Zodiacal Systems - Tropical
The Tropical Zodiac is the typical zodiacal system used in most Western astrology. It is the well-known 'signs' that are referred to when someone from the general public says, "I'm a Gemini" or "I'm a Leo", etc. This zodiac starts at 0 degrees of Aries on the first day of spring (vernal equinox) and then runs through twelve signs, each of thirty degrees. This zodiac was developed in Mesopotamia and has never been updated for the precession of the equinoxes. It is now about 25 - 27 degrees off from the actual constellational placements in the heavens, based upon the amount of precession that has happened since this system was a reflection of the actual sky.
Some people criticize this zodiac as being "wrong". That is a favorite line spouted by scientists and skeptics who use this as the basis of an argument concerning why astrology is fake. However, what one will find, if they take the time to look, is that the Tropical Zodiac still works. How can that be, you may ask. Well, I can't give you a definitive answer, and feel no need to try, but I will offer a couple of guesses as to why this zodiacal system, which doesn't match the heavens or the real constellations, still works.
First, and foremost, I suspect that the Tropical Zodiac isn't really about the constellations at all, but is actually about the seasons; i.e., the areas around the sun that our planet moves through during its yearly seasonal cycle, as expressed in the seasons of the Northern Hemisphere (where this astrological system was developed). During the time-period when the zodiac was being developed, specific seasons saw the sun placed in specific constellations, and so the stories of the signs became intertwined with the stories of the seasons. Once precession pulled different signs into those places, the sign/season stories were so intertwined that they were difficult, if not impossible, to separate, so they didn't. There is good evidence that not updating for precession was an intentional decision amongst Western astrologers of the Greek and Roman worlds, because precession was a known phenomena in those cultures. I suspect that they felt the seasonal aspects of this zodiac system outweighed the value in updating for precession, and thus having to rewrite many of the meanings of the signs, filtering out the seasonal aspects of their definitions.
Secondly, and just as important, the planets and points are still within the same quadrants as they are in the actual sky, and the geometric aspects between the planets and points are accurate. The quadrants generally align to the four seasons of the Northern Hemisphere, and so the energy within each quadrant is similar, regardless of which "sign" I choose to say a specific planet or point is in within that quadrant. To me, the quadrant energy and the aspects are the most important parts of astrology, with the aspects being paramount.
What is interesting is that each of the zodiacal systems seem to reveal different information about the native, almost like each system is a layer in an onion, each with its own unique information. In my experience, the Tropical Zodiac reflects the social personality and standing within the context of Western social norms, with the Placidus house system revealing psychological information and the Whole Sign house system revealing details of fate and destiny. Why that should be, I do not know, but I would make this suggestion. The Western world and its systems are about integration into a very specific strain of individualistic pursuit of position within society, and so the Western Tropical Zodiac seems to reflect both the underlying Western Psyche and the overt Western pursuit of destiny (Career, Home and Family and unending happiness and wealth), including all the pitfalls and curveballs that fate may throw us along the way, determining how close to the ideal we may get. Western culture is now basically a global phenomena, and so the Western Tropical Zodiacal system will be useful for people in any modern culture most anywhere on the planet.
In my work, I use the Tropical Zodiac along with other methods. I like to look at both the Placidus house system and the Whole Sign house system as applied to the Tropical Zodiac, to get at the different information both provide. While I prefer to look at the Tropical Zodiac, through Placidus and Whole Sign houses, in conjunction with Sidereal and True Constellational Sidereal systems, I am perfectly capable of doing a reading using only the Tropical Zodiac, and even using only one or the other of the house systems. While I prefer to do a comprehensive reading using the full set of techniques I have developed, I am also happy to read using one specific method for those who only want to work in that style.
We will look at the other systems in further articles in this series.
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