So What Sign are you Anyway?
Most of us know what Astrological Sign we were born under, right? I was born
on July 12 so I guess that makes me a Cancer. Someone born on March 2 is a
Pisces or someone born on December 5 is a Sagittarius. Right? Well, the answer is
more complicated than that and really depends on what school of Astrology we’
re talking about. Most of us know very little about Astrology other than what
we read about our Horoscopes in the daily newspaper. Still others know that
there is at least some relationship between Astrology and Astronomy, but what
exactly that relationship is, we’re not quite sure.
Some people (including die-hard astrology fans) will be absolutely amazed to
learn that the constellation they believe marks the sign of their birth is not
the current constellation that is behind the sun on their Birthdate. The
universe is an ever-changing place and like the Earth around the Sun, it too is
revolving and moving (ever so slowly).
So what then is the constellation behind the Sun on the day of your birth?
How does this revelation affect our astrology charts and our horoscopes? What is
the implication to the debate over astrology’s legitimacy?
Before we answer these questions, let’s get a little understanding on the
history of Astrology and see if we can shed a little heavenly light on the
subject.
From time unmemorable, man has always had a fascination with the heavens
above.
For early man, the heavens were a magical place where amazing things could be
seen. There was the sun – a great, big, bright ball of fire that lit up the
sky and gave warmth to the day. When the Sun set, the Moon took over as the
ruler of the night sky – giving her light to the Earth. Also in the night sky,
man noticed other “lights” that either moved independently by themselves (what
we today call “planets”) or formed patterns with other lights (what we today
call “constellations”).
But that’s not all early man noticed in the heavens above. Over the course of
time – hours, days, and months – the objects which were overhead moved
across the heavens in a seemingly eternal pattern. The Sun rose and set each day.
The Moon waxed and waned. And the constellations – “the patterns of lights” –
also made their way along a clear path in the sky.
Early astronomers noticed that some of these constellations appeared and
disappeared throughout the course of the year. Amongst these constellations, there
was a group that seemed to move in line with each other along the Plane of
the Ecliptic (which is the path in the sky defined by the apparent motion of the
Sun). To the ancient western astronomers, there were twelve specific
constellations that appeared to behave in this fashion. They were named and
categorized by their identifiable shapes and given origins based on mythological
legends. They are as we know them today:
Astronomers also observed that each of these constellations apparently
occupied a region of sky for a duration of approximately one month. And during the
course of any month, the moon and the planets seemingly “passed through”
regions of the sky that were occupied by any given constellation. For early man,
such occurrences must have had some divine meaning. And in time, the movement of
the heavenly objects across (and within) the constellations became meaningful.
But the moon and the planets were not the only moving objects in the sky
which could seemingly “enter” a constellation. There was also the Sun. However,
this posed a problem to the early astronomer: how does one determine what
constellation the Sun was entering if the constellations were not visible during
the day? It was easy to determine which constellation the Moon or the planets
entered – neither was bright enough to cancel out the entire constellation. But
because of its overwhelming brightness, the Sun was the only visible heavenly
body during the day, making it impossible to track the constellations during
non-evening hours.
Believing that the universe revolved around the Earth, early astronomers
envisioned that these twelve constellations were affixed to a “belt” that also
encircled the Earth. This became known as the Zodiac. With the constellations
now lined-up along the Zodiac Belt, early astronomers could “envision” what
constellation the Sun was entering each month by viewing what constellations were
visible at night. Because the Plane of the Ecliptic intersects the Zodiac
Belt, early astronomers could define the zodiac constellation “behind” the Sun
by its zodiac counterpart (that constellation on the other side of the Zodiac
Belt) that was easily viewed that night.
Today we know that the universe does not revolve around the Earth, but that
the Earth revolves around the Sun. We also know that the Earth rotates on its
axis. Scientists tell us that the Earth’s axis is tilted at an angle of
approximately 23.5° to the Plane of the Ecliptic It is this tilt which gives us the
changing seasons as we take our yearly course around the Sun. However, the
Earth is also not a perfect sphere – it bulges at the center near the Equator.
