Astrology

Astrological symbols
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Astrological symbols are images used in various astrological systems to denote
relevant objects. A number of such images are shown below.

Contents
[hide]

1 History and origin

2 The symbol meanings
o 2.1 Celestial bodies
o 2.2 The signs of the zodiac
o 2.3 Miscellaneous symbols
3 Unicode encodings
4 See also
5 References

6 External links

[edit] History and origin

Symbols for the classical planets, zodiac signs, aspects, lots, and the lunar nodes
first appear in the medieval Byzantine codices in which many ancient horoscopes
were preserved.[1] In the original papyri of these Greek horoscopes, only three
symbols are found: a circle with one ray for the Sun, a crescent for the Moon, and
an ligature used to abbreviate the words and .[2]

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The commonly accepted symbols for gods associated with the classical planets, including the sun and the
moon, are ultimately of ancient origin. Bianchini's planisphere, produced in the 2nd century,[3] shows Greek
personifications of planetary gods charged with early versions of the planetary symbols: Mercury has a
caduceus; Venus has, attached to her necklace, a cord connected to another necklace; Mars, a spear; Jupiter, a
staff; Saturn, a scythe; the Sun, a circlet with rays radiating from it; and the Moon, a headdress with a crescent
attached.[4] A diagram in Johannes Kamateros' 12th century Compendium of Astrology shows the Sun
represented by the circle with a ray, Jupiter by the letter zeta (the initial of Zeus, Jupiter's counterpart in Greek
mythology), Mars by a shield crossed by a spear, and the remaining classical planets by symbols resembling
the modern ones, without the cross-mark seen in modern versions of the symbols.[4] The sun symbol pictured
as a circle with a dot () first appeared in the Renaissance.[2]
Symbols for Uranus and Neptune were created shortly after their discovery. For Uranus, two variant symbols
are seen. One symbol, , invented by J. G. Khler and refined by Bode, was intended to represent the newly
discovered metal platinum; since platinum, commonly called white gold, was found by chemists mixed with
iron, and since it was the hardest and heaviest metal then known, the symbol for platinum combines the
alchemical symbols for iron, , and gold, .[5][6] Another symbol, , was suggested by Lalande in 1784. In a

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letter to Herschel, Lalande described it as "un globe surmont par la premire lettre de votre nom" ("a globe
surmounted by the first letter of your name").[7] After Neptune was discovered, the Bureau des Longitudes
proposed the name Neptune and the familiar trident for the planet's symbol.[8]
The astrological symbols for three of the Big Four asteroidsCeres, Pallas, and Junowere also created after
their discovery. Shortly after Giuseppe Piazzi's discovery of Ceres, a group of astronomers ratified the name,
proposed by the discoverer, and chose the sickle as a symbol of the planet.[9] The symbol for Pallas, the spear
of Pallas Athena, was invented by Baron Franz Xaver von Zach, and introduced in his Monatliche
correspondenz zur befrderung der erd- und himmels-kunde.[10] Karl Ludwig Harding, who discovered and
named Juno, assigned to it the symbol of a scepter topped with a star.[11]
The modern astrological symbol for Vesta was created by Eleanor Bach,[12] who is credited with pioneering
the use of the Big Four asteroids with the publication of her Ephemerides of the Asteroids.[13] Bach's symbol
for Vesta is a simplified version of other representations of Vesta's altar.[12] The original form of the symbol for
Vesta, , was created by German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss. Dr. Olbers, having previously
discovered and named one new planet (as the asteroids were then classified), gave Gauss the honor of naming
his newest discovery. Gauss decided to name the planet for the goddess Vesta, and also specified that the
symbol should be the altar of the goddess with the sacred fire burning on it.[14][15]
Pluto, like Uranus, has two symbols in use. One symbol, a monogram of the letters PL (which could be
interpreted to stand for Pluto or for astronomer Percival Lowell), was announced with the name of the new
planet by the discoverers on May 1, 1930.[16] The other symbol, which was popularized in Paul Clancy's
astrological publications, is based on the symbol for Mercury, with the circle and arc of Mercury trading
positions. This symbol is described by Dane Rudhyar as "suggest[ing] the planetary character of the Pluto
mind by the circle, floating above the open cup." [17]
The symbol for the centaur Chiron, a key with the letter K (for discoverer Charles T. Kowal) was proposed by
astrologer Al Morrison, who presented the symbol as "an inspiration shared amongst Al H. Morrison, Joelle
K.D. Mahoney, and Marlene Bassoff."[18]

