Wow! Big astrological news on Friday Jan. 14, 2011 that I thought warranted its own posting!!!...

Astronomers...are now claiming that due to the earth’s rotation axis over the years, our zodiac signs could have changed???

This is news to me as an astrologer! That perked my curiosity enough to research and find, in my opinion, a well written explanation to help us still feel connected to what we have always known as our Sun Signs!

Choosing the most relevant portions, here is my condensed version of this informative article, by Jace Repshire, Kansas City Metaphysical Examiner.

New zodiac signs: Has my astrological sign really changed?
By Jace Repshire, Kansas City Metaphysical Examiner.


“Astrology – comes from the Latin word “astrologia” which means “astronomy”. It is important to note that in ancient times, Astronomy (the study of the heavenly bodies) and Astrology (the study of heavenly bodies’ effect on Earthly matters) were one and the same. They were not two distinct fields of study until sometime during the Renaissance. The subjects delivering the information about Astrology in these recent articles are Astronomers.”…..


“Tropical Astrology vs. Sidereal Astrology – There are many schools of Astrological thought. These two are they key players here.


In Tropical Astrology, the system most widely adhered to since ancient times (and the one used to calculate the horoscopes in the paper), the positions of the zodiac signs are fixed around a ring called the ecliptic. The ecliptic traces an imaginary line through the sky, passing through the twelve constellations we know as the Zodiac. Throughout the year, the sun appears to travel along this ring, passing between the earth and each constellation, making the sun appears to be “in” that sign. Your horoscope sign is in fact your "Sun Sign", the sign the sun appeared to be in at the moment of your birth.


Around the time of Astrology's formal inception (thought to be somewhere between 500-786 BCE), the sun would have entered the sign of Aries at the moment of the Vernal Equinox (roughly March 21).


In Tropical Astrology, despite the fact that the zodiac constellations are all vastly different in size, the ecliptic was divided into twelve equal sections called Zodiac signs. They are named after the constellations that roughly appeared to be in them at the time.


Tropical Astrology, as described by Roman astrologer-mathematician Ptolemy in the second century CE, does not account for axial precession. It does this knowingly, regarding the zodiac signs in relation to the fixed zones originally defined, with Aries beginning at the moment of the Vernal Equinox.


Sidereal Astrology, however, is a system which accounts for axial precession. Because of the Earth’s wobble, there is a gradual shift that causes the sun to glide backwards through the zodiac, so that at the moment of the Vernal Equinox, the sun appears to shift further back toward the preceding constellation each year. It enters a new one approximately every 2,150 years. Sidereal Astrology is based on where the sun is in relation to the constellations sharing the names of the Zodiac signs. However, Sidereal astrology, though it has been practiced for hundreds of years now, has remained a minority system, as the Tropical system has always held precedence in the western Astrological community.”…..


“Both Tropical and Sidereal Astrology put a heavy emphasis on our Sun’s position in relation to the earth and other stars. The key difference is that Tropical Astrology is based on Earth’s relationship to the sun and the symbolic meaning of each Zodiac sign, while the Sidereal system is based on Earth’s relationship to the other stars and the intrinsic meanings of the Zodiac constellations.


In the Tropical system, with the Sun moving into Aries at the Vernal Equinox every year (in the Northern Hemisphere), the theme of the zodiac sign of Aries, unruly beginnings, occurs at the first signs of spring. At the height of the sun’s seasonal power, in late July, the sun moves into Leo, the sign of blazing vigor and abundance. As the sun recedes in the later part of the year leading into winter, it moves to more inward-seeing signs like Scorpio and Sagittarius, signs that yearn for reflection and understanding.


It is this consistent seasonal symbolism that is sought to be preserved by Tropical Astrologists, so Earth’s relationship with the sun, which governs the changing of seasons, is valued over Earth’s relationship to other stars. Hence the twelve original signs of the zodiac is fixed in place in correspondence with the seasons. Their symbolism is influenced by the constellations that were originally in them, but the Zodiac signs in Tropical Astrology can be understood as separate concepts from the star patterns they are named after. The physical constellations themselves and their current positions in relation to Earth are not regarded, whereas, in Sidereal Astrology, they are the key element in interpreting the signs.


So which sign is your real sign? That’s really up to you. History has shown immeasurable favoritism towards the Tropical system, the one you were accustomed to before those pesky Astronomers in Minnesota had their day in the sun, but now that the Sidereal system is out there in the open, it’s fair to consider which of these two systems are more meaningful to us personally. Astrology is not a strict science, but a belief system, so meaning is everything.”


So now that you have had a chance to digest the facts about this latest astrological controversy...and hopefully feel at peace in understanding that your birth sign has not changed...things can get back to normal, as we look forward to tomorrow's new weekly Astro blog, "Just Blame it On The Stars"!