Reconciliation

of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs

By Vic DiCara
Theuniverseis,inanobviousandliteralsense,ourmother.Weexistinherwombandaremadefrom hersubstances.Thestarsandplanetsoftheheavensarepartofourmothersvisiblebody.Thewaythe planetsandstarsmoveisher"bodylanguage"revealingwhathowtheuniversewillmovetocareforthe upbringingofus,herchildren.Shecommunicatestousinthiswaytohelpusnavigateandunderstand thedestinieswehavecreatedforourselvesovercountlesslifetimesonagreatjourneytowardsself realization. Inanylanguageitisimportanttograspthefundamentalgrammar.Astrologicalgrammarhasthree primaryparts: 1) Theplanets 2) Thespacethroughwhichtheyroamthezodiac 3) Thewaythisspacerelatestoagiventimeandplaceonearththehouses InthispaperIwilladdressourunderstandingofthesecondpartofbasicastrologicalgrammar:the zodiac.Beingabasictopicdoesnotmakeitlessimportant.Onthecontrarythatwhichisfundamentalis essential.Thisfundamentaltopicisindireneedofaddressbecausetheinternationalcommunityof seriousastrologershasnotyetagreeduponhowtoevendefineit!

Whats the Problem?

Statedbasically,therearetwoopposingwaystodefinethezodiac: 1. Inreferencetothestars 2. InreferencetotheSun'srelationshiptotheearth. Thefirstiswhatwecalla"siderealzodiac"andthelatera"tropicalzodiac."Mostastrologerspickone sideofthedebateanddenouncetheother.Inthispaper,however,Iwillexplorereconciliationbetween thetwo.

Sidereal Twelvefold Zodiac A Zodiac of Stars?

MybackgroundandrootsareinIndianastrology(Vedicastrology).Naturally,Iwillexplorethistopic fromthatvantagepoint,butIamconfidentthatwhatIdiscoverwillbeofsignificantvaluetotheentire internationalastrologicalcommunityregardlessofschoolordenomination.

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IfyouknowanythingaboutIndianastrology,thefirstthingyouprobablyknowisthatweuseasidereal twelvefoldzodiac.Thatsmystartingpoint.Atfirst,Ifiguredthetropicalzodiacwassomekindof mistake;orperhapsatbestatheoreticalsystem.Afterall,Icouldlookdownatmysiderealcalculations tellingmetheMoonwasinTaurustonight,andthenlookupintheskyandseewithmyowneyesthat theMoonreallywasinTaurus.So,thesiderealzodiacinitiallystruckmeastheobvious,realand accurateone. ButsometimesIwouldlookdownatmysiderealcalculationtellingmeJupiterwasinAries,forexample, andthenlookuptoseeitplayingwithoneofthefishofPisces.Therealconstellationsthemselves,I figuredout,areallsortsofdifferentsizes.Sometakeupalotmorespaceinthezodiacthanothers.But thesiderealzodiacinmyastrologicalcalculationshasallthetwelvesignsfixedatperfectlyequalsize: 30each. So,thetwelvesiderealsignsarereallynotidenticaltothetwelveconstellations. Nowthatweareaskingquestions,ifitreallyisazodiacofstars,whyaretheretwelve?Accordingto traditionaldefinitionsofthenightsky,therearethirteenconstellationsinthezodiacbelt.Yousee twelve,someoneelseseesthirteen,Imightseefivesymbolsupthere.Whodefineswhichiscorrect,and basedonwhatlogic? Thesearerhetoricalquestions,mindyou,whichIwillsoonanswer.ButfornowwhatIwanttoknowis, ifthesiderealsignsarenotliterallyazodiacofthestars,whatarethey?

What is the Twelvefold Sidereal Zodiac?

Thequestionwas:Whydoesthetwelvefoldsiderealzodiachavetwelveequaldivisionsinspiteofthere beingthirteenunequallysizedzodiacconstellations?Theansweris:Becauseeachdivisiondoesnot representaconstellation!EachdivisionrepresentstheamountofspacetraversedbytheSuninthe amountoftimeittakestheMoontomakeacompleterevolutionthroughthezodiac. TheSunandtherestoftheplanetsroamthrougharelativelynarrowbandofspace.Onecompletelap oftheSunthroughthewholethingistheessentialdefinitionofayear.Duringeachyear,theMoon makestwelvecompletelapsthroughthezodiac,eachthesamelength.Eachlapisthefundamentalidea ofamonthandasign.This12:1relationshipbetweenthemotionsoftheMoonandSunisprecisely whywehavetwelvesignsinthezodiac,andiswhyeachsignisthesamelength. Wedesignedourclockstoreflectthis.Eachofthetwelvenumbersonaclockfacemarksthedistance traveledbythehourhandduringacompleterevolutionoftheminutehand.Similarly,eachborderof thetwelvezodiacdivisionsmarksthedistancetraveledbytheSunduringacompleterevolutionofthe Moon.ThebeautifulclockworkofMotherNaturecreatesthetwelvesignsofthezodiac,notsome fancifulconnectthedotsgameplayedinthesky. Bothsystems,tropicalandsidereal,usethesemathematicalratiosrepresentingtheSunandMoonto definetheirtwelvedivisions.Neitherusesthestarsthemselves.Ourlanguagereflectsthis.Wecallthe Reconciliation of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, by Vic DiCara Page 2

