Pisces name sign glyph and constellation appear on a Russian stamp issued on the 21st of April 2004.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Vatican necropolis in Rome
Fish from early 3rd century C.E. appear on one of the most ancient Christian inscriptions found at the Vatican necropolis in Rome carrying the inscription: Ikhthus zōntōn ("fish of the living"); Tertullian (160–230 C.E.) referred to early Christians as pisciculi (“little fish”)
Picture is courtesy of Jastrow from Wikipedia (entry: Ichthys).
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Make a Wish
Pisces name sign and glyph on the wishing bridge at Jaffa, Israel
The founders of this bridge tell us that there’s an "ancient legend" telling that if you touch your Zodiac sign and make a wish while looking at the sea - your wish will come true. Can you believe that?
Picture is courtesy of “InfinitelyDigital” from Flickr
Age of Pisces
We live in the Age of Pisces, which started about 200 B.C.E. and is going to end soon.
Until recently, the Greek Hipparchus, was given the credit for discovering the procession of the equinoxes. This 25,920 cycle is the foundation for the Age of Pisces which by modern measurement puts each age as 2,160 years long… Schwaller de Lubicz showed that the Zodiac of Dendera in the Temple of Hathor (around 100 BC) was actually a time clock measurement that marked the procession of the equinoxes from the Age of Pisces back to the Age of Taurus which started in 4380 BC by his calculations. Schwaller estimated the Age of Pisces to begin near 60 B.C.E and the Age of Aquarius to begin at 2100 C.E.
Picture is courtesy of ”Bradipus” from Wikipedia (Image taken by Alex Lbh in April 2005 at the Temple of Denderah.
From Manly P. Hall’s The Secret Teachings Of All Ages, 1928, p. 55 (caption under the Tentyra drawing):
Catalonia, Spain
Pisces (Piscis) wall sculpture from Calella, Catalonia, Spain (50 kilometers north of Barcelona).
Picture is courtesy of ”gorgeoux” from Flickr.
Astronomical Observatory In Delhi
Pisces astrological sign appears at the18th century Indian astronomical observatory in Delhi called Brihat Samrat Yantra.
Picture is courtesy of ”dizznan” from Flickr.Planetarium
Pisces from Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, New York. sculptor Alfonso Ianelli (1888 - 1965) made this bronze relief medallion of Pisces along with the other signs on each of the twelve corners of the 1930s building.
Picture is courtesy of by “Michael_L” from Flickr
Hawaii
Pisces from an Art Gallery in the West Maui Mountains near Wailuku. Picture is courtesy of “theotherway” From Flickr.
Mnemonic From: Project Gutenberg An Alphabet Of Old Friends by Walter Crane
The Ram, the Bull, the Heavenly Twins,
And next the Crab, the Lion shines,
The Virgin and the Scales.
The Scorpion, Archer, and the Goat,
The Man who holds the Watering Pot,
And Fish with glittering scales.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Tile Image
Pisces sign (with a connecting cord) picture is courtesy of Mary MacKay from North Carolina, USA, maryemackay@mac.com.
Mary wrote to me:
This photo was taken at the Fronteira Estate in Lisbon, Portugal. There are extensive gardens surrounding the historic mansion, and one area features azulejo (tile) images of the zodiac.
Body Painting
Pisces sign (with a connecting cord) Body Painting Picture is courtesy of “shia_redville” from Flickr.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Israelite Gad Tribe Identified as Dag
John Kirk Robertson, D.D. wrote in his book The Aquarian Bible Of The Cosmic Christ (ISBN 0-9543605-1-6) that when you read in Hebrew Gad from left to right you get Dag, which means in Hebrew Fish or Pisces.
Diagram is courtesy of the author John Kirk Robertson, D.D.
