Last week, news stories were circulating about an astronomer who claims to have made a discovery about “…restoring the original Babylonian zodiac.”
He asserts, “Your sign has changed.”
This is false.
Every so often I hear about such a “discovery,” but it’s nothing new.
Astrologers have been acknowledging precession for approximately 2140 years, since Hipparchus discovered the precession of the equinoxes.
Precession involves the seasons, such as the winter solstice on approximately December 21, beginning a little earlier every year.
The Aries point, which is the intersection of the celestial equator and the ecliptic (path that heavenly bodies, the Sun in this case, take across the sky, as seen from Earth), moves slightly backwards each year. The change is about a degree every 70 years. There are 30 degrees in each of the 12 astrology signs.
This discrepancy is reflected in the Sidereal zodiac, but not the Tropical zodiac, which is the dominant zodiac used in Western astrology.
11 other, related points are listed below.
1. Just as the usage of 13 signs was considered in the very early days of astrology and the model of 12 signs prevailed, 13 numbers on the standard clock was considered, but 12 prevailed. This doesn’t mean that it’s 13 p.m. and not 1 p.m. tomorrow, an hour after Noon, obviously.
2. It’s pointless to begin using a 13th sign of the zodiac (“Ophiuchus”) because systems of astrology have been developed over thousands of years using 12 signs, not 13.
Astronomers and others calling for the “…zodiac signs to be overhauled because they are no longer accurate,” are invited to put aside the Sidereal zodiac (related to astrology) and consider the Tropical zodiac, like astrologers have done since Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD. In studying the merits of the Tropical zodiac, they will see that there is no need for an “overhaul” or a 13th sign, and that your Sun sign has not changed.
The vast majority of even the most basic astrology chart calculators on the Internet are already based on the Tropical zodiac, and most Western astrologers employ the Tropical zodiac, which includes 12 signs.
3. A person born under a Gemini Sun today using the Tropical zodiac, has a Gemini Sun, just as a person born under a Sagittarius Sun has a Sagittarius Sun. Natal charts aren’t affected by precession.
4. Precession affects the calculation of transits and solar return charts (which are minor factors anyway), for example, but not many other, much more important cyclical timing methods. Besides, you can still adjust Tropical solar return charts and transit charts (and other precession-affecting methods), and many astrology programs already do this for you.
5. The Sidereal zodiac does pre-date the Tropical zodiac. However, it’s archaic and shouldn’t be used as a primary zodiac.
Sidereal zodiac (the zodiac of the constellations) advocates will tell you, “…but Sidereal is the ‘oldest astrology,’ it’s the basis for Hindu astrology!”
It’s also the basis for other ancient forms of astrology, including Babylonian, and this is not to be confused with other forms of ancient Babylonian prediction, which aren’t based on astrology (Sidereal or Tropical based) as we know it.
Furthermore, Babylonian, Chaldean, and Greek astrology predate Hindu (otherwise known as “Vedic,” “Jyotish,” and “Indian”) astrology, and evidence shows the Hindus borrowed heavily from these cultures.
6. Using the Sidereal zodiac stems from a time when they had limited understanding of the dynamics of the solar system, and this planet.
The Sidereal zodiac is based on fixed stars, and this is where the problem is. I value fixed stars, but not in the way that the Sidereal system uses them (fixing the degrees of the Ecliptic to fixed stars).
The Ascendant (Rising sign), in my opinion, is where the Eastern horizon intercepts the Ecliptic. This is so in the Tropical zodiac system, but not the Sidereal.
7. You won’t find your “real” (Sun) sign, “real” Ascendant/Rising sign, “real” Moon sign,” or any other sign by using the Sidereal zodiac.
8. The origins of the actual astrological horoscope (horoscopic astrology), which includes the Ascendant/Rising sign, etc. is traced back to Hellenistic Egypt (about 330 BC – 30 BC).
Prior to this time (when the Hindus and others adopted horoscopic astrology), my findings show that most ancient systems of astrology were heavily laden with fables, folklore, and myths.
9. Although the foundations of astrology were established thousands of years ago, it was in Hellenistic Egypt that the science began its climb to its pinnacle, which transpired in the Middle Ages.
However, since the 1700s AD or so, astrology has been in a serious state of decline. Almost all of the “astrology” of today, including Sun sign astrology and “horoscopes” isn’t authentic astrology. It’s mere poetry and entertainment, comparable to fortune cookie insight.
10. Regarding yourself only as a “Pisces” or a “Cancer,” for example, is cheating yourself. You’re a collection of symbolic energies that includes the Sun in whichever sign it was in at the time of your birth, but to identify yourself as a single sign is too limiting.
Also, you might just be associating yourself with the weakest and most hindered part of your basic horoscope.
For instance, if you have natal Sun in Aquarius (Sun in detriment) in the 12th house (a weak house), and your Sun is assaulted by a few different malefic heavenly bodies/factors to start, celebrating the Sun in Aquarius with a tattoo of the sign of Aquarius on your body is like rejoicing in baldness (“look, my hair is thinning! Love it!”), and wearing a tattoo of a bald guy. Even worse would be if you had Sun’s ruler (in this case Saturn, in ancient astrology Saturn rules Aquarius) also in bad health.
If you insist on identifying with one specific sign, locate the most potent heavenly body in your comprehensive charts (very often it’s not the ruler of the Ascendant/Rising sign, by the way, and the “chart ruler” is not automatically the ruler of the Ascendant/Rising sign) and the sign it’s in and focus on that. Chances are, it’s not the Sun.
11. Did you know that the Sun changes signs every year at different times and days, within a few days?
For example,
September 22, 1987 at 1 p.m. PDT the Sun was at 29 degrees, 16 minutes Virgo.
September 22, 1988 at 1 p.m. PDT the Sun was at 00 degrees, 01 minutes Libra.
September 22, 1989 at 1 p.m. PDT the Sun was at 29 degrees, 46 minutes Virgo.
Another example:
March 21, 1966 at 2 a.m. EDT, the Sun was at 00 degrees, 10 minutes Aries.
March 21, 1971 at 2 a.m. EDT, the Sun was at 29 degrees, 58 minutes Pisces.
March 21, 2009 at 2 a.m. EDT, the Sun was at 00 degrees, 45 minutes Aries.
Another example:
January 20, 1957 at 9 a.m. EST, the Sun was at 00 degrees, 16 minutes Aquarius.
January 20, 1971 at 9 a.m. EST, the Sun was at 29 degrees, 51 minutes Capricorn.
January 20, 1977 at 9 a.m. EST, the Sun was at 00 degrees, 24 minutes Aquarius.
It’s important to correctly calculate the details of your personal astrology. More information and clarity about “cusp” birthdays here: http://scottpetullo.com/blog/2010/05/born-cusp-freak-myth-reality/
Although basic astrology can serve as a fair introduction to the science, comprehensive astrology and numerology, along with handwriting analysis are very effective tools for self-understanding.
These forms of personality delineation and prediction also serve in helping you make the most of your life, avoid more of life’s challenges, and reduce your overall risk.
Copyright © 2011 Scott Petullo
