I have been asked many times over the last couple of months about the recent astrological “breakthrough” involving a thirteenth sign. So I will take a few minutes to give a brief astrology lesson which will illuminate why I am not considering any additions to my current astrological repertoire.
Just like spoken languages are able to say thoughts with different words, sentence structures and verb conjugations, astrology has a couple of different languages that can be spoken. Both languages (Tropic/Western and Vedic/Sidereal) can touch on the same issues and speak to those issues from different perspectives.
When the zodiac and the basic structure of astrology was established between 3500 and 2500 years ago, the band of stars that our planets move against was broken up into various constellations named after Greek, Persian and Egyptian deities and mythical figures. The zodiac started with 0° Aries. They chose this point because it lined up with the spring equinox (March 20 or 21). At that point in time, both Vedic and Western astrology was virtually the same thing. The hotbed of astrological development was centrally focused in Persia, having shifted to that area from its beginnings in Egypt and Greece. As astrology developed over the following 1500 years or so, two divergent streams developed. Some of those Arabic astrologers made their way to Northern India and melded their ideas with the Hindu traditions: Vedic astrology was born. Other astrologers travelled back into Europe and Western astrology continued to develop.
Now, as all of this development was taking place, the universe we live in was slowly changing. Remember that we DO live in a dynamic world! As our particular galaxy shifted in relation to the back drop of other galaxies that make up our constellations, the starts that make up the constellation Aries no longer coincided with the Spring Equinox. As the two points diverged, the question arose as to which point articulated the true beginning of the zodiac. The Vedic tradition chose to align 0° Aries with the actual constellation of Aries, and the Western tradition chose to align 0° Aries with the spring equinox.
The result was two different systems, two different languages. Vedic astrology uses what we now refer to as the Sidereal zodiac, and Western astrology uses the Tropical zodiac. Cool, eh? That is not the only difference between the two systems, but certainly one of the main ones. Both systems are reflective of the cultural and spiritual beliefs embedded within their corresponding geographical areas. Vedic astrology was developed within the Hindu tradition and Western astrology was developed within the Christian system. Now of course, tons of debate exists about which is “right” but I personally believe each system has its advantages. Would you make a person say which language is best? Well, maybe you would. But in doing so you’d lose that diversity that is so crucial to our resilience as a species.
As a practitioner, I practice Western astrology. It’s just the system that works for me, and if you are looking for a Vedic astrologer, I am happy to refer you to one. Simple deal. Just like me speaking English. I have nothing against speaking Russian – I just don’t know how.
Now that we have established that Western astrology isn’t wrong or right but simply different from Vedic, we should also to touch on the other reason that I won’t be considering a 13th sign any time soon. Western astrology – whether you are a Modern or Traditional practitioner, is based on the number 12. There is a fairly solid theoretical foundation that builds on the idea of 4 elements (fire, earth, air and water) and three modalities (cardinal, fixed and mutable). Four times three is twelve. Not thirteen. This is why we have twelve months among other things. Now, there is more to it than that, but until I’m assuming you don’t have all day. And the rest of the information goes down that route. The idea here is that twelve wasn’t just chosen willy-nilly.
Now, there are those astrologers that love the moon (who doesn’t?), that would point out that we have 13 new moons per year, and so we should have 13 signs. To those people I would point out that I live here on Earth, and not the moon. I experience four seasons, each with a beginning, middle and end. Voila! Twelve. Astrology is a system for getting more information about what’s happening here on Earth, not somewhere else. And while the moon is my Lady, she’s not as important as the Sun, my main Lord. (I’m well aware of how very un-feminist this sounds – but sorry. That’s just the way it is here on Earth.)
And lastly. The astrology that I practice has been based on twelve signs and twelve houses for at least 2500 years. So there is that much proof of its worth if you choose to go looking. Until a system with thirteen signs is batted around through the ages by hundreds if not thousands of astrologers and thinkers alike for at least that long, I’ll stick with what I know works – thank you. I’m all for leaving room for another system to get developed, but I’m a bit gun-shy here, and will use what works for me and my clients until the tide turns. Until 1 + 1 = 3, I’ll be here practicing my astrology in the Traditional Western style.
In a nutshell (coconut shell?), these are my thoughts. The dates are off the top of my head so don’t get all logistical on me. These are also subjects about which entire books have been written – so this is really just a quick summation. Hopefully though, this is enough of an introduction that you are now curious, interested or confused enough to leave a comment or ask a question! Thanks for dropping by.
