Science is organized knowledge.  Wisdom is organized life. 

Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)

Cynthia's Journal:

The Sky Wheel and the Spirits

The ancients drew Sky Wheels that matched the ones they used on the ground, “As Above, so Below.”  The Sky Wheels were the maps of the stars and the planets and they included everything that could be seen in the night sky with the naked eye.  Since the invention of the telescope and other instruments, we can see many more ‘heavenly bodies’ and our maps have become far more sophisticated.

The Sky Wheel calendars are divided into the twelve months of the Zodiac.  The Zodiac is a map of the constellations. The ancients gave names to these groups of stars and kept track of their movements during the passing seasons each year. They named the twelve months after these constellations and created twelve birth signs, one for each month.  The astrological calendar is based upon the solstices and the equinoxes. The months begin and end around between the 19^th and the 22^nd day of each Gregorian calendar month. 

As each season of the year also brought with it different weather and different activities, the ancients assigned energetic qualities to each month and that lead to the notion that there were spiritual dimensions as well the more physical ones. Eventually early astronomers came up with the science of astrology. They would create a map of the heavens at the time someone was born in order to understand the energies that would affect the person. These were the first horoscopes, personal snapshots that mapped the positions of the stars at the time of birth. Since it was believed that the movement of the heavenly bodies affected people on the Earth, they studied these movements and tried to predict the effects they might have on a person's life.  The astrology sections in newspapers and magazines testify to the fact that many people still want some kind of celestial weather report but most are computer generated and few readers can actually point out the constellation of their own birth sign in the sky although it is one way to see your place in relation to the grand design.

The ancients added the elements to this astrological system, to incorporate the Earth influences with those of the sky above. Each birth sign has an element.  Find out what your birth sign is (if you don't already know) and check to see if your element gives you any clues about your personality type. Try this out on friends and family members as you arrange them on the Wheel. Millions of people find astrology useful enough to use it in their daily lives or else there would not be so many full-time astrologers or so many books and software programs about this science. 

Here are the elements for each birth sgin:

Fire – Aries, Leo & Sagittarius 

Water – Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces

Earth – Taurus, Virgo & Capricorn

Air – Gemini, Libra & Aquarius 

Fire people often exhibit fiery characteristics, like a hot temper, and the ability to catalyze others to action.  If you know your birth sign, you are probably familiar the traits that correspond to your element. There are many astrological websites on the web if you want more information.  You can find out what your Birth Law is on the Wisdom Wheel by clicking here. More extensive profiles are also available upon request, for individuals, families, groups and team members if you would like to see them all arranged upon the Wheel in relation to one another.