Deeper into the Tales of the Constellations

The word zodiac comes from a Greek word meaning "life", or "living creature". This compares to the English word zoo, which is the root of zodiac and zoology, the study of living creatures. All twelve of the signs (except the scales of Libra invented by the Romans) are living creatures represented in stars on the ecliptic. There are many classifications for each zodiac, as the Greeks liked to be uniform and precise. There are three fire signs, three water signs, three air signs, and three earth signs. Also evenly, half of the signs are feminine, and the other half masculine. Each of the zodiac falls under two of the twelve houses, which can tell a lot about the persons character and personality. The houses are numbered counterclockwise around the ecliptic, starting with the ascendant: 

                                    1. Life, the body 

                                    2. Wealth and commerce

                                    3. Siblings, friends, power 

                                    4. Children, family, private affairs 

                                    5. Community, friends 

                                    6. Enemies,  health, suffering

                                    7. Marriage 

                                    8. Death 

                                    9. Travel, also religious matters

                                   10. Business, reputation 

                                   11. Gifts, friends, ambition 

                                   12. Dangers, enemies 

Even though the earth revolves around the sun, the signs and their houses go along as if the sun rises and falls among the earth, putting the signs in order. But, with all of these aspects, meanings, and myths of the stars, you must start with where they are located. The Milky Way, an enormous nebula, covers more than one-tenth of the sky, and earth contains 90 percent of the known stars, which is home to the zodiacs. The Greeks thought the Milky Way was created by the unskilled and foolish Phaethon, the son of Helius (the sun god), when he borrowed his fathers chariot, leaving a scorched path. The living creatures, especially the claws of Scorpio, scared Phaethon in his travels, causing him to burn the stars with his fear of the creatures, hence creating the Milky Way. It is said that this burning of the stars by Phaethon also seared the Earth, which created the deserts of Africa, and blackened the skin of those people too near his flaming route (the equator). Although, another myth about the creation of the Milky Way suggests that it is the suns abandoned path when he changed his course in previous times. These myths provide a background on the zodiacs among Earths far horizon, and an understanding of their roots. 

All of this research I have learned from my second source "Mythology of the Zodiac" by Marianne McDonald. This book gave not only information on the Milky Way and the origins of the zodiacs, but went into detail on each of the twelve signs. I gained a great amount of knowledge on my own sign, Cancer, along with my almost polar opposite Sagittarius boyfriend, and my other loved ones. This book is a perfect source for research towards my paper, and since there is so much information held inside it, I learn more and more every time I re-read it.