Here we are. Your feed is flooded with 'It's Leo Season.' Merriment and pride proclamation of 'Leos,' or those with planets in Leo, abounds. But, if you look up, the Sun is still in Cancer. Whoops...
Leo season doesn't officially start unto August 16th EST. You've arrived to the party early. This and other planetary variances are common between Western and Vedic Astrology.
So why is it that we are celebrating 'Leo' Season when the Sun isn't actually in Leo?
The real question is a deeper one about the astronomical deviation of Western Astrology; for this check out 'The Nuts and Bolts of it:' below.
Till then ..
Lets Dive in:
Vedic Astrology is unequivocally more complex than Western astrology.
Both have their merits, and more people than ever are now fluidly moving between the two systems- taking the benefits of both. Both use the 12 signs of the zodiac.
A Stark Contrast; The Considerable Complexity of Vedic Astrology:
Dashas, Vargas, Navamsas, Nakshatras, Varshaphalas, Tithi Pravesh, Yogas, Drekkanas, Sade Sati... the list goes on.
There are branches like; Tajika, Jaimini, Prashara and others like Muhurta, Prashna, Pachanga, Nimitta or science of omens or synchronicity, and Remedies.
Learning Vedic Astrology is not for the faint of heart- nor is practicing it. It is vast. It requires a piercing intellect while a firm connection to one's intuition- an ability to see tiny details while translating it into a cohesive big picture of things that makes sense. It’s exceptionally sophisticated calculation process allows for nuanced detail. And these nuances can be easily overlooked by a novice.
for example: In one women’s Vedic Astrology chart, you can see her whole life; her mother, father, uncle, education, childhood trauma, home, diseases, debts, death, career, financial highs and lows, her ancestry, past lives, siblings, children and how many of each, her husband and how many of each, lol. the list goes on. A skilled astrologer can even see potential for spiritual realization, and more...
History:
You can see the history of Astrology when you read the Vedic texts. You can see what was given by the Persians (Tajika), and what was given by the Greeks (the group of people known in the texts as ‘Yavanas’) etc. You can see what originated in India, and what was added after due testing. The sharing of knowledge and skills was happening well before what our history books suggest.
Jyotish:
Vedic Astrology, or Jyotish, is the 'science of light.' It is the power of the light transmitted from the twinkling stars and planets, that is in fact, the transferance of their properties and essences to us- through our atmosphere and into our earth - through our subtle bodies and into the physical.
Because this science is dependent on the visible light emitted from the heavenly bodies to transfer its energetic to us- outer planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), that are not visible to the naked eye, are not classically used.
The Nuts and Bolts of it:
The real difference between Western and Vedic Astrology are through the calculations.
Vedic astrology is based on the sidereal zodiac – a system in which positions of planets are calculated based on where they are actually observed in the sky in respect of constellations. Western astrology, on the other hand, uses the tropical (fixed) zodiac. Western astrology and Vedic Astrology did link up before in history.
Some 2,000 years ago, both the tropical and sidereal zodiacs aligned at the same position. As time (and the precession of the equinoxes) would have it, they have separated considerably. The Western used Tropical Zodiac drifted westward at a rate of one degree every ~72 years creating more than ~25 degrees of separation and counting, making Western Astrology’s Aries ~25 degrees away from Vedic Astrology’s Aries. When a zodiac sign is 30 degrees, and the two systems zodiac wheel's have a ~25degree seperation, this causes a large discrepancy, nearly a whole zodiac sign difference.
Regardless of the variation in calculation. Once you receive a reading, what do you do about it?
The amazing thing, where Vedic Astrology shines, is via Remedies. You receive a reading, understanding the highs and lows of the chart- but now you can do something about it. With the help of a skilled astrologer, you can start communicating with these influences- start a dialogue and turn mountains into mole hills. Take them seriously, and your life will be forever bettered for it.
Bottom line:
If you are looking for astronomical accuracy, where what is up in the sky is what you see in the chart, then reach out to a Vedic Astrologer.
We can agree for sure that Vedic Astrology is more complex than Western astrology. We can agree that Vedic Astrology is historically older than Western Astrology. We can also agree that Vedic astrology shows what is in the sky, ie. astronomically accurate. What we can not say, however, is that Vedic Astrology is better than Western Astrology.
Many people find validity and a ‘home’ in Western Astrology. And because of this, we can not, with a broad stroke call one ‘better’ than the other.
As everything in life, it is about preference. My hope is, to see each person try both. Keep yourself open to being surprised.
This is excellent information! Definitely recommend reaching out to Abigail for a personal reading. Life changing stuff.