Because of the gravitational pull of the Moon and the Sun, the Earth actually “
wobbles” on its axis. If we were to imagine extending the North and south poles
into space, as the Earth “wobbles” on its axis, the poles would inscribe
circles above and below the Earth in space. However, this “wobble” of the Earth’s
axis is so slow that it only moves 1° every 71.5 years. This means that for
our imaginary extension of the North Pole to make a full rotation and inscribe
a full circle in space would take approximately 25,800 years in real time.
So what does this mean? Well, in terms of astronomy, our current North Star (
that star directly above our imaginary North Pole) is the star Polaris. But by
the year 7500 CE Polaris will not be directly above our North Pole. At that
time, our North Star will be Al Deramin. As the Earth continues to “wobble” on
its axis, over the course of thousands of years, our North Star will change
again to Deneb…then Vega …then Alpha Draconis. Polaris will not be our North
Star again until approximately 25,800 years from now–the year 27800 CE on our
modern calendar.
So how does this affect astrology?
According to western Astrology, the Sun enters the sign of Aries on the
Vernal Equinox each year. It is this point that dictates the remaining movement of
the Sun throughout the Zodiac, with the Sun entering the other signs
accordingly:
But because the universe is also revolving and because the Earth wobbles on
its axis, the Sun does not enter the sky at the same point each Vernal Equinox.
It was the Greek astronomer, Hipparchus of Rhodes, who first officially
discovered that the Sun was in a slightly earlier position at the time of the
Spring Equinox each year as measured against the fixed stars in 128 BCE. This is
what is known as the Precession of the Equinox – that the Sun moves backwards
through the Zodiac Belt ever so slightly each year. In doing so, the Sun does
not enter any of the constellations at the same point at any given day year
after year.
Using Hipparchus’ great “discovery”, the Greek philosopher, Plato, likened
the 25,800 year cycle to a “Great Year”. This Great Year (also known as The
Platonic Year – in honor of Plato) is the amount of time it takes the Sun to
precede (move backwards) through the entire Zodiac Belt as recorded on each
Vernal Equinox – approximately 25,800 years. The amount of time it takes the Sun to
precede into the next zodiac constellation as recorded on the Vernal Equinox
is known as the Great Month (or the Platonic Month). If we divide 25,800 years
by twelve (for each zodiac constellation), we calculate each Platonic Month
to be approximately 2,150 years. That is to say that it takes approximately
2,150 years for the Sun to move through each constellation as recorded on the
Vernal Equinox. At the time the western Astrology system was formalized, the Sun
did indeed enter the constellation of Aries on the Vernal Equinox (March 21).
However, since then, the Precession of the Equinox has shifted the Sun’s entry
in such a way that it is the tail-end of the constellation Pisces which now
holds the position of the sky at dawn on the Vernal Equinox.
This affects the remaining system if we believe that the Sun’s entrance into
a specific constellation on our day of birth affects our character and
influences our lives. So for most of us who follow the western Astrological system,
the constellation we think is behind the Sun on the day of our birth is most
likely wrong.
There are different methods of calculating the length of Plato’s Great
Months. As mentioned earlier in this article, the Sun follows a path in the sky that
is called the Plane of the Ecliptic. This plane intersects the Zodiac Belt
and is divided into twelve even segments of 30° each in length – one segment for
each constellation of the Zodiac. Somewhere between two and four thousand
years ago when western Astrology was formalized, the segments of the Ecliptic
Plane lined up (somewhat) with the constellations of the Zodiac and were thus
named accordingly. But the constellations themselves are not of equal length.
Some occupy greater portions of the sky than others. This is the cause of the
dilemma. Does one calculate the length of a Platonic Month by the length of the
segments along the Plane of the Ecliptic? Or do we calculate the length of a
Platonic Month by the length of the constellations along the Zodiac Belt? And at
which point do we determine that the Vernal Equinox Point has exited one sign
for the next? The answer to this question depends on which form of the zodiac
you are using.
