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The Symbology of Twelve Signs

The Symbology of Twelve Signs - Astrology Encyclopedia

Definition of The Symbology of Twelve Signs Dr. Curtiss characterized the evangelistic authors of the four gospels, in terms of the fixed types of the four elemental groups, in this fashion:

.......Matthew-Aquarius........To Know.

.......Mark-Leo................To Dare.

.......Luke-Taurus.............To Do.

.......John-Scorpio............To Keep Silent.

In the Book of Revelations we read that by the River of Life grew a Tree of Life and of its twelve manner of fruits whereby it yielded a different fruit for each month of the year.

Elsewhere in the Bible, which is a great repository of astrological truths, we find God referred to as the Logos, out of which went four rivers. In Abraham's effort to restore the Logos, we find the symbol of an earlier Trinity: Abraham, the spiritual father; Isaac, the thought concept; and Jacob, the physical externalization.

Jacob's twelve sons were the chiefs of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. These are listed at birth in Genesis XXIX, and again shortly before his death (Gen. XLIX). Ezekiel lists the tribes in the distribution of land, substituting Manasseh and Ephraim, as perhaps the sons of deceased fathers, Joseph and Levi; yet in the last chapter in listing the Temple dates he employs the names of the twelve sons, as recounted in Genesis. The symbolic descriptions accompanying the names leave little doubt that they were representative of the twelve astrological types.

In the order of their birth the twelve sons were named Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issacher, Zebulon, Joseph and Benjamin. There is disagreement among authorities as to which Sign represents each one, but none as to the fact that they were astrological. In fact Dan is definitely established as representing Scorpio in Jacob's last blessing, when he said: "Dan is a snake, a serpent in the path, that biteth at the horse's heels so that the rider falleth backward," referring to Scorpio at the heels of the Centaur or Sagittarius.

It is generally considered that the modern prototype of the tribe of judah is the British nation; of Dan, Italy; of Naphtali, the United States; and of Reuben, the Jews.

The twelve layers of the foundation walls of the New Jerusalem (Rev. xxi: 19-20) were builded of:

1. Jasper, an opalescent or greenish stone.

2. Sapphire, a blue, transparent gem.

3. Chalcedony, pale gray, translucent quartz.

4. Emerald, green, transparent beryl.

5. Sardonyx, onyx with layers of sard, a brownish, red chalcedony.

6. Sardius, probably a ruby.

7. Chrysolite, blue-green magnesium iron silicate.

8. Beryl, probably bluish-green or aquamarine.

9. Topaz, a yellow sapphire.

10. Chrysoprase, a light green chalcedony.

11. Jacinth, a stone the color of hyacinth.

12. Amethyst, purple or blue-violet quartz.

From another period we find the Twelve Labors of Hercules, as emblematic of the tasks which Destiny metes out to each of the twelve basic types, whereby to attain to an heroic stature. Hercules, or Heracles, is a mythological hero celebrated for his strength in the performance of super-human tasks, imposed by Eurysthcus because of the hatred of Hera (Juno) for Alcmena, the mother of Hercules by Zeus (Jupiter). After the death of Hercules he was deified as the husband of Hebe.

The Twelve tasks are not listed in the same order by all his- torians, and there are differences of opinion as to the signs to which they pertain, but presumably the hero took the worst traits of each sign and transmuted them into the nobility of which each sign is capable. The "labors" are:

1. Wrestling with and killing by strangulation the invulnerable Nemean lion.

2. Destruction of the Lernean hydra.

3. Capture of the Arcadian or Cerynean hind - or stag.

4. Capture of the boar of Erymanthus, when he fought the Centaurs, killing two friends, Chiron and Pholus. v. Demeter's mysteries (not in this dictionary!)

5. Cleansing the stables of Augeas.

6. Killing of the man-eating Stymphalean birds.

7. Capture of the Cretan bull - afterwards killed by Theseus.

8. Capture of the man-eating mares of the Thracian Diomedes.

9. Seizure of the girdle of Hippolyte, queen of the Amazons.

10. Bringing the oxen of Geryones from Erythria in the Far West. On this adventure he set up the Pillars of Hercules at the Straits of Gibraltar.

11. Bringing the golden apples from the garden of the Hesperides.

12. Carrying Cerberus from Hades to the upper world.

(Nicholas deVore - Encyclopedia of Astrology)

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