I did some research about the Zodiac, in honor of Trimalchio's lovely display. The Romans used the Zodiac as a divination tool, and is of course the basis of our modern horoscope system. The Hindu Zodiac tradition had certain parallels to the Greco-Roman tradition (which, believe it or not, came to the Greeks and then the Romans via the Babylonians), though was distinctly different. Specifically, the Hindu system is based on the positions of fixed stars, while the Greco-Roman system is based on the concept of the position of the sun at the time of someone's birth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_astrological_tradition). However, certain parallels exist between the two systems in the names of the signs. For example, the Hindu sign comparable to Aquarius, "the water-bearer," translates to "Water Pitcher" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac#Hellenistic_and_Roman_era).
I believe both systems have the concept that one's sign affects one's personality. For example, Scorpios (like me) are supposed to be introverted (got that one) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpio_(astrology)).
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