Tropical Astrology vs Sidereal Astrology
I see astrology as the coding language of the universe. If we are living in some sort of simulation or computer program, than astrology would be the coding language of the simulation. And to learn any language, whether it’s a coding language or a speaking language, we must study it to become proficient.
Astrology comes from the greek words ASTRA (star) and LOGOS (logic). It is the study of life’s reaction to planetary vibrations. It is the parent of astronomy and for years, they were one science. Astronomy now focuses on the mathematical aspect of the stars, making it an objective science whereas astrology focuses on the interpretation of the stars, making it a subjective science.
Ultimately, astrology is a philosophy used to explain life. It can be used to understand who we are, why we are the way we are, and where we should be directing our energy in our day to day lives.
The difference between tropical astrology and sidereal astrology
There are two kinds of astrology practiced in the west: tropical and sidereal. Tropical astrology tells us the position of a planet by sign whereas sidereal astrology tells us the position of a planet by constellation. This causes confusion because the signs are loosely based on the constellations in the sky, but they are not the same.
To truly understand the difference, we just go back 1,736 years ago to the first day of spring when the vernal equinox was positioned at 0 degrees Aries. On that day, the Sun was in the sign Aries and the constellation Aries. The signs and constellations coincided, there was no difference.
The tropical zodiac tells us the sign the planet is in
The signs are divisions of space along a circle called the ecliptic (the path through the stars the planets follow while orbiting through the solar system). Since there are 360 in a circle, each of the twelve signs makes up 30 degrees of the circle (360/12 = 30). Aries in the name given to the first 30 degree section that begins when the sun passes through the vernal equinox (the first day of spring…spring equinox here on earth).
The sidereal zodiac tells us the constellation the planet is in
You may come across people who study astronomy or sidereal astrology who insist that tropical astrology is wrong simply because the signs do not perfectly correlate with the constellations. In all actuality, it’s very rare for the signs to correlate with the constellations as it takes the vernal equinox about 25,920 years to travel backwards through the entire ecliptic; making the two match up only once every 25,920 years.
Tropical astrology and sidereal astrology are essentially two different languages
We must remember, the signs are loosely based upon the constellations; they are not the same. So, for example, if you were born when the sun was in Aries, it was also in the constellation Pisces at the same time. Both are correct. We do not need to waste our time debating the validity of the tropical and sidereal zodiacs because both are right and telling us two different parts of who we are.
I see tropical astrology, which again uses the signs, as our front end code (how we interact with the simulation) and sidereal astrology, which uses the constellations, as our back end code (the energy that powers the front end).
There is no need to debate the validity of either as both are correct.