divisionssigns,notconstellations.OK,sure,Englishisasloppylanguage,buteveninSanskrit whichisanythingbutasloppylanguagewecallthemri,notnakatra.Thewordnakatradirectly referstoheavenlybodies:starsandplanets.Thewordriontheotherhandisanabstractwordthat hasnothingspecificallytodowithstars,andinsteadisamathematicaltermreferringtodegrees collectedinanangleofarc. Despiteadvertisingtothecontrary,thesiderealtwelvefoldzodiacisnotthestarsthemselves.What thenisthedifferencebetweentropicalandsiderealsigns?

The Real Difference between the Sidereal and Tropical Conceptions

Theonlyrealdifferencebetweenthesiderealandtropicalconceptionsofthetwelvesignsiswherethey choosetostartfrom.Bothofthemareequaldivisionsofspacebasedonthetwelvemonthsoftheyear (a.k.a.thetwelvelunarcyclesinasolarcycle).Theonlydifferenceiswhatpointinspacetheypickto startmarkingthedivisionfrom. ThetropicalzodiacstartsrelativetotheSuncrossingtheequatorheadingnorthward(thevernal equinox).ThesiderealzodiacissupposedtostartatthebeginningoftheconstellationwecallAries.But, whereisthat?Remember,thesiderealzodiacisnotexactlythestarsthemselves,soitsnotthatthefirst starinAriesisthebeginningofitssiderealsign,andthelaststarisitsend.Therearemanyopinions aboutwheresiderealAriesbegins,andthusmanydifferentversionsofthesiderealsigns.Theyallarein thesameballpark,settingthestartofAriessomewhereabout40westofthestarnamedAldebaran.

Which One is Better?

Tomysensibilities,thebetterzodiacwouldbetheonethatmakesmoresenseandissomehowmore originalandauthentic. Tryingtofigureoutwhichoneismoreoriginalleadsustodiscusstheprecessionoftheequinoxes.It takesacertainamountoftimetogetfromonevernalequinoxtothenext:Ayear.Anditalsotakesa certainamountoftimefortheSuntomovefromonestar,aroundthewholeplethora,andbacktothe samestar.Howmuchtime?Alsoayear.Theybothtakeayearbuttheyarenotthesameamountof time.Theyareslightlydifferent.Twentyminutesdifferent.Sotheyphaseslightlyoutofsyncas centuriespass. Thepointofthevernalequinoxthereforeveryslowlydrifts(precesses)inrelationtothestars.About 2,000yearsagoitwasalignedwithwhatwenowconsiderthebeginningoftheconstellationwecall Aries.Soitappearsthatthiswasthetimeinhistorywherethetwowaysofcalculatingthetwelvesigns overlappedandblurred. Siderealistsexaminethisclueoneway,tropicalistsanother.Siderealistssaythatwewronglytookthe namesandqualitiesofthetwelveconstellationsandascribedthemtothetwelvemathematical divisionsoftheyear.Tropicalists,ontheotherhand,saythatwewronglytookthenamesand

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characteristicsofthetwelvemathematicaldivisionsofthezodiacandascribedthemtostellar constellations. Whoisright?

Is the Twelvefold Sidereal Zodiac Original and Correct?

