Astrology is a term that most people are familiar with and can be a source of entertainment for some and a source of great insight for others. The basic concept of astrology is that the movement of the planets and stars can influence such things as daily events, a person’s moods and the characteristics with which each person is born with. Most people, even if they aren’t interested in astrology, will know their Sun Sign, and you may be a person who automatically reads the daily horoscope in your local newspaper. But did you know that there are actually many types of astrology?
Western astrology
Originating in the 2nd century BC, this horoscope form of astrology uses the celestial bodies positioning at the time of a person’s birth in order to help them better understand their personality traits and possible events that will unfold in their life.
Western astrology follows the tropical zodiac which uses a sphere that is divided into twelve zones, each of them associated with a specific Zodiac sign. It is believed that the starting point for this sphere begins when position of the sun against the background of stars, crosses over from the Northern to the Southern Hemisphere each year. Put simply, the link between a zodiac sign and the constellation from which it gets its name is not always constant.
The twelve zodiac signs in western astrology are:
- Aries: March 21 - April 19
- Taurus: April 20 - May 20
- Gemini: May 21 - June 21
- Cancer: June 22 - July 22
- Leo: July 23 - August 22
- Virgo: August 23 - September 22
- Libra: September 23 - October 22
- Scorpio: October 23 - November 21
- Sagittarius: November 22 - December 21
- Capricorn: December 22 - January 19
- Aquarius: January 20 - February 18
- Pisces: February 19 - March 20
Sun sign astrology
This is a simplified form of astrology the kind you will most likely find in a newspaper or magazine. It takes into account only the positioning of the sun in one of the twelve houses of the zodiac rather than including influences of the planets, the way other types of horoscope astrology tends to do. Interestingly though, sun sign astrology uses the moon as one of the strongest influences in daily occurrences, because the movement of the moon is faster than the other heavenly bodies.
Vedic astrology
Also known as Jyotish, Vedic astrology originated in India over 6,000 years ago. It is called Vedic astrology because it is associated with the teachings of the Vedas, which are the ancient spiritual texts of Hinduism. Vedic astrology has six branches which include mathematics, astronomy, birth charts, mundane predictions, auspicious timings and predictions from the chart of the moment. However, in most western countries people tend to focus mainly on the birth charts. Vedic astrology is based on Sidereal Zodiac, rather than the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology. In Sidereal Zodiac, the signs of the Zodiac align with the sky constellations they are named after. Although Vedic astrology has the same twelve zodiac signs as Western astrology, because of the sidereal interpretation these signs run at different times of the year. In Vedic astrology the signs are:
- Aries:April 15- May 15
- Taurus:May 16- June 15
- Gemini:June 16- July 15
- Cancer:July 16- August 15
- Leo:August 16- September 15
- Virgo:September 16 - October 15
- Libra:October 16- November 15
- Scorpio:November 16- December 15
- Sagittarius: December 16- January 14
- Capricorn:January 15- February 14
- Aquarius:February 15- March 14
- Pisces:March 15- April 14
Chinese astrology
Having been in existence for over 5,000 years, the Chinese Zodiac is made up of twelve different animals that represent the twelve-year cycle of the Chinese lunar calendar. There are many legends connected with the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, but one of the most well known is the Buddha invited all animals to participate in a race. He then said that the first twelve finishers would be part of the Chinese Zodiac calendar, in the order in which they finished.
Then again there is evidence that the Chinese Zodiac pre-dates Buddhism because of a system that was devised by early Chinese astronomers, known as the twelve earthly branches. These astronomers came up with a form of time reckoning based on the orbit of Jupiter. They concluded that Jupiter took twelve years to complete its orbit and it was around this time that Chinese astrologers are said to have begun creating horoscopes.
In Chinese Astrology, each one of these twelve-year cycles is named after one of the twelve animals and each animal represents certain personality traits and characteristics. Unlike Vedic and Western astrology, there are no equivalent constellations. There are many charts online or in print where a person can find their Chinese zodiac sign. Rather than going by the month and birth date, it goes purely by the year in which a person was born.
Celtic astrology
While not a historically proven form of astrology, this form of astrology is believed to be based on the lunar calendar used by the ancient Druids. This lunar calendar was made up of thirteen months, each consisting of twenty eight days. Because the Druids strongly identified with the energies of trees, each of the thirteen signs of the Celtic Zodiac is represented by a type of tree and the characteristics associated with them.
As you can see, there are many types of astrology and each one can offer valuable insight and guidance.
