Most of us have at least a glancing familiarity with the twelve signs of the zodiac. We will hear, for instance, someone say, "I'm a Capricorn," and understand that he or she is relating to us the fact that, in astrological terms, his or her natal Sun is located in the sign of Capricorn. Many of us are also familiar with sign symbols, such as c, or h, as well as common associations with signs; for example, Cancer is the crab, Scorpio the scorpion.
In most cases, however, we quickly turn our attention from symbols and associations to meanings; "I am a Virgo, therefore I am detail-oriented." This is natural, but too bad, for there is a wealth of meaning potentially hidden in the astrological symbols and correspondences themselves. For those interested, I've put together a table below listing each astrological sign, its symbol, what the symbol is supposed to represent, and - where they exist - alternate representations from historical sources.
| Sign | Symbol | Representation | Alternate Representation |
| Aries | ^ | The Ram | The Fleece |
| Taurus | _ | The Bull | |
| Gemini | ` | The Twins | Two Plants |
| Cancer | a | The Crab | The Scarab |
| Leo | b | The Lion | The Knife |
| Virgo | c | The Virgin | The Moon Goddess; Isis |
| Libra | d | The Scales | The Mountain of the Sun |
| Scorpio | e | The Scorpion | The Scorpion's Heart; The Serpent |
| Sagittarius | f | The Archer | The Bow |
| Capricorn | g | The Sea-Goat | Life; The Mirror, or The Mirror of Life |
| Aquarius | h | The Water-Bearer | Water |
| Pisces | i | The Fishes |
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