Thosewhofeelthatthesiderealstartingpointofthezodiacisoriginalsaythatancientpeopleslooked upatthestarsinthesky,drewpicturesuptherebystringingtogetherthepatterns,andassigned mythologyandmeaningtothedivisionscreatedbythoseconnections.Theysaythatthismythologically informedconnectthedotsistheoriginofastrologyandofallthemeaningofthetwelvezodiacsigns. ButIhavetwobigquestions: 1. Howcantheimageryoftheconstellationsbethesourceofallitsmeaningwhentheyarejust vaguedotsthatdontreallylookanythingliketheanimalsandcreaturestheyaresupposedto be?Itisnotreasonabletoaskmetobelievethatthedotsoflightintheskycreatetherich meaningofthetwelvesigns. 2. Ifthestarsthemselvesarethesourceofmeaningfororiginalzodiac,thenthestarsthemselves shoulddefinethebordersofthetwelveareasofmeaning.Whythenisthesiderealzodiacnota divisionofsomenumberofunequalsigns? ThusIdonotfindthesiderealistsargumentcompelling.

Is the Twelvefold Tropical Zodiac Original and Correct?

ItislogicalisandreasonablethattheclockworkinterplayofSun,MoonandtheEarthistheoriginofthe bordersandrichmeaningsofthetwelvezodiacdivisions.Symbolslikeramsandcrabsandscorpions camelater,devisedasmnemonicandcommunicativeaidsfortherichmeaningalreadyextantinthe divisions.Creativelytracingthosepicturesamongthevaguestarscamemuchlater,probablyright around2,000yearsago. Thezodiachasinherentmeaning,andthesymbolismisjustanaidtoexpressthatmeaninginan intuitivemanner.Eachzodiacsignderivesmeaningfromfourconstituents: Theplanetwhocreatesandtendsit(ruler) Theelementalmaterialitiscreatedfrom(element) Theattitudeitexpressesitselfwith(mode) Itsnaturalorderinthezodiac.

Thetropicalsystemrationallyexplainsallthese.Thisisaseriousmarkofsuperiorityoverthesidereal systemwhichasksustobelievethatthemeaningsofthezodiacdivisionsarisefromtheimaginationsof ancientstargazers. Reconciliation of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, by Vic DiCara Page 4

Iwillnowattempttoexpresstherationaltropicalexplanationsforthefourconstituentsofmeaningin eachsign.

Planetary Rulers Based on Relationship to the Sun

Theplanetwhichrulesasignistheactiveprinciplewhichtransformsthelatentenergyofthe primordialsignintosomethingorganizedandmeaningfulinjustthesamewayaspeoplegointo wildernessandtransformitsresourcesintocivilization.Whatlogicdetermineswhichplanetruleswhich sign?ItisbasedontherelationshipoftheplanetstotheSun. TheSunandtheMoonarethekingsoftheskytheyownthewholething:i.e.theirpolyrhythmic interplayof12:1definesthezodiacashavingtwelveequalportions. Thesetwokingstakepossessionofthetwoportionsthatappealedtothemmost,duetotheirelemental andmodalaffinity.TheSuntakesthefifthportion,Leo;theMoonthefourth,Cancer.Theythenplace theremainingtendivisionsinthecareofthefiverealplanets. MercuryistheclosesttotheSun,soitgetsthetwodivisionsclosesttotheSunandMoon:Gemini, whichdirectlyborderstheMoonsCancer,andVirgo,whichdirectlyborderstheSunsLeo.Venusisthe nextclosesttotheSun,sogetsthenextclosestzodiacdivisions:Taurus(borderingGemini)andLibra (borderingVirgo).TheEarthisnotanastrologicalplanet,itisthefoundationandstageofastrology,so thenextclosestplanettotheSunafterVenusisMars.Marsthusgetsthenextclosestdivisions:Aires (borderingTaurus)andScorpio(borderingLibra).ThenJupitergetsPisces(borderingAries)and Sagittarius(borderingScorpio).FinallySaturn,thefurthestplanet,getsthesignsfurthestaway:Aquarius (borderingPisces)andCapricorn(borderingSagittarius). ThemainsourceofmeaninginthesignstheplanetaryruleristhusaSunbasedlogic.Thissuggests thattheSunbasedstartingpointforthezodiacistheoriginaltwelvefoldzodiac.Thesunbasedstarting pointisthevernalequinox,whichdefinesthetropicalzodiac.

