Today, the 15th of April, 2015 the sun entered the sign Aries according to the sidereal zodiac, the zodiac used in Jyotish. For those who follow the tropical zodiac this annual event happened last month, on March 21. How does this difference happen and what does it mean?
It was 137 BCE when the Greek Hipparchus declared the Tropical zodiac to be the measure of all things. At that time the alignment of the two zodiacs provided support for the prevailing theories relating to astrological interpretation. Unfortunately the ancient Greeks forgot to remember nothing is permanent, least of all sun’s relationship to the heavens above.
The unity of the two zodiacs, at that time, resulted in a high degree of accuracy within the prevailing teachings. Contrary to common thought Astrology did not materialize, fully formed, under the watchful eyes of the Arabian, Egyptian or Greek scholars. Rather, the lore had been ‘borrowed’ from much earlier times from a culture familiar with the use and value of both zodiacs.
Today the separation between the two zodiacs is approaching 25 degrees making over 2/3’s of the tropical planetary placements incorrect. As Dr. Radmilla Topalovic, an astronomer from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich pointed out, “the Greeks assigned star signs based on the constellation that was behind the sun at that time. But the constellations are now out by about a month.” What has created this separation?
The separation, called the ayanamsa, has occurred slowly but steadily at a rate of 50 seconds per solar year and will continue to do so until they meet again in about 24,000 years. It has been the accumulation of this effect that has disturbed the accuracy of the tropical teachings and increased the accompanying need to rely on ‘psychological’ interpretations. Why has this happened?
This has happened because the points of reference marking a tropical or sidereal year differ. The tropical zodiac uses the sun’s apparent relationship to the four sensitive points called the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn called the two solstices (June 21 and December 21) and the equinoxes when the length of each day and night are equal (March 21 and Sept 21). Each year the tropical zodiac is re-aligned with the tropic of Cancer to show the sun entering the sign Aries. This explains why the tropical zodiac is called the moveable zodiac.
The sidereal zodiac’s alignment is not to earth, but to the fixed stars which are the backdrop of the constellations. In addition, the sidereal year is 50 seconds shorter than the tropical year which shows the sun’s entry into Aries constellation doesn’t occur until 50 seconds later each year. This difference has now accumulated to nearly 25 degrees, or one complete sign. The correct placement of the planets depends on the constellation behind them, not on the sun’s relationship to earth but rather to their placement in relationship to the fixed stars.
The effect of the 25 degree difference may be demonstrated by a very brief example.
Using the tropical zodiac a child born March 21, 2015 had both their sun and moon in the sign of Aries. Aries is a Cardinal, fire sign so the child would be said to be impulsive, headstrong, a pioneer of sorts.
Using the sidereal zodiac the child’s sun and moon was at 6 degrees Pisces. This placement would lead to totally different expectations. For example, Pisces is a dual water sign, therefore the child would be said to be sensitive, probably artistic having a fine imagination, appreciation for the arts and a bit of a dreamer.
Another way to see the difference is in the simple picture below. The outer ring shows the constellations, the inner ring shows the Sun arriving at zero degrees Aries. What becomes instantly apparent is that the sun does not have the constellation Aries behind it but rather the constellation of Pisces.
Sidereal zodiac
This information does not make the Tropical zodiac wrong. What must be remembered is that both zodiacs are important. The tropical zodiac is important in terms of establishing seasonal patterns. This zodiac was also used by the ancients, just as it is today by many philosophies, for the timing of rituals. The sidereal zodiac is vital for dealing with energies related to anything with a soul.
So, the next time you are looking at a book of sun signs, or a horoscope column, read the information about your usual sun sign. Then read what has been said about the previous sign and you may be surprised at what you find.
Now you know why the sun has just entered Aries and why Jyotish can be so precise.
