In ancient Iraq from 300 BC to 1300 AD, in a city known then as Harran, lived a group of astrologers and alchemists known as the Sabians. These ancient astrologers, which were also for the times’ astronomers, studied the heavens and gave names to constellations. They created what would come to be known as Sabian Symbols that would be used for Divination for hundreds of years.
What are Sabian Symbols?
As all things divine in the ancient world, they designated 12 of these constellations and their symbolism to the 12 zodiac or star signs. With anything that resembles a circle, they divided the sky like a giant wheel, into 12 equal segments, with one zodiac sign per segment; evenly distributing significant importance to every place in the heavens.
With this circular sky being 360 degrees, divided by the 12-star constellations, now gave each sign of the zodiac a designated 30 degrees. Starting at “Aries – 1 degree”, all the way around the circle and ending with “Pisces – 30 degrees”. These 360 symbols have their basis in astrology, but the users of them need not know anything about the stars or constellations to use them.
The Death and Rebirth of Sabian Astrology Divination
As the Sabians faded into obscurity with the rise of Christianity, as did many astrologers, sages, divinators, and alchemists – to avoid the Inquisitions; so did the use of their symbols and method of divination.
Until the rediscovery of this ancient divinatory art by the contemporary Astrologer Marc Edmund Jones. Who wrote out all 360 Sabian Astrological signs and degrees onto individual cards. He teamed up with Clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler, who’s arthritis had confined her to a wheelchair.
On a park bench in San Diego, California in 1925; he shuffled this huge deck of cards, and face down, hander her one card at a time. With her ability to “see” symbols and symbolism; would describe what she saw by holding the unknown sky designation and the astrological sign of the Sabian symbols. Jones would jot down whatever she said she saw on the back of the Sabian Symbol card; be it a scene or an image.
In what probably took an entire day, the two had created a symbolic system for all 360 degrees of the Sabian system. Now each degree of the 360 was given symbols which consisted of a set of word phrases that could be anywhere from simply two words to phrases as long as twenty-one words.
Sabian Astrology Symbols in Divination
The Sabian Wheel is a chart of all the Astrological Signs, divided into 30 degrees each. It has a dial-in in the center that could be spun as one thinks or asks a question. Where the dial lands give a Zodiac sign and a particular degree from 1-30. A listing of Jones and Wheeler’s interpretation of that degree will answer the question. There are also Sabian Astrology Symbol Cards for Divination that are shuffled and drawn or spread out and picked from. There are decks and wheels available for sale in witchy bookstores or online.
