360 Symbolic Degree Images
The Sabian Symbols are a system of 360 symbolic images — one for each degree of the zodiac — produced in 1925 when astrologer Marc Edmund Jones and clairvoyant Elsie Wheeler worked through each degree in a single session. Each symbol is a short evocative image: "A flag is seen turning into an eagle" (Scorpio 1°), "A large white dove bearing a message" (Gemini 26°). They offer an intuitive, imagistic layer of interpretation beyond standard planetary and sign analysis.
Using Sabian Symbols
To use Sabian Symbols: round up to the nearest whole degree (a planet at 13°22' = Symbol for 14°). Find the symbol in Dane Rudhyar's An Astrological Mandala or Jones's original text for a full interpretation. Sabian Symbols are particularly evocative for the degree of the Ascendant, Sun, Moon, and Midheaven. Many astrologers also read the Sabian Symbol for the New Moon each month as a poetic image of that lunar cycle's theme.
Sabian Symbols in Practice
Sabian Symbols work best as meditative amplifiers rather than definitive interpretations — they should add texture to an already-established chart reading, not stand alone. Dane Rudhyar's An Astrological Mandala (1973) is the most thorough and philosophically developed interpretation of the system. Lynda Hill's 360 Degrees of Wisdom offers a more accessible modern take. Approach them as oracular images: read the symbol, sit with it, and notice what resonates with the planet's context in the chart.