[edit] The symbol meanings

[edit] Celestial bodies
The glyphs of the planets are usually (but not always) broken down into four common elements: A circle
denoting spirit, a crescent denoting the mind, a cross denoting practical/physical matter and an arrow denoting
action or direction.[19]

These are the astrological glyphs as most commonly used in Western Astrology.
Unicode:
Name Symbol
Sun
Moon
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Ceres
Jupiter
Saturn

Uranus

Neptune

Symbol represents
Solar symbol (circled dot)

Meaning of symbol
Divine spirit (circle) surrounding seed of potential

Crescent Moon
Mind or evolving human spirit (crescent)
Mercury's winged helmet and
Mind (crescent) poised over divine spirit (circle) and
caduceus
matter (cross)
Venus's hand mirror.
Divine spirit (circle) over matter (cross)
Earth; also a Solar symbol (sun
Earth the cardinal directions
cross)
Mars's shield and spear.
Drive/aim/force (arrow) over divine spirit (circle)
Scythe (handle down),
A stylized sickle, a crescent of receptivity resting on a
emblematic of Ceres as goddess
cross of matter.
of grain
Jupiter's thunderbolt or eagle Mind (crescent) rising above the horizon of matter (cross)
Matter (cross) taking precedence over mind or human
Saturn's sickle or scythe
spirit (crescent)
H in symbol taken from
The circle of spirit and a dominant cross of matter, in form
discoverer's last name, Herschel
of an antenna that uses matter as a way to insight.
Astronomical glyph often used astrologically.
derived from a combination of
Drive/aim/force over a divine spirit (circle) surrounding
the Mars and Sun symbols
seed of potential
Mind or human spirit (crescent) transcending matter
Neptune's trident
(cross)

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Modification of Neptune's
astrological symbol

Pluto

PL monogram for Pluto and

Percival Lowell

Mind (crescent) transcending matter (cross) to reach for

divine spirit (circle)
Astronomical symbol often used astrologically

[edit] The signs of the zodiac

Further information: Zodiac and Astrological sign

The symbols used in Western astrology to represent the astrological signs of the Zodiac
Unicode:
Name
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo

Meaning Symbol
Ram
Bull
Twins
Crab
Lion

Virgo
Virgin
Libra
Scale
Scorpio
Scorpion
Sagittarius Archer
Capricorn Sea-goat
Aquarius Waterbearer
Pisces

Symbol Represents
Face and horns of ram
Face and horns of bull
Companion
Crab's claws

Fish

Lion's head and mane

Sheaf of barley
Scales
Stinger of a scorpion
Arrow of the centaur
Body and head of a goat with the tail of a fish.
Ripples of water; sometimes modernly viewed as bolts of lightning, waves of
aether, or electrically-charged water
Two fish tied together yet swimming in opposite directions

[edit] Miscellaneous symbols

Astronomical symbols/glyphs representing the three most used asteroids Vesta, Juno, Pallas Athena and the
comet Chiron in Western astrology.
Symbol
Name
Symbol
Explanation
represents
The ascendant is the angle rising over the eastern horizon at a
Ascendant
Angle
particular moment in time; it is used in the construction of a
horoscope/natal chart (also known as the "rising sign")
The midheaven is the angle where the ecliptic crosses the Meridian
(line of longitude) in the south on northern hemisphere (and the
Midheaven
Angle
point in north in the southern hemisphere); it is used in the
construction of a horoscope/natal chart (also known as the "medium
coeli" or "zenith")
Not all astrologers use the lunar nodes; however, their usage is very
important in Vedic astrology. They are alternately known as the
"Dragon's Head" (Rahu, Caput Draconis, or Anabibazon) and the
Ascending Node
Lunar node
"Dragon's Tail" (Ketu, Cauda Draconis, or Catabibazon). The two
nodes together are most commonly referred to simply as the nodal
axis, the lunar nodes, or the Moon's nodes.
Not all astrologers use the lunar nodes; however, their usage is very
important in Vedic astrology. They are alternately known as the
Descending
"Dragon's Head" (Rahu, Caput Draconis, or Anabibazon) and the
Lunar node
Node
"Dragon's Tail" (Ketu, Cauda Draconis, or Catabibazon). The two
nodes together are most commonly referred to simply as the nodal
axis, the lunar nodes, or the Moon's nodes.
Astrological
Conjunction
0-10 angle/two or more planets in the same sign
aspect
Astrological
Semisextile
30 angle/One sign apart
aspect
Astrological
Semi-square
45 angle (also known as the "octile" or "semiquartile")
aspect
Astrological
Sextile
60 angle/Two signs apart
aspect
Astrological
Quintile
72 angle
aspect
Astrological
90 angle (also known as the "quartile")/Three signs apart/Same
Square
aspect
modality

