Why I Practice Sidereal Astrology

I want to start right away by letting you know that I practice True Sidereal astrology, not Tropical. When I read your True Sidereal natal chart to you, you may hear me say that your Sun sign is different from what you've been told before, so let me share with you why I follow True Sidereal instead of Tropical.

True Sidereal astrology is based upon where the planets and stars actually appear in the visible sky. You can get an app on your phone and see for yourself where the planets and stars are, and your app will confirm what sign the Sun is actually in at this moment in time.

Mainstream Tropical astrology, on the other hand, adheres to a fixed seasonal system.

Around 2,000 years ago, the astronomer and astrologer Ptolemy described the zodiac as twelve equal 30-degree signs, beginning with Aries at the vernal (spring) equinox.

In practical terms, Tropical astrology continues to say, "Around March 21, for example, that's when the Sun moves into Aries, and around April 20 is when the Sun moves into Taurus," and so on.

That system made it easy to standardize the zodiac by tying it to the seasons and the calendar.

About 2,000 years ago, the Tropical zodiac and the constellations in the visible sky were much more closely aligned, but nothing in the sky remains fixed forever.

This may sound technical, but there's a phenomenon called precession, which refers to a gradual change in the direction of the Earth's rotational axis. In other words, the Earth's axis slowly wobbles.

Because of precession, the constellations gradually shift by about one degree every 72 years. That change is very small at first, but over the centuries it adds up. Today, Tropical astrology and the actual visible constellations differ by about three weeks.

Today, the Sun no longer enters the constellation of Aries around March 21. This year, the Sun enters Aries around April 21.

You can prove this for yourself, too.

If you get an app on your phone that lets you identify planets and constellations, you can check anytime you like and see where the Sun, the Moon, and the planets actually are in the visible sky.

What you discover with your phone is that the positions used in a True Sidereal chart match what you can see in the sky.

When I first learned that my Sun sign is Sagittarius and not Capricorn, I was actually a bit resistant, too.

I'd been overhearing all these traits of Capricorn, and I'd unconsciously been trying to live up to those earthy qualities -- achievement, commitment, dedication, and hard work. But on my birthday I took my phone outside, pointed the app at the Sun, and sure enough, the Sun was in Sagittarius.

The more I got used to the idea of Sagittarius, the more sense it made because of how I naturally show up in the world.

Sagittarius is a fire sign, and what really matters to me is purpose, adventure, exploration, and philosophy.

What's interesting is that my own reaction to learning my Sun sign is actually an example of why Tropical astrology can seem accurate.

Tropical astrology is so widespread that it's become part of our collective culture. Everybody knows about it.

People overhear descriptions of the Sun sign they think they were born under, and we unconsciously begin to identify with those descriptions.

But there's another important difference. Size matters.

You know that a circle is 360 degrees. Tropical astrology divides that circle into twelve equal signs of 30 degrees each.

The constellations in the visible sky, however, are not all the same size. Virgo is huge. Pisces is huge. Libra and Cancer are much smaller.

The True Sidereal system I use takes into account the actual size of the constellations in the sky.

When I'm looking at a planet, I want to know which constellation that planet is actually moving through.

Considering all this and more, my conclusion is that the most accurate way to read a person's chart is to base it upon where the planets and stars actually are in the visible sky.

That's why I choose to practice True Sidereal astrology.