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Vedic vs. Western Astrology

Some Differences

By Kranthi_ReddyPublished 3 years ago 3 min read

Embedded from the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures are said, to be the treasure vault to wisdom and knowledge. Vedic astrology is based on the belief that the starts, planets and all the above have a strong influence on our lives.

Within Hindu teachings, it tells us, life is meant for spiritual growth above most other things. This growth is, in part, by the aid, of karma, which is the idea that every thought and action has a reaction.

The Vedas say that a person’s karma is related directly to the position of the planets and stars, therefore astrology is the madness of understanding one’s karma by dissecting these positions.

Overall, that means Western zodiac is fixed, while the Vedic zodiac is much more dynamic and calculates based on constellations which change the outcome and so, for the sake of you the reader, we will be diving into some of the main differences between Vedic and Western Astrology.

Your Jyotish translating to “God’s light” is simply another word to explain Vedic Astrology. Vedic astrology is made up of 27 constellations, 12 zodiac signs, 9 planets and 12 houses, with each representing an aspect of the human life form.

In Vedic astrology, at any given point in time, an individual goes through a specific time period which is dominated by a certain planet at that given point in time. Meaning vedic astrology looks more into the changing, observable constellations. While in Western astrology is does not change in the same way and rather works with the planets in their “fixed” positions.

In Western astrology our birth charts are built into the shape of a circle with the houses and signs designed in a counterclockwise fashion. In Vedic astrology, the birth chart takes the shape of a square that is further divided into 12 different sections.

Another key difference, is Western astrology swears by your sun sign being the QB of the signs and this is because western astrology circles around the solar system and therefore is linked to our four seasons which are already influenced by the positioning and movement of the sun. While Vedic astrology believes in your moon sign being of higher importance and takes in account the galaxy as a whole.

Some could say, Western Astrology has become more psychology driven while Vedic astrology is based upon ones karma. It can give you further insights on your life path, skill-sets, challenges, and overall timings in ones life. In Western astrology, there are four main elements that each sign falls under. Them being, earth, air, fire, and water. While Vedic astrology still follows those four principle elements, there are also four goals of human life: dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. Think of these as the different cycles you encounter throughout your life and Vedic astrology dives further into how to steer through our individual life circumstances.

When we talk about what planets are used within Vedic astrology, there are nine that are interpreted. Since this type of astrology evolved over thousands of years ago (before the good ole telescope) this is why vedic astrology will chart the objects in the eye visible to the naked eye, those being, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, along with the two Sun and Moon. Then there are the moon’s nodes, known as Rahu and Ketu, with Rahu being the North and Ketu being the South and are always directly opposite to one another. Together they form the “karmic axis” and can indicate the types of karmas one is to experience in the course of their lives. There is far more to dive into when it comes to both those nodes but just know it doesn’t end there with these two.

Whether you are just dabbling with, learning about, or have a thorough understanding of your vedic astrology, it’s something to possibly consider looking into. Vedic astrology is like the map of our karma(s) and upon fully understanding “us” we can better understand the energies affecting us on a day to day.

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About the Creator

Kranthi_Reddy

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