There are currently three forms of the zodiac in use by modern western
astronomers.
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) zodiac is the most widely used
zodiac by modern western astrologers and corresponds almost exactly to the
outlines of the constellations (which as previously mentioned are not of equal
length).
The Aldeberan zodiac is also used by most modern astrologers and divides the
Zodiac into equal lengths of 30° per segment. It is called the Aldeberan
zodiac because it is aligned with the star Aldeberan which is to be found in the
constellation of Taurus. It is a bright red star (often confused with the planet
Mars) and became a reference point for the Chaldeans (the first known
astrologers) primarily because it marked the Vernal Equinox point in the night sky.
However, today, due to precession, Aldeberan no longer marks the Vernal Equinox
point in the night sky. Thus, the Aldeberan zodiac is relative to the
Precession of the Equinox.
The Milky Way zodiac also divides the Zodiac into equal lengths of 30° per
segment. It is called the Milky Way zodiac because it is aligned with the Milky
Way Belt – which can be seen as a bright belt across the night sky (that
portion of our own galaxy that we can see with the naked eye). Though it is not a
recognized zodiac by many modern astrologers, there is evidence that it may
have been recognized by ancient astrologers. (Some ancient cultures – i.e. the
Chaldeans and even the Hindus – have legends regarding the Milky Way Belt as the
gateway to the realm of the Gods). What makes this zodiac ideal is that the
Milky Way Belt and the Plane of the Ecliptic intersect at two points that never
change. They always intersect at the exact same two points in the sky. The
Precession of the Equinox has no effect on the positions of these two points.
As mentioned earlier in this article, constellations are groups of fixed
stars. These groups are often associated with a mythological image by which they
can be identified. Some of the more recognizable constellations in the
northwestern hemisphere include the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, and Orion. Other
constellations can be viewed elsewhere on Earth (i.e. the Southern Cross in
Australia). There are literally hundreds of constellations that seemingly encircle
the Earth. In western Astrology, twelve of these constellations run along the
Zodiac Belt. These are of course: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.
Now, we have already explained the Plane of the Ecliptic and how it
intersects the Zodiac Belt. We’ve also explained how the Plane of the Ecliptic is
divided into twelve segments of equal 30° lengths. Along the Plane of the Ecliptic,
each segment is called a “sign” and each sign is named after a constellation
on the Zodiac Belt. As mentioned earlier, somewhere between two and four
thousand years ago when western Astrology was formalized, the segments of the
Ecliptic Plane lined up (somewhat) with the constellations of the Zodiac. They
were thus named by the constellation that (for the most part) occupied that
segment along the Plane of the Ecliptic. Since then, the Precession of the Equinox
has shifted the Zodiac 23° behind the “signs” of the Ecliptic Plane. Thus the
names for the segments along the Plane of the Ecliptic – the “signs” – no
longer correspond to the location of the constellations on the Zodiac Belt.
And how does that affect your horoscope? Well, do you want to know your sign?
Or do you want to know your constellation?
In western Astrology, there are two schools which differ in their approach to
horoscopes. The most popular (and most well known) school of western
Astrology is known as Tropical Astrology. Tropical Astrology receives its name because
it concerns itself with the Signs along the Plane of the Ecliptic (“tropical”
referring to the position of the Sun). That is, it actually has very little
to do with the actual constellations themselves. As mentioned, the Signs (30°
segments) along the Ecliptic were named between two and four thousand years
ago according to what constellation seemingly shared this region of sky. Since
the early astrologers began their year at the Vernal Equinox, the first 30°
segment (sign) was named after Aries – the constellation that occupied this
region of sky at that time. The next eleven segments were named according to the
order of the constellations that followed.