John Kirk Robertson identifies:
1. Dan as Scorpio
2. Judah as Leo
3. Reuben as Aquarius
4. Ephraim (Manasseh) as Taurus
5. Asher as Virgo
6. Issachar as Capricorn
7. Simeon and Levy as Gemini
8. Naphtali as Cancer
9. Zebulon as Libra
10. Gad as Pisces
11. Benjamin as Aries
12. Joseph as Sagittarius
12. Joseph as Sagittarius
I found another source that contradicts the above mentioned identification, where Naphtali is identifies as pisces while, of course, all the other tribes have other identifications:
The standards of the tribes corresponded to the zodiacal signs of the constellations, so that in the east was the standard of Judah, with Issachar and Zebulun beside it, these three being opposite Aries, Taurus, and Gemini; in the south was the standard of Reuben, with Simeon and Gad, opposite Cancer, Leo, and Virgo; in the west was the standard of Ephraim, with Manasseh and Benjamin, opposite Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius; and in the north was the standard of Dan, with Asher and Naphtali, opposite Capricornus, Aquarius, and Pisces
From Yalkut Shimony, Exodus, 40:418 translated by Joseph Jacobs and Judah David Eisenstein Jewish Encyclopedia entry: zodiac
Yalkut Shimony is dated to the 13th century, but it contains sources that date to much earlier centuries. It is not clear when was written the paragraph quoted above.
Churchill Sun of the Nations
Pisces and the other zodiacal signs surround the (Churchill?) sun above the entrance to Bracken House, London, UK. It reminds me of Stalin who was referred to as the Sun of the Nations. Which brings me to the idea that each one of us deserves to see his own portrait in the center of a zodiac as long as we live in a democracy…
Picture is courtesy of John Linwood from Flickr.
Jupiter
Pisces sign and glyph appear (bottom center) under the feet of Jupiter on 1539 drawing by German Northern Renaissance engraver Beham Sebald (1500-1550). Picture is courtesy of Yellow Lion from Wikimedia (entry Zodiac). Sebald was a pupil of Albrecht Durer in Nuremberg.
Auvergne, France
Pises sign (carved in stone) with the connecting cord appears on the front of Church Saint-Austremonius of Issoire (12th century), Auvergne, France. Picture is courtesy of Jastrow from Wikimedia (entry Zodiac).
Amiens, France
Finely carved relief Pisces sign (with the connecting cord) appears on a portal of the west facade of the Cathedral of Amiens, which was built between 1218 and 1269. Picture is courtesy of Vassil from Wikimedia (entry Zodiac). Medieval people ascribed agricultural (more than astrological) meaning to the Zodiac.
1217, Chartres, France
Pisces sign with the connecting cord appears on the right top medallion at the stained glass window (vitrage) of the gothic (1217) Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres. Picture is courtesy of foto Daniel from Flickr. Chartres is located 80 km from Paris.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tiffany Glass
Pisces glyph appears as part of the zodiac on the largest Tiffany glass dome in the world in Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Illinois. The Dome was renovated in the 1970s and it is valued at an estimated $35 million. Picture taken by "scratch n sniff" from Flickr.
Pisces from 1496
Pisces sign appears on center left of a printing by Nicolas le Rouge, in the book Le grant kalendrier des Bergiers (1496, Troyes, France). Usually we recognize the sign that has two fishes swimming in opposite directions, here they seem to swim "only" in different directions.
Hampton Palace, London
Pisces sign and glyph appear on six o’clock on the 14th century Hampton Palace astronomical clock.
picture taken by shakkai from Flickr.
Hampton Palace is a former royal palace located in London. This clock was built before Copernicus and Galileo, so that it shows the sun turning around the earth.
Georgian medieval Christian Art
Pisces sign is seen on top center of a Georgian medieval piece of art, on the right of the sun sign. The order of the astrological signs of the zodiac is against the clock. In middle top we see the sun and opposite it- the moon. During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Roman Church considered Zodiac signs as representations of Christ, and this Georgian zodiac seems to be inspired by this conception. Picture is courtesy of henribergius from Flickr who took it in the Sakartvelo Republic of Georgia.
Under each sign we see one of the twelve apostles.
From Kerikeri Christian Assemblies Of New Zealand:
Aries sign represents- “…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).
Taurus sign represents Jesus as the future Ruler of the world.
Gemini sign represents Jesus in harmony with the church.
Cancer sign represents security of the church in Jesus’ arms.
Leo sign represents Jesus the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5).
Virgo sign represents Jesus born of a virgin.
Scorpio sign represents the devil.
Libra sign represents judgment.
Sagittarius sign represents the battle for salvation.
Capricorn sign represents Jesus being a sacrifice.
Aquarius sign represents Jesus pouring out the Holy Spirit.
Pisces sign represents the early Christians. The cord represents their union by the Holy Spirit.
