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Before diving into the details and explaining that Astrology goes much further than just your Sun, Moon, and Ascendant, we should clarify that the Astrology you probably know uses the Tropical Zodiac. But since the goal here is to open new paths to self-knowledge, let’s talk about the Sidereal Zodiac.

When I started reading about Astrology, I had no idea that there were different zodiacs. It’s true that when I looked at my own birth chart, something didn’t quite fit. Even so, I continued reading about Astrology, but considering the positions of the only zodiac I knew, which I would later discover is called the Tropical Zodiac.

One day, life put an Ayurvedic therapist in my path who told me about the existence of Sidereal Astrology. It was a pivotal moment, since my birth chart had nothing to do with the new one. Well, it does have a lot to do with it because the houses and aspects are identical, but not the signs.

Naturally, after having spent time looking at the Tropical Zodiac, at first it was difficult for me to believe that this new zodiac was possible. I had to check it, so I downloaded an app on my phone that showed me the position of the planets in real time and created a sidereal birth chart at that moment. And there they were, coinciding with what I saw in the astronomy app and what the sidereal chart indicated.

The reason for having two types of zodiacs is to consider or not consider that the Earth, or rather the Solar System, is in constant motion. Western Astrology, which primarily uses the Tropical Zodiac, sets the 0° of Aries at the vernal equinox point, treating it as if it were a fixed and immovable date.

Sidereal Astrology, which uses the Sidereal Zodiac, sets the beginning of the cycle in relation to the fixed stars. This type of Astrology is a mix of Western and Eastern, as it considers Babylonian, Hellenistic, and Indian traditions.

The vernal equinox point undergoes a displacement with respect to the fixed stars, which is known as the precession of the equinoxes, at a rate of 1° every 72 years approximately. Translated into plain language, the Sun does not reach Aries on the same date every year. The Astrology that uses the Tropical Zodiac ignores this displacement and sets the same date year after year, which today is equivalent to a deviation of more than 20°, being a difference of practically an entire sign between one zodiac and the other. Both zodiacs coincided more than 2000 years ago, but today the Tropical Zodiac is almost one sign ahead of the Sidereal Zodiac, meaning that a person with the Sun in Aries in their Tropical chart may actually have the Sun in Pisces.

The difference in degrees between the Tropical and Sidereal is called Ayanamsa. Due to the different calculations, there are different Ayanamsas with slight variations in degrees between them, the one I personally use, after observing several of them, is called True Revati. But as I always recommend, listen, read, try, observe, and learn, maybe you’ll discover a new starting point. The important thing is that you trust your intuition and find your own way.