Astrological

symbols

Symbols used in astrology overlap with

those used in astronomy because of the
historical overlap between the two
subjects. Frequently used symbols
include signs of the zodiac and for the
classical planets. These have their origin
in medieval Byzantiny, but in their current
form are a product of the European
Renaissance. Other symbols for
astrological aspects are used in various
astrological traditions.

History and origin

Symbols for the classical planets, zodiac
signs, aspects, lots, and the lunar nodes
appear in the medieval Byzantine codices
in which many ancient horoscopes were
preserved.[1] In the original papyri of
these Greek horoscopes, there were
found a circle with the glyph representing
shine( ) for the Sun and a crescent for
the Moon.[2] The written symbols for
Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn have
been traced to forms found in late Greek
papyri.[3] The symbols for Jupiter and
Saturn are identified as monograms of
the initial letters of the corresponding
Greek names, and the symbol for
Mercury is a stylized caduceus.[3] A. S. D.
Maunder finds antecedents of the
planetary symbols in earlier sources,
used to represent the gods associated
with the classical planets. Bianchini's
planisphere, produced in the 2nd
century,[4] shows Greek personifications
of planetary gods charged with early
versions of the planetary symbols:
Mercury has a caduceus; Venus has,
attached to her necklace, a cord
connected to another necklace; Mars, a
spear; Jupiter, a staff; Saturn, a scythe;
the Sun, a circlet with rays radiating from
it; and the Moon, a headdress with a
crescent attached.[5] A diagram in
Johannes Kamateros' 12th century
Compendium of Astrology shows the Sun
represented by the circle with a ray,
Jupiter by the letter zeta (the initial of
Zeus, Jupiter's counterpart in Greek
mythology), Mars by a shield crossed by
a spear, and the remaining classical
planets by symbols resembling the
modern ones, without the cross-mark
seen in modern versions of the
symbols.[5] The modern sun symbol,
pictured as a circle with a dot (☉), first
appeared in the Renaissance.[2]
Symbols for Uranus and Neptune were
created shortly after their discovery. For
Uranus, two variant symbols are seen.
One symbol, , invented by J. G. Köhler
and refined by Bode, was intended to
represent the newly discovered metal
platinum; since platinum, sometimes
confused with white gold, was found by
chemists mixed with iron, the symbol for
platinum combines the alchemical
symbols for iron, ♂, and gold, ☉.[6][7]
Another symbol, , was suggested by
Lalande in 1784. In a letter to Herschel,
Lalande described it as "un globe
surmonté par la première lettre de votre
nom" ("a globe surmounted by the first
letter of your name").[8] After Neptune
was discovered, the Bureau des
Longitudes proposed the name Neptune
and the familiar trident for the planet's
symbol.[9]

The astrological symbols for the first

three objects discovered at the beginning
of the 19th century —Ceres, Pallas, and
Juno—were also created after their
discovery. Firstly, they were listed as
planets, and half a century later, renamed
as Asteroids. Shortly after Giuseppe
Piazzi's discovery of Ceres, a group of
astronomers ratified the name, proposed
by the discoverer, and chose the sickle as
a symbol of the planet.[10] The symbol for
Pallas, the spear of Pallas Athena, was
invented by Baron Franz Xaver von Zach,
and introduced in his Monatliche
Correspondenz zur Beförderung der Erd-
und Himmels-Kunde.[11] Karl Ludwig
Harding, who discovered and named
Juno, assigned to it the symbol of a
scepter topped with a star.[12]

The modern astrological symbol for

Vesta was created by Eleanor Bach,[13]
who is credited with pioneering the use
of the Big Four asteroids with the
publication of her Ephemerides of the
Asteroids.[14] Bach's symbol for Vesta is a
simplified version of other
representations of Vesta's altar.[13] The
original form of the symbol for Vesta, ,
was created by German mathematician
Carl Friedrich Gauss. Olbers, having
previously discovered and named one
new planet (as the asteroids were then
classified), gave Gauss the honor of
naming his newest discovery. Gauss
decided to name the planet for the
goddess Vesta, and also specified that
the symbol should be the altar of the
goddess with the sacred fire burning on
it.[15][16]

