Birth Charts
 

Astrology is very informative. I've been studying Birth Charts. It is just as informative as Tarot.

Birth Charts
 

Hi! I was curious if different cultures or spiritual paths follow different birth charts? :smile:

No your Birth Chart is based on your own Burthdate and the time you were born. Birth Charts are not culture specific.

Birth Charts
 

Thank you for letting me that know that! I was curious because it seems like birth charts are very important in Asian culture, either East Asian or Southeast Asian and I wondered whether their individual cultural beliefs on astrology might affect the birth chart reading itself. Thanks again for the info. :smile:

No problem

Yes, Vedic astrology in India is quite different to Western astrology. Western astrology uses the movable tropical zodiac with the Earth at the centre and everything revolving round the Earth. Vedic astrology uses the fixed sidereal year based on the Earth revolving round the Sun with reference to a fixed star, which is approximately 20 minutes longer than the tropical year.

So over time the two systems move more and more out of alignment, and at the moment there is about 24 degrees difference. So your Sun sign in Vedic astrology may differ from your Sun sign in Western astrology. Also Vedic astrology does not use Uranus, Neptune or Pluto but it does use two nodes of the Moon (Rahu/Ketu). Eventually the two systems will become aligned again but that will take thousands of years.

The calculations in Vedic astrology are more complicated than those of Western astrology, but the consensus seems to be that Vedic astrology is actually more reliable than Western astrology.

Peace

Wow! That is very interesting. Vedic astrology does sound more complex, but deeply interesting. Thank you so much for sharing the information! I appreciate that.

It is fun isn't it! I have been studying it since summer of 2012 and I am always learning new things about it. Even the best of the best haven't mastered it. There is always going to be more learn and discover. Unfortunately it's not an interest to most people. It's nice to see others interested in it too. Usually it is just me. I love talking about it and could probably for days on end. Whenever someone makes a comment about why certain things that are happening, I'll usually jump in with something like "well that is because saturn is...blah blah w/e and then we have mars which is doing this and that." Followed by confused or blank stares. I know what you are thinking and yes. I am a blast at parties. :P

I've seen a few of your posts. You seem to be very knowledgable in Vedic Astrology. I have read a few things about it here and there but not much. What is the reason it is more reliable than western astrology? I'm just curious.

Actually, the few posts I have made on Vedic astrology are probably the sum total of my knowledge on the subject. I have never studied it, although I do have a book by David Frawley (The Astrology of the Seers) which I sometimes dip into to look up something. One day I must read it properly.

As for the reliability, some claim that sidereal Vedic astrology is more reliable because it uses more accurate astronomical principles regarding the locations of the planets in the signs. To quote astrologer Robert Koch: Western astrology emphasizes the psychological nature of the individual, but lacks reliability for predicting future cycles and events. Although Vedic astrology also defines a person’s psychological nature, it gives more focus to understanding when certain events are likely to take place.

Of course, it does raise questions. How can two systems of astrology which use very different criteria to calculate a birth-chart both be valid? But then again, even in Western astrology there are different systems.

For example, the twelve houses, each representing a different area of life, beginning at the Ascendant and moving anti-clockwise round the chart. Some astrologers prefer an equal house system where every house is 30 degrees, while others use the Placidus system where each house can be greater or less than 30 degrees (but beyond a certain latitude the Placidus system can become distorted). So a planet may be in different houses depending on the system used, and the position of the midheaven will also vary.

How can these different systems all be valid? To quote a UK astrologer, Robin Heath - “…astrology appears more and more to behave like a hologram. You can perform almost any technique with the data, turn the chart inside out or slice it up, and still the symbolic pictures remain….”

Peace