Article: Differences between Vedic and Western astrology

by Astrologer SRIDEVI

Astrology is dynamic as every science. To understand the differences one need to dwell much into the chronological development of the science. For completely learned, the final effect will appear the same. At the same time, now many of the vedic astrologers are adapting good technics of western and vice versa.

  1. The basic difference between vaedic astrology and westren astrology is that the western astrology uses Tropical Zodiac and Vedic astrology uses sidereal Zodiac. In simple words, the signs are based on fixed stars. In western system, the signs are defined based on the position of vernal equinox, means sun enters the aries in the spring equinox, when day and night are equal. Sun enters cancer on midsummers day, day on which day is the longest, Sun enters libra on autumnal equinox etc.
  2. In western astrology, house starts from the cuspal points, where as in vedic system, largely signs are used as houses. For example if ascendant falls 13 degrees of Aries, in western system first house starts from 13 degrees of Aries, whereas first house is considered to be Aries in vedic system. People also use bhava chakra to locate the planets relative to ascendant.
  3. Uranus, neptune and pluto are not considered in vedic astrology.
  4. The aspects are also different in vedic and western astrology.
  5. The aspects in western astrology are conjunction, sextile, square, trine and opposition. In vedic astrology, all planets aspect seventh house, where as jupiter aspects 5th and 9th house in addition to 7th house , mars aspects 4 and 8th house in addition to 7th house, and saturn aspects 3rd and 10th houses in addition to 7th house. But every vedic astrologer need not adhere to the same. The techniques adapted by vedic astrologer changes continuously with experience and expertise.
  6. The concept of combustion is rarely used in the discussions of western astrology, but widely used in vedic astrology.
  7. In vedic system itself, there are huge number of approaches, sometimes appear to be different from each other. For example concept of retrogression.
  8. Finally the approach. The concept of karma, what is sin and what is punyam, religious interference and understanding of life and culture is hugely different from western and vedic school of thoughts.
  9. Something good in olden days may not be good now or vice versa. Similarly what is considered normal may be abnormal in another country.

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