Atlantis Online
March 19, 2024, 12:40:10 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: 'Europe's oldest city' found in Cadiz
http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=566660
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

A S T R O L O G Y - Western

Pages: [1] 2   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: A S T R O L O G Y - Western  (Read 2499 times)
0 Members and 43 Guests are viewing this topic.
Bianca
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 41646



« on: August 03, 2007, 07:18:03 am »

                 




The zodiac
 

The zodiac is the belt or band of constellations through which the Sun, Moon, and planets transit across the sky. Astrologers noted these constellations and so attached a particular significance to them. Over time they developed the system of twelve signs of the zodiac, based on twelve of the constellations they considered to be particularly important. The Western and Indian zodiac signs have a common origin in the tradition of Horoscopic Astrology, and so are very similar in meaning. In China on the other hand, the development of the zodiac was different. Although the Chinese too have a system of twelve signs (named after animals), the Chinese zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle, as there are no equivalent constellations linked to it like the Western or Indian zodiacs. The common choice of twelve zodiac signs is understandable considering the interaction of the Sun and Moon was central to all forms of Astrology. Twelve cycles of the Moon — the months — coincided with one solar year, making twelve a natural choice.

The majority of Western Astrologers base their work on the Tropical Zodiac which divides the sky into twelve equal segments of 30 degrees each, beginning with the first point of Aries, the point where the line of the earth's celestial equator and the ecliptic (the Sun's path through the sky) meet at the northern hemisphere spring equinox. Due to the Precession of the Equinoxes, the slow changing of the way Earth rotates in space, the zodiacal signs in this system bear no relation to the constellations of the same name but stay aligned to the months and seasons.

Practitioners of the Indian Astrological Tradition and a minority of Western Astrologers use the Sidereal Zodiac. This Zodiac uses the same evenly divided ecliptic but approximately stays aligned to the positions of the observable constellations with the same name as the zodiacal signs. The Sidereal Zodiac differs from the Tropical Zodiac by an offset called the 'ayanamsa' which steadily increases as the equinoxes drift further.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2007, 11:44:00 am by Bianca2001 » Report Spam   Logged

Your mind understands what you have been taught; your heart what is true.


Pages: [1] 2   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy