Vedic And Western Astrology

Vedic astrology differs from Western or Tropical astrology mainly in that it uses the fixed zodiac as opposed to the moving zodiac. Because of the gradual tilting of the earth in space on its axis, the zodiac, if you calculate it from the Sun's relationship to the Earth, appears to be moving at the rate of a little less than l/60th of a degree per year. Currently, the relative or movable zodiac is off or out of alignment with the fixed or real star-based zodiac by roughly 23 degrees, which is almost one whole sign of the zodiac. So, first and foremost you should know that Vedic astrology sticks with that original, star-based zodiac and thus another term to describe Vedic astrology is that it is 'sidereal astrology', which simply means that the real zodiac is used to locate which signs the planets are currently located in.

The signs the planets are in is one important part of astrology. Because the two systems are skewed from each other by nearly one whole sign, most people's 'Sun Sign', is usually one sign back when the chart is refigured using Vedic astrology.

So, the first surprise using Vedic astrology is that you are no longer the Sun Sign you always thought you were. This happens with many charts. However, if you were born in the last 5 days or so of the Western Sign month, then you will probably still be that sign in Vedic since the difference is 23 degrees currently, and signs are 30 degrees long in space (12 signs times 30 degrees each a 360 degree circle surrounding the Earth).

Vedic Astrology : An Introduction

"Astrology is based on astronomy to a great tent; in that, astrologers need to know the correct positions of the planets at any given time, well as the correct positions of the zodiacal fixed star signs in relation to any place on earth at any given time. Once the correct positions of the signs and planets are known, the astrologer then constructs charts representing these positions, and using the astrological science, studies the birth charts and can make quite a wide range of conclusions about the moment the chart was cast for.


Charts are cast based on an exact moment at an exact place on Earth. Therefore, the moment you were born and the place you were born has a chart, or can have a chart, and that is called your 'birth chart' or 'natal chart'. By reading the chart of the heavens for the time and place of your birth, we can know much about you. That is the claim of astrology. It can be used for other things such as the chart of a question asked (called 'Prasna' astrology) or for planning when to do some certain action (called 'Muhurtha' or 'Electional' astrology). Primarily, astrology is used to understand ourselves, or our karma for this life.