Ancient Sign Attributions to Body Parts

[Jim Eshelman]

From the December 1971 issue of American Astrology, in the "Many Things" section, a letter from a 16-year-old kid named James A. Eshelman... I give an excerpt.

June 24,1971, Rochester, Ind.

As historical scholars have shown, zodiacal melothesia (sig rulerships of body parts) nowadays is the reverse of the original version. While browsing through the library recently I came across a 1970-printed college text titled simply Introduction to Astronomy. Being a liberal arts book, it has an excellent section on astronomy's history - which is largely astrology's history too.

On page 11 there is a table listing the symbols of the zodiacal constellations taken from a Euphrates table of circa 600 BC. Of course, many of the animal representations are different from the Greco-Egyptian symbols. Glancing through the table I noted a curious coincidence with the parts of the body ruled by the sign and that sign's name. For instance, Pisces as called "the cord-place." Libra, the head, was called "the Life-maker of Heaven." Even though na-Hertu, the Pair, was labelled by the Egyptians because of the two bright stars placed there, it isn't hard to associate our legs with "the Great Pair." Toi connect Taurus with "the Bull out front" is reminiscent of some modern-day pornographic magazine.

There are several other connections in Egyptian lore which make rather obvious anatomical descriptions with a little thought. Of course Aquarius and the heart, Pa-netith and the arms, and the maiden with the feet are somewhat obvious once you've read Cyril Fagan's commentaries on Egyptian astrology. But what about Pa-gerhedj, the crab or scarab, both members of the phylum Arthropoda, "jointed legs," and ruling the joints of our legs. Although this biological classification is a modern one, certainly the Egyptians had observed similarities in certain animals, the backbone of modern taxonomy. I'd also much prefer thinking of "the place of sunrise" as the Euphratean symbol of "Life-maker of Heaven," associating it thus with the head than to try to argue that the organs of "balance" are located in tis part of the body. After all, these early civilizations, especially the Egyptians, were masters of the pun, as can be clearly seen in the Lion-Sickle case, or in the Euphratean table.

I think the only key to why each sign was given its particular symbol is to be found nowhere else than in medical astrology. [I wouldn't say that today, 47 years later.] It is at least food for thought - and I've had quite an appetite lately.

[SteveS]

[By Jove]

You were an astrology expert at 16? Damn.

[Jim Eshelman]

You were an astrology expert at 16? Damn.

My first published articles were in the July 1971 issue of American Astrology and the concurrent summer issue of Spica. When I look at my early articles, I'd in no sense call myself an expert - there is a lot of stuff I have to have a sense of humor about still being out there - but yes, I was 16 when those were written and published. The letter above was an unpaid "letter to the editor" item the same year.

[SteveS]

Jove wrote:

You were an astrology expert at 16? Damn.

I have always considered Jim a Prodigy (a highly gifted person) when it comes to detailed analysis (Virgo) for Astrology systems.

[By Jove]

You were an astrology expert at 16? Damn.

My first published articles were in the July 1971 issue of American Astrology and the concurrent summer issue of Spica. When I look at my early articles, I'd in no sense call myself an expert - there is a lot of stuff I have to have a sense of humor about still being out there - but yes, I was 16 when those were written and published. The letter above was an unpaid "letter to the editor" item the same year.

When did you first discover the works of Fagen and co.? It seems like you were already acquainted with them by that time.

[Jim Eshelman]

I had studied Tropical astrology for a couple of years, when a guest speaker at my high school suggested I get American Astrology that month for an article on natal delineation - probably the series Olive Adele Pryor had, I'm not sure. Anyway, it was the issue that announced Fagan's death the month before, so it would have been probably the February 1970 issue. I began reading the reprints of his articles that they started that month, which were primarily transit interpretations, and only really realized he was talking about another zodiac a few months in.