The Tropical and Sidereal Zodiaks& The Cycle of Earth's Precessional Cross

Nick Anthony Fiorenza

Introduction

This ar t ic le explores Earth 's ~25,000-year precessional cycle; the

ever changing rela t ionship between the t ropical and s idereal zodiacs;

the ast rological ages, the intercession of the Holy Cross; measurement

of the precessional ra te , and the Galact ic Ayanamsa--reckoning of the

s idereal zodiak based on the spherical geometry of Earth 's

precessional Cross .

Earth's precession

Earth 's polar axis precesses very s lowly over a per iod of about

23,000 to 26,000 years . The term precession s imply refers to a change

in the direct ion of the axis of a rotat ing object . As this occurs , the

pole of the Earth inscr ibes an arc in the heavens cal led the

precessional arc . Earth 's pole a l igns with different pole s tars

throughout i ts precessional per iod. Polar is is Earth 's current north-

pole s tar . Earth 's ~25,000-year precessional cycle is a lso referred to

as "Earth 's Great Year ."

Precession of the Equinoxes

Because Earth 's axis is t i l ted 23° 27 ' with respect the plane

created by Earth 's orbi t around the Sun ( the ecl ipt ic plane) , Earth 's

equatoria l plane (green) is a lso t i l ted at this same angle with respect

to the ecl ipt ic plane (blue) . These two intersect ing planes (Earth 's

equatoria l plane and the ecl ipt ic plane) create an intersect ing l ine in

the ecl ipt ic cal led the vernal axis . Looking from Earth, we see one

point a long this axis lying in one direct ion in the ecl ipt ic , and the

other lying in the opposi te direct ion. One point is the locat ion in the

ecl ipt ic where we see the sun on the March equinox. This locat ion is

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the vernal point (VP). The other point is the locat ion where the sun

resides on the September equinox. This is the ant i -vernal point .

As Earth 's pole precesses , so to does Earth 's equatoria l plane and

subsequent ly the vernal axis (moving in a counter-clockwise motion) .

Thus, the vernal axis ( the vernal equinox points) move around the

ecl ipt ic a t a ra te of precession, which is current ly measured to be

about 1° in 72 years , making one complete cycle in about 23,000-

26,000 years . The precessional movement of the vernal points is

cal led the "Precession of the Equinoxes."

The Cause of Precession

Although this ar t ic le is not about the "cause" of Earth 's precession,

i t i s appropriate to ment ion that Earth 's precession is not ful ly

understood and there is more than one hypothesis as to i ts cause. The

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simplest reason for Earth 's precession, a l though an assumption, is the

reason that is most commonly known. This model explains that the

Earth 's pole wobbles over a very long period of t ime, much l ike a

rapidly spinning top 's axis wobbles a t a much s low rate than i ts spin.

Another model is the "Binary Star Model" hypothesized by astrophysics

researcher Walter Crut tenden; e t . a l . Al though the reason for our Sun to

move in a curved path may not be ful ly understood, and there may be

unknown causes for i t , he and his team hypothesize that the solar path 's

curvature is caused by a binary s tar model , where our sun and another

sun orbi t each other . Astronomer Glen W. Deen proposes a Ternary Star

System (our sun with two other suns) . Independent of the cause, the

precession of Earth 's pole and that of the vernal axis with respect to the

s tars s t i l l occurs .

Reference:

Walter Crut tenden 's binary s tar hypothesis :

binaryresearchinst i tute .org

Glen W. Deen's ternary s tar system hypothesis : "The Time of

Perihel ion Passage and the Longi tude of the Perihel ion of Nemesis"

Full art ic le PDF

This ar t ic le is not intended to favor or debate the cause of Earth 's

precession; i t i s about the precessional cycle i tself ; the re la t ionship

between the t ropical and s idereal zodiaks; and the role of Earth 's

precession cycle in the evolut ion of human consciousness .

Precession of the Tropical Zodiak & the Astrological Ages

The vernal point is a lso the f iducial ( reference point) for the

t ropical zodiak, def ining 0° t ropical Aries . Because the vernal point

moves in the ecl ipt ic , the ent i re set of s igns compris ing the t ropical

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zodiak also moves with respect to the s tars (and the s idereal zodiak) ,

which remain f ixed in their locat ion in the heavens.

The locat ion of the vernal point in the sidereal zodiak defines the

current zodiakal age. The s idereal zodiak is a set of s igns, much l ike

the t ropical s igns, except they do not move in the ecl ipt ic . The

s idereal s igns are a l igned with their corresponding constel la t ions. The

t ropical zodiak al igned with the f ixed s idereal zodiak around 200 A.D.

but has s ince dr i f ted 25°; i .e . this was when zero degrees t ropical

Aries a l igned with 0° s idereal Aries . The vernal point current ly

resides a t about 5° s idereal Pisces as i t s lowly moves toward the

s idereal s ign of Aquarius-- thus we are complet ing the age of Pisces .