Pluto, like Uranus, has multiple symbols

in use. One symbol, a monogram of the
letters PL (which could be interpreted to
stand for Pluto or for astronomer
Percival Lowell), was announced with the
name of the new planet by the
discoverers on May 1, 1930.[17] Another
symbol, which was popularized in Paul
Clancy's astrological publications, is
based on the symbol for Mercury, with
the circle and arc of Mercury trading
positions. This symbol is described by
Dane Rudhyar as "suggest[ing] the
planetary character of the Pluto mind by
the circle, floating above the open cup."
Although, this meaning is readily
debatable due to Blavatskian origins,
rather than a properly traditional
understanding, such as may be found in
the hermetic sciences.[18]
The symbol for the centaur Chiron, a key
with the letter K (for discoverer Charles T.
Kowal) was proposed by astrologer Al
Morrison, who presented the symbol as
"an inspiration shared amongst Al H.
Morrison, Joelle K.D. Mahoney, and
Marlene Bassoff."[19]

The symbol for retrograde motion is ℞, a

capital R with a tail stroke.[20][21][22] An R
with a tail stroke was used to abbreviate
many words beginning with the letter R;
in medical prescriptions, it abbreviated
the word recipe[23] (from the Latin
imperative of recipere "to take"[24]), and in
missals, an R with a tail stroke marked
the responses.[23]
Meanings of the symbols
Astrological planets

The glyphs of the planets are usually (but

not always) broken down into four
common elements: A circle denoting
spirit, a crescent denoting the mind, a
cross denoting practical/physical matter
and an arrow denoting action or
direction.[25]
 Name Image Text Unicode Symbol represents

Sun ☉ U+2609 Solar symbol (circled dot)

Moon ☽ U+263D A crescent

Mercury ☿ U+263F Mercury's winged helmet and caduceus

Hand mirror or necklace (see Venus symbol) (emoji

Venus ♀ U+2640
variation is ♀)

Earth
⊕ U+2295 Earth; a Solar symbol (sun cross)

♁ U+2641 Alternate symbol, a stylized globus cruciger

Mars ♂ U+2642 Mars's shield and spear (emoji variation is ♂)

Scythe (handle down), emblematic of Ceres as goddess of

Ceres ⚳ U+26B3
the Harvest.

Jupiter ♃ U+2643 Jupiter's thunderbolt or eagle

Saturn ♄ U+2644 Saturn's sickle

Uranus
♅ U+2645 H in symbol taken from discoverer's last name, Herschel

⛢ U+26E2 Derived from a combination of the Mars and Sun symbols

Neptune ♆ U+2646 Neptune's trident

Pluto's Cap of invisibility (the circle) and a bident (the arc

U+2BD3
under the circle), also a typical attribute of Pluto.

♇ U+2647 PL monogram for Pluto and Percival Lowell

Variant symbol used mainly by French, Spanish, and Italian

U+2BD4
Pluto speaking astrologers.[26]

Variant symbol invented by German astrologer Hermann

U+2BD5 Lefeldt in 1946. Used mostly by those that follow the
Hamburg School of Astrology.[26]

Variant symbol used mostly used in German-speaking

U+2BD6
countries and Denmark.[26]
The Hamburg School of Astrology, also
called Uranian Astrology, is a sub-variety
of western astrology.[27] It adds eight
hypothetical trans-Neptunian planets to
the normal ones used by western
astrologers:[27]

Name Image Text Unicode

Cupido U+2BE0

Hades U+2BE1

Zeus U+2BE2

Kronos U+2BE3

Apollon U+2BE4

Admetos U+2BE5

Vulcanus U+2BE6

Poseidon U+2BE7

Signs of the zodiac

 Name Meaning Image Text Emoji Unicode Symbol Represents

Aries Ram ♈♈ U+2648 Face and horns of ram

Taurus Bull ♉♉ U+2649 Face and horns of bull

Gemini Twins ♊♊ U+264A Companion

Connection to both material and

Cancer Crab ♋♋ U+264B
spiritual worlds

A script form of the Greek letter

"lambda", which is the first letter of
Leo Lion ♌♌ U+264C
the Greek word leon, which means
"lion"

