During the equinoxes, the Sun at 0 degrees of declination appears to be passing right over the celestial equator. Tropical astrologers consider that the Sun moves into the sign of Libra around the time of the fall equinox, but because sidereal astrologers track the movement of the planetary bodies against the actual constellations, and because of the precession of the equinoxes, the Sun is no longer moving into the true constellation of Libra on the fall equinox. Instead, it is currently found at almost 6 degrees in the constellation of Virgo. It will not enter the constellation of Libra until mid-October. If you want to understand the issue of the two zodiacs more in depth, I highly recommend that you read Robert Powell’s History of the Zodiac and Hermetic Astrology (the latter in two volumes). Continue reading
Category Archives: Fixed Stars
Happy Lunar New Year!
Happy Lunar New Year! In the Vedic tradition of astrology, there are many different calendars and systems of reckoning time (kaala chakra). One of the most commonly used methods to determine the New Year is based on the astro-chart for the New Moon in Pisces, which occurs around the Spring Equinox every year, this year on March 22, 2012, at 10:37:05 AM in Washington, DC. This chart is known as the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. For anyone wanting to know more about the New Year chart, astrologer Steve Stuckey has written an outstanding article published by both Jyotish Star and Saptarishis Astrology.[i]
Samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for “year.” In the Vedic system, there are 60 samvatsaras. The South Indian calculations for the samvatsaras are different from those in North India, and there are also two different ways of ordering the years, but most astrologers today use Sage Varahamahira’s method. Continue reading
Happy Summer Solstice
Happy Summer Solstice
The summer solstice occurs on June 21, 2011 at 17:16 Universal Time. I am writing about this in relation to the Northern Hemisphere, where I live; in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are, of course, reversed. On the summer solstice, the Sun reaches its highest point of declination (the movement north and south of the ecliptic), when it is located directly overhead at noon on the Tropic of Cancer. On this day, we will experience maximum daylight hours. According to the Hermetic tradition of ancient Egypt, the Divine Sun-God becomes fully enthroned at the summer solstice, when He is thus able to pour forth His most powerful divine blessings upon us. Continue reading