The Horoscope

For the Celtic culture the forests, and therefore the trees themselves, were of supreme importance. They symbolized life and they were the center of a great part of their culture.

Celtic astrology could not be less. The different seasons were associated to specific trees that represented them. In all, there are 21 trees.

The 21 chosen trees were: olive tree, oak, birch, beech, fir, poplar, maple, hazelnut tree, hornbeam, chestnut tree, cedar, cypress, ash tree, fig tree, apple tree, walnut tree, elm tree, pine tree, willow, rowan tree and lime tree.

Each of these trees offers its characteristics and protection. The personality of each person is influenced by his date of birth and the tree associated to it. The Celtic horoscope will not make prophecies; it is not a predictive horoscope, but it can serve as a guide to face life.

Astrology in China, the Chinese horoscope, is based on a lunar calendar of 12 years. It is a millennial method, far more ancient than its western counterpart.

In the Chinese horoscope the sign of each person is determined by the year of his birth within the above-mentioned lunar cycle of twelve years. Each of these years is symbolized by an animal which has diverse qualities assigned.

These twelve animals are: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the pig. Tradition says that these animals were chosen by Buddha himself, the Emperor of Jade, who being close to his death invited all the animals to visit him for the last time. But only these twelve came up and so they were chosen to symbolize the Zodiac.

In addition to the animal corresponding to the year of birth, the annual animal, the character of a person is also influenced by two other animals: the internal animal and the secret animal. The internal animal is defined according to the person’s month of birth. The secret animal corresponds to the specific moment of the day in which the birth takes place; each day is split into twelve periods of two hours.

There are also five elements (water, wood, fire, metal, and earth) that influence, as modifiers, the combined characteristics of the three animals assigned to every person.

Aries, the ram, is the first sign of the Zodiac and it goes from March 21 to April 20.

The sign of Aries is represented from ancestral times by means of the figure of a lamb, or ram. We can even relate this sign to the legend of the Golden Fleece that Jason obtained in Colchis.

Aries symbolizes action, enthusiasm, propulsion, and drive. It symbolizes the new companies, the conquests. It is usually associated with great aspirations. The characteristic drive of Aries is represented to perfection by means of the figure of the battering-ram that is sometimes associated to it. In fact, quite a few battering-rams had the head of a ram in one of their ends.

Aries can fall into abuse of authority and force.

Aries is the sign of Mars, the God of war.

Taurus is placed between Aries and Gemini, and is the second sign of the Zodiac. The Sun is in Taurus from April 21 to May 21.

We can find the symbol of the bull in the history from the most remote times. The Chaldeans represented the Sun as a bull which traveled across the sky. In Egypt the Sun was identified with the god Apis, whose figure was an ox.

For the Romans the figure of the bull also had its symbolism, since it was one of the creatures which Zeus transformed into. The first sign of the Hebrew Kabbalah is Taurus, and in the Hebrew world it is loaded with symbolism; it represents One and the First one, Adam in Paradise.

Taurus represents the animal that makes the ground fertile, the peasant who prepares his fields. Taurus also symbolizes slowness, resistance, stability, and perseverance. Taurus represents immutability, even obfuscation.

The third sign of the zodiac is Gemini and it covers the days that go from May 22 to June 20.

This sign represents friendship, union. We can look for the mythological referent in the friendship between two heroes of the Mesopotamic tradition: Gilgamesh and Enkidu. The Greeks possibly assimilated this tradition, transforming it into the twins Castor and Pollux, whose friendship was legendary.

In Egypt, Gemini represented the god Horus and the god Harpocrates, whereas the Hebrew tradition represents it as a double door.

Gemini symbolizes communication, duplicity, imitation, even hypocrisy.

Cancer is the fourth sign of the Zodiac and it goes from June 21 to July 22.
The symbolic origin of this sign is still somewhat dark, although it can allude to the backward movement of the Sun in this season.

The beginning of the period that Cancer covers coincides with the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere, which implies to a certain extent the rejuvenation and rebirth of the aquatic animals, for a long time one of the staples.

Cancer is a sign that symbolizes conception, intuition, and fantasy. Although it is also true that the natives of this sign can show a certain tendency to become withdrawn.

Leo is the fifth sign of the Zodiac, between July 23 and August 21.

The lion symbolized fire in ancient Mesopotamia, whereas for the ancient Greeks it represented the famous lion of Nemea, killed by Hercules with his own hands.

Leo is a sign of fire that symbolizes monarchy and glory, and also fortune and authority. These characteristics can lead to condescension and even megalomania.

Virgo is the sixth sign of the Zodiac, between August 22 and September 23.

The meaning of Virgo, representing virginity, has changed quite a lot as time went by. For example in Greece and Mesopotamia it represented the goddess who mediated between matter and spirit.

Virgo is a sign of Earth that symbolizes spirituality, order, coldness, abstract intelligence, as well as a yearning for knowledge of the secrets of life. Its most negative aspects tell us about its selfishness, materialism, stinginess, and even excessive criticism.