All about astrology: Culture edition

By Jostina Basta

ASTROLOGY HAS BEEN LONG-STANDING AND TRACES BACK TO SOME OF THE MOST ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS OF ALL TIME.

On one hand, ancient Greece heavily associated zodiac signs with Greek mythology, while ancient Egyptians measured the stars to accurately align the pyramids with the Earth’s four cardinal points. Many of us are accustomed to one form of astrology, namely, Western astrology, with the 12 main star signs attached to our birth month and date.

Mainly, people refer to horoscopes for insight and direction, and may even be guilty of checking their compatibility levels with their crush. In saying that, a number of cultures have attached different meanings and interpretations to astrology, developing unique philosophies and principles.

WESTERN ASTROLOGY

Based on: Sun sign astrology, which considers the individual’s date of birth, or the exact position of the Sun at that date. The signs are said to represent the twelve basic personality traits and talents. Based on: An individual’s fate, character, behaviour and birth signs can be determined by the positioning of major planets, based on their time of birth. Unlike Western astrology which is based on your birth month, Chinese astrology is based on your year of birth.

Concepts of Chinese astrology: Ying and yang: This embodies the concept of dualism– meaning that - outwardly contrary or opposite forces can be complementary. These two halves can create, and complete wholeness.

Concepts of Western Astrology: The twelve signs are divided into four elements: fre, air (feminine) earth and water (masculine), which are correlated with different personality types. Water signs are seen to be driven by emotion, earth signs are practical, fre signs are impulsive and air signs are intellectually oriented.

Signs: Has 12 signs representing the same number of constellations, through which the sun passes for the whole duration of the year. These include Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces.

CHINESE ASTROLOGY

Five elements: Wood, fre, earth, metal and water, which are believed to be the foundation of the universe, and can signify a person’s personality traits.

Signs: Every Chinese calendar year is signifed by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac. The cycle starts with the Year of the Rat, followed by the Year of the Ox, then Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This makes 2021 the Year of the Ox.

VEDIC (HINDU) ASTROLOGY

Based on: Astrology plays an important role in many cycles of Indian life, like marriage, childbirth, moving into a new home or starting a business, and determines different personality traits.

While Western astrology uses sun signs to make predictions, Hindu astrology uses the moon signs of a person, measuring planetary movements against the fxed stars.

Concepts of Vedic astrology: ◊ Karma: Vedic astrology is based on the belief of karma, in that whatever you do, whether good or bad, will have repercussions that will return to you.

◊ Reincarnation: The soul’s consciousness is believed to be

27

moulded by our experiences in various life times, and therefore an individual is who they are because of experiences they’ve had in their current and past lives.

Signs: Similar to Western astrology, Vedic astrology has twelve signs, but they follow different systems. However, while Vedic astrology is based on cosmic movements and positions, Western astrology is based on the Sun’s orbit around the Earth.

Illustrations by Rachana Udaya Kumar