Having shown that the founders of the ancient astrolatry accorded
homage to God Sol as Lord of Evil, under the symbol of the serpent, and
marked the beginning of his reign, as such, by the constellation
"Serpens" placed in conjunction with the Autumnal Equinox; we will now
direct attention to the symbols under which he was worshipped as Lord
of Good, which, corresponding to the form of the constellation in which
occurred the Vernal Equinox, and which was changed to correspond to the
form of the succeeding constellation as that Cardinal point passed into
it, by that process, known in Astronomy, as the precession of the
Equinoxes, its explanation becomes essential to a correct understanding
of our subject.

After long observation, aided by the telescope, of which they were
undoubtedly the original inventors, the ancient Astrologers discovered
that the Sun, in making his apparent annual revolution, did not return
to the same point in the heavens, but fell behind that of the preceding
year, at the, rate of 50 1/4 seconds of a degree annually. At this rate
of precession, which modern, calculation has confirmed, it requires 71
2-3 years for the Cardinal points to pass through one degree on the
Ecliptic, and 2150 years through thirty degrees, or one sign of the
Zodiac. The knowledge of this process affording an exact chronology, we
are enabled, not only to determine the origin of these symbols, but to
approximate, very nearly, to the respective dates of their adoption.


The Sphinx.

From the teachings of Astronomy we learn that the Summer Solstice is
now occupying the point between the signs of Taurus and Gemini, from
which we know that that Cardinal point has passed through three whole