Why don t the astrological signs line up with the constellations?
The Earth orbits the Sun every year, rotates on its axis every day and “wobbles” on its axis in a 26,000 year cycle. This gives rise to precession of the equinoxes. This means that the alignment of the seasons and the constellations is constantly moving, taking almost 26,000 years to make a complete turn. About 2000 years ago the first day of spring (Vernal Equinox) corresponded with the constellation Aries, first sign of the Zodiac. But, over a 2000 year period, they have moved almost one sign apart. The Zodiac based on the constellations, called the Sidereal zodiac, and that based on the seasons, the Tropical zodiac, no longer coincide. The vast majority of western astrologers use the Tropical zodiac. Our charts are based on the seasons, not on the stars. These two zodiacs are two perspectives for analyzing the sky. Both are valid and consistent within themselves. Each provides information in its own way.