Derived from the Greek letters ΠΑΡ,

which are the first three letters of
Virgo Virgin ♍♍ U+264D
the Greek word parthenos, which
means "virgin"

Libra Scale ♎♎ U+264E Scales

Scorpio Scorpion ♏♏ U+264F Stinger of a scorpion

Arrow of the centaur, aiming to

Sagittarius Archer ♐♐ U+2650
higher realms

Sea-Goat or U+2651 Body and head of a goat with the

Capricorn[28] Mountain
♑♑ tail of a fish or face and horns of
Goat goat.

Aquarius Waterbearer ♒♒ U+2652 Ripples of water, disruption

Two fish tied together yet

Pisces Fish ♓♓ U+2653
swimming in opposite directions

Aspects
In astrology, an aspect is an angle the
planets make to each other in the
horoscope, also to the ascendant,
midheaven, descendant, lower
midheaven, and other points of
astrological interest. The following
symbols are used to note aspect:[29]
 Name Image Text Unicode Angle Explanation

Two or more planets in the same sign.

A circle with a line implying two objects are
Conjunction ☌ U+260C 0°
in the same place (also, the starting point of
an angle)

V V U+0056
Vigintile U+0053 18° Also known as semidecile.
SD SD U+0044

One sign apart

The intersecting lines from the inner angles
Semisextile ⚺ U+26BA 30°
of the upper half of a hexagon (see Sextile).
Also known as dodecile.

Undecile U U U+0055 33°

Decile
D D U+0044
36°
⊥ U+22A5

Novile N N U+004E 40° Also known as nonile.

The bisecting line of a right angle (see

Semi-square ∠ U+2220 45° Square). Also known as semiquartile and
octile.

Septile S S U+0053 51°

Two signs apart

Sextile ⚹ U+26B9 60° The intersecting lines from the inner angles
of a hexagon

Quintile
Q Q U+0051
72°
U+2B20

U+004E
Binovile N² N² U+00B2
80° Also known as binonile.

Three signs apart / Same modality

Square □ U+25A1 90° A regular quadrilateral that represents the
right angle. Also known as quartile.

Biseptile U+0053 103°

S² S² U+00B2
 U+0044

Tredecile
D³ D³ U+00B3 108° Also known as tridecile.

∓ U+2213

Four signs apart / Same elemental triplicity

Trine △ U+25B3 120° An equilateral triangle. Also known as
trinovile.

The glyph of the Semi-Square under the

glyph of the Square, implying the sum of
Sesquiquadrate ⚼ U+26BC 135°
them both. Also known as the sesquisquare,
square-and-a-half, and trioctile.

U+0051
Q² Q² U+00B2

U+0062
Biquintile bQ bQ U+0051
144°

± U+00B1

Five signs apart

The intersecting lines from the inner angles
Quincunx ⚻ U+26BB 150°
of the lower half of a hexagon (see Sextile).
Also known as the inconjunct.

U+0053
Triseptile S³ S³ U+00B3
154° Also known as tridecile.

U+004E
Quadranovile N⁴ N⁴ U+2074
160° Also known as quadnovile and quadranonile.

Six signs apart

The glyph of the Conjunction plus a circle on

Opposition ☍ U+260D 180°
top of its line, implying two objects are in
front (opposed) of each other.

In addition to the aspect symbols above,

some Russian astrologers use additional
or unique aspect symbols:[30][29]

Name Image Text Unicode Angle

Vigintile U+2BF3 18°

Novile U+2BF4 40°

Quintile U+2BF5 72°

Binovile U+2BF6 80°

Centile (Sentagon) U+2BF7 100°

Tredecile U+2BF8 108°

Lunar phases
 Name Image[31][32] Text Emoji Unicode Explanation

Denotes the new moon or a soli-lunar

New moon 🌑🌑 U+1F311
arc in the range 0°-45°.