Elemental Nature Based on the Relationship of the Sun and Earth

Iftherulingplanetisthepersonwhocreatesacultureandcivilizationoutofwildrawmaterials,the elementalnatureofthesignistherawmaterialitself.Whatlogicdecideswhatelementexistsinwhich sign?LogicbasedontherelationoftheSuntotheEarth. FirstwemustconsiderthemeaningoftheEarthsfourcardinaldirections,whichisderivedduetothe Sunsassociationwiththosedirections. TheSunrisesintheEast.ThustheEastisoursourceoflight.Itisthereforethedirectionof dharmamoralitywhichilluminatesthecorrectpathandpunishesthosewhowillfullystray. Theelementofdharmaandtheeastisfire,whichbothilluminatesandpunishes. TheSunsetsintheWest.Eveningcomesandwestopworkingandbegintorelaxandenjoy.The Westisthereforethedirectionofkmaenjoyment,pleasureandsensation.Theelementof

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kmaandthewestiseverfreshareunrestrainedair. TheSunrisesoverheadtohighnoonintheSouth.1Duringthebrightdaytimeweworkandearn ourbread.Thereforeitisthedirectionofarthaaccumulationofprosperityandstatus.The elementofarthaandtheSouthispractical,stable,andfertileearth. TheSundisappearsinthemidnightdarknessoftheNorth,whichisthereforethedirectionof goingdeepwithinandwithdrawingfromcommonaffairs.TheNorthisthusthedirectionof mokaselfrealization.TheelementofmokaandtheNorthisreflective,deepand contemplativewater.

Nextwemustconsiderhowthedirectionspertaintothesigns.TropicalAriesisthevernalequinox,the sunriseoftheyear.ItisthereforetheEast.Ariesissimilartothefirsthouse,thelocationofthesunrise intheeast,bytheprincipleofnaturalorder.SobythatreckoningtooAriesiseast.Theseventhhouse istheWest,soistheseventhsignLibra.Itisalsotheautumnalequinox,whichissunsetoftheyear. Thetenthhouse,highnoon,istheSouth,soisthetenthsignCapricorn.ThefourthhouseistheNorth, soisthefourthsignCancer.2 SinceAriesistheEastitisfire. SinceLibraistheWestitisair. SinceCapricornistheSouthitisearth. SinceCanceristheNorthitiswater.

Whatabouttherestofthesigns? StandinthenorthernhemisphereandwatchtheSunthroughthecourseofaday.Atsunriseyoumust faceeast;atnoonyoufacesouth;atsunset,west;and,ifyoucouldseetheSunbelowtheearthat midnightyouwouldbeturnednorthward.ThustheSunsmotionaroundtheEarthproceedsinthis order:east,south,west,north. TheelementsofthezodiacproceedfromAriesinthesameorder.Arieseast,Taurussouth,Geminiwest, Cancernorth,andsoon.East(Aries)isfire.South(Taurus)isearth.West(Gemini)isair.North(Cancer) iswater.Continuethispatternthroughalltwelvedivisionsandyouhaveaperfectmapoftheelements ofthesigns.

1

ThecorrelationoftheSouthtooverheadphenomenasuchasnoon,the10thhouseandthe10thsignCapricornis confusingtomostpeoplebecausewegenerallyfeelthatSouthisdown,notup.Similarlythecorrelationofthe Northtoundergroundphenomenalikemidnight,the4thhouseandthe4thsigncancerisconfusingbecausewe usuallyfeellikeNorthisup,notdown.Toalleviatethisconfusion,recognizethathumanitymainlyexistsinthe northernhemisphere.Fromthere,tolookattheSunathighnoonyoumustalwaysfacesouth!Thereforethe Southisconnectedwithhighnoon,andthe10thhouseandsign.ThusthetropicofCapricornisthesoutherntropic. Similarly,ifyouweretofollowtheSunspathtomidnight,standinginthenorthernhemisphere,youwouldbe facingNorth.ThustheNorthrepresentsmidnight,andthe4thhouseandsign.AndthatiswhythetropicofCancer isthenortherntropic. 2 Seefootnote1.

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ThetwelvefoldzodiacdivisionsderivetheirelementalmeaningrelativetotheSunsinteractionwiththe Earth.Thisisanotherstrongpointfavoringtheconclusionthatatwelvefoldzodiacanchoredtoapoint definedbytheSunsrelationshiptotheEarth(thetropicalzodiacanchoredtothevernalequinox,for example)istheoriginalzodiac,theoriginofallthemeaningtherein.

Modal Nature Based on the Relationship of the Sun & Earth

Therearethreemodes:Cardinal,Fixed,andDual.Whatdetermineswhichsignsareendowedwith whichmodes?Logic,basedupontheSunsrelationtotheEarth. Firstletsunderstandwhatthemodesare. Cardinalcommitstonewdirection. Fixedcommitstostayingonthecourseitalreadyknows. Dualdoesntcommit,ittriestospandivergentapproaches.

Now,thelogicofhowthesignsacquirethespecificmodestheyhave.Therearefourmajormilestonesin theprogressoftheSunsrelationshiptotheEarth. 1. 2. 3. 4. Itcrossestheequatorheadingnorth Ithitsitsmostnortherlypoint Itcrossestheequatorheadingsouth Ithitsitsmostsoutherlypoint thevernalequinox. thesummersolstice. theautumnalequinox. thewintersolstice.

