Astrology Variations in Different Cultures
Since the times of the Greeks and Babylonians, many different cultures have adopted and created their own variations of astrology. We are already familiar with the Western version of astrology, as this page is devoted to it. Below, you can find out more information about other variations of astrology that are still relevant today.
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There are two traditions on how the Chinese Zodiac came to be. One tells the tale of “The Great Race,” in which the Jade Emperor (some believe it was the Buddha), invited animals to participate in a race. The 1st twelve animals to finish would be incorporated into the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. The race originally began with the cat and the rat, sworn frenemies. In order to complete the race, the animals had to cross a river, and neither the cat nor rat could swim well. They both deemed the ox the best swimmer, and decided they would trick the ox into letting them hitch a ride during the river part of the race, and then hop off in front of him once on land. Their plan initially succeeded, but the cat ended up losing footing on the ox when trying to jump off, losing its chance of becoming a symbol of the Chinese zodiac. The animals finished the race in the following order: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and finally, the pig, thus becoming the 12 symbols of the Chinese zodiac.
The other tale is much simpler. All the animals of the land had been invited to a large feast, put together by the Jade Emperor (or the Buddha). Some believed the feast was to celebrate the departure of the Jade Emperor from Earth, while others believe it could have been a birthday or New Year celebration (which is what it represents now). It is said that the 12 animals that make up the Chinese zodiac were the only ones to attend the party, which is how they earned their spots.
Regardless of its true beginnings, the influence of Chinese zodiac system can still be seen today. Many people that follow Western Astrology are at least familiar with what Chinese zodiac sign they are. Each year, a new animal rules for the entire year (in the order that they fall in from the race), thus it takes 12 years to go back to the first sign, the Rat (which we are currently in the year of the Rat). Here’s a chart to see what animal you fall under:
Vedic astrology was developed in India and its principles and practices are influenced by Hindu religion. This variation of astrology focuses on patterns of light and how they influence one’s destiny (known as ‘Dharma,’ cosmic law and order). One of the biggest differences between Vedic astrology and Western astrology is that Vedic astrology bases its signs off of ‘sidereal zodiac,’ the fixed position of zodiac constellations. By contrast, Western astrology uses ‘tropical zodiac,’ based on the position of the sun, which changes faster. Therefore your Western Sun sign may not be the same as your Vedic “Sun sign” (they refer to your sun sign as your ‘Ascendant sign’).
The sign names are the same in Western and Vedic astrology. The signs fall under the same elements, but their “qualities,” known as “flexibility” in Vedic astrology go by different names. Fixed signs carry the same name, but ‘cardinal signs’ go by “movable signs,” and ‘mutable signs’ go by “dual signs” in Vedic astrology. Like in Western astrology, there are 12 houses, and the signs have rulers. While not as well known as Western or Chinese astrology, Vedic astrology still impacts ways of thinking today. Do you believe in karma? If so, you can thank Vedic astrology and Hinduism for that notion.
These are just two of the many astrology variations. They are the most common variations of astrology today, after Western astrology. For more information on these variations, check out the resources linked below.