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TRADITIONS
The main
traditions used by most modern astrologers are:
Western and
Indian astrology
share a common ancestry as horoscopic systems of astrology, and are
essentially similar in content. What this means is that they both
focus on the casting of a chart or horoscope for an individual or
event, based on the position of the sun, moon and planets at the
moment of the subject's birth or beginning. The main difference
between the two traditions is that Indian astrology continues to use
the sidereal zodiac, linking the signs of the zodiac to their
original constellations, while Western astrology uses the tropical
zodiac. The tropical zodiac divides the sky into twelve equal
segments, beginning with
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the First Point of
Aries, where the line of the equator and the ecliptic (the sun's
path through the sky) meet at the spring equinox. This difference of
approach matters because of a process called the Precession of the
Equinoxes, whereby the way the earth rotates in space changes very
slowly over time. This has led to a position where over the
centuries, the twelve signs of the zodiac in Western astrology no
longer correspond to the same part of the sky as their original
constellations (and so to their Indian counterparts). In effect, in
Western astrology the link between sign and constellation has been
broken, whereas in Indian astrology it remains of paramount
importance.
In Chinese
astrology a quite different tradition has evolved. By contrast to
Western and Indian astrology, the twelve signs of the zodiac do not
divide the sky, but rather the equator. The Chinese evolved a system
where each sign corresponds to one of twelve 'double-hours' that
govern the day, and to one of the twelve months. Also most notably
and uniquely, each sign of the zodiac governs a different year, and
combines with a system based on the five elements of Chinese
*Cosmology to give a 60 (12 x 5) year cycle. The term 'Chinese
astrology' is used here for convenience, but it must be recognised
that versions of the same tradition exist in Japan, Vietnam,
Thailand and other East Asian countries.
In modern times,
the three traditions have come into greater contact with each other.
Chinese and Indian astrology have spread to the West, and awareness
of Western astrology has increased in India and East Asia.
Historical
traditions
Throughout its
long history, astrology has come to prominence in many countries and
undergone developments and change. Therefore, there are many
astrological traditions that are historically important, but have
largely fallen out of use today. However, astrologers still retain
an interest in them and regard them as an important resource.
Historically significant traditions of astrology include:
The mesoamerican
traditions are included here because they have not been widely used
in their full form since Pre-Columbian times. However, there is
evidence that they have survived in some form as a living tradition
up to the present day, particularly among the Maya. [12] The history
of Western, Chinese, and Indian astrology is discussed in the main
article History of astrology .
Esoteric
traditions
Many mystic or
esoteric traditions have links to astrology. In some cases, like
Kabbala, this involves participants incorporating elements of
astrology into their own traditions. In other cases, like divinatory
tarot, many astrologers themselves have incorporated the tradition
into their own practice of astrology. Esoteric traditions include,
but are not limited to:
Astrology in the
Western world has diversified greatly in modern times. New movements
have appeared, which have jettisoned much of traditional astrology
to concentrate on different approaches, such as a greater emphasis
on midpoints, or a more psychological approach. Some of its subsets
include:
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Modern Tropical
and Sidereal horoscopic astrology
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Hamburg School
of Astrology
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Uranian
astrology, subset of the Hamburg School
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Cosmobiology
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Psychological
astrology or astropsychology
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