The zodiac is a complete initiatory cycle of the soul. Each sign is a gate through which the soul passes, and together they map the full arc of incarnation, growth, and return.
Over the course of many lives, the soul experiences all twelve mysteries in countless ways in a multidimensional way.
It is not a straight line, a train from origin to destination - it is a sphere, a mandala, a hologram….
The zodiac’s twelve is an elegant synthesis of astronomy, geometry, numerology, psychology, and myth.
Why 12?
The 360° circle of the heavens naturally divides into twelve segments of 30°. This division is both geometric and symbolic: twelve is highly composite, divisible by 2, 3, 4, and 6, which makes it ideal for structuring harmony. Thus you get four triplicities (fire, earth, air, water) and three quadruplicities (cardinal, fixed, mutable).
12 is a sacred number of fullness and cosmic order: twelve tribes of Israel, twelve disciples, twelve months, twelve Olympians, twelve labors of Heracles, twelve petals on the heart chakra in certain systems.
The geometry of the hexagon and hexagram: six divides the circle into a perfect Star of David, and doubling it brings twelve points. The sun at the center and the twelve around is an archetypal image—the king or the Christ at the heart, the twelve companions encircling. A hexagon laid inside a circle produces six points; overlay a second rotated hexagon and you get a twelve-pointed star. The hexagram (two interlaced triangles) yields six directions of balance and polarity; doubling to twelve produces a fuller mandala where a central sun/king sits at the heart and twelve companions orbit.
It’s also an astronomical reflection: roughly twelve lunar cycles in a solar year, twelve constellations through which the sun visibly passes.
10 fingers, tongue and phallus = 12 “members”
And so the Soul went forth from the Eternal, to walk the long road of becoming, and to return perfected into the Light. From the fire of Aries it sprang, crying, “I Am.” Swift was its courage, fierce was its will, yet it knew not its own measure, for it was but the dawn of being. In the fields of Taurus it rested. The earth gave it strength, the vine gave it sweetness, the stone gave it weight. It learned patience and delight in substance, yet also the danger of clinging to what must pass. Then the winds of Gemini carried it. Words were loosed like birds, thought multiplied as branches. The Soul was divided, and in its questioning it sowed knowledge throughout the world. In the house of Cancer it found shelter. Memory wrapped it, tenderness fed it, longing shaped it. It knew the ache of belonging and the holy burden of love. The Soul rose as Leo, radiant as the sun. It sang and created, a child crowned in joy. Yet the shadow of pride drew near, and it learned that honor belongs to the Giver, not the bearer. Through Virgo it was refined. Humble hands served, clear eyes discerned, the crooked was straightened, the unclean made pure. In devotion to the small, it prepared itself for the great. Then came Libra, and another face was shown. The Soul weighed its deeds in the balance, and learned the mystery of justice. In harmony it walked, and in love it was tested. Scorpio received it into the deep. The Soul was broken in passion, undone in death, swallowed in shadow. Yet from the grave it rose renewed, knowing power that lies beyond the veil. As Sagittarius it journeyed. Laughter was its companion, vision its bow. Across deserts and seas it sought wisdom, and in the telling of the Great Story it gave hope to many. Capricorn stood before it as a mountain. The climb was long, the labor hard, yet the temple of stone was raised. By endurance the Soul gained mastery, and by discipline it proved its strength. Then Aquarius poured out waters of the new. Chains were broken, horizons opened, the pattern of the stars was revealed. It dreamed of what shall be, yet was warned not to forget the warmth of the heart. Last was Pisces, the great sea. The Soul dissolved as mist at dawn, bearing the sorrows of the world. In tears it found compassion, in surrender it found peace, and in silence it was made ready for birth again. And when the circle was complete, the Soul beheld the mystery: each path was but a portion of the Whole, yet together they were one. The twelve as one, and the one as twelve. And so it returned to the Eternal, perfected in Light.
Aries is the spark of birth, raw being, the primal fire of “I am.” It is innocence and courage, but also recklessness. The soul begins as pure force, a flame without form. It is the initiation of Spring.
Taurus brings grounding. After the leap into existence, the soul learns stability, embodiment, the pleasure and weight of matter. It is the garden where spirit takes root in earth, but also the temptation to get stuck in comfort.
Gemini opens the mind. The soul learns language, curiosity, duality. Consciousness splits into reflection, words, symbols, and connections. Gemini disperses energy into multiplicity, creating pathways of thought.
Cancer is the turn inward. The soul discovers the emotional body, memory, the womb of belonging, the mystery of home. It learns tenderness, care, and the weight of the nostalgia of the heart and soul. It is the first awakening of the archetype of the Mother.
Leo emerges as the radiant child, the king, the creator. Here the soul finds joy in shining, in expressing, in declaring “I am unique.” This is the flowering of individuality and the rehearsal for sovereignty, but it can collapse into pride.
Virgo follows, the purification of Leo’s fire. After expressing itself, the soul must refine itself. Virgo discerns, heals, and serves. It is the furnace of humility, where the soul learns that greatness is not about display but about precision, service, and alignment with truth.
Libra opens the doorway into the Other. Having purified itself, the soul learns relationship, harmony, and justice. It is here that the scales are weighed and balance sought—not just inner perfection but outward fairness. This is the awakening of the archetype of the Lover and the Judge.
Scorpio descends into the underworld. The soul is asked to surrender, to die, to pass through passion and shadow, to be remade. Power, sexuality, death, and transformation are its themes. Scorpio is initiation.