The Last Supper and the Four Elements
Leonardo DaVinci in his painting 'The Last Supper' arranged his disciples in a manner that hints to the 12 signs of the zodiac surrounding the sun: they are divided into four groups of threes like the four groups of The Elements: earth, air, water and fire. Pisces belongs to the water sign, as expected.
Picture was taken from Wikipedia (entry: Last Supper). It was uploaded by “Liberal Freemason”.
Traditional Western Astrology Rulers
Jupiter rules Sagittarius & Pisces (shown at his feet) picture is courtesy of Aaron from Antiquus-Astrology.com
In traditional Western astrology, each zodiacal sign has a planetary (wandering stars) ruler:
Aries - Mars
Taurus - Venus
Gemini - Mercury
Cancer - Moon
Leo - Sun
Virgo - Mercury
Libra - Venus
Scorpio - Mars
Sagittarius - Jupiter
Capricorn - Saturn
Aquarius - Saturn
Pisces –Jupiter
In other words:
Mars rules Aries & Scorpio
Venus rules Taurus & Libra
Mercury Gemini & Virgo
The Moon rules Cancer
The Sun rules Leo
Jupiter rules Sagittarius & Pisces
Saturn rules Capricorn & Aquarius
Modern Western Astrology Rulers –1
Uranus rules Aquarius
Neptune Pisces
Pluto rules Scorpio
Ceres rules Virgo
Modern Western Astrology Rulers –2
Vesta rules Taurus
Pallas rules Virgo
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Hoover Dam Pisces
We see here a plate with Pisces sign (with the connecting cord) and glyph from Hoover Dam. Hoover Dam is located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River in Nevada. This Pisces sign is part of 12 astrological signs framing a compass, which were all created by Norwegian-born sculptor Oskar Hansen. Picture is courtesy of “Deerbourne” from Flickr.
Erfurt Gothic cathedral, Germay
We see here a 14th century wood Pisces relief from the Gothic cathedral in Erfurt.
Picture is courtesy of “Sacred Destinations” from Flickr
Brauweiler, Germay
We see here Pisces relief (1141) from the north tower of the abbey church in Brauweiler, west of Cologne. Today it is exhibited in Bonn Museum.
Picture is courtesy of “Sacred Destinations” from Flickr
Kew Gardens London
We see here a Pisces sign in the Kew Gardens, London. Kew gardens are famous Royal Botanic gardens located between Richmond and Kew in southwest London, England.
Picture is courtesy of xueexueg from Flickr.
Sign of Completion
Pisces sign, glyph, character traits and dates are carved into stone in The Zodiac Wensum Park, Norwich, Norfolk, England, UK
Designer: Tchenka Jane Sunderland
Picture is courtesy of Leo Reynolds from Flickr.
Thomas Burgoyne in his book The light of Egypt, 1903 (Gutenberg Project) brought two lines from a poem about Pisces:
Near their loved waves cold Pisces take their seat
With Aries join, and make the round complete.
Burgoyne went on to claim that Pisces is a sign of completion.
The soul has now completed the first round, or rung, in the Cycle of Necessity; and its next state is that of incarnated man. It has triumphed over every sphere below, and defied, in turn, every power above, and is now within that sixth state of the embryonic soul-world that transforms all its past knowledge, sorrow, and suffering, into experience; and produces the impersonal man.
Jonah's Big Fish in Christianity
Jonah Mosaic at St. Anne Melkite Greek Catholic Church, Moorpark, North Hollywood Los Angeles, California.
Courtesy of Cbl62 from Wikipedia (entry: Jonah)
Jonah's Biblical story is interpreted in Christianity as the herald of the second coming of Jesus. Moreover, Jesus hinted at Pisces (the whale, the big fish of Jonah) when he said in Matthew 12:39:
But he answered and said unto them: an evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jona.
Hamat Tiberius, Israel
Pisces sign, as part of a zodiac, on a 4th century mosaic found in the Synagogue of Hamat Tiberius, Israel.
The picture is courtesy of "jaydoubleyougee” from Flickr.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
1961 Stamp from Israel
In Jewish tradition the two fishes of the Pisces zodiacal sign represent the two months of Adar in a leap year.
Designer: I Blaushild
The Hebrew calendar is synchronized with the astronomical calendar by adding a month (to Adar) seven times every nineteen years.
Picture is courtesy of Hayim Shtayer and the stamp is from his collection.
Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov claims in his book (Sefer HaTodaah, 1997 of p. 244) that the sign of Adar is Pisces because in this month the fishes multiply in the rivers and in the lakes. It is a blessed sign because the fishes are not seen, and thus are not effected by evil eye. Even in the Flood the fishes didn’t die because they didn’t sin, and because they don’t copulate with another species. The people of Israel resemble the fishes because they live in the Torah, which resembles water [the ocean of the Torah]. In this month Moses was born and the Torah is called after him: Torah of Moses. In this month the Israelites re-committed themselves to live by the rules of the Torah in the days of Mordechai and Ester. Jacob blessed Joseph (genesis 48:16): And may they grow [like fishes] into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
1957 Stamp from Israel
Pisces sign appears on a zodiac mosaic pavement of a 6th century synagogue found at Kibbutz Beit Alfa, Israel. Designer: R.Errell Artwork by D. Pegaz The fishes seem to swim in different directions.
Hayim Shtayer took the picture of the stamp and the stamp is from his collection.
This is only a detail - zoom in to see the whole stamp on Flickr by clicking the All sizes command above the picture.
Sepphoris Mosaic, Israel
6th century CE Pisces sign: a man holding two fishes on bottom center of the mosaic floor of Sepphoris (Zippori) synagogue, Israel. Picture courtesy of Hebrew Wikipedia (entry: ZodiacMosaicTzippori). The men that appear on this zodiac prove, surprisingly, that in the Hebrew zodiac not only Virgo had a human form.
Pisces in the Sky
Pisces constellation is located between Aquarius to the west and Aries to the east.
The picture is courtesy of "hoathuytinh_hanoi2000” from Flickr. Pay attention to the connecting cord between the two figures.
Paintings on the Ceiling at Waltham Abbey UK
Pisces sign (with the connecting cord and with the letters of its name) picture is courtesy of "TheRevSteve” from Flickr who wrote to me:
The paintings on the ceiling at Waltham Abbey were done in 1859-60, designed by the architect William Burges and modelled on the ceiling in Peterborough Cathedral. They are painted on canvas which is fixed to the wooden ceiling.
The zodiac signs don't have astrological significance, rather they represent the months of the year as seen in the night sky, and they are flanked by pictures of the tasks appropriate in the months.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Anatomy
This is my favorite picture. I like it because it confronted me with a wealth of new information in such an aesthetic way. I hope to make similar (blogs) collections about the other signs of the zodiac and to put this picture in all of them.
Pisces sign and glyph (at the feet of the man in the drawing) picture is courtesy of "shadowplay” from Flickr who wrote to me:
It was shot in a market in Mexico (Guanajuato, I believe) and you see a lot of those kind of posters with all kinds of information on them, sometimes used in schools to teach kids.
Sefer Yetzirah is ascribed according to Jewish tradition to biblical patriarch Abraham, but researchers date it to 2-6 century C.E. It is one of the most influential Jewish books. In it we find a connection between the Hebrew letters and the signs of the zodiac and the leading organs of the body:
From: http://www.wbenjamin.org/saadia.html
Sefer Yetzirah [Book of Creation] Saadia's Commentary (excerpts)
[Among the Hebrew letters we find] Twelve simples: He, Vav, Zayin; Het, Tet, Yod; Lamed, Nun, Samech; Ayin, Tsadeh, Qof. He [God) carved them, hewed them, tested them, weighed them, and combined them. He formed of them: the signs of the zodiac, the months [of the year], and the leading organs of the body;
Mural
Pisces sign mural (without the connecting cord) picture is courtesy of "mylar113” from Flickr who wrote to me:
I took the picture in Frederick, Maryland, this summer on vacation. There is a bridge there that is completely painted. If you look in my other photos, there's one of a gate. The pisces is up to the left of the gate, and is visible in the photo I put up of that. Off the top of my head, I don't remember why the pisces image was chosen, but I'm sure if you do a search on the Mural Bridge of Frederick, Maryland, you'll find something about it.
In the caption under the picture in Flickr mylar113 noted that the plants of this mural are painted- isn’t that something?
Cake
Pisces glyph on a cake picture is courtesy of "Stardust Dream” from Flickr who wrote to me:
I'm a pastry chef as well as a Pisces. Since I use cupcakes and desserts to represent myself, I thought it only natural that I make the Pisces symbol.
