The Lost Zodiac

The Eagle - Jan 14 to Jan 28

The Legends behind your Star Sign

The King of Birds

The king of the birds, the Golden Eagle, is a symbol of the spirit and the sun. All-seeing, flying so fast and high, this majestic bird of prey has been sacred to the highest and most powerful gods in every land. Its elements are air and fire, and, since the earliest times, men have connected it with the thunder and the lightening which bring life and fertilising rain to the parched earth. It stands for noble aspiration and for the highest spiritually discerning power in man.

The Caesars

At the funerals of the Caesars, during the great days of Rome, a captive eagle was released into the sky. It symbolised the emperor's soul, free, at last, to join the gods. Everywhere, in fact, the eagle represents the longing, and the power, of the spirit to soar upwards to the stars and to become immortal, overcoming death and bondage to mortality and earthly things. From prehistoric times, the enemy of the soaring eagle has been the serpent, which, because it creeps along the ground, has always been a symbol of the earth - and of everything the eagle wants to rise above. In Ancient Greece, the eagle was the bird of Zeus, the almighty sky-god, who lived on the cloud-capped peaks of Mount Olympus, while the serpent belonged to the earth and Hera, Zeus's queen.

Legend has it that an eagle, carrying a serpent in its claws, appeared before the fall of Troy, flying high over the doomed city. The Greek priest and soothsayer, Kalchas, interpreted the strange omen for the heroes who were gathering beneath the city walls. The Trojans worshipped the Great Goddess and Earth Mother of Asia, whose symbol was the serpent. For the Greeks, however, the sky-god, Zeus, with his eagle, was the highest power. The omen therefore meant that Troy would fall and Greece would win the ten-year battle, which is in fact what happened.

Zeus and his eagle, of course, are symbolically one and the same, as the most famous story about them shows. Zeus was married to his sister Hera, but although 'her scented white arms filled the whole universe with their fragrance', he was notoriously unfaithful to her, often swooping down on unsuspecting mortal maidens, like a bird of prey.

One day, however, his all-seeing eagle eye alighted on the fair youth, Ganymede, the beautiful son of the founder of Troy. Transforming himself into a great eagle, the king of the gods swept down over the broad Trojan plains, and, clasping Ganymede in his talons, soared back to Olympus. There, much to Hera's rage, the boy became the cup-bearer of the gods, who, as he filled their cups with nectar, were enchanted by his beauty. To recompense Ganymede's father for his loss, Zeus gave him two immortal mares, 'swift as the storm', and a vine of solid gold. He then turned Ganymede into Aquarius, the water bearer, and placed him in the stars beside the eagle, where he glitters to this day. There is a much earlier belief which lies behind this story. Ganymede, it seems, was once the god, who, like Aquarius, was responsible for sprinkling the dry earth with heaven's rain. In those days, before men understood how clouds are formed, it was believed that rain came from the 'Upper Waters', the sacred source of being, over which Aquarius ruled.

Garuda

In India, and elsewhere in the East, the eagle is called Garuda, the 'fair-feathered'. He is the master of the sky who came into existence at the beginning of time, and like the Greek eagle, he is not only the enemy of the serpent, but is also connected with fire, life-giving rain and nectar. But there is an important difference. While Ganymede pours out nectar only for the gods, Garuda gives its Indian equivalent, the heavenly Soma, to all mankind. The juices of this mysterious plant are described as being 'swift as thought' - like the eagles flight - and they give to the poet 'supernatural power, so that he feels himself immortal'. Thus, the eagle brings to human life the fiery spirit's fertilising rain.

Spiritual Power

The eagle, though, is best known for its nobility and speed, and for the sharpness of its vision. As such, it is a symbol of the brilliance of the intellect and of insight in general. Because it flies so high, it also stands for the power of the spirit to transcend and conquer baser forces. For the American Indians, it is nothing less than the great spirit and represents enlightenment.

Traditionally, the eagle was supposed to be able to gaze at the sun without blinking or going blind. It was also believed to renew itself every ten years. Soaring into the 'fiery region', it would then plunge into the sea, reappearing from the waters with new feathers and new life.

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The Star Sign

Those born under Altair are usually extremely clever people. Mentally they have twenty/twenty vision, and are endowed with greater intellectual powers than others. The lightening speed with which they grasp the meaning of a concept, or a situation, is often the envy of slower, more pragmatic signs, and, to see them in action is to watch a dazzling tour de force. This can make them disdainful - for being such noble creatures they are also proud. They may ignore you - for eagles never hawk at flies - but on the other hand, they will never pick on someone weaker than themselves without good reason. They are, at heart, generous and they will choose the role of champion, rather then persecutor, of the weak. They prefer a challenge and would far rather take on someone stronger, than waste their time on those who can't compete.

