Your Sign Beyond the Zodiac

The Eagle

January 14th - 28th

Hour of birth not required

Your other sign beyond the zodiac dates back to the ancient world of Babylon and Greece and Rome. Then, the whole celestial sphere was sacred and every constellation in the sky - not the zodiac alone - was seen as influencing the life of man. Banished 1800 years ago, when astrology was 'simplified' and 'tidied up', your sign beyond the zodiac adds a lost, astrological dimension and points to your life's quest.

Your GUIDING STARS

beyond the zodiac

We all have a zodiac sign, but we also have another sign beyond the zodiac as well. To the ancient founders of astrology, all the stars and constellations in the heavens were both magical and powerful. They paid great attention to them, and, unlike most of us today, they also knew where, and when, to find them in the sky.

To find your ancient star-sign glittering above you in the heavens, and identify your personal guiding star, is to re-enter a lost and timeless world

If you were born between January 14 and 28, your guiding star is Altair, the bright, pale yellow star which marks the Eagle’s throat. It is said to be a mischief-maker and to give tremendous willpower and ambition.

Aquila, the Eagle, lies on the border of the Milky Way. Your guiding star, Altair, the bright star in the Eagle’s throat, together with Deneb in Cygnus, and Vega in Lyra, make up the great ‘Summer Triangle’ which dominates the northern Summer skies. To find Aquila, first find Cygnus, the Swan, nearby it, in the Milky Way. The Swan is easy to recognise, as it flies, with wings outstretched, in the form of a Christian cross, down the Milky Way. Once you have found it, you will soon see the Summer Triangle, with Altair, flanked by Alshain and Tarazed, its sentinel stars, lying to one side of the Milky Way, and Vega, the Harp Star, on the other. The Eagle can be seen from June until October, when it is in the west. It is also on view from the southern hemisphere, where it is high up near the zenith in August.

Precious stone : Quartz

Plant : Eyebright (Euphrasia officinalis)

The Lost Zodiac

Star Sign Dates

The LOST ZODIAC

INTRODUCTION

Have you ever read a description of your zodiac sign and thought ‘There is something missing’? As an astrologer, I too had often looked for reasons to explain traits of character that did not seem to fit with what the zodiac tells us. Perhaps these could be fully explained by a person’s rising sign or moon sign? Or by seeing their whole chart? It still seemed to me that there was something missing. It was my discovery of the importance of the stars ‘beyond’ the zodiac that provided the missing link.

We have grown so used to seeing the traditional zodiac alone as powerful that it comes 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.

The twenty two lost star signs which compose the ‘Lost Zodiac’ reconnect us to the ancient vision of a sacred, living cosmos, and to the great celestial sphere around us. They are the constellations that still lie to the North and South of the zodiac band of stars, and were used in conjunction with it.

To find out which constellation rules you, all you have to know is your birthday -not the time of day, the place or year. (The brightest and most powerful star, or group of stars which falls nearest to the sun by longitude on your birthday is ‘conjunct’ your sun, and so rules you.)

With the list on page 4 you can discover the new star sign beyond the zodiac of all your friends as well as their personal guiding star.

The maps of the northern and southern hemispheres at the front and back of this report are there to help you find your constellation glittering in the sky. Use them in conjunction with the instructions given to locate it on page 3.

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, pinned our zodiac to the spring and autumn equinoxes, which, together with the zodiac, have gradually moved against the backdrop of the fixed stars. The result has been that the zodiac and the constellations from which each sign took its name, are no longer in alignment and so the influence of the stars, both within the zodiac and beyond it, has been progressively ignored.

When Ptolemy fixed our zodiac to the moving equinoxes, he also tried to simplify astrology by excluding the extra-zodiacal constellations. Even he, however, 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, Bouche-Leclerq continues, ‘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’.

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The purpose of ‘The Lost Zodiac’, from which your new star sign reading comes, is not to undermine conventional astrology, however, but to add a lost dimension to it. Valuable as modern astrology may be, it has lost touch with its roots and can no longer be called ‘astrology’ - the study of the stars - in the strict sense of the word. It concerns itself far more with the planets of our solar system than with the stars.

These ancient signs 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 god of the underworld, and which rules the depths of the unconscious mind, coincided with the rise to popularity of Freud and Jung. 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.

