᯽I thought to myself for a little while: what will be the first astrological topic I want to write here about?
And after I stumbled over a little post yesterday night, that stirred me up quite deeply, I knew what my topic is supposed to be:
Sidereal Astrology vs. Tropical Astrology.
When the controversial topic of Astrology appears in social situations, and arguments like "Astrology is just bullshit" are left behind, the last argument that gets put on the table is following:
"Astrology is a lie. The system is outdated and what Astrologers speak about is actually not what happens in the sky. Also there are 13 zodiac signs, not just 12."
Wait - there are 13 zodiac sign? What?
Yeah in fact - there are.
But let's not begin this whole topic there.
Let us speak about the precession of the equinoxes - the cause for all of the confusion. The ancient astrological system always places the beginning of the astrological year at 0 degrees of Aries. Why? Because the east is where the Sun rises, therefor the east has always been connected to the birthing of something new.¹ And since 0 degrees of Aries used to align with the spring equinox 3,100 years ago, it marked the start of the astrological new year.
It is said that the Tropical system was built upon observation of the stars on how the constellations appeared in the sky thousands of years ago, and that its usage is useless because the sky today is a very different one than what it used to be.²
That statement only being party correct, shows how little understanding we nowadays hold about the stars, that even humans thousand of years ago, already seemed to possess.
BUT, one thing is correct, our night sky dosen't stand still. It is true that what we see, when we look up into the night sky today, looks very different to what our ancestors saw.
And how is the tropical astrological system supposed to work, if the constellations do not align anymore with its original placement?
Before I answer this question, let me come to speak about the cause for all of this confusion.
The precession of the equinoxes.
Hipparchus (190-120BC)⁵, a Greek Astronomer discovered that our Earth does not rotate around the Sun in the shape of a perfect circle, like it was believed at that time. In fact, it wobbles. Moving along the Ecliptic, which is shaped like an egg.
Because of this wobble, the year actually dosen't begin at 0 degrees of Aries.
This wobble in the rotation of the earth shows, that for the earth to orbit the Sun entirely, it needs 20 minutes and 24,5 minutes longer to rotate than what the tropical system tells us.
And because of this, the length of each month should be shifted by one month every 2,100 years.⁶
So that means, when someone is born on April 1st, the Sun actually doesn't align with the archetype of Aries, but with Pisces instead.
The name Sidereal actually means "of or with respect to the distant stars".⁷
● Does the discovery of Sidereal Astrology make the usage of Tropical Astrology redundant?
Well - I guess this is the point where the opinions of Astrologers divide. I know that many people are likely to answer this question with yes.
I answer with a no.
It's a very complex thing for our human mind to grasp the endless varieties of truth that exist in our universe. And I belief full heartedly that no ultimate truth exists.
But here is why I think the use of Tropical Astrology is still valid today:
Because the tropical zodiac aligns to the cardinal directions (the rotational axis of the Earth) and therefor always stays the same.
The cardinal directions don't change, also not over time.⁸
Our view of the night sky although does change over time.
The stars can only effect us through the energetic structure that we live in, meaning that although sidereal astrology is right about their prediction on what happens in the sky, this effect is filtered here on earth, through the energetic make up of our planet. An energetic make up that aligns to the cardinal directions.
And that is why Tropical Astrology is still valid today and will always be valid.
Comparison between Tropical and Sidereal Astrology:
Tropical Astrology:
● Tropical Astrology is a system developed by our ancestors, of our view onto the sky FROM planet earth, matched to the rotational axis of Earth.
● Tropical Astrology is synchronized with Earth's seasons.
● Tropical Astrology divides each archetype into sections of each 30 degrees. Sidereal Astrology does the same.
● Tropical Astrology is used as a tool for personal development and self awareness. It speaks about the karmic and energetic patterns in our lives.
Sidereal Astrology:
● Sidereal Astrology is a system that shows what exactly, astronomically speaking, is happening with the constellations in the sky.
● Sidereal Astrology uses different lengths for each archetype, some being longer, others being shorter.
● A sidereal year is not made up of 365 sidereal days, but differs in length.
● Sidereal Astrology is used for precise astronomical calculations.
● Sidereal Astrology also focuses on the Birth Chart and the inhibit patterns within it, but more so it focuses on transits.
● Vedic Astrology calculates charts the same way as in Sidereal Astrology.
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