Degree Symbols Beyond the Sabian System #
Most astrologers who work with degree symbolism are familiar with the Sabian Symbols — the set of 360 symbolic images channeled by medium Elsie Wheeler and recorded by astrologer Marc Edmund Jones in 1925. The Sabians, later popularized by Dane Rudhyar in An Astrological Mandala (1973), have become the dominant degree symbol system in contemporary astrology.
However, the Sabian Symbols are not the only system. Several earlier and parallel sets of degree symbols exist, each with its own origin story, its own stylistic character, and its own interpretive framework. The three most significant alternative systems are:
- The Charubel Symbols (John Thomas, published 1898)
- La Volasfera (attributed to Antonio Borelli, published by Sepharial in 1898)
- The Kozminsky Symbols (Isidore Kozminsky, published 1917)
What Degree Symbols Are #
Degree symbols assign a unique image, scene, or symbolic description to each of the 360 degrees of the zodiac. A planet or chart angle at a specific degree can be interpreted through the lens of the symbol assigned to that degree, providing an additional layer of meaning beyond the sign and house placement.
No degree symbol system has empirical validation. None have been subjected to systematic testing, and there is no demonstrated mechanism by which a zodiacal degree would carry a fixed symbolic meaning independent of the planets occupying it. The symbols are best understood as evocative tools — meditative prompts that may stimulate insight through the resonance between the symbol and the individual’s experience, not through any proven correspondence.
The existence of multiple, often contradictory symbol sets for the same degrees reinforces this point. The same degree might be described by one system as depicting a garden scene and by another as depicting a military encounter. This inconsistency does not invalidate the systems — it confirms their nature as imaginative rather than empirical tools.
How to Use Degree Symbols #
The most productive approach treats degree symbols as meditation prompts rather than definitive descriptions. The individual examines the symbol for the degree occupied by a significant chart factor (Sun, Moon, Ascendant, etc.) and allows the image to suggest associations, rather than treating it as a literal character description.
Some practitioners compare the descriptions from multiple systems for the same degree, looking for thematic convergence — areas where different systems point toward a similar quality despite using different imagery. Where convergence exists, the underlying theme may carry more interpretive weight than any single system’s description.
The following articles explore each of the three major alternative systems in detail, providing context for their origin, style, and distinctive character.
Guiding Questions #
- Have you worked with degree symbols before? If so, which system, and how useful did you find it?
- How do you respond to the fact that different systems assign contradictory symbols to the same degrees? Does this undermine your confidence in the technique, or does it support the view that the symbols are imaginative tools rather than fixed correspondences?
- Are you comfortable working with evocative, meditation-style tools alongside more structured astrological techniques?
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