Greetings!
Actually, I don't think it is quite accurate to say Tropical and Sidereal ever lined up. There was a time when both of them shared 0-degrees Aries, but that was about as far as it went. This is because the actual constellations are all different sizes, and some of them even overlap. So even if you align both systems to share 0-degrees Aries again, the rest of the signs still won't line up.
The basis of Tropical astrology is simply mathematical. It borrows the concept of the twelve houses- which are 12 fixed portions of the sky, regardless of where the stars or planets happen to be at any given time. Tropical astrology merely does the same with the fixed stars, dividing the massive circle into 12 equal portions regardless of the slow precession of the actual stars.
LVX
Aaron
--- On Sun, 8/29/10, Caroline Tully <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: Caroline Tully <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Precession of the Equinoxes - reference request
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 10:25 PM
Hi Aaron,
Well… It seems that Tropical Astrology and Sidereal Astrology
were _once aligned_, once matched up, once upon a time. However, because
of the precession of the equinoxes, now Tropical Astrology is 23 degrees “out”
from the actual position of the zodiacal constellations it purports to
represent. I just can’t see how Tropical Astrology can be valid now that it
doesn’t actually match up with what is going on in the sky? What is it describing,
measuring or displaying?
Sure, planets go through these 30 degree portions of sky, but if
these parts do not match up with the constellations they claim to represent,
what are they doing? This is my beef with astrology.
~Caroline.
From: Society for The
Academic Study of Magic [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Aaron Leitch
Sent: Monday, 30 August 2010 11:59 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Precession of the Equinoxes -
reference request
Greetings, Caroline
I think you're being very unfair to the subject of Tropical astrology.
It is merely a system of astrology that divides the sky into twelve equal
30-degree portions, and makes its calculations accordingly. It still
takes into account the actual positions of the "wandering" bodies.
Tropical and Sidereal astrology are not competing systems, they are merely
different systems. I suspect the conflict between them may be a modern
issue. If you look at Agrippa's "Three Books...", you'll find
that he (at least) presents elements of both in his work (though he himself
appears to have preferred Tropical).
I don't see the basis for the debate that constantly rages between adherents
of the two systems - as if one must be "right" and the other
"wrong." (You know, like calling Tropical astrology
"pretend astrology.") It all seems very similar to the
scientist who scoffs at Western magick because "we all know there are
more than four elements!" The scientist isn't comprehending that
he is looking at two different systems that happen to share some terminology.
LVX
Aaron
--- On Sun, 8/29/10, Caroline Tully <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
From: Caroline Tully <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Precession of the Equinoxes - reference
request
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sunday, August 29, 2010, 8:03 PM
(I’m not sure this one came through
earlier)
Jake, this is the reason I washed my hands
of western astrology! Because I couldn't see how the Tropical zodiac could
possibly be used. The 'signs' are related to nothing - except to the extent
that we all simply 'agree' that they mean something. That seems too
human-centric to me. (Yes, yes,.. I realise that I am a human...) If the
signs do not relate to the constellations, why not call it "pretend
astrology"?
~Caroline.
Tropical Astrology uses 12 equal 30 degree
divisions of the Ecliptic called *Signs*, which have the same names as the
*constellations* (which are not equal in size, (example, Scorpio the
*Constellation* is
72 degrees long). Thus the Vernal Equinox
occurs in the constellation of Pisces, but the sign of Aries.
30 degree signs are useful conventions,
simply calculating 0 to 360 celestial longitude when plotting planetary
movements is rather prosaic, and doesn't highlight aspects as readily.
Incidentally, even modern astronomers refer
to the Equinoctial point as zero Aries.
ALWays
Jake
http://www.underworld-apothecary.com/