Ariesbeginsatthevernalequinox.ThisiswhentheSuncommitstoanewcourse(cardinal)ofmaking thedayslongerthanthenights.InTaurus,thesecondphase,itmustremainfixedinthiscourse.In Gemini,thethirdphase,itmustdotwothings(dual):completethecurrentcourseandpreparetotake anewone. Cancerbeginsatthesummersolstice,whentheSuncommitstothenewcourseofmakingdaysshorter. ThatiswhyCanceriscardinal.ThenextsignLeokeepsthesunfixedonthiscourse,andthenext,Virgo hasthedualroleoffinishingonecourseandgettingreadyforanewone. Librabeginsattheautumnalequinox.NowtheSunbecomescardinalagainbycommittingtoanew course:makingthenightslongerthanthedays.ThusLibraiscardinal.ScorpiokeepstheSunfixedon thiscourse.Sagittariuspreparesittoboth(dual)completetheoldcourseandbeginanewone. Capricornbeginsatthewintersolstice,wheretheSunagainbecomescardinalandcommitstothe newdirectionofmakingthenightsshorter.AftercardinalCapricorn,Aquariuskeepsthecoursesteady andfixed,andfinallyPisceshasthedualtaskofpreparingtocompleteonedirectionandtakeupa newone. Thusthetwelvesignsgettheirmodalqualitiesasaresultoftropicalphenomena:theSunsrelationship totheEarth.

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Natural Houses
Anothersourceofmeaningisthenaturalorderofasign.Thelogicherederivesfromthecorrelationof thefirstzodiacdivisionwiththefirsthouse,secondwiththesecondhouse,etc.Housesarephenomena derivedfromhowtheSuntravelsthroughtheskyoverthecourseofadayanothertropical consideration.

The Tropical Zodiac is the Original Twelvefold Zodiac

Constellationsthemselvesarenotidenticaltothesiderealzodiac;andthereisnologicinbelievingthat vaguelyconnecteddotsoflightintheskyaretheoriginalsourceoftherichmeaninginthetwelve divisionsofthezodiac.OnthecontrarytheSunstropicalinterplaywiththeEarthisacomplete,rational andlogicaloriginforallthemeaningsandbordersofthesigns. Thereforeitseemsbeyondreasonabledoubtthattheoriginaltwelvefoldzodiacistropical.Ourcurrent measureofsiderealconstellationsbearingthesamenamesandqualitiesmustbetheprojectionsofthe originaltropicalzodiac.Ifwerewindtheprecessionoftheequinoxesitappearsthattheprojectionwe currentlyconsiderthesiderealsignswascastabout2,000yearsago.

Authoritative Statements?
Whatdotheauthoritativehistoricalvoicesofastrologyhavetosayaboutthis?Dotheydescribethe twelvefoldzodiacastropicalorsidereal?Iwill,inkeepingwithmybackgroundandexperience,examine Indianastrologicalauthority. MosthighlyregardedtextbooksonIndianAstrologyareentirelyconcernedwithhowtointerpretthe planets,nothowtocalculatetheirlocations.Indiatraditionallydividesastrologyintothreebranches: calculation,interpretation,andomenreading.Theexpertsinonebrancharenotexpertsinanother, sinceeachbranchissovast.Thus,Iwillfocusmyattentiononthehistoricallyauthoritativebooksof Indianastrologicalcalculation.

Srya Siddhnta & The Veda

ThemostauthoritativeIndiantextonastrological/astronomicalcalculationsiswithoutadoubtthe SryaSiddhnta,atitlewhichdeclaresthebooktobePerfectConclusionsoftheSun. Tropical Definition The13thtextsaysthatthetwelvesignsofthezodiacaredeterminedbythemonthsoftheyear,distinct fromsidereal,civil,andlunarcalculationsgivenimmediatelyprecedingsentences.ThusSryaSiddhnta describesthetwelvefoldzodiactropically. Precession and Recognition of the Vernal Equinox The27thtextsaysthatallcalculationsofplanetarypositionsshouldbemadeinreferencetothesidereal nakatra,notthetwelvefoldtropicalzodiac.Thesepositionsarelaterconvertedtotropicalcoordinates. Iwillelaborateonthatlater,butfirstthereissomethingquitefascinatinginthis27thtext.

