Zodiac Signs and what they rule

Congratulations! You have arrived at the all-time most popular post on this blog. But why are you here? What do you want to know about the attribution of the 12 zodiac signs to the human body? And why do you want to know about it? Leave me a message, a reason, and some feedback - as this is such a popular and well-read post I'm really interested in why you are here.

Above is a famous illustration called “Zodiac Man”. It comes from the 15th century illustrated book Les Trés Riches Heures du Duc de Berry, which also contains detailed and richly coloured illustrations for each of the 12 Zodiac Signs and their associated labours or tasks of the agricultural year.

Each Sign of the Zodiac, in this rather beautiful drawing, is associated with a different part of the body. Also known as melothesic man, this attribution of the signs to the body dates back to the dawn of astrology, but didn't appear in Europe until about the 12th century.
 
Zodiac Man has the Aries ram balanced on his head (Aries rules the head), a Taurean bull is wrapped around his neck, which is ruled by this Sign, and Gemini’s Twins peep around both his shoulders. Follow the Signs downwards from head to feet, and you’ll see that each is represented in the area of the body part it’s associated with. Note Libra, the sign of the balance or scales, which appropriately rules the kidneys, organs of maintaining fluid balance in the body, and the elimination of toxins. Sagittarius, the Centaur or half man/half horse, is associated with the thighs - the body part which is used when riding a horse. Leo is associated with the heart and spine - think of a proud, brave lion. Gemini excels at communication, so it’s appropriate that this Sign is associated with the lungs, arms and hands, and that the Twins should peep cheekily over the shoulders and arms of Zodiac Man in the illustration.

I've written about all 12 Zodiac Signs in my co-authored book, The Cosmic Egg Timer, available from Amazon in paperback or an ebook.

I also talk about the Signs and Body Parts in one of my YouTube videos, where I've created a series of videos on my AstroChat Channel covering all 12 zodiac signs.

If you're really keen to find out more about astrological psychology which will take you way, way beyond Zodiac Man, body parts, sun sign astrology and quick info fixes, visit the Astrological Psychology Association website to find out more. We have consultants, offer courses and have a wide range of astrological psychology books on offer - see the "Books" labels above.



As a final thought, here is a poem by Joe Cooper about some of the signs and their associated body parts. Oh, and don't forget to  leave me a message or a comment.

Body Language

It is said
Aries rules the head
Cancer the tum
Sagittarius the bum
With other signs pertaining
To remaining anatomical whereabouts.

The parts we keep under our clothes
Usually have a sign over them which shows
Scorpio rules thereabouts.

Charley Boorman

Actor and adventurer Charley Boorman was born on 23. 8.1966 in Wimbledon, London. No time of birth is available so I've set his chart for noon, which puts the Sun on the MC at the top of the chart. This is unlikely to be accurate, but it's interesting to note that Charley has his Sun in Leo (just!) and is an actor. I've noticed that many showbiz personalities and actors are Sun Leo's - they love to be centre stage and in the spotlight!

Charley travelled with fellow actor Ewan McGregor ( see his chart on 21st October posting) from London to New York by motorbike in 2005. This year both men took another motorbike trip - Long Way Down - as ambassadors for UNICEF, travelling 15,000 from John O' Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa.

Charley's overall chart shaping shows a mixture of Fixed and Mutable motivation. Of Fixed motivation, I say in my book "The Cosmic Egg Timer": A chart with a Fixed aspect structure has figures of four or more sides. It looks solid and firm, and its overall quadrangular shaping suggests that the unconscious motivation of the person will be towards security and stability. They need to know where they stand, to feel safe and secure and to enjoy the substance of life. Fixed energy has an established quality. It seeks to keep things pretty much the same, unchanging, firm and solid. To preserve what is there is its main purpose.

Of Mutable motivation, I write: Here the chart is composed of triangular figures which give a feeling of fluidity, suggesting that the person will be able to adapt and adjust quite readily to life circumstances. They will go with the flow, and will not be too upset by change. Mutable energy is moving energy. It adapts and moves on, seeking to keep this momentum of fluidity, shifting, changing but not stopping.

