20-08-2016, 07:30 PM
Those are very good points, JKP. It's not because the series uses the "zodiacal" constellations, that an actual Zodiac was intended. Regardless of what the images originally were, in their current form it seems clear that they were intended to bring to mind a number of those constellations through which the Sun passes.
I don't even think anyone would disagree with that. Some do believe that more ancient, unrelated imagery underlies the current forms, which explains the unusual aspects of their appearance.
Now what I don't yet understand, and this question is aimed to R.Sale, is why we must assume a "pairing paradigm". Yes, there are two bulls and two goats, but other explanations have been offered for that. There are two fish, as always, and the lobsters appear to mimic their arrangement. There's one hunter, one "Scorpio", one Virgo, one big cat, one set of twins - as always.
The idea cannot be that the one who put this series together wished to demonstrate innate pairing within the constellations. It are exactly his artificial alterations that would allow for this in the first place.
And if he was altering the series to impose upon it some desired symmetry, then why not all the way through?
And if he imposed the pairing only on part of the series - then why? Am I missing something?
I don't even think anyone would disagree with that. Some do believe that more ancient, unrelated imagery underlies the current forms, which explains the unusual aspects of their appearance.
Now what I don't yet understand, and this question is aimed to R.Sale, is why we must assume a "pairing paradigm". Yes, there are two bulls and two goats, but other explanations have been offered for that. There are two fish, as always, and the lobsters appear to mimic their arrangement. There's one hunter, one "Scorpio", one Virgo, one big cat, one set of twins - as always.
The idea cannot be that the one who put this series together wished to demonstrate innate pairing within the constellations. It are exactly his artificial alterations that would allow for this in the first place.
And if he was altering the series to impose upon it some desired symmetry, then why not all the way through?
And if he imposed the pairing only on part of the series - then why? Am I missing something?