Signs of the Zodiac: A Reference Guide to Historical, Mythological, and Cultural Associations

This text explores the zodiacal impact on art, advertising, literature, history, mythology, psychology, health, and language. It looks at the imagery, symbols and scientific and religious lore surrounding the zodiac. Each sign is explicated in a separate chapter which discusses its origin and importance in diverse cultures, including its history, artistic applications, traditions, literary and religious interpretations, psychological significance, and application to notable historical and contemporary figures. An overview with cross-references and indexing allows the zodiac to be studied from numerous points of view. Artistic representations of each of the 12 houses accompany the text. Introductory chapters on the origins of the zodiacal signs, the historical foundation of astrology, the zodiac in the first millennium AD and the zodiac in the arts and sciences, provide a comparative examination of the influence of the zodiac in human history and thought. A timeline synchronizes discoveries and development of zodiacal associations and thought around the world. Appendices list planetary correspondences in jewels, metals, herbs, colour, flavour, form, shapes, food preferences, and senses, and the symptoms and pathologies associated with birth signs.