What does all this suggest about Charley? He's likely to show a mixture of both types of behaviour - on the one hand he wants security, maybe in specific areas of his life. On the other hand, he can adapt readily and take changes and challenges in his stride. I watched the whole series of "Long Way Round" and to date, the first episode of "Long Way Down" which is being shown on BBC TV. My observations of Charley in these screenings is that he's been far more laid back about things that went wrong, or delays along the way, than was Ewan McGregor. The Mutable motivation was more in evidence, yet there appears to be a strong Fixed secure "core" to Charley. It's clear that his family is extremely important to him - he spoke often of missing his wife and daughters during the Long Way Round trip.

When there's no time of birth available a lot of relevant and insightful information about the person can be gained by considering the chart shaping/motivation, as I just have, and the aspect colour balance/motivation, as I will now.

Charley's chart has 2 red: 2 green: 9 blue aspects. That is a lot of blue energy (that's where his more laid back approach to life may stem from) and blue energy is similar in nature to the fixity in Fixed motivation. One feeds and supports the other. In "The Cosmic Egg Timer" I say A person who lives life in a "Blue" way seeks substance, security, serenity and stillness, and they would be concerned with the very act of BEING, to enable them to experience and enjoy life. Such a person might have a lot of blue aspects in their chart. Blue aspects have a fixed quality, seeking security and stability.
Charley's chart lacks red aspects so he will function best with someone whose chart has an excess of red aspects: cue Ewan ( see his chart opposite) with his excess of red aspects! The two make a complemetary pair, which is evident in their successful partnership on this trips.

You can read Charley's log of the Long Way Down trip and read more about motivation, aspect shaping and colour in my book The Cosmic Egg Timer available from the APA Book Shop and from Amazon.

What makes you smile?

I've been tagged by blogger friend Barbara, a fellow Virgo, who has nominated me for the "You make me smile" award. Without a doubt, Barbara's warm, friendly and informative blog often makes me smile.

Smiling, laughter and humour in general are something I ponder on from time to time, wondering just where they might be pinpointed in a birth chart. Would it be possible to know if someone had a sense of humour and, if so, what kind, just from looking at their chart? I guess maybe not, although there would be clues to suggest this, especially if you already knew the person, or knew something about them.


I'd veer towards Jupiter in my chart as the planet most likely to be associated with humour and laughter. Its qualities of being larger than life, of being associated with expansion, perception and experience fit in with this, and it's the planet that Holst, composer of The Planet's Suite, called "the bringer of jollity". Mercury could also be associated with humour with it's capacity to be quick thinking and quick witted; quick, clever and witty humour is something I appreciate and enjoy. Then there is Uranus, which I associate with off-beat, quirky humour (and I like that too!).

Here are a few other bloggers who I'd like to pass this award on to as they feed and nurture different aspects of my sense of humour:
Lobo makes me laugh and appeals to my Uranian sense of humour. His blog has Mercurial wit too, and warns people that it contains adult content. Go and see....!

Rivkaz, based in Singapore, writes a blog called Water Learner and she makes me smile gently as she goes with the flow of life and shares her learning and experience along the way.
Jennifer writes a beautiful and thoughtful blog called Goodness Graciousness which appeals to my Jupiter conjunct Neptune.

Ewan McGregor

I wanted to look at actor Ewan McGregor’s chart after recently watching the entire series of “Long Way Round” on CD. For those who’ve not heard of this, in 2004 McGregor, along with actor friend Charley Boorman, rode 20,000 miles on motorbikes from London to New York via the long route across Europe, into Russia, through Kazakhstan and Mongolia, flying to Alaska and then through Canada and the US to New York. It was an epic and hazardous journey and the series makes for compulsive viewing. The men undertook the journey as a personal challenge and as UNICEF ambassadors.

Ewan McGregor was born on 31.3.1971 at 20.10 in Perth, Scotland (thanks Caroline, my Scottish Data Queen). What I noticed when first looking at it was the all-red Efficiency Triangle pinned by his Aries Sun, Mars and Uranus. Watching the series it was evident that Ewan was often in urgent need to take action, to do something and get things moving. His strongly placed Sun at 10 degrees Aries feeds into this, together with the excess red/Cardinal motivation in the colour balance in his chart ( 5 red: 3 green: 4 blue).