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Itstatesthatplanetscompletetheirjourneythroughthestarswhentheycometotheendofthe constellationRevat,whichalignstotheendofsiderealPisces.ThusSryaSiddhantasaysthatthe planetsbegintheirmovementatthebeginningofthenakatraafterRevat:Avi,whichalignstothe beginningofsiderealAries.However,theoldestexistingIndianastronomicaltexts(TheBlackYajurVeda andtheAtharvaVeda)listKttikasthestartingpoint,notAvii! Itmakesgoodsense,becausethevernalequinoxwasinKttik(whichspanssiderealAriesandTaurus) whenthoseolderVedawerewritten.AndbythetimethecurrentversionofSryaSiddhntawas penned,theprecessionhadmovedtheequinoxintoAvi.So,theIndiansagesofolddidconsiderthe equinoxtobethetruestartofthezodiac,andtheymadetheirdeclarationsofwhichsidereal constellationwasfirstbasedonthepositionofthevernalequinoxatthetime. SryaSiddhntaitselftellsus(intext9)thatitisperiodicallyrewrittenandupdatedtokeepinsyncwith variousastronomicalmodulations,precessions,andirregularities.Soitdoesnotdisturbonesloyaltyto traditiontoacceptthisexplanation. Mathematical, not Stellar, Divisions The28thtexttellshowtodividethezodiaccircleintoarcmeasurementsofseconds(vikal),minutes (kal),degrees(bhga),andsign(ri).ThisconfirmsthattheancientIndiansagesdidnotuseactual constellationstomeasurethezodiac,butratherusedmathematicdivisionsbasedonthe12:1ratioof theMoonsmotionrelativetotheSun. Ayana Distance to the Equinox SryaSidhhntathendefinesthedifferencebetweenthesiderealandtropicalzodiacanchors: ayanmaatermthatliterallymeansdistancetotheequinox.3Itsaysthat,afterwecalculatethe positionsoftheplanetsinreferencetosiderealphenomena,wemustapplyayanmatoconvertthose toequinoxrelativepositions,thetropicalzodiac! Itisrathershocking,becausealmosteverySiderealistinoroutofIndiathinksoftheayanaasthe numberwhichconvertstropicaltosidereal.ButtheSryaSiddhntapresentsitfortheexactopposite purpose:toconvertsiderealcoordinatestotropical!Thus,ifwearesupposedtoreadasiderealzodiac, whywouldtheSryaSiddhntabotherwithayanaatall!? Oneargumentthatcanbeputforwardisthatwecannotknowtheascendantwithoutusingthetropical zodiac.TheascendantisthelocationoftheEarthseasternhorizon.Thishasnothingtodowithstars andeverythingtodowiththeEarthandtheSunsrisingoverthatpoint.Becausetheascendantdoesnot existsidereally,evensiderealastrologersmustuseatropicalzodiactocalculatewheretheascendantis. ThatiswhySiderealistscalculatefirstintropicalcoordinatesandthenuseayanatoconvert everything.ButtheSryaSiddhntadoesnotratifythis!Itteachesustomakesiderealcalculationsfirst
AyanainastrologyreferstotheSunsresidingplaceineitherthenorthernorsouthernhemispheres(Uttara ayanaanddakiaayanarespectively)thetropicalphenomenonmarkedbysolsticesandequinoxes.Aa referstoafragmentorportionofsomethinglarger.Ayanaaathereforemeanstheportionofthezodiacwhich mustbetraversedtocomeintosyncwithtropicalanchorpoints.

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andthenconvertthemtotropical.Itneverinstructsustoapplyayanainreverse:movingtropicalto sidereal. Thisbringsupafascinatingpoint:Theascendantisbynaturetropical,andistheveryfoundationofa natalhoroscope.Thatthethinguponwhichtheentirehoroscoperevolvesisintrinsicallytropicalis surelyaprofoundpointforconsideration.

Vednga Jyotia
TheYajurVedahasanappendixcalledJyotish(thenamesakeofastrologyinIndia).Thistreatise concernsitselfentirelywithhowtocalculatecorrectcalendarsforreligiousandculturalevents. However,itdoesdescribethatthetwelvefolddivisionoftheSunspathscorrespondsdirectlytothe monthsandseasonsdeterminedbytheequinoxesandsolstices.

