Dissociated Press

Astrology

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.
And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
--Revelation 4:6-8

Astrology is dismissed by some as witchcraft; a pseudo-science;
others think that it is a religion, or holds all the answers and use it as an excuse to not take personal responsibility for their own destiny...
the Truth is that Astrology can be used as a tool to help man improve his own life, and to make use of the Wisdom of the Prayer known by recovering alcoholics,

God grant me the the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Strength to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference

and the reason I mention this prayer is that Astrology shows us the conditions into which we were born; not only our genetics and environment but Karmic consequences from previous lives. We are able then to work with what we are given, to improve the world and to come to terms with it.

The Zodiac is simply a division of the Universe, as it encircles the Earth, into twelve signs or houses of thirty degrees each. There is much confusion as to what the signs actually represent, as Western Astrology uses the signs as symbols of the orbit of the Earth around the Sun, which no longer correspond precisely to the constellations from which they take their names (Aries, Taurus etc..) but, as I said, refer to different periods of the Solar Year. Vedic or Indian Astrology does follow the actual constellations, but Western astrology is still a very useful tool itself, and we must learn to understand the many different ways Astrology is used, or else it will amount to nothing more than superstition.

As I am still learning about Astrology myself, I will direct you first to a site where you can find your Birth Chart, according to Western Astrological tradition, if you enter your time and place of birth you can find out a lot about yourself, Click here for your free birth chart

The twelve signs of the zodiac, which, again, in the Western tradition no longer apply to the actual constellations of stars from which they take their names, represent a division of the time it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun (a year) into 12 (months). Each month has its own special energy, or experience. For example when the Sun is in Leo it is a very hot time, Leo is a fire sign, in fact it is the fixed sign of fire (the four fixed signs are the four beasts referred to above in Revelation, Leo obviously being the Lion).

In the Old Testament, the three fire signs are referred to as the Camp of Judah. Judah, the Conquering Lion, is Leo. Zebulun and Issachar are Saggitarius and Aries (respectively only by my hunch). Saggitarius is represented by the Centaur Archer of legend. It is the Mutable Fire sign. Aries, the Ram, is Cardinal Fire. Cardinal signs represent action and initiative, energy in the present. Fixed signs represent stability, energy in the future. Mutable signs represent energy in the past, and sometimes manifest in a way that seems counter to progress, though they have their own lessons to teach us.

The Camp of Dan is the Water Trine: Dan=Scorpio, the Eagle (or serpent); Naphtali is Cancer; and Asher=Pisces, the fish or mer-man. Every culture has a different version of this mythology. The Celtic sea-god Lir is related to Poseidon/Neptune, and the planet Neptune is said to rule over Pisces, the last sign of the Zodiac. Jupiter also has influence on Pisces, but it is Neptune that represents the subconscious, watery aspects of this sign right before the Spring is re-born in Aries. Pisces and Neptune refer to the deep emotional memories we carry, not only in this life, but in our DNA, and reflect our evolution from fish and our connection with the deep dark terror that is under the sea. The Moon is said to rule over Cancer, and the symbol of the Moon and the Tribe of Naphtali is the deer. The Moon represents emotional sensitivity and receptivity to all of life. Cancer is the sign of our Mother, both literally and spiritually, and the home, again both in terms of our house and where we feel comfortable in the world. Scorpio is another emotional sign. Scorpio is ruled by Pluto and co-ruled by Mars. Pluto (Greek Hades, Celtic Pwyll) is the God of the Dead, and Scorpio shows the link between sex, death and rebirth. Hades kidnapped his niece Persephone and brought her to the underworld to be his Queen. Her mother, Demeter (goddess of grain), refused to make food grow as long as her daughter was with Hades, so he permitted her to return to her mother from Spring to Fall, and during that time, crop grows and man is happy, but then the Earth grows barren once more. Dead organisms return to the ground and fertilize the soil so that the cycle of life may continue.