[Miriel]

What is Zodiac?

The origin of the term `Zodiac' is derived from the Greek Zodiacus, which means little animals or creatures.

There are 12 signs in the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Each of these signs have got their names from history.

Each sign of the Zodiac has a particular graphical representation called a Glyph that relates to an animal or a part of the human body. Each of the 12 signs is a unique combination of one of the four elements and one of the three qualities.

The four elements and their corresponding signs are fire (Aries, Leo and Sagittarius), earth (Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn), air (Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) and water (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces).

The quality describes a person's attitudes in life. The three qualities are cardinal, fixed and mutable. The cardinal signs are - Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn. The fixed signs are Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. The mutable signs are Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

It's the combination of elements and qualities that makes the signs complete.

Your birth date determines your zodiac sign, and this is what gives you special attributes that are yours alone. Explore each trait, and check your friend's trait, too! Or, if you want to understand your sign thoroughly, check out our zodiac rooms!

[Miriel]

Astro Stones

Gems have been in use since time immemorial and are worn by people of both sexes in various forms as rings, pendants, bracelets, etc. to ward off the evil effects of planets and to enhance the benefits of certain beneficial planets and also to add the wearer's beauty and personality. In the ancient times, rings were worn on the index finger to convey to others that the person was interested in marriage; on the middle finger, it was meant to indicate that he was already engaged; on the ring finger, it denoted that he was already married and if some one decided to remain single, he would wear a ring on the little finger. The little finger is associated with family attachments and strong and positive family influences on the wearer of the ring.

The Power of Gems:
Gems have enormous power as far as astrology is concerned. From very ancient times it is believed that Gems have curative as well as other powers, which influence an individual according to his zodiac for better or for the worse. Gems if chosen properly, is said to change the stars for the betterment of one’s future and if they are not suited to a person their effect can be adverse. Hence, if one chooses to wear a gem for one’s betterment, he should be very careful before using it. At Work: A Gem suited to an individual is capable of bringing out the best in him or her. One’s positive qualities get highlighted and they are capable of growing stronger if on wearing the right gem. One’s weak areas are also benefited through gems. Much work comes out to be fruitful and one can reach tremendous heights of achievement satisfaction in work place. Promotions that were held up due to an assortment of factors can soon move towards a favorable outcome.

At Home: Wearing a Gem is capable of influencing the home front. Be it some problem surfacing the marital front or problems with property, wearing the right kind of gem is said to be capable of giving positive results for any problems. Any problem with the family is taken care of with the help of an appropriate gem.

Love & Romance: The effect of the right kind of gem can have a phenomenal impact on one’s love life. If one is waiting for somebody to come closer in love or matrimony, a Gem can accentuate the time and help bring it nearer. If romance in one’s life begins to shadow, a gem could do wonders. A gem can ensure that alliances riddled by uncertainties become more solid, and it helps add a special lustre to stable relationships.

At Business: Business can prosper and finances can soar skywards at a rapid pace if one wears the right gem. Opportunities to improve on business and financial prospects can become abundant through an unexpected chain of events. Market conditions can tend to be favourable and the financial grapevine can provide one with excellent tips.

Health: The wearing of the right kind of Gem leads one to avoid various health problems. If one desires a slimmer figure, greater resistance to infections and a good health, it’s better to go for the right kind of gem.

[Miriel]

Red Coral or Moonga for Mars
Red Coral is said to instill courage in its user. It also helps in curing blood -related diseases.This is red in color. Coral ensures material happiness, recovery from diseases indicated by Mars such as fever, cough, bilious complaints, smallpox, chickenpox, headache, loss of vitality, piles, boils, measles etc. It is generally recommended to be worn by individuals belonging to the zodiac of the Aries sign.
It should be worn in silver or copper, and should be of 9, 11, 12 grams, on Tuesday on 1st or 4th finger of right hand. It is a hot stone.

Diamond or Heera for Venus
Diamond leads one to have a luxurious life. Diamond is also supposed to enhance the name, fame and artistic quality of the person. Diamond is a hot gem creating goodness and removing the effects of evil.

It improves financial conditions and blesses the native with comforts and peace of mind. It also enhances sexual power. Diamond should he worn on 1st finger of right hand on Friday in gold or platinum. The weight should ideally be 1/4 or 1/2 gram.

[Miriel]

Emerald or Panna for Mercury
Emerald is said to have a positive effect on memory, communication, intuition, and the intellect ability of a person. This is normally petal green or dark green in colour. Emerald is a hot gem and helps fickle mindedness and builds up confidence in a person. Emerald is never recommended for newly wed couples. It is said that newly married couples should not use it as it impairs conjugal happiness due to reduction in sexual desires.
Emerald should be used in gold of 3, 5, 7 or 10 grams on 4th finger of right hand on Wednesday. An Emerald wearer is likely to get sufficient wealth.

Ruby or Manik for Sun
Ruby is said to have effects on the name, fame, vigor, virtue, warmth and the capacity to command to its user. It can also raise the individual far above the status in which he was born. Historically, it has been symbolic of love and passion.
This is normally red in colour and is a hot stone. On diseases front - It helps to cure peptic ulcer, fever, rheumatism, gout etc. Prolonged use of Ruby may have adverse effect on a person. So before wearing a ruby, the time period has to be determined by an astrologer for the best result.
Ruby should be used in gold in third or ring finger of right hand on Sunday. Ideally should be of about 3 or 5 grams in weight.

