Zodiac(Astronomy & Astrology)zodiac, in astronomy and astrology,a belt around the heavens extending9° on either side of the ecliptic,the plane of Earth’s orbit and ofthe Sun’s apparent annual path. Theorbits of the Moon and of theprincipal planets also lie entirelywithin the zodiac. The 12astrological signs of the zodiacare each considered to occupy 1/12(or 30°) of its great circle. Thesesigns no longer correspond to theastronomical constellations inwhich the Sun actually appears. Theconstellations are irregular insize and shape, and the Sunregularly passes through oneconstellation (Ophiuchus) that isnot considered a member of thezodiac.Because most of the constellations through which the ecliptic passesrepresent animals, the ancientGreeks called its zone zōdiakoskyklos, “circle of animals,” or tazōdia, “the little animals.” Thesize and number of zodiacalconstellations varied in antiquityand became fixed only with thedevelopment of mathematicalastronomy. The list below gives theconstellations of the zodiac, withthe dates of the Sun’s passagethrough them in the era when theirboundaries were fixed. These datesare still used for the astrologicalsigns, though precession of theequinoxes has shifted theconstellations eastward; e.g., onJanuary 1 the direction of the sunis now in Sagittarius instead ofCapricornus. The history of thesymbols is unknown; they seem toappear first in Greek manuscriptsof the late Middle Ages.♈ Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19 ♉ Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20♊ Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21♋ Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22♌ Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22♍ Virgo (Virgin): August 23–September 22♎ Libra (Balance): September 23–October 23♏ Scorpius (Scorpion): October 24–November 21♐ Sagittarius (Archer): November22–December 21♑ Capricornus (Goat): December 22–January 19 ♒ Aquarius (Water Bearer): January20–February 18♓ Pisces (Fish): February 19–March20Sagittariusconstellation and astrological signSagittarius, (Latin: “Archer”) inastronomy, zodiacal constellationin the southern sky lying betweenCapricornus and Scorpius, at about19 hours right ascension and 25°south declination. The centre ofthe Milky Way Galaxy lies in theradio source Sagittarius A*. Nearthe western border of Sagittariusis the winter solstice, thesouthernmost point reached by theSun in its apparent annual journeyamong the stars. This constellationalso contains the Lagoon and Trifidnebulas. The brightest star is KausAustralis (from the Arabic for“bow” and the Latin for “southern,” respectively; it is also calledEpsilon Sagittarii), with amagnitude of 1.9. Many of the starsare arranged in the prominentasterism called the Teapot.Because most of the constellationsthrough which the ecliptic passesrepresent animals, the ancientGreeks called its zone zōdiakoskyklos, “circle of animals,” or tazōdia, “the little animals.” Thesize and number of zodiacalconstellations varied in antiquityand became fixed only with thedevelopment of mathematicalastronomy. The list below gives theconstellations of the zodiac, withthe dates of the Sun’s passagethrough them in the era when theirboundaries were fixed. These datesare still used for the astrologicalsigns, though precession of theequinoxes has shifted theconstellations eastward; e.g., onJanuary 1 the direction of the sun is now in Sagittarius instead ofCapricornus. The history of thesymbols is unknown; they seem toappear first in Greek manuscriptsof the late Middle Ages.In astrology, Sagittarius is theninth sign of the zodiac,considered as governing the periodfrom about November 22 to aboutDecember 21. It is representedeither by a centaur shooting a bowand arrow or by an arrow drawnacross a bow. The identification ofSagittarius as a mounted archer wasmade by the Babylonians as early asthe 11th century BCE.asterismastronomyasterism, a pattern of stars thatis not a constellation. An asterismcan be part of a constellation,such as the Big Dipper, which is inthe constellation Ursa Major, and can even span acrossconstellations, such as the SummerTriangle, which is formed by thethree bright stars Deneb, Altair,and Vega. Asterisms are notrestricted to stars that can beseen with the naked eye; many arebest observed with binoculars or asmall telescope.Scorpiusconstellation and astrological signScorpius, (Latin: “Scorpion”) alsocalled Scorpio, in astronomy,zodiacal constellation lying in thesouthern sky between Libra andSagittarius, at about 16 hours 30minutes right ascension and 30°south declination. Its brighteststar, Antares (Alpha Scorpii), the15th brightest star in the sky, hasa magnitude of 1.1. Its name comesfrom the Greek for “rival of Ares”(i.e., rival of the planet Mars)and was probably given because of the star’s red colour andbrightness. The brightest X-raysource in the sky, Scorpius X-1, isfound in this constellation.In astrology, Scorpius (or Scorpio)is the eighth sign of the zodiac,considered as governing the periodfrom about October 24 to aboutNovember 21. Its representation asa scorpion is related to the Greeklegend of the scorpion that stungOrion to death (said to be whyOrion sets as Scorpius rises in thesky). Another Greek myth relatesthat a scorpion caused the horsesof the Sun to bolt when they werebeing driven for a day by theinexperienced youth Phaeton.Cancerconstellation and astrological signCancer, (Latin: “Crab”) inastronomy, zodiacal constellationlying in the northern sky between Leo and Gemini, at about 8 hours 25minutes right ascension and 20°north declination. It contains thewell-known star cluster calledPraesepe, or the Beehive. Itsbrighest star, Al Tarf (Arabic for“the end” [of one of the crab’slegs]), also called Beta Cancri, isquite dim, with a magnitude of 3.6.In astrology, Cancer is the fourthsign of the zodiac, considered asgoverning the period from aboutJune 22 to about July 22. Itsrepresentation as a crab (orlobster or crayfish) is related tothe crab in Greek mythology thatpinched Heracles