Crescent Denotes a waxing crescent moon or a

moon 🌒🌒 U+1F312
soli-lunar arc in the range 45°-90°.

First quarter Denotes a first quarter moon or a soli-

moon 🌓🌓 U+1F313
lunar arc in the range 90°-135°.

Gibbous Denotes a waxing gibbous moon or a

moon 🌔🌔 U+1F314
soli-lunar arc in the range 135°-180°.

Denotes a full moon or a soli-lunar arc in

Full moon 🌕🌕 U+1F315
the range 180°-225°.

Disseminating Denotes a waning gibbous moon or a

moon 🌖🌖 U+1F316
soli-lunar arc in the range 225°-270°.

Last quarter Denotes a last quarter moon or a soli-

moon 🌗🌗 U+1F317
lunar arc in the range 270°-315°.

Balsamic Denotes a waning crescent moon or a

moon 🌘🌘 U+1F318
soli-lunar arc in the range 315°-360°.

Miscellaneous symbols
Category Name Image Text Unicode Explanation

The ascendant (also known as the

"ascensum coeli") is the rising
intersection of the ecliptic with the
Ascendant celestial horizon at a particular
moment in time; it is used in the
construction of a horoscope/natal
Angle
chart

The midheaven (also known as the

"medium coeli") is the point where the
Midheaven ecliptic crosses the local meridian; it is
used in the construction of a
horoscope/natal chart

Apparent Symbol represents the apparent

Retrograde
retrograde
motion ℞ U+211E retrograde motion of a planet in an
motion astrological chart

Astraea[33] U+2BD9

⚕ U+2695 A serpent coiled around Asclepius' rod

Hygiea Two serpents coiled around the rod.
U+2BDA
(Alternative astrological symbol)[33]

The scepter (of a queen, Juno is the

Asteroid
Juno ⚵ U+26B5 Roman equivalent of Greek Hera)
topped with a star

A spear (variant has triangle on top)

Alchemical symbol for sulfur (both
Pallas ⚴ U+26B4
variants) see also Asteroids in
astrology)

The fire on the hearth or altar (Roman

Vesta ⚶ U+26B6
equivalent of Greek Hestia)

Centaur Stylized body of a centaur (the circle is

Chiron ⚷ U+26B7 the horse part, the K-like glyph is the
human part)

Symbol devised by German astrologer

Nessus U+2BDC
Robert von Heeren in the late 1990s[33]

Pholus U+2BDB Symbol devised by German astrologer

 Robert von Heeren in the late 1990s[33]

Different comets often use different

symbols, but the use of comets is not
Comet Comet ☄ U+2604
widespread in mainstream astrology
(emoji variation is ☄)

An Eye of Providence; proposed by

astrologer Zane B. Stein[34]

The Hand of Eris; also used non-

U+2BF0
astrologically by Discordians[34]

Apple of Discord[35]
Eris
In use by astrologers in Poland and by
the astrology software Urania[34][36]

Dwarf planet Based on the symbols for Pluto, Mars,

U+2BF1 and Venus; proposed by Henry Seltzer
and used in Time Passages[34][37]

Combination of the Hawaiian

petroglyphs for woman and birthchild,
Haumea
as Haumea was the goddess of
them.[38]

Engraved face of the Rapa Nui god

Makemake
Makemake [38]

Object and symbol are unrelated to the

Hypothetical Proserpina U+2BD8
asteroid 26 Proserpina.[33]
Planet
Transpluto[33] U+2BD7

Lot of Glyph for planet Earth rotated 45

Lot
fortune ⊗ U+2297
degrees.