[Miriel]

Zodiac celestial coordinate systems
For any spherical celestial coordinate system one needs to define an equatorial plane and designate an origin for longitude. From these definitions longitudinal meridians perpendicular to the equatorial plane meet at the north and south poles of the celestial sphere and one can precisely specify a unique position on the sphere.
First, the zodiac coordinate system designates the ecliptic as the equatorial plane. One should not confuse the zodiac's equatorial plane with the Earth's equator which is so named because it serves as the equatorial plane for our terrestrial coordinate system. Instead the ecliptic is aligned with the Earth's orbital plane with the Sun. The Earth tilts at an angle of approximately 23° with respect to the orbital plane. This tilt is partly due to the Earth's precession as it gyrates and rotates on its axis. It contributes to the divergence between a tropical year and a sidereal year and thus contributes to the precession of the equinoxes which marks the difference between tropical and sidereal celestial coordinate systems.
Second, a system of coordinates must normally specify an origin (0° point) for longitude. However, the zodiac system names twelve equal regions (called signs) and technically any sign can serve as the beginning or the end of the sphere's precession. However, the system further divides each sign into thirty degree units. One reason this system of coordinates was particularly useful in antiquity is that writing large numbers was difficult before the introduction of arabic numbers. The zodiac system of coordinates kept every number below ninety (the highest value for zodiac latitudes). Since the constellations along the ecliptic varied in size, defining 12 equal signs of 30° each did require an arbitrary assignment of boundaries roughly corresponding to the ecliptic constellations.
It is believed many of the classical astronomers specified zodiac signs using two bright stars near the ecliptic and opposite each other to serve as equatorial nodes or poles (not longitudinal poles): Aldebaran and Antares in the constellations Taurus and Scorpius respectively. These stars served rather well because not only were they on opposites sides of the ecliptic, but they also fell very near the center of their constellations and were therefore designated as Taurus 15 and Scorpius 15, meaning the middle 15° points within those signs. From these two stars then the remaining equatorial boundaries of the 12 signs of the zodiac follow (see Powell 2004).
Below are the Roman names of the signs of the zodiac (with the ecliptic longitudes of their first points...

1. ♈ Aries (0°)
2. ♉ Taurus (30°)
3. ♊ Gemini (60°)
4. ♋ Cancer (90°)
5. ♌ Leo (120°)
6. ♍ Virgo (150°)
7. ♎ Libra (180°)
8. ♏ Scorpius (210°)
9. ♐ Sagittarius (240°)
10. ♑ Capricornus (270°)
11. ♒ Aquarius (300°)
12. ♓ Pisces (330°)

Sidereal versus tropical
The celestial coordinate system described above is what astronomers call a sidereal system of coordinates. In other words it defines the coordinates in relation to what ancient astronomers called the fixed stars (as opposed to the planets other than Earth which were called wandering stars). One could also call this a celestially centered system of coordinates. In time the ancient astronomers such as Hipparchus discovered these fixed stars were not fixed relative to the Earth's tropical year. Due, in part, to the precession of the Earth discussed above, the Earth completed its orbit after it has already completed the tropical cycle: for example: for the cycle of the Sun starting directly over the tropic of Cancer then to the tropic of Capricorn and return to the tropic of Cancer again. Or as another example consider the motion of the Sun from one vernal equinox to the next; the Earth would complete such a cycle shortly before it completed an entire orbit around the Sun. (24 minutes and 20 seconds before). The difference is very subtle but as astronomers found archival records to compare their sightings with sightings of previous astronomers and the discrepancy thus became apparent. Some estimates of the rate of precession suggest that over a period of 27,000 tropical years, the Earth will have orbited the Sun only 26,999 times. It is remarkable that Hipparchus in the second century BC could recognize and document such a subtle process which is now known as the precession of the equinoxes.
Some modern astronomers began to mark the stars according to a tropical zodiac (or other tropical coordinate systems such as the equatorial coordinate system). This tropical zodiac system of coordinates designates the origin of the longitude of the celestial sphere as the first point in Aries. The term may be derived from the constellation of Aries, but this point instead marks the position of the Sun at the time of the vernal equinox for a specified epoch. Among other things, this epoch specifies the first point in Aries and establishes a unique fixed reference point for the tropical system of coordinates. The use of the phrase "first point in Aries" causes some confusion when considering sidereal versus tropical systems of coordinates. The first point in Aries in the sidereal system of coordinates, would be the first star in the Aries sign or perhaps the boundary of that sign. Whereas in tropical coordinates, the vernal equinox defines this point. During the time of Ptolemy's observations and cataloging of stars the sidereal and tropical longitudinal origins differed by a magnitude of perhaps less than 2°. The close convergence of these two systems of coordinates — combined with the varied interpretations of the phrase "first point in Aries" — makes it difficult to discern Ptolemy's longitudinal origin (see Peters and Knobel 1915).
More recently, in 2000 AD for example, the first point in Aries and the boundary of the sign of Aries — based on the specification of zodiac signs above — diverged by about 25°. In terms of the tropical system, this places the first point in Aries (in other words, the vernal equinox) in the Pisces constellation, near the projection of the NGC 7787 spiral galaxy. Other specifications of zodiac signs (whether sidereal or tropical) choosing different fixed points (in the celestial sphere for sidereal or in relation to Earth's seasonal cycle for tropical) would result in a different divergence either greater than or less than 25°. For example Cyril Fagan's sidereal zodiac is offset from the J2000.0 tropical zodiac by greater than 39° (as of 1977). This difference between the position of fixed stars in the tropical and sidereal coordinate systems is called the Ayanamsa.