Sagittarius rises from the ashes with vision. The soul, having died, now seeks meaning, wisdom, and truth. It journeys, quests, and explores horizons inner and outer. This is the realm of philosophy, myth, religion—the search for the Great Story.
Capricorn is the mountain climb. After vision, the soul must build, discipline, structure. It learns responsibility, law, endurance. Capricorn tests whether the lofty Sagittarian truths can be embodied in the material world. It is the initiatory stage of mastery through effort and of establishing the temple of stone.
Aquarius breaks the mountain’s rigidity. It is the rebel, the visionary of the future, the bearer of new waters. Here the soul learns detachment, community, innovation, and the cosmic order. Aquarius transmits the collective vision, but risks coldness if cut off from the heart.
Pisces is the dissolution and return. The soul merges back into the ocean, learns compassion, sacrifice, and transcendence. It releases boundaries, dissolves ego, and prepares for death—or rebirth. The circle closes, and from Pisces’ waters, Aries will again ignite the spark.
From Martin Schulman’s book “The Moon’s Nodes and Reincarnation”
And it was morning as God stood before his twelve children and into each of them planted the seed of human life. One by one each child stepped forward to receive his appointed gift.
To you Aries I give my seed first that you might have the honor of planting it. That for every seed you plant one million more will multiply in your hand. You will not have time to see the seed grow for everything you plant creates more that must be planted. You will be the first to penetrate the soil of men’s minds with My Idea. But it is not your job to nourish the Idea nor to question it. Your life is action and the only action I ascribe to you is to begin making men aware of My Creation. For your good work I give you the virtue of Self Esteem.
To you Taurus I give the power to build the seed into substance. Your job is a great one requiring patience for you must finish all that has been started or the seeds will be wasted to the wind. You are not to question nor change your mind in the middle nor to depend on others for what I ask you to do. For this I give you the gift of Strength. Use it wisely.
To you Gemini I give the questions without answers so that you may bring to all an understanding of what man sees around him. You will never know why men speak or listen, but in your quest for the answer you will find my gift of Knowledge.
To you Cancer I ascribe the task of teaching men about emotion. My Idea is for you to cause them laughter and tears so that all they see and think develops fullness from inside. For this I give you the gift of Family, that your fullness may multiply.
To you Leo I give the job of displaying My Creation in all its brilliance to the world. But you must be careful of pride and always remember that it is My Creation, not yours. For if you forget this men will scorn you. There is much joy in the job I give to you if you but do it well. For this you are to have the gift of Honor.
To you Virgo I ask for an examination of all man has done with My Creation. You are to scrutinize his ways sharply and remind him of his errors so that through you My Creation may be perfected. For doing this I give you the gift of Purity of Thought.
To you Libra I give the mission of service, that man may be mindful of his duties to others. That he may learn cooperation as well as the ability to reflect the other side of his actions. I will put you everywhere there is discord, and for your efforts I will give you the gift of Love.
To you Scorpio I give a very difficult task. You will have the ability to know the minds of men, but I do not permit you to speak about what you learn. Many times you will be pained by what you see, and in your pain you will turn away from Me and forget that it is not I but the perversion of My Idea that is causing your pain. You will see so much of man that you will come to know him as animal and wrestle so much with his animal instincts in yourself that you will lose your way; but when you finally come back to Me, Scorpio, I have for you the supreme gift of Purpose.
Sagittarius, I ask you to make men laugh for amidst their misunderstanding of My Idea they become bitter. Through laughter you are to give man hope, and through hope turn his eyes back to Me. You will touch many lives if but only for a moment, and you will know the restlessness in every life you touch. To you Sagittarius I give the gift of Infinite Abundance, that you may spread wide enough to reach into every corner of darkness and bring it light.
Of you Capricorn, I ask the toil of your brow, that you might teach men to work. Your task is not an easy one for you will feel all of man’s labours on your shoulders; but for the yoke of your burdens I put the responsibility of man in your hands.
To you Aquarius I give the concept of future that man might see other possibilities. You will have the pain of loneliness for I do not allow you to personalize My Love. but for turning man’s eyes to new possibilities I give you the gift of Freedom, that in your liberty you may continue to serve mankind whenever he needs you.
To you Pisces I give the most difficult task of all. I ask you to collect all of man’s sorrow and return it to me. Your tears are to be ultimately My tears. The sorrow you will absorb is the effect of man’s misunderstanding My Idea, but you are to give him compassion that he may try again. For this the most difficult task of all I give the greatest gift of all. You will be the only one of My twelve children to understand Me. But this gift of understanding is for you, Pisces, for when you try to spread it to man he will not listen.
Then God said, “You each have a part of My Idea. You must not mistake that part for all of My Idea, nor may you desire to trade parts with each other. For each of you is perfect, but you will not know that until all twelve of you are ONE. For then the whole of My Idea will be revealed to each of you.”
And the children left, each determined to do his job best that he might receive his gift. But none fully understand his task or his gift, and when they returned puzzled God said, “You each believe that other gifts are better. Therefore I will allow you to trade.”
And for the moment each child was elated as he considered all the possibilities of his new mission. But God smiled as he said “You will return to Me many times asking to be relieved of your mission, and each time I will grant you your wish. You will go through countless incarnations before you complete the original mission I have prescribed for you.
I give you countless time in which to do it, but only when it is done can you be with Me.