routes.php

Route::get('sign',function(){
	$zodiac = new Fhferreira\Zodiac\Zodiac('2012-09-26');
	echo $zodiac->getZodiacSignHtml();
});

Zodiac.php

<?php namespace Fhferreira\Zodiac;
//File: workbench\fhferreira\zodiac\src\Fhferreira\Zodiac\Zodiac.php
class Zodiac{
	  
    /**
     * @var \DateTime
     */
    protected $date;

    /**
     * The array indexkey for a zodiac
     *
     * @var integer
     */
    protected $zodiacKey;

    /**
     * Zodiac
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $zodiac;

    /**
     * Predefined zodiac array
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $zodiacArray = array(
        array('name' => 'aries',
            'key' => 0, 'unicode' => '♈', 'start' => '03-21', 'end' => '04-20'
        ),
        array('name' => 'taurus',
            'key' => 1, 'unicode' => '♉', 'start' => '04-21', 'end' => '05-21'
        ),
        array('name' => 'gemini',
            'key' => 2, 'unicode' => '♊', 'start' => '05-22', 'end' => '06-21'
        ),
        array('name' => 'cancer',
            'key' => 3, 'unicode' => '♋', 'start' => '06-22', 'end' => '07-22'
        ),
        array('name' => 'leo',
            'key' => 4, 'unicode' => '♌', 'start' => '07-23', 'end' => '08-23'
        ),
        array('name' => 'virgo',
            'key' => 5, 'unicode' => '♍', 'start' => '08-24', 'end' => '09-23'
        ),
        array('name' => 'libra',
            'key' => 6, 'unicode' => '♎', 'start' => '09-24', 'end' => '10-23'
        ),
        array('name' => 'scorpio',
            'key' => 7, 'unicode' => '♏', 'start' => '10-24', 'end' => '11-22'
        ),
        array('name' => 'sagittarius',
            'key' => 8, 'unicode' => ' ♐', 'start' => '11-23', 'end' => '12-21'
        ),
        array('name' => 'capricorn',
            'key' => 9, 'unicode' => '♑', 'start' => '12-22', 'end' => '12-31'
        ),
        array('name' => 'aquarius',
            'key' => 10, 'unicode' => '♒', 'start' => '01-21', 'end' => '02-19'
        ),
        array('name' => 'pisces',
            'key' => 11, 'unicode' => '♓', 'start' => '02-20', 'end' => '03-20'
        ),
        array('name' => 'capricorn',
            'key' => 9, 'unicode' => '♑', 'start' => '01-01', 'end' => '01-20'
        ),
    );

    /**
     * Chinese Zodiac
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $chineseZodiac;

    /**
     * Predefined chinese zodiac array
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $chineseZodiacArray = array(
        array('name' => 'monkey', 'unicode' => '猴'),
        array('name' => 'rooster', 'unicode' => '雞'),
        array('name' => 'dog', 'unicode' => '狗'),
        array('name' => 'pig', 'unicode' => '豬'),
        array('name' => 'rat', 'unicode' => '鼠'),
        array('name' => 'ox', 'unicode' => '牛'),
        array('name' => 'tiger', 'unicode' => '兎'),
        array('name' => 'rabbit', 'unicode' => '兔'),
        array('name' => 'dragon', 'unicode' => '龍'),
        array('name' => 'serpent', 'unicode' => '蛇'),
        array('name' => 'horse', 'unicode' => '馬'),
        array('name' => 'goat', 'unicode' => '羊'),
    );

    /**
     * Tibetian Zodiac
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $tibetianZodiac;
    
    /**
     * Predefined tibetian zodiac array
     *
     * @var array
     */
    protected $tibetianZodiacArray = array(
        'lug',
        'glang',
        'khrigpa',
        'karkata',
        'sengge',
        'bumo',
        'srang',
        'sdigpa',
        'gzhu',
        'chusrin',
        'bumpa',
        'nya'
    );

