Introduction - The Zodiac Cycle
My love for astrology outweighs my beef with the Gregorian Calendar, I swear...
Here in the northern hemisphere, our solar new year begins near the the winter solstice, the time in which the Earth’s North Pole tilts the furthest away from the sun, making for the shortest period of daylight. While this half of the world goes dormant, we celebrate beginnings as we enter the month of January, named after Janus, the Roman god of doorways, beginnings, and the rising/setting sun, which at least fits the general idea of starting anew, but does little to explain why we welcome in a new year based around the SUN when an entire half of the Earth is utterly bereft of good old-fashioned fun in the sun for another few months...
It’s an odd choice to say the least. Let’s see why that may be before delving into our friend, the Zodiac.
Like many empires as of late, the Romans made a confusing mess of things when establishing domination — in this case, over the calendar. Without getting into Julius Caesar’s sloppy self-insert of July and August in the middle of the year, messing up the numerical order of the months (SEPTember = 7, OCTober = 8, and so on), we can at least blame the calendar’s current state on various political and religious motivations of his time and after. The Julian calendar lent itself into the Gregorian calendar, what we use today, differing mostly on their treatment of leap years, but both calendars begin just the same: January 1st.
It is unknown when this date was decided, and there was some discrepancy between cultures who adopted these calendars on when their new year began, such as the Alexandrian calendar beginning on August 29th, but nevertheless, January 1st became the staple New Year date that has since dominated a vast majority of solar calendars across the world.
Frankly, I think that’s dumb. More than idiocy, I think the decision of when to celebrate the solar new year was made from an incredibly egoistic place, which, to be fair, is fitting concerning the nature of the sun.
First and foremost, the sun is a masculine energy that represents the ego and consciousness. If you’ve met anyone born in the same sun sign as you, which anyone reading this definitely has, you have either beautifully harmonized each other’s egos (“You just get me!”) or horribly clashed (“There can only be one!”). Whichever the case, most people lead with their sun sign because most people are live through their ego. This is not inherently a bad thing, as we need our egos to survive and function in our day-to-day. No one can ever experience a permanent ego death until they undergo actual death, so get comfortable with the ego you’re given! The tricky part about the ego is that it doesn’t like to be called out or noticed, even in those who wouldn’t be considered egotistical or overly egocentric, so more often than not, we tend to make decisions from a place of ego that might serve us momentarily but does very little to actually improve our sense of happiness or fulfillment in the long run. Most folk can fix any ego-related issues by regularly checking in with themselves and reflecting on where and what needs a little more love and a little less pride.
Men like Caesar, on the other hand, are not most folk by any definition.
No, you cannot ask a powerful man like Caesar, someone who is used to thousands upon millions of plebeians groveling at his feet on the daily, to simply let go of his ego and be less prideful. Men who are built up for their exceptional ego will only amplify to greater heights until there is nothing left to soar to, guaranteeing their ugly, nasty fall into the abyss. It was within these great heights that Caesar solidified himself in history time and time again, effectively making his legacy immortal where is body and reign could not. While he could not escape the inevitable fall, his egoistic impact still affects us today, and why would it not when so many similar prideful men are currently in places of power? These men may not necessarily match the strategic prowess of Caesar, nor reach quite the same mass appeal, but they do function as proprietors of patriarchal control over both the mundane and the profound systems we utilize to define ourselves and our time here en masse.
It is only natural that these men would not question the order set by Caesar or consider integrating a lunar calendar into a lunisolar compromise that better adheres to our natural cycles, especially of the feminine. The moon, a feminine energy that represents our emotions and subconscious, is the yin to the sun’s yang, so in order to have a society of balanced appreciation for both energies, the current numbskulls that maintain the patriarchal status quo would have to be tossed out. While they go, let’s throw out the whole damn Gregorian calendar while we’re at it.
Such a request is entirely a pipe dream, I know, but a girl can and will dream.
Speaking of dreams, I made my own calendar for my fantasy/sci-fi series, and like everything in the fictional world I’ve so lovingly built, it’s based around the zodiac. This is my attempt at fixing the errors of the Gregorian calendar by synchronizing the start of the new year with the start of the zodiac when the sun enters the sign of Aries.
That’s today by the way. Happy new cycle!
For me, this day is the true beginning of the solar year, as daylight gradually returns to us after a long winter night. Technically, this increase in daylight happens directly after winter solstice, but it isn’t really felt until spring arrives and the natural world reemerges. The zodiac reflects nature far more than we give it credit — likely because pop astrology has largely been reduced to horoscopes and stereotypes here in the West — so I’d like to make the most of this zodiac cycle by demonstrating just how aligned nature is with our understanding of the zodiac.
Over the course of twelve months, I will write twelve pieces on each zodiac sign within Western Astrology, publishing each piece on the first solar day of the zodiac season. Since today is the first day that the sun is in Aries, the first piece is attached to this introduction. The rest will be added as they come out.
In these pieces, I identify and analyze the mythology, archetypes, and personality traits associated with each zodiac sign, as well as provide various observations I’ve made overtime regarding others with significant placements, such as their sun, moon, and ascendant (commonly termed as “The Big 3”). I include some tidbits on my series’ characters, such as how I represent their placements, as well.
All twelve of these zodiac sign pieces are beginner friendly, so do not fret if you have little to no knowledge of astrology! As long as you are patient with reading long-form content (and there’s a whole LOT of reading), you should be able to follow along no sweat!
Aries: The Ram, The Leader, The Warrior, & The Fool
Taurus: The Bull, The Cultivator, The Stabilizer, & The Vocalist
Gemini: The Twins, The Communicator, The Shapeshifter, & The Mirror
Cancer: The Crab
Leo: The Lion
Virgo: The Maiden
Libra: The Scales
Scorpio: The Scorpion
Sagittarius: The Centaur
Capricorn: The Goat
Aquarius: The Water-bearer
Pisces: The Fish
Feel free to return to this introduction or “The Zodiac Wheel” tab on my Substack website to quickly access the other zodiac pieces as they are released and consider subscribing to my Substack for more insights on astrology-based content, such as upcoming transits to look out for and updates on my fiction writing. Most content is totally free, and, after all, who doesn’t like free stuff? ;)