Western Astrology, Zodiac, Astrological Sun Signs Stamps Etc

Dealing with the twelve signs of the Western Zodiac like Leo or Aries or Gemini or Aquarius, etc.

Originally this zodiac came to Rome from Greece, thence from Babylonia and perhaps even further back. Some signs were known as different names in olden times, there meaning and names being changed in Roman times to what we know today.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac

To start off, here is the first of three souvenir sheets to be issued by Canada dealing with the Western Zodiac. Each sign is represented by it's now-known animal or symbolic form taken from Greek and Roman times.

Canada 2011 Signs of the Zodiac #1 of 3.
Water activated (lick and stick) stamps.
Tagging around four edges of the stamps.
Four <P> (Permanent) (Forever) Domestic Postage Paid stamps.


Close up of the stamps:


I like the striking design of the stamps myself. Also notice the astronomical star chart around the edges of the souvenir sheet, this showing the constellations within the ecliptic, which is the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year.

The sign of Aries, for example, has its own constellation in the heavens known as, do you believe it, Aries, which is shown in detail on the Aries stamp and in miniature on the souvenir sheet.

So the signs that we know are named after actual stars constellations in our sky. Neat. Mostly from the Greek 'Zodiakus Kuklos' or 'circle of animals'.

Astrology and astronomy diverged and grew apart when Ptolemy (2nd century AD) starting using a Tropical coordinate system with a fixed celestial sphere (the sun). This ignores the fact that the stars and sun move around up there on there own.

Anyway, the stamps also have some neat tessellated (same design grouped together) mathematical designs.

Aries (The Ram) has squares divided into isocoles triangles.

Taurus (the bull) has a sphere divided with lines of longitude and latitude.

Gemini (The Twins) has circles which form those neat (don't know the name) curved diamond shapes.

Cancer (The Crab) has apposing waves which also form the vertical eye shapes.

Each sign also comes in booklets of 10 self adhesive stamps each. (Don't have any.) They do stand out on a page though.

I couldn't let this chance go by to stick in the lyrics from the song Auarious.

Hair (Musical) Soundtrack Lyrics

Aquarius

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
No more falsehoods or derisions
Golding living dreams of visions
Mystic crystal revelation
And the mind's true liberation
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

When the moon is in the Seventh House
And Jupiter aligns with Mars
Then peace will guide the planets
And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius
The age of Aquarius
Aquarius!
Aquarius!

[Extra verses from London 1993 production]

As our hearts go beating through the night
We dance unto the dawn of day
To be the bearers of the water
Our light will lead the way

We are the spirit of the age of Aquarius
The Age of Aquarius

Harmony and understanding
Sympathy and trust abounding
Angelic illumination
Rising firey constellation
Travelling our starry courses
Guided by the cosmic forces
O care for us
Aquarius

= = = = = = =
Depending on who you talk to about which age we are in we could be in Aquarius or only still in Gemini. Big debate. Tropical versus sidereal coordinates and all that I think. I just know that some days I feel like one sign and other days I feel like the one behind it on the chart.

I just hope Santa isn't involved in all this.

Oh goodness me, take me back to my youth...
Aquarius

Volume set to a point where the cat shrieks and runs out the room.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3I1y3jHgxA

Kudos to a great designer way back in 1885
Japan Almanac Revenue
signs of the sun and moon and the stars...

I look forward to one day seeing this in the flesh.

The fellow with the difficult moniker,
is it double G or double T ? I always ask myself.

Here then, is some Sagittarii......

I do have trouble with this issue. The star part is great stuff but the stars controlling my life, not for me.

Signs of the Zodiac 3rd April 2007

I like those KGV, at least they have (cartoons of) real people on them rather than animals and symbols and such.

It is easier to look at a picture of someone doing something and say, well, I do stuff like that, so maybe I am somewhat like that person sometimes, rather than identifying with some symbol with some hidden meanings.

A gaudy Capricorn, depicted as a goat with a fish's tail, printed by lithogravure, and issued by Maldives as one of a set of twelve (duh) zodiac stamps on July 3, 1974, Scott No. 503.

- nethryk

When our forefathers looked into the sky,
the star formation must have immediately
recalled the shape of the animals they were hunting or herding,

So the star formation Capricorn reminded them of the huge curved horns of the Alpine Ibex.
Eons later when they looked from up to down
they saw a tiny beetle with the same curved horns....

The Capricorn Beetle




So John's stamps suggest Capricorn is "sophisticated and private"
so who do we know who was a Capricornian?

rod222- Thanks for sharing your profound insights into the naming of things both great and small. Now I would like to continue the treatment of this subject with the degree of seriousness it so richly deserves.

- nethryk

Here is an image of a stamp depicting Taurus, the Bull, designed by David Vangelli, printed by photogravure, and issued by San Marino on February 18, 1970 as one of a set of - yup, you guessed it - twelve zodiac stamps, Scott No. 717.



But wait, there's more! German composer Johannes Brahms (May 7, 1833 – April 3, 1897) was a Taurus! Here is an image of a stamp depicting Brahms, designed by Slovak painter and graphic artist Albín Brunovský (1935-1997), engraved by Josef Hercík (with photogravure for the lettering), and issued by Czechoslovakia on February 24, 1983, Scott No. 2447.



Which, of course, explains how the famous Brahms's Bull got its name.

Taureans are born between April 20 and May 20.

Characteristics of those born under Taurus include; determination, practicality, patience, sensuality, reliability, ambitious, and competence.

Taureans are also known to have less flattering characteristics like being lazy, inflexible, jealous, stubborn, and being greedy.

I can tell you first hand, that is fairly accurate

I like to relate to my favourite Taureans, Cate Blanchett and Cher.

Israel:
Stamps using illustrating tesserae

Here is an image of an engraved definitive stamp depicting the astronomical clock, featuring a zodiacal dial, in the Bern clock tower, issued by Switzerland in 1980, Scott No. 579, Michel No. 1169.

- nethryk

Here is an image of an engraved stamp depicting a rose in a vase flanked by the twelve signs of the zodiac, designed by Austrian artist Wilhelm Dachauer (1881-1951), and issued by Austria on December 12, 1937, Scott No. 389, SG No. 381b.

- nethryk

Signs of the Zodiac, printed by lithogravure, and issued by Israel on February 27, 1961, Scott No. 1202.

- nethryk

Canada 2012 Western Astrology, Signs of the Zodiac Souvenir Sheet #2 of 3.

Beth Alpha is a sixth century (CE) synagogue uncovered in 1928 and located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Gilboa mountains near Beit She'an, Israel. Here is an image of a souvenir sheer depicting the zodiac wheel pavement mosaic at Beth Alpha Synagogue, designed by R. Errell, printed by lithography, and issued by Israel on September 17, 1957 to publicize the TABIL International Philatelic Exposition, Scott No. 132.

- nethryk

Calendar illumination including signs of the zodiac, designed by German artist Elisabeth von Janota-Bzowski (1912-2012), printed by lithography, and issued by Germany on October 14, 1982 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Gregorian calendar, Scott No. 1383, Michel No. 1155.

- nethryk