Why is Pisces first?

[-JKP-]

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The VMs Zodiac appears to be an intentional break from the traditional zodiac sequence. Given the situation imposed by the errors in the Julian calendar, Pisces first has to be the 'new' reality - in contrast to the traditional one.

The VMs sequence is Pisces first. And in light of the sequence as it stands, is it possible for Pisces to play a "special role" or to perform some other function beyond the astronomical? I believe that it does. In the VMs Zodiac, as a pair of fish, Pisces is the first pair in the pairing paradigm.

Consider this...

• parts of the manuscript are missing
  
• the manuscript is probably not bound in its original sequence
  

Pisces does appear to be the first symbol, as it is an obverse page, but that doesn't guarantee that all the following pages were in exact zodiac sequence.

Even if it is intended as a zodiac sequence (starting with Pisces), as I mentioned previously, the zodiac symbols may not have anything to do with representing a full zodiac cycle... they may be the best signs under which to undertake certain activities (travel, marriage, childbirth, etc.). Even kings consulted astrologers to get counseling on the best days to do things.



Look at the drawings around the zodiac symbols—they have nothing to do with constellations. They represent cycles of life (one wheel represents the cycle of menstruation, another is the cycle of maturation, marriage, pregnancy and post-partem (possibly even with stretch marks), a third illustrates youth through middle age to death). Given this context, the zodiac symbol may represent the belief that the universe/heavens move in cycles and so do the lives of human beings.


In those days, constellations were believed to govern specific parts of the body (as demonstrated by hundreds of medieval illustrations of "zodiac man"), so it's not a stretch (although quite original) for the VMS illustrator to represent cycles of life as being related to specific symbols (or constellations).