However, if you have - or are - something that they want, they will swoop down, for they can be ruthless in pursuit of their ambitions. And they are ambitious. The Eagle's great gift - and desire - is to soar up to the highest heaven, and when they set their sights on something, they usually succeed.

When they are in a light-hearted mood, romantic quest and intrigue also come quite high on their agenda. Like Zeus, they often have a roving eye, and the thrill of the chase gives them a great deal of pleasure. Because they know, instinctively, that confidence is attractive, they often feign indifference just before swooping down on their unsuspecting prey. But their indifference can, too easily, become genuine, once they have won the prize in what to them is often just a game.

They have a deeper and more passionate side, however. When they meet someone who live up to their expectations, which may not happen very often, no one is more loyal. Flirtatious they may be, but they are also capable of the grandest passions, for, beneath a proud exterior, their feelings are fiery and intense, and it is often through relationships that the Eagle is transformed. For, although they may have a reputation for being fearless, Eagles are also capable of being afraid. Seeing the world so much in terms of predator and prey, of conquest and defeat, they can attribute unfriendly motives where there are none. Intellectually, they may be in a class apart, but emotionally they, too, need loving care. Asking for tea and sympathy is not their style, but they appreciate true kindness when it comes along, and are capable of great warmth and loyalty in return, for a vulnerable side softens their bold nature and makes them more compassionate to others.

For all their mental brilliance, it is through their feelings that they learn about true values, and so come into their own. For the Eagle is a symbol not only of the intellect, but of the spirit, and their real goal is to overcome their baser side. When young, they can be both proud and ruthless, but, like the eagle which soars up into the 'fiery region' and then plunges deep into the sea to be reborn, they are able to transform themselves and can rise to greater heights than any other sign.

Once they have risen above the storm clouds, into the clear blue sky, they are gentler and kinder, and, because they no longer see life as a battlefield, their relationships with others become easier and more fulfilling. Then, like Garuda, the Indian eagle with his magic draught of inspiration, they can set about enlightening others, and championing the weak. They can often be found fighting for a just cause, or exposing and combating evil and oppression. No one in their right mind takes on an Eagle, while to have one on your side is, in short, to win the day.

Career-wise, Eagles excel at all pursuits which involve the use of their intelligence, their curiosity and their keen sight, like teaching or research, but, because they usually dislike routine, they are happier when they are working for themselves. Of all the ancient signs, they make the best lawyers and detectives: just as there is nothing they cannot explain, there is also nothing they cannot find out, once they are on the trail. And Eagles do not easily give up.

Born under the Eagle

Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin, Edvard Shevardnadze, Benjamin Franklin, Albert Schweitzer, Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson, General McArthur, Frederick the Great, Aristotle Onassis, Al Capone, Federico Fellini, Jackson Pollock, Sergei Eisenstein, August Strindberg, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Gordon, Lord Byron, W. Somerset Maugham, Edith Wharton, Edgar Allan Poe, Francis Bacon, Virginia Woolf, Stendhal (Marie Henri Beyle) and Christian Dior.

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Discovering the Twenty Two Lost Star Signs

As an astrologer, I sometimes looked for reasons for traits of character which did not seem to be explained exclusively by what the birth chart tells us. For me, the discovery of the importance of the stars and constellations lying beyond the zodiac band turned out to be the missing link.

They do not undermine conventional astrology, but to add a lost dimension to it.

The Earliest Astrologers and The Sacred, Living Sphere

We have grown so used to seeing the planets and the zodiac alone as powerful that it can come as a surprise to find that for the early practitioners of astrology, the whole celestial sphere, from pole to pole, was filled with starry gods and supernatural beings who influenced the life of man. For them, all the stars had power over our lives. They worshipped them, wove myths around them and built their temples in alignment with them.

For the ancient Greeks, therefore, who inherited this vision of a living sphere, and who gave many of the constellations the names and forms which they still have today, it seemed quite natural to believe that Orion and the Great Bear, Perseus, the glittering hero, and the Lyre of Orpheus, the legendary musician, among others, influenced our destiny, just like the narrow zodiac band of stars which forms the pathway of the sun and moon and planets, with which we are familiar.

These twenty two lost star signs reconnect us to the ancient vision of a sacred, living cosmos, and to the great celestial sphere around us.

Your Sign Beyond the Zodiac Linked to your Sun Sign

These star signs are the ancient constellations which lie to the North and South of the zodiac band of stars, and were used in conjunction with it.

The brightest and most powerful star, or constellation of stars, which falls nearest to the sun by longitude on your birthday is 'conjunct' your sun.