We wil l formally enter the age of Aquarius when the vernal point

precesses to 0° Aquarius-- in about 360 years (5° x 72 yrs) f rom now.

The vernal point is a lso cal led the Bir thplace, or the Off ice of the

Chris t (point of the soul)--governing the t iming of the re-bir th of the

sun-sol-soul consciousness into the world.

The vernal point ' s arr ival to 5° s idereal Pisces a t this t ime in

Earth 's precessional cycle (c i rca 2000 A.D.) creates a pr imary event

that supersedes the importance of changing zodiakal ages: this event

is the formation of a perfect cross in the cycle of Earth 's Precession of

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the equinoxes." The formation of this precessional cross is explained

below.

The center (blue) r ing is the s idereal zodiak. I t reveals the

or ientat ion of the twelve s idereal s igns with respect to the f ixed and

pr imary galact ic axis in the ecl ipt ic ( the horizontal l ine) . The galact ic

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equatoria l node (GEN) defines 5° s idereal Sagi t tar ius , the pr imary

reference point for the s idereal zodiak.

The inner (green r ing) is the t ropical zodiak (at 2000 A.D.) The

t ropical zodiak moves around the ecl ipt ic with respect to the f ixed

s tars--with respect to the s idereal zodiak and to the constel la t ions.

Aldebaran , Eye of the Bul l , and Antares , Heart of the Scorpion,

mark the center of their respect ive s igns: 15° s idereal Taurus and 15°

s idereal Scorpio. Aldebaran, Antares, Regulus (Heart of the Lion) ,

and Fomalhaut ( the f ishes mouth) , are the Four Royal Archi tects ,

giving s t ructure and order to the Heavens. Regulus is Chief or King of

the Four Royals . I t i s the only one of the four lying exact ly on the

ecl ipt ic plane. At 5° s idereal Leo, Regulus is a lso the only one

aspect ing Earth 's Ecl ipt ical Cross . Regulus, or " the Rex" means the Law

Giver--a c lue to i ts as t rological inf luence as the Heart of the Lion.

The Galactic Axis of Earth's Precessional Cross

Just as Earth is t i l ted with repspect to i ts orbi t around the sun, so

too is our solar system t i l led with repspect to the the plane of our

galaxy. The ecl ipt ic plane is t i l ted about 60° to our galaxy 's equatoria l

plane. This creates another intersect ing l ine, one which remains

s ta t ionary (rela t ive to Earth 's precessional per iod) . This axis is cal led

the galact ic equatoria l axis and i t i s the f ixed axis of Earth 's

Precessional Cross . The pr imary reference point of this axis is the

galact ic equatoria l node (GEN), which resides a t 5° s idereal Sagi t tar ius .

This node is cal led the "Gate of God." I ts opposi te point , the ant i -GEN,

resides a t 5° s idereal Gemini and i t i s cal led the "Gate of Man."

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Earth's Precessional Cross

The changing rela t ionship between these two axes ( the moving

vernal axis and the f ixed galact ic axis) creates the "Cycle of Earth 's

Precessional Cross ." As the vernal point (VP) moves around the

ecl ipt ic , i t changes i ts geometr ic re la t ionship to the f ixed galact ic

equatoria l node (GEN). The vernal point current ly resides a t the 3/4

point (270°) in i ts cycle , making the vernal axis exact ly perpendicular

to the galact ic axis , thus creat ing a perfect cross in the ecl ipt ic-- the

Erect Holy Cross . This exact precessional cross occurred in July of

1998. I general ly round this date to 2000 A.D. to s implify discussion.

Intercession of Earth's Precessional Cross

I suggest the Cycle of Earth 's Precessional Cross is the t imepiece

that dr ives the "Evolut ionary Cycle of the Soul" col lect ive on Earth--

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reveal ing the unfoldment of human consciousness . We are just emerging

from the las t 12,000 years of temporal darkness , which began at the las t

(90°) erect cross (about 10,000 to 12,000 years ago) , the t ime of

separat ion from unif ied awareness-- the t ime of the "Bibl ical Flood."

The erect precessional cross occurr ing now (~2,000 A.D.) marks the

t ime in our Great World Cycle where a re-unif icat ion in consciousness

begins.

