E:

Earth: one of the four elements (earth, air, fire and water) by which the signs and the houses are categorized. In general, the element of earth represents matter, material affairs, and al things practical. For its application in the signs and houses, see below.

Earth (house): the second, sixth and tenth houses; those houses having the same ordinal numbers as the three earth signs.

Earth (sign): The practical, material, physical and solid element exemplified by the earth signs Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. In a physical solid - the counterpart of the astrological element earth - the bonding energy holding the constituent atoms together is stronger than the atom’s vibrational energy. This is what makes a solid a solid and gives it a fixed geometry. See "plasma" for an explanation of temperature, absolute zero, and the four states of matter.

Ecliptic (plane): the plane of the Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth. All of the planets’ orbital planes are inclined less than 3.4° to the ecliptic plane (except Mercury’s at 7° and Pluto’s at 17°). The ecliptic differs from the zodiac in that the former is a plane that has no width ("celestial latitude," measured along great circles running perpendicular to the ecliptic and through the ecliptic pole), whereas the zodiac is a band of 12 constellations centered on the ecliptic but also extending north and south of it by 10 - 15°. The Earth’s polar axis is inclined 23.5° to the ecliptic (see pages 90 - 92), which gives rise to the seasons.

Equinoxes (see Precession): Twice a year a line drawn from the Sun to the Earth falls on the Earth’s equator. Experienced on Earth as the moment the Sun crosses the equator, on that day all over the Earth day and night are of equal length. Hence the Latin equinox (equal night). In spring this moment, around March 21st, is called the vernal equinox,‘. It defines 0° of the sign Aries and marks the beginning of the astrological year and the annual cycle of light and dark. From its low at the winter solstice š, the light force waxes through the vernal equinox ‘ to its maximum at the summer solstice ". Thence it wanes through its balance point at the autumnal equinox — back to its nadir at the winter solstice š. The "signs" are 12 equal divisions of the interval between successive vernal equinoxes that slowly move* relative to the fixed stars. "Tropical" astrologers believe that the 12 signs are interpretively significant. "Sidereal" astrologers believe that the fixed groups of stars (constellations) from which the signs originally took their names are interpretively significant.

*Since the Earth is not a perfect sphere (see "oblateness"), the Sun and Moon pull on it unevenly. This non-uniform pull or force causes the Earth’s spin axis to wobble or "precess" in space, the way a top’s axis pulled on by gravity circles the vertical as it slows down. Thus the Earth’s equator and its line of intersection with the ecliptic precess as well. Since this line of intersection is the line of the equinoxes, we get the "precession of the equinoxes." This wobble takes 25,788 years to complete one cycle, or 2150 (25,788÷12) years/sign. A "great age" takes its name from the group of stars (constellation) through which the vernal equinox is currently precessing. Thus the Age of Pisces lasted from about the birth of Christ to the mid-20th century, and the Age of Aquarius will last from the mid-20th century until about 4100 AD.

Exact: said of an aspect whose orb is 0°. For example, a trine of 123° has an orb of 3°, whereas a trine of 120° is exact. Aspects are rarely exact, but rather approach being exact as their limiting, strongest, or most compelling condition.

Exalted: said of a planet in its strongest, most creative sign placement: the sign of its Exaltation. Here it can express its energy in its highest, most positive form. The Sun is Exalted in Aries, the Moon in Taurus, Mercury in Aquarius, Venus in Pisces, Mars in Capricorn, Jupiter in Cancer, and Saturn in Libra. Exaltation is not particularly significant for the outer planets.