The Natural Zodiac
The horoscope is a two-dimensional representation of the 3-dimensional sky. It is a map of the positions of the Sun, the Moon and planets in the heavens at the exact time and place of your birth. Modern astrologers use the horoscope as a tool to interpret human behaviour. which modern astrologers use to interpret human behaviour. This map represents a circle of 3600, the path that the Sun appears to follow through the sky (the plane of the earth’s orbit around the Sun), which astronomers call the ecliptic. Astrologers divide this path into twelve 30o sectors. These sectors are called houses and represent departments of life. They indicate which house the Sun was in at the time of your birth. For instance, if you were born in the early part of October your sun would be in the sign of Libra.
The Zodiac most used in Western astrology is determined by the vernal equinox. This is the position of the Sun (about 20th March each year) when the days and nights are equal. The vernal equinox is defined in astronomy as the point in space where the plane of the earth’s orbit around the Sun, the ecliptic, intersects the plane of the earth’s equator extended into space. In astrology, this is known as 00 of Aries. It marks the beginning of what is known as the ‘Tropical Zodiac,’ the most used Zodiac in Western Astrology.
In the natal horoscope, which is calculated using the Birth Date, Birth Time and Birth Place, some houses have planetary energies in them and others don’t. Broadly speaking houses with planetary energies in them suggest areas of focus and have special emphasis in this life. The energies are represented by symbols that the astrologer can read. People often interpret an empty house to mean that the house symbolism may not be important. It would be more accurate to say that there will be more activity and heighten sensitivity in houses containing things. Those ‘things’ are planets, luminaries, asteroids, fixed stars. However, we do not overlook those houses that are empty, they still tell a story.
A horoscope is called by many different names: Nativity, natal chart, radix, birth chart, map wheel etc. However, the signs of the Zodiac always follow an unchanging pattern through the sky: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
(Sakioan & Acker 1973)