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The Zodiac

The name “Zodiac” was given to an imaginary belt in the sky that lies along the path of the sun. All the planets lie within this belt. The belt extends on either side of the suns annual path – the ecliptic. There are twelve signs that the sun travels through. It takes approximately 30 days for it to travel through each sign, therefore taking a year to complete the journey.

Each of the twelve divisions is called a house, and each house is ruled by a constellation. Most of the constellations are named after animals, this is why the suns track is called the “Zodiac”. The name comes from a Greek word Zodiakos which means “to do with animals”. Each house also has a ruling planet or deity.

The beginning of the Suns year is the spring and on the 21 st March it enters the first House of the Zodiac which is the House of the Ram – Aries.

There is an old rhyme that will help you to remember the Houses and the order in which they come :

The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins,

And next the Crab the Lion shines,

The Virgin and the Scales,

The Scorpion, Archer and Sea-Goat,

The man that bears the Watering-pot,

The Fish with glittering tails.

The rhyme interpreted to the order of signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.

Most people are familiar with these sun signs being called birth signs. Each horoscope contains the entire zodiac. Everybody lives out the potential of all the signs and is never solely a product of their sun sign.

The twelve signs are grouped into four element signs. These are Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Each group contains three Sun signs which are influenced by their elements in particular ways. Signs which share the same element usually have the same personality trait and understand each other better.

Article by Tracey Aldous