rmad Bhgavatam
ThefamousBhgavataPraaisreveredmainlyforitspoeticbeauty,philosophicalcompleteness,and theologicalharmony.ItisthoughtofasthefullexpansionoftheGyatrMantra,Vysasown commentaryonhisVedntaStra,andthefinalPraarepresentingthefullmaturityofIndianthought. RightinthemiddleoftheBhgavatam,inthe5thdivision,thereisanelaborateastronomicaldescription oftheuniverse. 5.21.26unambiguouslydefinesthezodiacastropical: Outerspaceismeasuredbyrelationofheavenandearth.TheSunisthekingofallthe planets,inthecenterofeverything,keepingeverythingtogether.Itmovestothenorth, crossestheequator,andmovestothesouth.Whenitgoesnorthoftheequatordaysget longer.Whenitcrossestheequatordaysandnightsareequal.Whenitgoessouthofthe equatordaysbecomeshorter.OnthisbasistheSunmovesthroughthetwelvedivisions calledCapricornandsoforth. TheSunisatAriesandLibrawhenthedaysandnightsareequal.PassingthroughTaurus, etc.thedaysbecomelongerandthendecreaseuntilagainequalwiththenight.Passing throughScorpio,etc.thenightbecomeslongerandthendecreasetoagainbecome equalwiththedays.

The True Sidereal Zodiac

ThereisasiderealzodiacinIndianastrology,andprobablyinallancientgreatastrologicalsystems.Yet thissiderealzodiacisnottwelvebuttwentyeightfold! TheSunandMoon,kingsoftheheavens,travelthroughspace.DuringonecompletejourneyoftheSun, theMoonmakestwelverevolutions.Therefore,theMoondividestheSunspathintotwelvesections. Conversely,whiletheMoonmakesonecompletejourneythroughtheheavens,theSunmakestwenty eight(ineachmooncycletherearetwentyeightsunrises,days).Therefore,theSundividesthe Moonspathintotwentyeightunits. Reconciliation of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, by Vic DiCara Page 10

Thuswehavebeautifullyinterwovenmannersofdividingthezodiac.Onehastwelveandpertainstothe pathoftheSun.TheotherhastwentyeightandpertainstothepathoftheMoon.Oneofthemis tropicalbynature,theothersidereal! Ivealreadyexploredthelogic,evidenceandcommonsensedecisivelyconcludingthattheSuns twelvefoldzodiacistropical.Nowletsexplorethesense,logicandevidenceinconcludingthatthe Moonstwentyeightfoldzodiacissidereal.

Common Sense
ThestarscannotbeseenwhentheSunisout,butwecanalmostalwaysseetheMoonagainsta backdropofstars.ThusitappealstocommonsensethattheMoonsmovementsbemeasuredbyits referencetostars.4

Logic
Notropicalphenomenaaccountforthemeaningascribedtothe28divisionsofthesidereallunarzodiac. Therootcauseofallmeaninginthetwentyeightstarshasnorelationshiptotheearth(i.e.itisnot tropical),andhaseverythingtodowithpurelyheavenly(sidereal)factors.Thedeitiesoftheheavens resideinorempowereachofthetwentyeightstars.Thenatureofthedeitywhoempowersastar createsthefullmeaningofthatstar.Itisthatsimple,andthatmystical.

Evidence from Authority

SryaSiddhntadedicatesitssecondchaptertosiderealcalculationofthetwentyeightstarsofthe lunarzodiac.Thetreatisesaystoconvertplanetarypositionstotropicalcoordinates,butleavesthe twentyeightstarsastheyare. ThermadBhgavatam,twochaptersaftertropicallydefiningthetwelvefoldzodiac,definesthe twentyeightstarsofthelunarzodiacsidereallyintermsoftheirrelationshiptotheNorthStar,milky wayandotherpurelystellarobjects.

Questions
Donttheplanetaryrulersandtheirpairingswiththerulersofthesiderealsignsaccountforthe meaningsinthe28stars? Therearenoplanetaryrulersofthe28stars.Planetsareassociatedwithdifferentstarsforthepurpose oftimingsystemscallednakatrada.Thereareaboutadozensuchsystemsinauthoritativetexts. Eachcorrelatestheplanetstothestarsdifferently.Thusthereisnopermanentassociationofplanetsto the28stars,norisitmeanttodefinethemeaningofthestars. Canthemeaningsofthe28starsbeunderstoodasananalogtothehumanlifecycle.
4

Thusfromamodernarchaeologicalpointofviewthesiderealzodiacisprobablyolder,becauseitismucheasier tomeasuretheMoonsmovementagainststarsthantomeasuretheSunsmovementagainstmathematical locationsrelatedtoanequinox.ButwhereIfeelthemodernSiderealistsarewrongisinassumingthatthisancient andoriginalsiderealzodiacisthesameasthetwelvefoldzodiacofmonths.Theancientsiderealzodiacisquite differentthanthetwelvefoldtropicalone.