Garden Decoration
Pisces (two fat whales without a connecting cord) appears among the other astrological signs surrounding the sun on a rusty zodiac and serving as a garden decoration. Picture is courtesy of "dreaminofbeadin” from Flickr who bought it on a yard sale.
T-shirt
Pisces T-shirt (only one fish without connecting cord) picture is courtesy of Smartmouthstudio from Flickr who wrote to me:
I've just always loved astrological signs and the meaning behind them. So when I opened a shop on etsy (smartmouthstudio.etsy.com) I thought I'd do astrology graphics for kids clothes, and this is the one I came up for Pisces!
The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre in Quebec
Gold Pisces (with the connecting cord) from the 1876 Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre Picture is courtesy of Jean Arf from Flickr who wrote to me:
It's a really large church in a very tiny town along the St. Lawrence River a little bit east of Quebec City. Busloads of people come from all over seeking miracles (healing their illnesses). There are zillions of crutches from people who claim they were healed and can now walk.
St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague
Pisces (without the connecting cord) Picture is courtesy of DaveGray from Flickr who wrote to me:
This is one of a series of Zodiac signs on the gates of The Golden Portal, the original entrance to St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. I don't have any history on the gates but I think they are fairly modern (<>30Yrs). I believe the figures are intended to display attributes of the sign. I took the entire series of figures while in Prague with my wife earlier in 2008. The others are also on my Flickr pages.
P.S.
Later DaveGray added the following:
After writing to you I had a look at the Zodiac signs in their correct order and I believe the figures are illustrating the seasons labours and fruits, as they occur in each sign, not necessarily anything to do with attributes of the Zodiac signs themselves.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Mosaic in Sicily
Fishes appear on a Roman floor mosaic in Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily. This is not a typical Pisces sign since it is not a part of the zodiacal signs, and since it doesn’t include the connecting cord between the fishes.
Picture is courtesy of Aidan McRae Thomson from Flickr.
Jigsaw
Pisces zodiacal sign (with the connecting cord) picture is courtesy of Chad Goulding from Flickr who wrote to me:
When I was a child that Zodiac jigsaw was my favorite out of all of the jigsaws I did. But at some point it was lost or thrown away. Then a couple of years ago I found the same jigsaw in a charity shop and bought it out of pure nostalgia. Not sure why I took a photo of the pieces section though, since I'm an Aries!
Mosaic at Kent, England
Pisces zodiacal sign (with the connecting cord) Picture is courtesy of “gulley” from Flickr who wrote to me:
A couple of years ago, I was staying on a farm in Kent, England. The people who owned the farm had always been interested in esoteric things and in the yard they had a circular pond. Around the fountain they had laid a mosaic - a big one - of the 12 signs of the Western Zodiac. It was quite old (not antique though) and crumbling a bit when I saw it , but that's where these photos came from.
Hotel in Scotland
Pisces zodiacal sign (with the connecting cord) is carved in stone next to the door at the Royal Highland hotel in Stirling, Scotland.
Picture is courtesy of “Szmytke” from Flickr.
Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudule, Belgium
A delicate Pisces sign (with the connecting cord) appears in the center of a medallion at Cathedral of St Michael and St Gudule, Belgium.
Picture is courtesy of “seikinsou” from Flickr.
Parts of the Body Associated with the Zodiac Signs
We see here a diagram of parts of the body associated with the zodiac Signs. Picture is courtesy of Antiquus-Astrology.com from Flickr who wrote to me:
The image is a display of the parts of the body associated with the Zodiac signs, Pisces is associated with the feet and therefore you see it by the base of the feet.
I collect various images from my collection of Astrology books, I only have posted a few on the flickr account. These types of pictures are usually common to old ephemeris.
Astrological healing is termed melothesia. According to this theory parts of the body were identified with the different Astrological signs. Astrological healing included prescriptions (based on the Astrological-qualities of plants, animals and stones) and amulets, which denied unfavorable influences. In melothesia Pisces has influence on the feet.
The following stones are associated with Pisces: amethyst, lingam, citrine, black or green tourmaline, bloodstone, , kyanite, , sodalite, aquamarine.
Delicate Pisces Tattoo
In the last decade or so zodiac tattoos are most popular. This phenomenon seems to belong to a modern social trend of expressing one’s individuality, and beside one's name what's more personal than one's zodiac sign?
Picture is courtesy of cooperbabe2008 from Flickr.
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