Cancer: The Crab

Sidney Hall’s (1831) astronomical chart illustration of the zodiac Cancer.

A hard shell, grasping claws and cautious approach protect the gentle, receptive interior of Cancer, the cardinal water sign. But it is the Moon-ruled sign’s symbolic relationship to the Sun and the nourishing role of emotional care that reveal its essential nature.

The Sun: The Diurnal Luminary

Apollo riding the chariot of the Sun across the heavens.

Sitting on its throne in the heavens, the Sun’s movement designates day and night, light and dark, winter and summer, truth and lies, carving the ecliptic, the basis of the zodiac and the art of astrology, across the sky.

Gemini: The Twins

Sidney Hall’s (1831) astronomical chart illustration of the zodiac Gemini.

Mentally agile and curious, the mutable, Mercury-ruled air sign of Gemini gathers information, synthesizes, and reports. But at its mythological roots, this sign’s capacity to be two things at once reveals the unifying power of companionship.

Taurus: The Bull

Sidney Hall’s astronomical chart illustration of the Taurus.

The fixed earth sign of Taurus represents the forward momentum of spring, with its placid nature and capacity for creation. But while the Bull’s impulse is toward taking root and building, if its Venusian peace is disturbed it can become a destructive force not to be trifled with.

The Moon: The Nocturnal Luminary

Diana (Artemis) riding the chariot of the moon across the heavens.

As the luminary that rules the night, the Moon represents change, travel, the emotional or irrational soul and feminine energy, but its significations depend on its condition in the sky and its proximity to the earthly sphere.

Aries: The Ram

Sidney Hall’s astronomical chart illustration of Aries and Musca Borealis. A ram and a fly forming the constellations.

Filled with the vitality of spring, Aries is the sign of new beginnings. While the Ram rushes forward to meet any challenge head-on, the flame of this cardinal fire sign peters out just as quickly as it is lit.

Venus: The Lesser Benefic

Venus, ruler of the signs Libra and Taurus, in her chariot. Maarten de Vos, 1585.

Beauty, pleasure, and love: the incarnation of the Greco-Roman goddess of love, Venus, the Lesser Benefic brings joy to the life of the native if well-placed, and over-indulgence if ill-aligned.

Pisces: The Fish

Pisces - Two fish tethered with a ribbon forming the constellations. Sidney Hall.

Sensitive and spiritually magnanimous, watery Pisces is represented by two fish bound by a cord, representing the duality implicit in this mutable sign.

Mercury: The Messenger

Mercury in his chariot, riding across the heavens.

Speedy and unpredictable, the twinkling planet Mercury has long represented reason, commerce, and the pursuit of knowledge, and is distinct in its openness to the influence of other heavenly bodies.

Mars: The Lesser Malefic

Mars in his chariot. Engraving by J. Sadeler after Maarten de Vos.

Mars, the blood-red warrior, blazes across the night sky, the harbinger of death, destruction, and strife. But the lesser malefic is not all bad: if dignified, the martial planet becomes the protector of the weak, the signifier of a courageous struggle, a victory against all odds that brings many rewards.