All 3 planets in the Efficiency Triangle are either on or close to 11 degrees, the strongest placement within a Sign than a planet can have. Whilst Sun opposite Uranus on the 6th/12th House axis of Existence will also feed into his motivation to be up and doing something, Mars at the apex of this triangle is intercepted in cautious Capricorn, bringing a steadying influence to what might otherwise be headstrong and erratic behaviour. McGregor was usally the one who lost his cool and occasionally erupted, or who wanted to get moving when the bikes were stuck, yet he also demonstrated sound common sense, self-preservation and bonhomie towards the people he met on the journey, especially when their host in Russia appeared waving a Kalashnikov at a party he’d invited them to!

McGregor has several strongly placed and cuspal planets. Any planet placed just before a House cusp will be urgently seeking recognition; those on the cusp or just after it will be very strongly expressed out in the world. Moon, Venus, Saturn and Pluto all fall into these categories, making McGregor a person it would be hard to ignore. His stardom and reputation as an actor bear this out, and although I’ve seen him on the screen, just being himself on this journey with Boorman he comes across as a thoroughly nice guy (if at times a bit impatient!).

The “Long Way Round” journey was undertaken in 2004 when McGregor’s Age Point was appropriately conjunct his Aries Sun. The two men have this year taken another trip (“Long Way Down”) travelling from John o’Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa, this as McGregor’s Age Point at age 36 crosses the DC and brings him even more closely into contact with the “You” - those we meet out in the world. The account of their journey through Africa will be screened by the BBC this autumn.

Watching the series, I observed the way both men coped with the situations, challenges, and with meeting other people along the way. My feeling was that Ewan was a Sun Aries and Charley was a Sun Libra (opposite Signs) as they complemented each other so well, yet were entirely different. But as I watched this whilst away on holiday I wasn’t able to check out their data until I was back. Charley turns out to be not a Libran but a Leo - another Fire Sign - so I was wrong with Charley but right with Ewan. I will take a look at Charley’s chart soon, but haven’t been able to find his time of birth - does anyone out there have it?

Earthy Pleasures with the Sun in Virgo

Virgo, from the Zodiac Window in Chartes Cathedral

Question: What do farmers in northern France do when the Sun is in Virgo and the harvest is in?

Answer: Hold a local agricultural fair to show off the fruits of their labours and the produce of the land, demonstrate their skills and celebrate the bounty of the earth.

I spent the Virgo month of September in France, beginning with a visit to belle-fille's (daughter-in-law's) family in Picardy, and went along to the local agricultural fair where her farming brother was taking part in a ploughing competition. The whole event was very earthy, reflecting the earth element of Virgo, itself a practical Sign of precision, nurturing and attention to detail. With my Sun also in Virgo (and yes, a birthday coming up), I went along to this event and viewed it through an astrological lens.

Arriving by car at the venue (a very large field in the middle of nowhere), we were directed to another large field nearby to park. This was ploughed neatly and precisely into sets of long earthy furrows, with enough space between each to park 2 rows of cars. It was around then that my astrological eyes clicked open! We headed off towards the ploughing match area. Way in the distance the tractors on their allocated plots could be seen ploughing and turning up and down as they created precise furrows.


Belle-fille's brother had already spoken of how difficult it was to meet the exact requirements in this competition - each furrow has to be of a certain depth and width, each competitor has a judge watching and checking every furrow ploughed.

The contrast between modern farm machinery and traditional methods was marked. Belle-fille's brother was driving a large tractor and ploughing 6 furrows at a time. A demonstration of old style ploughing with 2 horses attracted a lot of attention.........

.......as did the sheepdog rounding up the flock in a Virgoan way, keeping things nice and tidy!

There were produce stalls of all kinds, with tasting and sampling included. And just to show that there's more to French bread than baguettes, here's a line up of organic flour and the many varieties and flavours of bread that was made from it.

There were farm animals on show too, and although I didn't see a Capricornian goat, I did touch Taurus when I stroked a beautiful creamy-white Charolais bull named Velours (Velvet). Astrology is vibrant, living and all around if we know where and how to look for it!