By Souvik Dutta
In the summer 1988, my cousin and I were staying at my aunt’s home. My cousin, then in her late teens, had developed a keen but fleeting passion for astrology and its insight into relationships. Her bible was Love Signs, by best-selling author Linda Goodman.
I was intrigued—and confused—by how the solar calendar date ranges mapped to Western names of the zodiac signs. I borrowed the book from my reluctant cousin, who may have believed she was giving away her only tool for a future happy relationship. The next few days (and nights), I read the book cover to cover.
To my 8-year-old, curious, yet inexperienced mind, “Love Signs” and its concepts differed from my rudimentary understanding of the word “astrology.” “Jyotish” (pron. JO-tish) is the Sanskrit term and translates in English to “the science of light—astrology.” This was my truth, learned from Gurudeva (a teacher of spiritual life) and based on a set of complex, intricate rules. Stars play a key role in Jyotish astrology, but nothing I had heard from Gurudeva mentioned date ranges mapping to zodiac signs.
Years later, I finally solved the puzzle. The most common opinion is that Western and Vedic astrology are mutually exclusive. However, looking deeper, one will find the tie that binds them.
The underlying model of Vedic astrology is the interrelationship between Earth, the sun and the moon shown by the phases of the moon.
Western astrology’s tropical model is heliocentric
I think the term “Western” astrology is a misnomer. If we accept that the planet is almost a sphere, then how can we cast directions on east and west on a sphere? In the language of nature, east and west don’t exist.
The tropical model used in Western astrology is based on the heliocentric view of the system of Earth and sun. Assuming the sun is stationary, the Earth experiences four unique stages: two equinoxes and two solstices.
The Vernal Equinox is the only day of the year when day and nights are equal and days get longer from that day onward. The Autumnal Equinox is also a day with equal day and night on Earth but nights get longer from that day. Spring and fall are the seasons associated with Vernal and Autumnal Equinox and form the basis of the system of time.
In Western astrology, the Vernal Equinox is the day when the sun (as seen from Earth) enters the sign Aries. This concept of “beginning” is why the zodiac signs start from Aries and not from Leo or any other sign. “Beginning” is when life begins and life begins with spring. Thus, the zodiac begins with the day of the Vernal Equinox and thereby, the tropical Aries.
With Western astrology’s tropical model in place, the solstices become the beginning points of Cancer and Capricorn. On the Summer Solstice, rays of sun directly fall on the Tropic of Cancer (hence, its name). On the Winter Solstice, the same thing happens on the Tropic of Capricorn. These days mark the entry of the sun in tropical signs Cancer and Capricorn. And hence, the signs signify a strong connection with the Earth and the sun. These are stages of evolution of the Earth in a cycle around the sun, and that the frame of reference fixed on the sun.
Many astrologers claim that the tropical model doesn’t take into account the precession (the concept that Earth wobbles like a tap while revolving around the sun) of the equinox. This is an incorrect notion. Precession plays no role since the conceptual basis is heliocentric: the frame of reference is the center of the sun, and the position of the Earth is relative to the sun. In other words, the tropical model is based on the sun-Earth relationship.
The Vernal Equinox will be the same timeslot approximately (and thus, approximately the same date in any solar calendar) each year, has been for thousands of years and will be for thousands of years hence.
The core beliefs of the tropical zodiac are that the sun is fixed and the Earth is mobile. This is how the tropical zodiac system was developed, and it is a valid system if any astrologer uses the above concepts accurately.
The underlying model of Western astrology is the interrelationship between Earth and the sun shown by the occurrences of Equinoxes and Solstices.
Vedic astrology’s sidereal model is stellar
Vedic astrology is modeled upon three celestial entities: the Earth, the sun and the moon. Since the three entities are considered dynamic, the frame of reference in the vedic model of astrology is the stars. Whereas the tropical model is heliocentric (sun-centered), the vedic (also called “sidereal”) model is stellar or galactic.
Most ancient calendar systems followed a solilunar (mapping time in terms of the phases of the moon) pattern of timekeeping. This system is based on the moon’s revolution around the Earth in its various phases (by light reflected by the sun). In a year, there are 12 full moons. Since the moon is full 12 times in a year, the year has 12 months. Each month was assigned a zodiac sign.
These 12 full moons in the night sky were studied deeply by the ancient sages of India. The region of celestial space in which the full moon occurred against the backdrop of the stars was called the “signs.” The sages of ancient India drew shapes in the sky linking its stars and named each shape. Aries, the Ram, has three major stars. Taurus, the Bull, incorporates Aldebaran; Gemini has both Castor and Pollux. In this way, a celestial zodiac was created against the backdrop of the stars and was called the “sidereal zodiac.”
My confusion that began that summer long ago took years to resolve and a number of teachers to clarify. In the following years, I delved into the world of science. Mathematics and physics became my favorite subjects. Understanding physics brought me closer to astrology. Then some great teachers walked into my life to show me that there is actually no duality in astrology—Western or Vedic. Ptolemy and Parasara actually were talking about the same thing—just astrology.
And yes, my cousin finally found lasting love and consulted me to ensure that the stars were aligned for her to have a blissful conjugal life. She has a happy married life and a wonderful son. As for me, I am eternally grateful to Gurudeva and Goodman for igniting the confusion of the zodiacs in my curious mind since all wisdom begins with a confusion!
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