Lesson 2 · 9 min
The twelve signs
Each sign is a thirty degree slice of the zodiac with its own symbol, themes and traditional ruling planet. Here we meet all twelve.
Signs are segments, not constellations
A sign is a mathematical slice of the ecliptic, exactly thirty degrees wide. A constellation is a pattern of stars of whatever size it happens to be. The constellation Virgo is huge, Cancer is small, and the Sun also passes through Ophiuchus, the Serpent Bearer, for a couple of weeks between late November and December. None of this changes the signs, because the signs were never meant to be the star patterns themselves.
So when someone says the zodiac has a thirteenth sign, they are describing constellations. In the tropical tradition there are always twelve signs of equal size, counted from the March equinox.
The dates printed in horoscope columns, such as Aries from about 21 March, are approximations. The Sun enters each sign on a slightly different day from year to year, because the calendar year and the solar year do not match exactly. If a birthday falls on the edge between two signs, only a calculation for that year and time settles which sign holds the Sun.
Aries to Virgo
Aries, the Ram, opens the zodiac. Its traditional ruler is Mars, and astrologers read it as beginning, courage and directness. Taurus, the Bull, is ruled by Venus and speaks of steadiness, the senses and what lasts. Gemini, the Twins, is ruled by Mercury and is associated with curiosity, talk and connection.
Cancer, the Crab, is ruled by the Moon and carries themes of care, home and memory. Leo, the Lion, is ruled by the Sun and stands for warmth, creativity and being seen. Virgo, often shown as a maiden holding a sheaf of wheat, is ruled by Mercury and points to skill, discernment and useful work.
Libra to Pisces
Libra, the Scales, is ruled by Venus and is linked with balance, fairness and partnership. Scorpio, the Scorpion, is traditionally ruled by Mars and is read as depth, intensity and what lies beneath the surface. Sagittarius, the Archer, a centaur with a bow, is ruled by Jupiter and speaks of travel, belief and the search for meaning.
Capricorn, the Sea-Goat, is ruled by Saturn and stands for structure, patience and long effort. Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is also ruled by Saturn in the traditional scheme and is associated with community, principle and ideas ahead of their time. Pisces, the Fishes, is ruled by Jupiter and carries themes of imagination, compassion and dissolving boundaries.
Traditional and modern rulers
The rulerships above are the traditional ones, built on the seven planets visible to the naked eye. The Sun and Moon each rule one sign, and Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn each rule two. Arranged around the wheel, the pattern is neatly symmetrical, a sign of how carefully ancient astrologers built their system.
Seen around the wheel, the pattern runs like this. Cancer and Leo, the Moon and the Sun, sit side by side. Moving outwards on both sides come Gemini and Virgo for Mercury, Taurus and Libra for Venus, Aries and Scorpio for Mars, Pisces and Sagittarius for Jupiter, and finally Aquarius and Capricorn for Saturn, which meet opposite Cancer and Leo.
After telescopes revealed new planets, many astrologers added modern rulers: Uranus for Aquarius, Neptune for Pisces and Pluto for Scorpio. Some astrologers use only the traditional scheme, some use only the modern one, and many keep both. You will see both in Zodiaq, and this course will always tell you which one is meant.
Key terms
- Sign
- One of twelve equal thirty degree segments of the zodiac, counted from zero degrees Aries.
- Constellation
- A recognised pattern of stars. Constellations vary in size and are not the same as signs.
- Ruler
- The planet traditionally linked with a sign, said in this tradition to be at home there.
- Modern ruler
- An outer planet (Uranus, Neptune or Pluto) assigned to a sign after its discovery.
Worked example
Maya's seven classical planets by sign
Here are the signs Zodiaq's engine gives for the seven classical planets in our teaching sample Maya's chart (15 March 1992, 14:30, Lisbon). Sun in Pisces. Moon in Leo. Mercury in Aries. Venus in Pisces. Mars in Aquarius. Jupiter in Virgo. Saturn in Aquarius.
Now look up each sign's traditional ruler. Her Sun and Venus sit in Pisces, ruled by Jupiter. Her Moon is in Leo, ruled by the Sun. Mercury is in Aries, ruled by Mars. Mars and Saturn are in Aquarius, ruled by Saturn, so Saturn is in a sign it rules. Jupiter is in Virgo, ruled by Mercury.
In the modern scheme, Pisces would point to Neptune and Aquarius to Uranus instead. Notice that the same sign can lead an astrologer to different planets depending on which scheme they use. In the exercise that follows, you will sort all twelve signs by element, which is one more layer of the same map.
History and traditionWhere the scheme of rulers comes from
The pattern of traditional rulers was already established in Hellenistic astrology and is laid out in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos in the second century CE. Ptolemy explained it with a picture of the wheel: the Sun and Moon take Leo and Cancer, the signs of high summer, and the other planets follow outwards in order of their distance, ending with Saturn in the winter signs Capricorn and Aquarius.
Uranus was discovered by William Herschel in 1781, Neptune in 1846, and Pluto in 1930. Astrologers debated for decades which signs they should rule. Pluto was reclassified by astronomers as a dwarf planet in 2006, but astrologers still use it as a symbol, since astrology works with meaning rather than astronomical categories.
Try it: Sort the signs by element
Place each of the twelve signs into fire, earth, air or water.
Choose a group for each item.
Check your understanding
Question 1 of 5
Think about it
Pick a sign you know well, perhaps your own. Which of its traditional themes feel like a symbol you find useful, and which feel like a stretch?