Lunar apogee Black Moon

Lilith
⚸ U+26B8 The traditional Black Moon Lilith is the
position of the mean lunar apogee as
measured from the geocenter; variants
of the Black Moon include replacing
the mean orbit with a "true" osculating
orbit or with an interpolated orbit;
charting the empty focus of the
Moon's orbit instead of the apogee;
and measuring the desired point's
 barycentric or topocentric position
instead of its geocentric position.[39]

True or
Osculating Variant used for the calculated (as
U+2BDE
Black Moon opposed to mean) position.[33]
Lilith

Russian astrologer Pavel Globa

White Moon invented this to serve as the symbolic
U+2BDD
Selena opposite of Black Moon Lilith in the
1980s.[33]

True Light
Similar to White Moon Selena but using
Moon Arta or
U+2BDF True Black Moon Lilith instead of the
True White
traditional Black Moon Lilith.[33]
Moon

Not all astrologers use the lunar

nodes; however, their usage is very
Ascending
Node ☊ U+260A important in Vedic astrology. They are
alternately known as the "Dragon's
Head" (Rahu, Caput Draconis, or
Lunar node Anabibazon) and the "Dragon's Tail"
(Ketu, Cauda Draconis, or

Descending Catabibazon). The two nodes together

Node ☋ U+260B are most commonly referred to simply

as the nodal axis, the lunar nodes, or
the Moon's nodes.

Represents the wheel to which Zeus

bound Ixion according to Greek
Plutino Ixion
mythology, as a punishment in
Tartarus.

Simplified representation of a
Scattered hurricane, as in Greek mythology
Typhon
disk object Typhon was a divine monster that
could create hurricanes with his wings

Small body Sharp rock art of the Tongva people, in

whose mythology it is present the
Quaoar
creator god Quaoar, and the letter Q
and a canoe.[38]
 Sedna U+2BF2 It consists of the symbols of the
Inuktitut syllabics for 'sa' and 'n', since
in this language Sedna is written as
'Sanna' (ᓴᓐᓇ). Besides, it resembles
the shape of a marine animal leaping
from the water, in alussion to the myth
of Sedna, the Inuit sea goddess.[38]

Western astrological symbolism has

common early origin with alchemical
Zodiacal
shorthand glyphs, and planetary
modalities: ☿ U+263F
divination has long been held in
cardinal
association with alchemy's symbols;
Alchemical the three primes of Paracelsus have
'Three primes' been associated with the zodiac sign
fixed U+1F714 modalities, and tendencies of their
nature in an elementary way to be
construed as being mutable (Quick-
mutable U+1F70D Silver or Mercury), fixed (Salt) or be
cardinal (Sulfur).

See also
Alchemical symbols
Astronomical symbols
Astrological sign
Asteroids in astrology
Aztec calendar
 Behenian fixed star
Classical elements
Earthly Branches
Gender symbols
Heavenly Stems
Mayan calendar
Monas Hieroglyphica
Nakshatra
Navagraha
Sexagenary cycle
Sri Rama Chakra
Vedic astrology