When a Tropical Astrologer does your horoscope chart, he or she is (knowingly
or unknowingly) not so concerned with the actual constellations. The Tropical
Astrologer is concerned with the position of the Sun and the rest of the
planets along the Plane of the Ecliptic as defined by the twelve segments or
Signs. This makes Tropical Astrology a “Seasonal” Astrology. That is, the
characteristics associated with the “Signs” are seasonal characteristics. In terms of
Tropical Astrology, there are not four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and
Winter), there are twelve – one season for each Sign. So, for example, with my
being born on July 12, I am not born under the “Constellation of Cancer”. I
am born under the “Sign of Cancer” – or more plainly expressed, I am born “In
the Season of Cancer”. The only relation between the Sign of Cancer and the
Constellation of Cancer is the name – nothing else. So in terms of Tropical
Astrology, the Precession of the Equinox (and the shifting of the constellations
away from their associated Signs) has no consequence to the interpretations of
the zodiac.
The other form of western Astrology is known as Sidereal Astrology. “Sidereal”
refers to the position of the stars and does take the Precession of the
Equinox into account by determining the current position of the constellations.
Sidereal Astrology is used primarily by the Hindus who were introduced to the
Zodiac Belt by Greek Astrologers of Alexander the Great’s court. It is sometimes
known as Vedic Astrology or by its proper Hindu name, Jyotish. Sidereal
Astrology begins its zodiac by a fixed star point in the constellation of Aries
(which changes slightly year to year and immensely over the course of thousands
of years) rather than by the point of the Vernal Equinox (which does not
change).
For the Sidereal Astrologer, the importance is placed on the position of the
stars at the time of an individual’s birth. It is a “truer” form of Astrology
than the Tropical system in that it does truly follow the course of the Stars.
Ok…now you’re going to ask, “Which one is better?” or “Which one works?”
Well, that is a matter of personal preference and experience. Or, as I believe,
both have merit.
And there you have it. It’s probably more than what you bargained for but I
hope you will agree that there’s more to Astrology than your daily newspaper’s
horoscope.
So the next time you’re asked, “Hey good-lookin’, what’s your sign?” you
may want to ask for some clarification.
Sources:
Raymond, Andrew. Secrets of the Sphinx. UNI Productions. 1995.
Rockliff. R. Age of Aquarius: 2000 AD. Indiana University.
Turcan, Robert. The Cults of the Roman Empire. Blackwell. 1992.
About Dante DiBenevento
Tropical vs. Sidereal Astrology
by: Dante DiBenevento
Aries–the ram
Taurus–the bull
Gemini–the twins
Cancer–the crab
Leo–the lion
Virgo–the virgin
Libra–the scales
Scorpio–the scorpion
Sagittarius–the archer
Capricorn–the sea-goat
Aquarius–the water-bearer
Pisces–the fishes
Well, western Astrology begins its stellar year on the Vernal (or Spring)
Equinox (around March 21 each year). Why the Vernal Equinox? Because to the many
ancient civilizations who defined and developed Astrology, the Spring Equinox
marked the beginning of the year because it was at this time that life was
visibly “returning” to the Earth after the dead of winter. (Note: January did
not become the western New Year until Gaius Julius Caesar became Emperor of Rome
and had reformed the calendar in 45 BCE).
Sun Enters Sign On This Date
Aries March 21
Taurus April 21
Gemini May 22
Cancer June 22
Leo July 23
Virgo August 23
Libra September 24
Scorpio October 24
Sagittarius November 23
Capricorn December 22
Aquarius January 21
Pisces February 20
Napier, Beth. What’s Your Sign? The Science Behind The Zodiac. The Regents of
the University of California, Berkeley. 1995.
Dante is a practicing Neo-Pagan Witch residing in New Jersey. Dante has
served as High Priest for a coven in Chicago but prefers now the freedom and
independence of being a solitary practitioner. A student of comparative religions,
Dante’s chief spiritual interests lie in Classical Greco-Roman Paganism,
Natural and Ceremonial Magick, Hinduism, and Chaos Theory. You may contact Dante at:
TheDarkBuddha@aol.com
