Degree Symbol Poems
Composing a cycle of degree symbol poems came out of my fascination with Elsie Wheeler's Sabian Symbols. The original Sabian Symbols were received by Elsie Wheeler and transcribed by Marc Edmund Jones on a single day in 1925 in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA. Marc wrote the 360 zodiacal degree numbers on notecards and turned them over. Elsie channeled one image per degree without advanced knowledge of the degree she was seeing.
The Sabian Symbols were instrumental to me during my first astrological deep dives. As a Pisces Mercury, I found the images stirring and provocative. I felt inspired to reimagine the degree symbols in a new, more contemporary form.
During intentional meditations, I received images which I then wrote as poems for specific degree symbols. The degree symbol poems are written in the Kimo poetic form: 3 cascading lines of 10, 7, 6 syllables, no rhyme. The writing of the zodiacal degree poems began on November 24, 2021 at 2:21 pm in Asheville, NC and ended on April 14, 2025 at 11:10 am in Asheville, NC.
Through imaginative exploration, each degree opens into a field that is qualitative and experiential, bringing us deeper insight. Each degree contains endless possible expressions, carrying the tone of the sign, the decan, and the location within the circle.
You can consult the symbols to add layers of meaning to a planetary position or the degree of your Ascendant. You can combine multiple degrees when looking at an aspect pattern.
For more information about the Sabian Symbols, see Diana Roche's book The Sabian Symbols: A Screen of Prophecy and visit Lynda Hill's Sabian Symbol oracle site. Also see Judith de Haan’s interpretations of Elsie Wheeler’s original symbols.
The Sabian Raine degree symbol poems were published on this site at 9:59 am on August 31, 2026, in Asheville, NC.