This constellation was considered to be your 'sign beyond the zodiac'.

Why Were They Forgotten?

So why did these important star signs, which embody so many of the great myths and symbols of our culture, vanish from the scene ?

In the second century AD the great astronomer, Ptolemy, tried to simplify astrology by excluding the constellations to the North and South of the zodiac band. However, even he could not deny their astrological significance, and described the influence of their individual stars. In 'L'Astrologie Grecque' (1899), Bouche-Leclerq, the leading authority on the history of astrology, quotes Ptolemy as saying that he will 'leave to one side as impracticable the ancient method, which took account of all, or nearly all, the stars'.

But 'the exclusion of the constellations beyond the zodiac is so artificial that it could not be maintained, even by Ptolemy ... all stellar mythology cries out against the privileged position of the zodiac'. Adds Bouche-Leclerq.

The Age of Aquarius, ruled by Uranus, the Personification of the Starry Sphere

They are also highly relevant to the times we live in.

Thanks to the moving equinoxes, we are now entering the new Aquarian Age, which will be ruled by Uranus, the planet named after the ancient Greek sky god who personifies the starry sphere and is the ruler of Aquarius.

To look beyond the zodiac, and beyond the 'village' of our solar system, as astronomers are now doing, towards deep space - the domain of Uranus - is, symbolically, in keeping with the coming age. One of astrology's most important tenets is that the discovery of a new planet heralds an important shift in human consciousness. The discovery of Pluto, in 1930, for instance, which was named after the Roman god of the underworld, and which rules the depths of the unconscious mind, coincided with the rise to popularity of psychoanalysis. The reintroduction of these 'Uranian' signs beyond the zodiac, therefore, and our renewed awareness, when we find our personal star sign in the sky, of our links with the galaxies of stars around us, can be seen to coincide with our entry into the Aquarian Age.

Our Myth and Personal Quest

From my research as an astrologer, it is remarkable how accurate, and how literal, these ancient star signs can be.

Born under the sign of Andromeda, the princess chained to a rock as a sacrifice for her country, for instance, are Houdini, Queen Elizabeth II and Sylvia Pankhurst, the leader of the suffragettes who fought for the emancipation of women.

These ancient signs are rich, dynamic symbols, and can describe the myths behind our lives and the 'Journey of the Soul of Man'. Perseus, for example, by cutting off the gorgon's head, conquers and comes to terms with neglected instinct and emotion, which the gorgon represents. The winged horse of inspiration, Pegasus, learns to distinguish between truth and illusion, in the form of the Chimaera. Andromeda, the chained princess, discovers freedom, and the Swan its human form. Ophiuchus wrestles with the Serpent and transforms its poison into medicine. For the River of Night, which wells up from paradise, life is a journey back towards the sea, where all separate sense of self is lost, and Orpheus overcomes the sovereigns of the underworld with the music of his lyre.

Each one has its own personal quest and compliments our birth chart and our Sun sign.

The Roman Astrologer, Manilius

I knew of the importance many astrologers give to the fixed stars, but my first real encounter with the actual signs beyond the zodiac took place over twenty years ago, when I read the 'Astronomica' of Manilius, the great Roman astrologer and astronomer. Much of the 5th book of his 'Astronomica' is dedicated to their meaning: 'The child of the Lyre will sing beguiling songs at the banquet, his voice adding mellowness to the wine and holding the night in thrall...and, left to himself, he will ever burst into song which can charm no ears but his own...When the Dog Star rises over the rim of the sea...it will fashion unbridled spirits and impetuous hearts...the child of the Crown will cultivate a garden budding with bright flowers, and slopes grey with olives...his heart is set upon elegance, fashion, and the art of adornment, upon gracious living and the pleasures of the hour...', and so on, at great length, for all the extra-zodiacal signs.

What Modern Psychology Has to Add

Beautiful as his descriptions are, our understanding of the myths, and of what they can tell us about the soul of man, has changed and grown, of course, since Roman times. What, I wondered, could modern psychology tell us abut the meaning of these age-old stories set amongst the stars, and so about ourselves ?

With the help of psychology, which I had studied for many years, and of the modern school of astrology, which uses myth and symbol to give the zodiac and the planets a new and deeper dimension, I began to see what it could mean to be born under these ancient signs. I then applied this to famous people, both alive and dead, and to my family, friends and clients.

The results were startling. And, as I continued, an image slowly grew and crystallised of the kind of person each one represented, and of the life-issues they were most concerned with. As with the zodiac signs, each one had its own preoccupations, its own problems and its own outlook on the world.

But the rediscovered signs are different as they tell us more about where our life is leading and describe our inner quest.

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