References
1. Neugebauer, Otto (1975). A history of
ancient mathematical astronomy.
pp. 788–789.
2. Neugebauer, Otto; Van Hoesen, H. B.
(1987). Greek Horoscopes. pp. 1, 159,
163.
3. Jones, Alexander (1999). Astronomical
papyri from Oxyrhynchus . pp. 62–63. "It
is now possible to trace the medieval
symbols for at least four of the five
planets to forms that occur in some of the
latest papyrus horoscopes ([ P.Oxy. ] 4272,
4274, 4275 [...]). That for Jupiter is an
obvious monogram derived from the
initial letter of the Greek name. Saturn's
has a similar derivation [...] but underwent
simplification. The ideal form of Mars'
symbol is uncertain, and perhaps not
related to the later circle with an arrow
through it. Mercury's is a stylized
caduceus."
4. "Bianchini's planisphere" . Florence,
Italy: Istituto e Museo di Storia della
Scienza (Institute and Museum of the
History of Science). Archived from the
original on 2009-10-30. Retrieved
2010-03-17.
5. Maunder, A. S. D. (1934). "The origin of
the symbols of the planets". The
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Bibcode:1934Obs....57..238M .
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entdeckten Planeten . pp. 95–96.
7. Gould, B. A. (1850). Report on the
history of the discovery of Neptune .
Smithsonian Institution. p. 5.
8. Francisca Herschel (1917). "The
meaning of the symbol H+o for the planet
Uranus". The Observatory.
Bibcode:1917Obs....40..306H .
9. Gould, B. A. (1850). Report on the
history of the discovery of Neptune .
Smithsonian Institution. p. 22.
10. Bode, J. E., ed. (1801). Berliner
astronomisches Jahrbuch führ das Jahr
1804 . pp. 97–98.
11. von Zach, Franz Xaver (1802).
Monatliche Correspondenz zur
Beförderung der Erd- und Himmels-Kunde,
Volume 6 . pp. 95-96.
12. von Zach, Franz Xaver (1804).
Monatliche Correspondenz zur
Beförderung der Erd- und Himmels-
Kunde . 10. p. 471.
13. "Asteroid Symbols" . Retrieved
2010-05-20.
14. "Memorial for Astrologer, Eleanor
Bach" . Archived from the original on
2010-11-30. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
15. von Zach, Franz Xaver (1807).
Monatliche Correspondenz zur
Beförderung der Erd- und Himmels-
Kunde . 15. p. 507.
16. Carlini, Francesco (1808). Effemeridi
astronomiche di Milano per l'anno 1809 .
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Neptunian planet" . 38: 415.
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Symbols. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
19. Morrison, Al H. (1977). "Chiron". CAO
Times. 3: 57.
20. Randall, Sidney (2006). The ABC of
the Old Science of Astrology . p. 14.
ISBN 978-1-59605-920-7. "...the ℞ with the
stroke across the tail stands for
Retrograde."
21. Lilly, William (1659). Christian
Astrology . pp. 35, 37. A chart with ℞ by a
retrograde Jupiter appears on p. 35; on p.
37, describing the construction of the
chart, Lilly says: "And because [Jupiter] is
noted Retrograde I place the letter R, the
better to informe my judgement."
22. (Booth, Janet (2005). "Mercury
Retrograde" . JanetsPlan-Its.com.
Archived from the original on 2010-11-
14. Retrieved 2010-10-20. "The symbol for
retrograde looks like an ”R” with an “X”
going through it, the same as the symbol
for a prescription."
23. Smith, Frances Gurney, ed. (1852).
"The Medical Examiner, and record of
medical science" . 8: 804.
24. "Recipe definition" . M-w.com. 2007-
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and Uranian planets" . Uranian-
institute.org. 2001-10-22. Retrieved
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067R: Astrological Plutos" (PDF).
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064: Extra Symbols from Uranian
Astrology" (PDF).
28. Behari, Bepin (2003). Myths &
Symbols of Vedic Astrology. p. 155. "Of
the two emblems related to [Capricorn],
one is a horizontal line terminating with a
downward moving arc ending with a loop
having an extended arc , and the other
has a V-shaped beginning whose
downward arc convexing to the right ."
29. Suignard, Michel (2017-01-24).
"L2/17-020R2: Feedback on Extra Aspect
Symbols for Astrology" (PDF).
30. Faulks, David (2016-06-09). "L2/16-
174R: Extra Aspect Symbols for
Astrology" (PDF).
31. Rudhyar, Dane. "The Eight Lunation
Types ", from Your Lunation Birthday.
32. Meyer, Michael R. "Key to Symbols
Archived September 23, 2010, at the
Wayback Machine.", from
KhaldeaEphemeris7z, p. 5.
33. Faulks, David (2016-05-28). "L2/16-
080: Additional Symbols for Astrology"
(PDF).

34. Stein, Zane. Chiron and Friends -

What's Out Past Pluto?
35. "Chiron and Friends – Eris" .
Zanestein.com. Retrieved 2018-03-22.
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symbols of planets, zodiac signs and
aspects" . Astrologia.pl. Retrieved
2018-03-22.
37. Seltzer, Henry. Hail Eris! Archived
2010-09-17 at the Wayback Machine.
38. "Symbols for large trans-Neptunian
objects" . Suberic.net. 2013-07-03.
Retrieved 2018-03-22.
39. Revilla, Juan Antonio. "The Black
Moon Apogee and its Variants" .
Retrieved 2010-08-20.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related
to Astrological symbols.

Glyphs and keywords for asteroids

(often different from the astronomical
ones)

Retrieved from
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title=Astrological_symbols&oldid=859880450"

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