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Wherewouldyoustart?Howwillyoudefinewherethefirstphaseistobegin?Thefirststar4,000years agowasKttik.2000yearsagoitwasAvi.TodayitisPrvabhdra.Ifthemeaningsofthestarsare derivedbyaprogressionrelativetoabeginning,thensincethebeginningpointchangesthemeaningsof thestarsmustbechanged.Idontthinkthatsverygood. The28starsasdefinedinIndiatodayaredifferentinnumberandnotuneveninsize.Yousaidthis wasareasonfordiscountingthatthetwelvefoldzodiacshouldbesidereallybased. Thisargumentsimplyprovedthatthesiderealzodiacwasnotstellarasisadvertised.Ithinkitis reasonablethatthe28starswouldbeevenlysizedsegments,sincethestarsarereferencepointswithin adomainaffectedbythem.Itisthedomain,notthestar,whichisdemarcatedbytheMoonsmotion andisthereforeequal. Regardingthenumberofstars,itmaybethattheextrastar(abhijit)wasdroppedintherelatively recentattempt(2000yearsorless)tomakethesiderealstarsfitneatlyandcleanlyintotwelvesidereal signs.ButIcannotsayforcertainnow.Mynexttopicofresearchmaybethecorrectdefinitionofthe28 stars.

Reconciliation of the Sidereal and Tropical Zodiacs

Doubtlesslythelunarzodiacissidereal.Thatswhywesayitiscomposedofstars(literally,nakatra). Itisnowalsobeyonddoubtthatthesolarzodiacistropical.Thatswhywesayitiscomposednotof starsbutofsigns(literally,ri). Theancientsgiveusknowledgethatourdankandsmallmodernintuitivecognitionstillhobblesweakly tograspthebasicdefinitionsof.Wewasteoureffortarguingiftropicalorsiderealisthecorrect definitionofthezodiac.Ifwelistentotheancientscarefully,wehearthemtellusisthatbothcoexistin aunifiedtruth. Thetwozodiacs,thetwentyeightstarsofthesiderealandthetwelvedivisionsofthetropical,aretwo aspectsofonerealityinterwovenlikeyinandyang.Thelanguageofastrologycannotfullyandclearly soundoutbytransposingonezodiacdefinitiononanother,orbytryingtodivorcethemfromtheir eternalmarriageanddiscountoneortheother.Wemustreadbothzodiacssimultaneouslytohearthe fullcommunicationfrommothernature. How?Whenanyastrologicalchartbasedonanascendantiscast,wehavebeforeustwostrandsof interwoveninformation,callingtomindthetwostrandsofDNA:thetropicalpositionsofplanetsinthe twelvesignsandhouses,andtheirtwentyeightfoldsiderealpositionsamongtheglitteringstarsofthe heavens. Nowitisuponustoexplore,uncoverandbecomeproficientwiththecorrectmethodsandsciencesfor suchinterpretations.Itwillnotbedifficult,becauseourbasicgrammarwillbefarmoreclearlydefined. InthenearfutureIhopetopublishseveralcasestudies.Ifyourexperienceisanythinglikemine,youwill findthatallofthefundamentaltechniquespreservedintheinterpretivetextswillshineforthmuch Reconciliation of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, by Vic DiCara Page 12

moreclearly.Youwill,Ithink,comprehendthemessagestheydeclaretoyourinnerearwithfargreater easeandclarity. Maywebesoblessed.

Closing Remark
obhurbhuvasva Thereisbhu:theearth,withitsskyoftwelvehouses. Thereissvar:heaven,withitstwentyeightprinciplesiderealstars. Thereisbhuvah:Theunitingspacelinkingthem,withitstwelvetropicaldivisionsTheheavenlySun, planetsandstarsshininguponandwanderingacrosstheEarthsequator. tatsaviturvareyam,bhargadevasyadhmah Thebrilliantknowledgewhichwillshineforthintheintuitivecontemplationofanastrologeristhe effulgenceofthisparadigmunitingheavenandearth:thetwentyeightstarshostingtheplanets,tiedto theearthviathetwelvedivisionsofspaceandsky. HareKrishna Mayweblessedwithdivineknowledgeofsuchincomprehensiblesubjects.Maysuchknowledgeleadus onlytodivinelove,thesouloftruepeaceandjoy. 2012VicDiCara Youmay(andareencouragedto)distributethisfreely, withoutfeeandinitsentirety, withoutfurtherpermission.

Reconciliation of the Tropical and Sidereal Zodiacs, by Vic DiCara

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