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- Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac,
which is based upon the seasons. Essentially,
this system says that on the first day of
spring, when the Sun appears to move from
south to north of the equator, the Sun enters
the first degree of Aries. As for the other
planets, their zodiacal positions are
determined relative to that of the Sun.
- Western astrology uses all of the known
planets in the solar system, ie, the visible
ones as well as the outer planets Uranus,
Neptune and Pluto. In addition, many
western astrologers use several of the
asteroids, eg, Pallas, Athena, Juno, Vesta,
and Chiron in their charts.
- Western astrology principally makes use of
only the birth chart (the map of the heavens
that shows where all the planets were
positioned at the moment of birth relative
to the specific place of birth) to analyse and
interpret the character, health, relationships,
career, etc, of the client.
- For predictive purposes, most western
astrologers rely heavily on transits, or the
motion of current planets through the zodiac
relative to the original birth chart, to make
predictions. Some astrologers, depending on
their level of expertise, use other techniques
called directions or progressions (eg,
equating each day after birth to each year
after birth) to complement transits.
- Western astrology is oriented principally
toward psychological understanding of the
client, with a self-empowerment approach
that assumes anyone with adequate effort
can make the best of a bad situation.
Western versus Vedic astrology (Jyotish)
Jyotish is generally considered to be the mother of all astrology, dating back 5,000 years. From India, the
practice of astrology fanned out into the rest of the ancient world, evolving en route into its Chinese, Arabic
and western variants. Western astrology likely arose as a result of Jyotish having migrated over time and
distance through the Arab world and then into Europe, courtesy of Gypsies, the Greeks, and Moorish
invaders .
Because western astrology has developed far from its original source, some original principles and techniques
have undergone transformation or outright loss. Although the differences in the two systems are many, they
can be summarized as follows:
Jyotish is generally considered to be the mother of all astrology, dating back 5,000 years. From India, the
practice of astrology fanned out into the rest of the ancient world, evolving en route into its Chinese, Arabic
and western variants. Western astrology likely arose as a result of Jyotish having migrated over time and
distance through the Arab world and then into Europe, courtesy of Gypsies, the Greeks, and Moorish
invaders .
Because western astrology has developed far from its original source, some original principles and techniques
have undergone transformation or outright loss. Although the differences in the two systems are many, they
can be summarized as follows:
- Jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac, or the starry
background of the constellations, to
determine the zodiacal position of any
planet. On the first day of spring, a Vedic
astrologer would look beyond the Sun and
see it in the constellation of Pisces, roughly
24 degrees earlier in the "zodiac" than
suggested by a western astrologer.
- Jyotish, which existed for millenia prior to
the invention of telescopes, uses only the
two luminaries Sun & Moon, the five visible
planets Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus &
Saturn, and the moon's nodes Rahu & Ketu,
which are accorded the status of planets.
- Jyotish uses the same birth chart of course,
but also employs several other amshas
(divisional charts) to cover a range of
subjects such as relationships, career, etc.
Among these, the navamsa is considered so
vital that no Vedic astrologer conducts a
serious analysis of the birth chart without it.
- Jyotish uses a scheme of planetary periods
whose sequence is triggered by the Moon's
position at birth. These dasas (major periods
of 6-20 years) and bhuktis (sub-periods of
several months to a few years) provide the
background against which individual karma
unfolds. If transits are the actors on a stage,
dasas and bhuktis provide the stage setting,
without which the drama has no context.
- Jyotish has an undeserved reputation as
being fatalistic when in fact it recognizes
karma comes in three forms -- fixed, unfixed
and mixed -- and that some people are
inherently lucky or unlucky no matter what
they do, while others are capable of tipping
the scales in the direction of their efforts.
In the eyes of some, Western astrology might be considered the more "open-minded" of the two, having
welcomed experimentation with techniques and theories. But during the same time that western astrology has
evolved far from its original sources, Jyotish has remained faithful to its roots, despite the passage of so many
centuries. Western astrology as commonly practiced today generally provides a psychological understanding of
the client, but is somewhat less capable of what Jyotish has to offer -- a perspective contextualized by an
understanding of karma, and the ability to make predictions from the mundane to the sublime.
We must acknowledge, however, that just as there are many fine carpenters who work without modern power
tools, so too are there many astrologers who achieve good results with the western system. Based on my
experience with both systems, Jyotish has a greater array of techniques, and in the hands of equivalent
practitioners, offers greater capacity to render results for the client.
welcomed experimentation with techniques and theories. But during the same time that western astrology has
evolved far from its original sources, Jyotish has remained faithful to its roots, despite the passage of so many
centuries. Western astrology as commonly practiced today generally provides a psychological understanding of
the client, but is somewhat less capable of what Jyotish has to offer -- a perspective contextualized by an
understanding of karma, and the ability to make predictions from the mundane to the sublime.
We must acknowledge, however, that just as there are many fine carpenters who work without modern power
tools, so too are there many astrologers who achieve good results with the western system. Based on my
experience with both systems, Jyotish has a greater array of techniques, and in the hands of equivalent
practitioners, offers greater capacity to render results for the client.
