Wu Xing. They are Wood ruler Jupiter, Green, East and Spring, Fire ruler Mars, Red, South and Summer, Earth ruler Saturn, Yellow, Center and Last Summer, Metal ruler Venus, White, West and Autumn and Water ruler Mercury, Black, North and Winter. That said, the essence of the Wu Xing is really about the notion of five stages, rather than about five types of material.
a Ptolemy [3] later modified the rulerships of Water triplicity, making Mars the ruler of the water triplicity for both day and night charts – and William Lilly concurred. [4]
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south of the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. The orbital paths of the Moon and major planets are within the belt of the zodiac.
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The ascendant or rising sign is the astrological sign on the eastern horizon when the person was born. It signifies a person's physical appearance, and awakening consciousness.
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 was developed in Chinese and Tibetan cultures as well but these astrologies are not based upon the zodiac but deal with the whole sky.
The 16 geomantic figures are primary symbols utilized in geomancy, an ancient divinatory practice. Each figure consists of four lines representing the classical elements and can be interpreted through various methods and questions. Originating from Middle Eastern traditions, geomancy was introduced to Europe in the Middle Ages, where it acquired astrological meanings and new interpretive layers. These figures exhibit a superficial resemblance to the ba gua, the eight trigrams in the I Ching, a Chinese classic text.
The Age of Aquarius, in astrology, is either the current or forthcoming astrological age, depending on the method of calculation. Astrologers maintain that an astrological age is a product of the Earth's slow precessional rotation and lasts for 2,160 years, on average.
An astrological age is a time period in astrological theory which astrologers say, parallels major changes in the development of Earth's inhabitants, particularly relating to culture, society, and politics. There are twelve astrological ages corresponding to the twelve zodiacal signs in western astrology. Advocates believe that when one cycle of the twelve astrological ages, called a Great Year, is completed, another cycle of twelve ages begins. The length of one cycle of twelve ages is 25,772 years.
Natal astrology, also known as genethliac astrology or genethlialogy, is a system of astrology that claims to shed light on an individual’s personality or path in life based on constructing a horoscope or natal chart that includes the exact date, time, and location of an individual's birth. Natal astrology is found in the Indian, Chinese, Hellenistic and Western astrological traditions.
In astrology, exaltation is one of the five essential dignities of a planet. The exaltation is a place of awareness for the planet, whereas the fall is a position of weakness concerning the function of the planet. The sign position directly opposite a planet's sign of exaltation is considered to be its fall.
Essential dignity, in the context of an astrological horoscope or natal chart, refers to the relative “strength” or “weakness” of a planet based on its zodiac sign and specific degree. This strength or weakness is referred to as the planet’s essence—what the 17th-century astrologer William Lilly called "the strength, fortitude or debility of the Planets [or] significators."
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In astrology, a triplicity is a group of three signs belonging to the same element.
Tetrabiblos (Τετράβιβλος) 'four books', also known in Greek as Apotelesmatiká (Ἀποτελεσματικά) "Effects", and in Latin as Quadripartitum "Four Parts", is a text on the philosophy and practice of astrology, written in the 2nd century AD by the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemy.
In astrology, a yod is a specific, triangular-shaped planetary alignment that is formed by two planets or points being sextile to one another, with a third planet being exactly 150° to the other two points, or quincunx. In essence, the three points add up as 150°+150°+60°=360° in a traditional, spherical astrological chart. Visually, this alignment forms a “triangle”-shaped aspect, with one point being nearly directly across (150°) from two other points that are 60° apart from each other.
Zodiac is the name of different groups of fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
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