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Astrological
aspect
Astrological
aspect
Astrological
aspect
Astrological
aspect
Astrological
aspect
apparent
retrograde
motion

Trine
Sesquiquadrate
Biquintile
Quincunx
Opposition
Retrograde
motion
Comet

Comet-s

2 Pallas

Asteroid

3 Juno

Asteroid

4 Vesta

Asteroid

2060 Chiron

Planetoid

Lot of fortune

Lot

Eris
no symbol yet
defined

120 angle/Four signs apart/Same elemental triplicity

135 angle (also known as the "sesquisquare," "square-and-a-half,"
and/or "trioctile")
144 angle
150 angle (also known as the "inconjunct")/Five signs apart
180 angle/Six signs apart
Symbol represents the apparent retrograde motion of a planet in an
astrological chart
Different comets often use different symbols, but the use of comets
is not widespread in mainstream astrology
(variant has triangle on top)
Alchemical symbol for sulfur (both variants) see also Asteroids in
astrology)

Glyph for planet Earth rotated 45 degrees.

Eye of
Providence
(proposed) [if
used]
Hand of Eris
(proposed) [if
used]
(proposed) used
in Poland[20][21]

Some other meanings are:

The Ascendant/Descendant axis horizontal line is a symbol of Earth, while the vertical (MC/IC)line is a
symbol of God (of course, the Circle representing the whole chart is symbolic of All is God - the entire
Universe, God is Love, God is everlasting, He has no beginning and no end.

[edit] Unicode encodings

Symbol
Sun

Image

Unicode
U+2609

Glyph

7
First quarter Moon

U+263D

Last quarter Moon

U+263E

Mercury

U+263F

Venus

U+2640

Earth

U+2641

Mars

U+2642

Jupiter

U+2643

Saturn

U+2644

Uranus

U+2645

Uranus variant

not present (U+26E2 proposed [22]) --

Neptune

U+2646

1 Ceres

U+26B3

2 Pallas

U+26B4

3 Juno

U+26B5

4 Vesta

U+26B6

2060 Chiron

U+26B7

Eris proposal 1

not present

--

Eris proposal 2

not present

--

Eris proposal 3

not present

--

Pluto

U+2647

Pluto variant

not present

--

Aries

U+2648

Taurus

U+2649

Gemini

U+264A

Cancer

U+264B

Leo

U+264C

Virgo

U+264D

Libra

U+264E

Scorpio

U+264F

Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius

U+2650
U+2651
U+2652

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Pisces

U+2653

Ascendant

not plain text

ASC

Midheaven

not plain text

MC

Ascending Node

U+260A

Descending Node

U+260B

Conjunction

U+260C

Semisextile

U+26BA

Semi-square

U+2220

Sextile

U+26B9

Quintile

U+0051

Square

U+25A1

Trine

U+25B3

Sesquiquadrate

U+26BC

Biquintile

U+0062 U+0051

bQ

Quincunx

U+26BB

Opposition

U+260D

apparent retrograde motion

U+211E

Lot of fortune

not present

--

Conjuction

proposal

--

Comet

U+2604

Meteor
Meteor Shower
Asteroid

proposal
proposal
proposal

----

[edit]See also

Astronomical symbols
Astrological sign
Asteroids in astrology
Sexagenary cycle
Earthly Branches
Heavenly Stems

Mayan calendar
Aztec calendar
Nakshatra
Navagraha
Monas Hieroglyphica
Gender symbols
Classical elements
Vedic astrology