    /**
     * Setup
     *
     * @param string|\DateTime $date      Can be either a \DateTime object or a parseable string
     * @param string           $namespace Customizable namespace
     */
    public function __construct($date = null)
    {
        if (!$date instanceof \DateTime) {
            $date = new \DateTime($date);
        }
        $this->date = $date;       
        $this->zodiacKey = $this->findZodiac();
        if (null !== $this->zodiacKey) {
            $this->zodiac = $this->zodiacArray[$this->zodiacKey]['name'];
        }
    }

     /**
     * Returns the zodiac
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getZodiac()
    {
        return $this->zodiac;
    }

    /**
     * Returns the Unicode character of the zodiac
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getZodiacSignUnicode()
    {
        return $this->zodiacArray[$this->zodiacKey]['unicode'];
    }

    /**
     * Returns the html-entity for the zodiac sign
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getZodiacSignHtml()
    {
        return $this->convertEncoding($this->getZodiacSignUnicode());
    }


    /**
     * Returns the chinese zodiac for the given year
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getChineseZodiac()
    {
        return $this->chineseZodiacArray[$this->date->format('Y') % 12]['name'];
    }

    /**
     * Returns the chinese zodiac sign for the given year in unicode
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getChineseZodiacSignUnicode()
    {
        return $this->chineseZodiacArray[$this->date->format('Y') % 12]['unicode'];
    }

    /**
     * Returns the chinese zodiac sign for the given year as html entity
     *
     * @return string
     */
    public function getChineseZodiacSignHtml()
    {
        return $this->convertEncoding($this->getChineseZodiacSignUnicode());
    }

    /**
     * Finds a zodiac
     *
     * @return mixed
     */
    protected function findZodiac()
    {
        $date = $this->date->getTimestamp();
        $year = $this->date->format('Y');
        foreach ($this->zodiacArray as $zodiac) {
            if ($date >= strtotime($year . '-' . $zodiac['start']) && $date <= strtotime($year . '-' . $zodiac['end'] . ' 23:59:59')) {
                return $zodiac['key'];
            }
        }

        return;
    }

    private function convertEncoding($char)
    {
        return mb_convert_encoding($char, 'HTML-ENTITIES', 'UTF-8');
    }
    
}

ZodiacFacade.php

<?php namespace Fhferreira\Zodiac\Facades;
 //File: workbench\fhferreira\zodiac\src\Fhferreira\Zodiac\Facades\ZodiacFacade.php
use \Illuminate\Support\Facades\Facade;
 
class ZodiacFacade extends Facade {
 
    /**
     * Get the registered name of the component.
     *
     * @return string
     */
    protected static function getFacadeAccessor() 
    { 
    	return 'Zodiac' ; 
    }
 
}

ZodiacServiceProvider.php

<?php 
namespace Fhferreira\Zodiac;
//File: workbench\fhferreira\zodiac\src\Fhferreira\Zodiac\ZodiacServiceProvider.php
use \Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;

class ZodiacServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider {

	/**
	 * Indicates if loading of the provider is deferred.
	 *
	 * @var bool
	 */
	protected $defer = false;

	/**
	 * Bootstrap the application events.
	 *
	 * @return void
	 */
	public function boot()
	{
		$this->package('fhferreira/zodiac');
	}

	/**
	 * Register the service provider.
	 *
	 * @return void
	 */
	public function register()
	{
		// Register 'underlyingclass' instance container to our UnderlyingClass object
        $this->app['Zodiac'] = $this->app->share(function($app)
        {
            return new Zodiac;
        });

		$this->app->booting(function()
		{
			$loader = \Illuminate\Foundation\AliasLoader::getInstance();
			$loader->alias('Zodiac', 'Fhferreira\Zodiac\Facades\ZodiacFacade');   
		});
	}

	/**
	 * Get the services provided by the provider.
	 *
	 * @return array
	 */
	public function provides()
	{
		return array('Zodiac');
	}

}