CHAPTER 1

How to Use this Book

Forming characters! Whose? Our own or others? Both. And inthat momentous fact lies the peril and responsibility of ourexistence.

Elihu Burritt (Sagittarius sun, Taurus moon)

The signs of the zodiac can be looked on as archetypes: recurrentmotifs deeply ingrained in the human psyche that drive humanbehaviour. These archetypes have been described for at leastthree thousand years so it's no wonder readers identify withthem. The zodiac archetypes broadly delineate how someoneborn under each sun-sign will act, think and feel and they don'tshy away from the darker, hidden sign of human nature. Inancient times the signs were given names that not only resembledthe zodiac constellations in the sky but also described thetemperament that went with each zodiac personality. The profilesin this book are drawn with a somewhat jaundiced eye, delineatingthe darker facets of the signs but that's what makes themuseful to writers – and interesting to readers. We don't want tostay on the surface. We need to incorporate quirks, flaws andfoibles to make our protagonists authentic – and intriguing.

Celestial archetypes

Aries is the Ram and those horns head-butt their way throughlife.

Taurus is the Bull: strong and slow to anger but watch out whenit charges.

Gemini is the Twins: the first human sigil in the zodiac and ohhow the twins love to share ideas.

Cancer is the Crab with the tough shell, soft underbelly, andclaws that hold on tight.

Leo is the Lion: proud leader of the pack.

Virgo is now the Virgin, pure and chaste, but this used to be thefruitful Corn Maiden so there's an erotic undertone and hugeinternal struggle.

Libra is the only inanimate sigil, those Scales judge and weighthings in the balance, swinging wildly until equilibrium is found.

Scorpio is the mesmerising Scorpion, watch out for the vicioussting in the tail.

Sagittarius is the Centaur-Archer that combines animal andhuman, instinct and intellect, and lets fly that arrow wherever itwill.

Capricorn is the Goat. Fleet footed mountain goats quickly makeit to the top whilst their domesticated cousins stay corralledwithin tight limits. In the old Babylonian zodiac, Capricorn wasthe sea goat with a tail in the waters of the unconscious and headin the intellectual air realm above, blending intuition withreason.

Aquarius, the Water Bearer, pours out the waters of life but tendsto be a detached observer of the life that feelings create.

Imaginative, escapist Pisces is summed up by its two interlinkedFishes swimming in opposite directions but forever tiedtogether.

The astro-profiles in this book are built on how the signs willbehave, think, speak and feel under different circumstances. Thisbehaviour is embedded deep in the human psyche. Twomillennia ago, Marcus Manilius, a Stoic philosopher, describedthe zodiac characters:

The Ram [Aries] will ever cherish hopes, he will rise from thesudden shipwreck of his affairs to abundant wealth only tomeet with a fall, and his desires will lead him to disaster, hewill yield his produce for the common good. The Ram has adiffident heart that ever yearns to commend itself by its ownpraise.

The Bull [Taurus] demands a yoke for its shoulders andneither pauses in the furrows nor relaxes its breast in the dust.Their hearts and bodies derive strength from a massivenessthat is slow to move, whilst in their faces dwells the boy-godLove.

The Twins [Gemini] find even work a pleasure, theirs is a lifeof ease and unfading youth spent in the arms of love. Theyalso discover new paths to the skies. Nature yields to theirgenius. So many are the accomplishments of which the Twinsis fruitful.

The Crab [Cancer] has a grasping spirit and, unwilling to giveitself in service, the Crab distributes many kinds of gain, andskill in making profits. He sells seasons of idleness at rates ofinterest to his liking. His is a shrewd nature and he is ready tofight for his profits.

The Lion [Leo] filled with the urge to adorn their proudportals with pelts spending their lives on spoil and pillagingof stocks. They swagger about to meet the demands of luxury.Their temper is prone to fitful wrath and ready withdrawaland guileless are the sentiments of their honest hearts.

The Virgin [Virgo] minds trained in the learned arts. Theimpulse to investigate the causes and effects of things. Onthem she will confer a tongue which charms, the mastery ofwords, and that mental vision which can discern all thingshowever concealed they may be. Bashfulness handicaps theearly years of such persons.

The Scales [Libra] acquainted with the tablets of law, he willknow what is permissible and the penalties incurred by doingwhat is forbidden. Whatever stands in dispute and needs aruling the pointer of the balance will determine.

The Scorpion [Scorpio] creates natures ardent for war andactive service, and...