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Brandi Back
Mrs. DeBock
English 4 Honors
12 November 2015
Astrological Cause of the Zodiac
Astrology is a mysterious science with vast possibilities still undiscovered, however, one
theory sprung about through astrology is the zodiac. Throughout time the zodiac theory has
evolved, it began as an alignment of the stars, but come to present day it is the basis on which
many people rely their luck. Worldwide, people look to their zodiac sign as almost a set of
guidelines for their personality and life choices. Zodiac signs differ slightly throughout the
world however their basis lies in the alignment of astrology. Overtime the connection to
astrology has developed from just a philosophical connection to a mathematical connection
worldwide. Although Zodiac signs are studied worldwide, their origin lies in astrology, causing
them to be affected by the sun, moon, and planetary alignments.
Astrology is a global study, and more closely focused the Zodiac sign is a popular
category in this study. Throughout the world people have relied on the stars, astrologers as far
apart as Egypt, China, Peru, and England were building stone structures to aid in foretelling
times and seasons based on the stars (Religion Book). In zodiac, various configurations of stars
are grouped into constellations making up animals and objects that cross over the path of planets,
in a zone called Zodiakos Kyklos, which is where the name zodiac was formed. From this

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discovery math became a factor in the stars alignment and from there the concept of zodiac
began to spread, it first appeared in Greece then went onto Egypt, later bringing in Babylonian
influences. According to Steele, as Babylonian influences were combined with both the Greek
and Egyptian influences; several new forms of astrology, including the practice of personal
horoscopes based on the positions of the sun, moon, and planets began to appear. Many of these
developments change the zodiac from predicting time and seasons to predicting personalities,
and giving horoscopes, thus creating the zodiac the world knows today.
Although the origin of the zodiac is a combination of many different cultures, the zodiac
still differs around the world. In Hindu culture, the correlation between astronomy and the
zodiac is called Jyotisha, Jyotisha is a system of understanding how our lives and our karmas
relate to the movements of the cosmos (Shastri). Much like the modern zodiac, Jyotisha studies
a system of planets, signs, and houses. The major difference between Hindu and Western
astrology is that the planetary positions go back one sign from the Western zodiac chart, for
example an Aries in western astrology may be a Pisces according to Jyotisha. Although the
zodiac differs worldwide the origin remains the same, astrology.
Multiple origins emerge when you connect zodiac to astrology, another origin that
appears is the connection to Medieval Europe. When zodiac spread to Medieval Europe they had
a different interpretation of it, they used the term children of the planets, as said by Shamos.
This term was made up by late renaissance artists, the term assisted in shaping an understanding
of the zodiac for Europe. The imagery created by the artists showed elaborate calculations to

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depict the planets influence of an individuals personality. This helped to explain the concept of
the zodiac and the correlation to astrology through visuals. The children of the planets was
important in popularizing astrology and defining social relations throughout Renaissance
Europe. The children of the planets served to group people amongst mutual planetary
alignments, based of similar behaviors and characteristics. The children of the planets may be a
personal term used by Medieval Europe, however, it developed the modern system for
categorizing astrological alignments into zodiac categories.
In modern astrology the connection to the zodiac is clear, astrological alignment at birth
gives someone their sign. According to Murphy, the zodiac constellations are twelve unequal
segments along the ecliptic, which were decided by a scientific convention in the early 1930s.
Most western astrologers work with the zodiac signs, and in India, and other Asian countries,
they use the zodiac constellations. Our modern belief of the zodiac is that the stars, the planets,
the sun, and the moon, influence human affairs and determine the course of events. One's
horoscope is a map of the heavens at the time of one's birth, showing the position of the heavenly
bodies in relation to the 12 houses or signs through which they pass and their positions in
relation to each other is what creates the personal connection between signs. The zodiac also
relies on the orbits of the moon and the principal, the 12 astrological signs all make up one circle.
The modern signs no longer correspond to the astronomical constellations in which the sun
actually appears however people still follow these signs. The size and number of zodiac
constellations varied and did not become the set zodiacs we follow today until we used
mathematical astronomical connections. The zodiac we follow today is a combination of the
developments around the world over time, all leading back to astronomy.

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Although Zodiac signs are studied worldwide, their origin lies in astrology, causing them
to be affected by the sun, moon, and planetary alignments. As developments were made in
various countries around the world people came to develop the zodiac we know today. The
zodiac is connected to the alignment of stars, planets, and the moon and the mathematical
connection astronomers can make to create the zodiac categories.

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Works Cited
"Astrology" Religion Book (2004): 54. MAS Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Buckland, Raymond. "Zodiac." Fortune-Telling Book (2003): 512. MAS Complete. Web. 29 Oct.
2015.

Murphy, Finbarr. "Zodiac Signs, Zodiac Constellations." Lilipoh 17.69 (2012): 32. Alt
HealthWatch. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Shamos, Geoffrey. "Astrology As A Social Framework: The 'Children Of Planets', 1400-1600."

Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature & Culture 7.4 (2013): 434-460. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Shastri, Pandit Vamadeva. "Jyotisha, Hindu Astrology." Hinduism Today 37.4 (2015): 38-52.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.

Steele, J. M. "A Late Babylonian Compendium Of Calendrical And Stellar Astrology." Journal
Of Cuneiform Studies 67.(2015): 187-215. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 29
Oct. 2015.