How does the actual practice of western sidereal astrology differ from tropical astrology?
The main difference is, of course, the zodiac. Both tropicalists and western siderealists use primary directions, secondary and tertiary progressions, transits, astrocartography and other methods. The are two main points of departure: timing, and the problem of tropical versus sidereal sign meanings. In the first case, because tropical reckoning ignores precession, a timing error accrues with age that becomes an entire degree by age 72. The Sun takes about a day to advance a degree in the zodiac but Saturn can take more than a month to move a full degree. For example, if a transiting planet reaches a natal planet in tropical zodiac reckoning for someone who is 58, President Bush’s age, one might assume that the effects will be felt immediately. But generally, nothing happens. By tropical reckoning, transiting Saturn will conjoin Bush’s natal Saturn on October 8, 2004. But forty-eight minutes and 58 seconds of precession will have accrued since Mr. Bush’s birth by the fall of 2004. In t