From my research as an astrologer, it is remarkable how accurate these rediscovered star signs are. Born under the sign of Andromeda, the princess chained to a rock as a sacrifice for her country, are Houdini, Queen Elizabeth 11 and Sylvia Pankhurst. I have also found that where the zodiac often offers us static traits of character, the signs beyond the zodiac are often far richer and more dynamic symbols, as they describe the myths behind our lives and the ‘Journey of the Soul of Man’ : Perseus, for instance, cuts off the gorgon’s head 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 zodiac signs.

My first real encounter with the signs beyond the zodiac took place about twelve years ago, when I read the ‘Astronomica’ of Manilius, the great Roman astrologer and astronomer. Much of the 5^th. Book of the ‘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 astrology's 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.

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 Jungian 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 meaning, I began to see what it could mean to be born under these ‘new’ signs. I then applied this to famous people, both alive and dead, and to my family and friends. Straight-away, the results were startling. 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, each one had its own preoccupation’s, 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.

THE

LEGENDS

of your

STAR SIGN

The king of the birds, the Golden Eagle, is a symbol of the astrology 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 astrologically discerning power in man.

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 astrology 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 that 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.

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 astrology’s fertilising rain.

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 astrology to transcend and conquer baser forces. For the American Indians, it is nothing less than the great astrology 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.

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 than 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 lighthearted 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 does 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, and can become insecure or paranoid. Intellectually, they may be in a class apart, but emotionally they need as much loving care as anyone else. 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 much more compassionate.

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 astrology, 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 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 give up easily.

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BORN UNDER THE EAGLE

Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King, 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), Christian Dior, and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin - see introduction.

The Eagle and the Traditional Zodiac

The Eagle and Capricorn

January 14-21

These are the most ambitious, hard-working and successful Capricorns of all, as the Eagle gives breadth of vision, and an even greater sense of purpose, to the persistent, agile goat, and there is little they cannot achieve.

The Eagle and Aquarius

January 22 - 28

The Eagle and Aquarius - as Ganymede - belong together in the myths, and in the skies. Aquarius is also represented as an Eagle in the zodiac in the landscape around Glastonbury. It represents the aspect of Aquarius which can soar up into the ether and release the life-giving waters of the Urn for mankind. They are both intellectual air signs, and in those influenced by the Eagle, the Aquarian intellect is at its sharpest.

Relationship with Other ‘Lost Zodiac’ Signs

The affinities revealed by our traditional zodiac sun-signs are based only on a shared element - water, air, fire, earth - and on the principle of the attraction of opposites. The links between our ‘Lost Zodiac’ signs are of quite another order. Beyond the bonds existing between watery signs, or air signs, for example, they show how we are linked to one another through the myths that rule our lives and through our inner quests for wholeness. Our myth may resonate with that of another person’s because it describes a similar journey of discovery. Sometimes, our ‘story’ may be part of the same mythic pattern, or cycle of stories, as another person’s. Our story represents another act in the same drama. Or we play one part, and they another in the same timeless, archetypal saga. These are the people with whom we have most in common, but we also often hit it off, of course, with those whose outlook compliments our own, just because it is so different, and so fills in the missing places in our own psychology, and vice versa.

Unlike the links between the signs of the traditional zodiac, there are no hard and fast rules about who is on the same wavelength as we are, nor about how the common mythic themes will manifest in our individual lives. Each instance is unique, as we are.

Below, are listed the ‘Lost Zodiac’ signs which you are most linked with and in tune with. Their star sign dates are given on page 4 of your report.

The Eagle with Pegasus

The Eagle and the winged horse, Pegasus, have a lot in common, as, they are both creatures of the air, but while the realm of the Eagle is the intellect, Pegasus holds sway over inspiration and imagination. When they are in accord, they make a very high-powered and creative combination.

The Eagle with Perseus

The Eagle and the airborne hero, Perseus, are natural friends and allies. Perseus is one of the few signs that can keep up with the Eagle, and so the Eagle does not so easily grow bored.

The Eagle with The Serpent

The Eagle and the Serpent often have a love/hate relationship, but they never underestimate each other, and are capable of really getting on, as the Eagle can help the Serpent to get a clearer picture of his problems, and the Serpent, in turn, can bring the Eagle down to earth.

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