Western Astrology
पश्चिम ज्योतिष

In Western Astrology (पश्चिम ज्योतिष), there are 12 signs but standing for 12 periods of a year. According to natural distribution, stars are divided into many regions of different sizes, each called a constellation. Connecting all bright stars in a constellation with lines, different images in the shape of animals and objects are formed. People named each constellation according to its shape.

The International Astronomical Union divided the sky into 88 constellations with precise boundaries, making every star belonging to a particular constellation. Seen from Earth, the sun moves slowly in the Celestial Sphere and passes through constellations, forming a large circle for a year. This circle is called Ecliptic. The Ecliptic is divided into twelve equal portions; each portion was named after the closest constellation. All these twelve portions were called Ecliptic Constellations, according to which Western Astrology theories developed.

The astrologists divide a year is into 12 periods, during each period the sun being in a constellation area. So everyone has a corresponding zodiacal sign according to the period his/her birthday lies in. The 12 signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.  People believe that different signs of the zodiac present different characteristics and talents. In truth, there is no unified approach used by most Western astrologers in Western Astrology.

They may favour using Outer Planet transits or Progressions or Directions for their primary predictive tool, and some include additional bodies like asteroids, the comet Chiron, Arabic Parts, Fixed Stars, Hypothetical Points, and Uranians and Plutonian, or even adopt radically different approaches like the Huber method, Evolutionary Astrology, or Symmetrical Astrology. The basic difference between the two systems is that the Vedic zodiac is Sidereal and the Western Astrology is Tropical.

In Sidereal astrology, the zodiac is aligned with 27 constellations, or fixed star groups. Aries, the first sign of the zodiac, aligns with the first constellation, called Ashwini. In the tropical zodiac, the point in space when the Sun crosses the earth’s equator is the beginning point of the zodiac, or Aries. The earth’s equator shifts backward through the signs of the zodiac at the rate of about 51″ of longitude per year.

This is called “Precession of the Equinoxes.” Because of this phenomenon, the theoretical Aries of the Western Astrology zodiac drifts further and further from the Aries used by Vedic astrologers — at the rate of about 1 degree every 72 years. The Western Astrology tropical, and the Vedic Aries were on the same zodiacal plane around 285 AD. Because of the precession of the equinoxes, at present, there is approximately a 23 degree difference.

Thus all of the planets in a Vedic horoscope, including the rising sign, will be about 23 zodiacal degrees earlier than they would be in a Western Astrology chart. Thousands of years ago, Astrology has taken its roots in Western Countries. Egyptians know Western Astrology (पश्चिम ज्योतिष) 4000 years before Christ. They prepared ephemeris. At the same time, Chinese too studied Astrology. King Hoyangutee built a Planetarium in 2608 BC.

Babylonians practiced Astrology a few centuries before Christ. Pythagoras (530 BC) propounded that the Earth is rotating on its own axis. Aristarchus (around 275 BC) claims that Earth revolves around the Sun. Aristata and Timoris (32-260 BC) prepared an index of positions of several stars. Whatever the places and people are, Western Astrology is practiced and praised by everyone on the Earth. The fundamental facts like division of Zodiac and planets: Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn and Venus remain same. 

Western Astrology Signs:

This Western Astrology (पश्चिम ज्योतिष) overview chart is a useful key to your understanding all important astrological information at once:

There are 3 more planets added. And Western Astrologers started updating their knowledge about the influence of these planets on human beings. A new planet Chiron is being added to the list.

• Uranus indicates sudden happenings, extremism, impulsive actions, high speed, explosives, electricity, television, computers etc.
• Neptune gives intuition, meditation, hidden affairs, reflections, colors, water resources, coffee, tea, photography, etc.
• Pluto represents destruction and regeneration, change of sex, modernization, waste material, unrest, life insurance, etc.