while he wasfighting the Lernaean hydra.Crushed by Heracles, the crab wasrewarded by Heracles’ enemy, Hera,by being placed in the heavens.Aquariusastronomy and astrology Aquarius, (Latin: “Water Bearer”)in astronomy, zodiacalconstellation lying in the southernsky between Capricornus and Pisces,at about 22 hours right ascensionand 10° south declination. It lacksstriking features, the brighteststar, Sadalmelik (Arabic for “thelucky stars of the king”), being ofmagnitude 3.0.In astrology, Aquarius is the 11thsign of the zodiac, considered asgoverning the period from aboutJanuary 20 to about February 18.Its representation as a man pouringa stream of water out of a jug cameabout, it has been suggested,because in ancient times the risingof Aquarius coincided in the MiddleEast with a period of floods andrain.Piscesconstellation and astrological sign Pisces, (Latin: “Fishes”) inastronomy, zodiacal constellationin the northern sky between Ariesand Aquarius, at about 1 hour rightascension and 15° northdeclination. The vernal equinox,the point where the Sun’s annualapparent path takes it north of thecelestial equator and from whichcelestial longitude and rightascension are measured, lies inPisces. The constellation containsonly faint stars without anystriking grouping; the brighteststar, Eta Piscium, has a magnitudeof 3.6.In astrology, Pisces is the 12thsign of the zodiac, considered asgoverning the period from aboutFebruary 19 to about March 20. Itsrepresentation as two fish tiedtogether is usually related to theGreek myth of Aphrodite and Eros,who jumped into a river to escapethe monster Typhon and changed into fish, or, alternatively, the twofish that carried them to safety.Libraconstellation and astrological signLibra, (Latin: “Balance”) inastronomy, zodiacal constellationin the southern sky lying betweenScorpius and Virgo, at about 15hours 30 minutes right ascensionand 15° south declination. Itsstars are faint; the brighteststar, Zubeneschamali (Arabic for“northern claw,” as it was earlierregarded as part of Scorpius; alsocalled Beta Librae), has amagnitude of 2.6.In astrology, Libra is the seventhsign of the zodiac, considered asgoverning the period from aboutSeptember 22 to about October 23.It is represented by a woman(sometimes identified with Astraea,the Roman goddess of justice), holding a balance scale or by thebalance alone.occultismoccultism, various theories andpractices involving a belief in andknowledge or use of supernaturalforces or beings. Such beliefs andpractices—principally magical ordivinatory—have occurred in allhuman societies throughout recordedhistory, with considerablevariations both in their nature andin the attitude of societies towardthem. In the West the termoccultism has acquiredintellectually and morallypejorative overtones that do notobtain in other societies where thepractices and beliefs concerned donot run counter to the prevailingworldview.Occult practices centre on thepresumed ability of the practitioner to manipulate naturallaws for personal benefit or onbehalf of another; such practicestend to be regarded as evil onlywhen they also involve the breakingof moral laws. Some anthropologistshave argued that it is not possibleto make a clear-cut distinctionbetween magic—a principal componentof occultism—and religion, and thismay well be true of the religioussystems of some nonliteratesocieties. The argument does nothold, however, for any of the majorreligions, which regard bothnatural and moral law as immutable.The Western tradition of occultism,as popularly conceived, is of anancient “secret philosophy”underlying all occult practices.This secret philosophy derivesultimately from Hellenistic magicand alchemy on the one hand andfrom Jewish mysticism on the other.The principal Hellenistic source is the Corpus Hermeticum, the textsassociated with HermesTrismegistos, which are concernedwith astrology and other occultsciences and with spiritualregeneration.The Jewish element is supplied bythe Kabbala (the doctrine of asecret mystical interpretation ofthe Torah), which had been familiarto scholars in Europe since theMiddle Ages and which was linkedwith the Hermetic texts during theRenaissance. The resultingHermetic-Kabbalistic tradition,known as Hermetism, incorporatedboth theory and magical practice,with the latter presented asnatural, and thus good, magic, incontrast to the evil magic ofsorcery or witchcraft.Alchemy was also absorbed into thebody of Hermetism, and this linkwas strengthened in the early 17th century with the appearance ofRosicrucianism, an alleged secretbrotherhood that utilizedalchemical symbolism and taughtsecret wisdom to its followers,creating a spiritual alchemy thatsurvived the rise of empiricalscience and enabled Hermetism topass unscathed into the period ofthe Enlightenment.During the 18th century thetradition was taken up byesoterically inclined Freemasonswho could not find an occultphilosophy within Freemasonry.These enthusiasts persisted, bothas individual students of Hermetismand, in continental Europe, asgroups of occult practitioners,into the 19th century, when thegrowth of religious skepticism ledto an increased rejection oforthodox religion by the educatedand a consequent search forsalvation by other means—including occultism.But those interested turned to newforms of occultism rather than tothe Hermetic tradition: on the onehand to spiritualism, the practiceof alleged regular communicationbetween the living and the spiritsof the dead through a living“medium,” and on the other hand totheosophy, a blend of Westernoccultism and Eastern mysticismthat proved to be a most effectivepropagator of occultism but whoseinfluence had declined markedly bythe late 20th century.Indeed, despite the 19th-centuryrevival, occult ideas have failedto gain acceptance in academiccircles, although they haveoccasionally influenced the work ofmajor artists, such as the poetWilliam Butler Yeats and thepainter Wassily Kandinsky, andoccultism in Europe and North America seems destined to remainthe province of popular culture.