Skip to main content

Bloomsbury Home

The Semiotics of the Zodiac

Signs of Destiny

The Semiotics of the Zodiac cover

The Semiotics of the Zodiac

Signs of Destiny

Quantity
Pre-order. Available Feb 05 2026
$170.95 RRP $189.95 Website price saving $19.00 (10%)

Payment for this pre-order will be taken when the item becomes available

Description

This book considers various aspects of the meanings and functions of zodiacal systems, including how they affect belief systems, and how they have evolved over time.
It explores the cultural significance of the Zodiac as a semiotic code for interpreting personal destinies as manifestations of stellar influences and as affirmations of the logic that governs the cosmos as a whole.

The book traces the international history of Western astrology, from its origins in Babylon to its decline after the Enlightenment, up to its resurgence today as “pop astrology” in an era where social media and predictive algorithms can deliver customized personal horoscopes. Bringing together examples from the Western and Chinese zodiacal systems, it examines how the Zodiac semiotic enabled individuals across the world to interpret the date of their birth and the events that marked their daily lives in terms of the constellations and celestial conjunctions. It offers an engaging contribution to Zodiac scholarship by spanning various aspects of the meanings and functions of zodiacal systems.

Table of Contents

List of Figures
Preface
1. Functions, Types, Features
2. Cosmological Semiotics
3. Astrology and Medicine
4. Astrology and Love
5. Cosmic Consciousness
6. Astrology's Resurgence
7. Pop Astrology
References
Index

Product details

Bloomsbury Academic Test
Published Feb 05 2026
Format Hardback
Edition 1st
Extent 240
ISBN 9781350522244
Imprint Bloomsbury Academic
Dimensions 234 x 156 mm
Series Bloomsbury Advances in Semiotics
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing

About the contributors

Author

Marcel Danesi

Marcel Danesi is Professor Emeritus of Semiotics a…

Related Titles

Environment: Staging