Is the Zodiac Northern Hemisphere Biased?

It’s a complete misconception that the seasons have anything to do with the signs. Erase that misconception.

There is the equator and the ecliptic. The ecliptic is the path of the Sun, and the equator is the center of the Earth. The equator is the “horizon” of space. The Sun spends half of the year above it and the other half below it. When it crosses the equator coming upwards that represents “sunrise” on a cosmic-yearly scale (and is therefore the “beginning” of the zodiac). When it crosses the equator coming downwards, that represents “sunset.”

The elements and modes which give meaning to the signs do so with reference to their relation to these celestial (not northern or southern hemisphere specific) directions: celestial East, West, North and South. You can find out about this in detail if you download this class: Understanding the 12 Signs

The main portion of the character of the signs comes from their planetary ruler, anyway, not the elements and modes. And this is determined by speed / distance from the Sun – again nothing to do with anything northern or southern hemisphere specific.

I hope this clarifies

Origin of the Sidereal Zodiac

The stars of sidereal space are a valid and important astrological entity. India (and almost all cultures) has a valid system of dividing sidereal space with the Moon as the focal point, not the Sun as in tropical space. This system has 27 divisions, not 12, because there are that many sunrises during the time it takes the Moon to complete a full circuit of the heavens.

The idea of 12 sidereal signs comes from wrongly assuming that the correlation between the stars and signs is permanent. In fact, there is no permanent correlation between the two, the signs eternally and very gradually drift backwards through the stars – a phenomena commonly known as “precession of the equinox.”

There is a valid need to correlate the signs and stars because their relationship is important for defining very long periods of time (“ages”) and for knowing how and when to keep solar and lunar calendar systems synchronized.

Babylonians measured the correlation of their autumnal equinox with the heliacal rising of stars they called The Scales. Greeks measured the discrepancy of tropical Aries against a stellar counterpart bearing the same name. Ancient and Classical Indians measured the heliacal position of the equinox in reference to their fixed stars. For example, the Ṛg Veda notes Kṛttikā as the “first” star and the beginning of the celestial circle, because in Ṛg Vedic times, four to five thousand years ago, Kṛttikā heliacally rose with the Vernal Equinox. Later Indian works from nearly two thousand years ago note Aśvinī as the first star, because at that time Aśvinī was the star heliacally rising with the equinox.

Projecting the 12 zodiac divisions into space, based on the then-current position of the vernal equinox was useful for mathematics but opened a door for people to think of the signs as stellar entities. It is an easy mistake to make considering that for centuries there was almost no significant difference between the signs and their homonymic sidereal namesakes.

Chakras and Planets

The concept of a chakra as an spinning thing generating energy in the human body is very legitimate and old – and can be found in a few Upanishads. But there is no consensus on exactly where they are or how many of them there are. With modern influence trying to standardize things, we tend to forget that although everyone now assumes there are seven chakras, the actual mystic scriptures present several different opinions.

The concept of planets relating to chakras is still another step removed from what was defined by previous mystics of very ancient times.

Anyway, I do personally think it is a useful tool for understanding the planets in this manner:

Saturn is the mula-chakra – which carries out lower functions and provides all the enduring strength for the rest of the system.

Jupiter is Svadhisthana chakra (naval / reproductive) because Jupiter is concerned with growth, expansion, and children.

Mars is the Manipur chakra (stomach / solar plexus) because Mars gives all the acids and fires to the body – digestion.

Venus is Anahata (heart) because Venus is about sensivitiy, generousity, love, etc.

Mercury is Vishuddha Chakra (throat) because Mercury controlls communication.

The Moon is the Ajna (brow) because this is the mental center, and the Moon is the mind.

Most feel that the Sun joins the moon in the Ajna Chakra. I think it’s more useful to think of the Sun as the Sahasra Chakra (crown of the head) – because the Sun is the soul itself – the source of the highest mental functions: identity, awareness.

Be fully aware that this is a tool and model only. I don’t really mean it literally, although perhaps it happens to be literally accurate. All I really know is that it is accurate and useful as a learning aid for understanding the planets – for those who already understand the chakras (or visa versa, to understand the chakras for those who already understand the planets).

There is also an opinion, which I find agreeable, that Rahu and Ketu are the pathways through which prana travels up and down through the system of chakras.

Thank you,

Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Sidereal Zodiac is not Authentic

David Frawley says: ”Because the tropical system is a Solar-based system the commonly held opinion is that the tropical system is better at describing the personality and psychological patterns. The Vedic system is often considered to be better at describing the soul nature and predicting actual events because it’s tied to the actual fixed constellations.”

The “actual fixed constellations” are 13 in number and all of them are of unequal size. Therefore please explain how the sidereal zodiac (12 equal size signs) is a high-fidelity representation of the “actual constellations.”

The signs are not constellations to begin with. They are mathematical divisions of the Sun’s yearly apparent path. The constellations bearing their names are approximate namesakes.

Furthermore, the Sun represents the soul. The Moon represents the mind.  Even if we accept the wrong statement that the tropical zodiac is “more solar-based” why would this describe mental character like personality and psychology, that is the Moon’s affair. And why would it not describe “soul nature” which is the Sun’s domain? The logic presented in this quote is exceedingly sloppy on every level.

David Frawley writes in his book, The Astrology of the Seers, that “The sidereal zodiac is probably the original zodiac historically, as it is the observable zodiac. The tropical, which is an abstract zodiac, must have been derived from it, as all abstractions are usually based on underlying observable things.”

The observable stars consists of 13 constellations on the ecliptic and each one is a different size. What is the resemblance of this observation to a “sidereal zodiac” of 12 equal signs? It is certainly only an approximate resemblance.

Furthermore the 12 signs exist as a division of the Sun’s path intersected by the Moons – there being 12 lunar cycles through the zodiac during the Sun’s single cycle. Thus the signs are based upon the Sun’s movement. Stars cannot be seen / observed at all when the Sun is out. Rather what is observed is the length of the day and night. Thus equinoxes and solstices are the observable phenomenon relative to the Sun’s motion through the year, not stars.

The lunar “zodiac” is stellar and sidereal, because we observe stars when the Moon is out at night. Thus the lunar division of 27 / 28 star-clusters (nakshatra) is surely sidereal.

“But I have been working with sidereal zodiac for years, and…”

I am not saying that the sidereal zodiac makes an astrological chart completely bogus. I am saying that the tropical zodiac makes it clearer and simpler. Furthermore I am not concerned with so-and-so’s “experience” or “interpretation” if it contradicts the clear statements of Sastra. Western people may not understand this epistemology, but at least those of you who purport to be “Vedic” and “Indian” should know the validity of this outlook. The Shastra - Srimad Bhagavatam, Surya Siddhanta and all others –  define the zodiac as a tropical entity. Therefore the case is closed. Please see my article and video for full details on this: http://vicdicara.com/12-signs-of-the-zodiac-1.php

- Vic DiCara