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Vedic Astrology vs Western Astrology

First of all, it should be known that the “Daily Horoscope” section usually found online and in newspapers has nothing to do with Vedic astrology.

 Not only do those sections adhere to Western astrological interpretations, which are different from the Vedic system, they also pay attention to only one small aspect of its practice, thereby creating vague and generalized predictions.The primary difference between Vedic and Western astrologers comes down to how they view the constellations.

Looking up from Earth, the sun and planets trace a path along the sky, moving against a backdrop of constellations, or patterns of stars which make up the various astrological signs, like Taurus, Aries, Pisces, etc. When the sun or a particular planet moves in front of a particular pattern of stars, it is said to be in the astrological sign those stars represent. 

Thus, the ecliptic path the planets take as they pass in front of the twelve signs of astrology is called the zodiac. About 2,000 years ago, both Western and Vedic astrology followed the planets along this ecliptic path to create horoscopes and make predictions. But as the Earth spins on its axis, it actually experiences a wobble, known as precession. 

This wobble tilts the Earth, also tilting its ecliptic plane. As a full wobble takes 26,000 years to complete, the ecliptic plane shifts about 1 degree every 72 years. The ecliptic plane has shifted enough in the last 2,000 years that the position of the sun and planets in relation to the signs no longer matches that of the old ecliptic plane.

Vedic astrology takes precession into account and therefore calculates horoscopes based on the updated ecliptic path. Western astrology, however, sticks to the old path, which is more symbolic as opposed to astronomically accurate.

Thu Jun 16, 2022





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First of all, it should be known that the “Daily Horoscope” section usually found online and in newspapers has nothing to do with Vedic astrology. Not only do those sections adhere to Western astrological interpretations, which are different from the Vedic system, they also pay attention to only one small aspect of its practice, thereby creating vague and generalized predictions. The primary difference between Vedic and Western astrologers comes down to how they view the constellations. Looking up from Earth, the sun and planets trace a path along the sky, moving against a backdrop of constellations, or patterns of stars which make up the various astrological signs, like Taurus, Aries, Pisces, etc. When the sun or a particular planet moves in front of a particular pattern of stars, it is said to be in the astrological sign those stars represent. Thus, the ecliptic path the planets take as they pass in front of the twelve signs of astrology is called the zodiac. About 2,000 years ago, both Western and Vedic astrology followed the planets along this ecliptic path to create horoscopes and make predictions. But as the Earth spins on its axis, it actually experiences a wobble, known as precession. This wobble tilts the Earth, also tilting its ecliptic plane. As a full wobble takes 26,000 years to complete, the ecliptic plane shifts about 1 degree every 72 years. The ecliptic plane has shifted enough in the last 2,000 years that the position of the sun and planets in relation to the signs no longer matches that of the old ecliptic plane. Vedic astrology takes precession into account and therefore calculates horoscopes based on the updated ecliptic path. Western astrology, however, sticks to the old path, which is more symbolic as opposed to astronomically accurate.