The erect cross occurr ing now creates a pr imary t ransi t ion in the

Cycle of Earth 's Precessional Cross , in the "Evolut ionary Cycle of the

Soul ." This event is far more s ignif icant than the changing of an

astrological age; i .e . , the four pr imary divis ions of a c i rc le referenced

to the galact ic equatoria l axis supercede the 12-fold divis ion of t ropical

zodiak reference to the 12-fold divis ions of the s idereal zodiak.

See the "Earth's Precessional Holy Cross " sect ion of this web

s i te to learn more about this cycle and i ts ramif icat ions for human

consciousness .

The Sidereal and Tropical Relationship

Just as the t ropical s igns are referenced to the moving axis of

Earth 's Precessional Cross , the f ixed s idereal s igns are referenced to the

f ixed, galact ic axis of Earth 's Precessional Cross . Because of the

precession of the equinoxes, the t ropical s igns cont inue to dr i f t f rom

the s idereal s igns and fur ther f rom the t rue s tar posi t ions that

character ize the s igns to s tar t with. Although the twelve divis ions of

both zodiakal systems are created by natural harmonics occurr ing in the

ecl ipt ic , they are harmonics referenced to different realms of

consciousness . The RELATIONSHIP of the moving t ropical zodiak with

respect to the f ixed s idereal zodiak reveals the nature of the

re la t ionship of incarnate personal i ty consciousness with respect to the

t rue soul level awareness-- that is , where we are in the evolut ionary

unfoldment of human consciousness , in the Evolut ionary Cycle of the

Soul .

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Why TwoZodiaks

Firs t , we must real ize that the wisdom of the t rue ast rology of the

ancients , as with other esoter ic (Gnost ic) wisdom, was t ransferred

( taken) from Babylon, Caldia , and Egypt , and then i t was eventual ly

bastardized into a confused menagerie . This seems to have s tar ted with

the dominat ing inf luence of Alexander the Great , king of Macedonia

(336 to 323 B.C.) , who catalyzed an amalgamation of Egypt ian,

Babylonian, and Greco-Roman thought into a new cul tural expression in

the 4th century B.C.; and la ter by Ptolemy.

Subduing Egypt during his conquerings and explorat ions,

Alexander proclaimed himself Pharaoh in 332 B.C. while placat ing

nat ive pr iests a t Memphis . He founded Alexandria , which was to

become a pr imary intel lectual center , and which was pr imari ly Greek

and Jewish. Here, miss-understood Egypt ian myster ies and Greek

phi losophies merged into the "Myster ies of Serapis ." This was the

cul tural emergence of esoter ic teachings prominent throughout

Alexandria 's golden age. (Mysteries s imply means esoter ic teachings

about l i fe , not unfathomable or secret . ) Also a center for Jewish

learning, the Great Temple of Serapis is bel ieved to be where the Old

Testament was t ranslated from Hebrew into Greek. Alexander 's

dominat ing inf luence in coastal Egypt and his fur ther conquest of

Baylon along with much of Asia Minor la id the foundat ions for the

var ious re l igious fact ions of the Greco-Roman world. (Alexander

a t tempted to create a master race through a genet ic fusion of

Macedonian men with Persian women-- just one example of this

megalomaniac 's brutal conquests . )

Beginning with the death of Alexander in 323 B.C. and cont inuing

through around 31 B.C. , the Hel lenis t ic Period gave bir th to a diversi ty

of esoter ic phi losophies and occul t pract ices , a l l der ived from the

Egypt ian and Babylonian myster ies . The cul tural peak of this per iod,

f rom 280 B.C. to 160 B.C. , produced Eucl id, Hipparchus, Eratosthenes,

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Dionysius and many other creat ive thinkers , who al l expounded upon

the cul tural inf luence of Ancient Egypt . However , a l though this per iod

carr ied for th some of the ancient esoter ic teachings in a new

intel lectual language, i t a lso produced a highly intel lectual ized

amalgamate of confused ideas. The Hel lenis ts bastardized Egypt 's

a l ready crypt ic and esoter ic language into near total confusion because

the majori ty of the Hel lenis t ic cul ture did not have the perceptual

awareness to comprehend matters of the soul , nor had they the capaci ty

to intel lectual ly comprehend Egypt 's mythical picture language. Instead

of grasping the language (astronomical mythical images as wel l as

Egypt ian hieroglyphics) f rom a soul perspect ive and real iz ing the

t ranscendent wisdom of the evolut ionary journey of the soul , the Greco-

Romans at tempted to t ranslate this picture language from the

perspect ive of the l imited personal i ty . This reduced Ancient Egypt 's

esoter ic wisdom into a non-sensible confusion of men worshipping a

pantheon of gods and s tars . The dispersion of this confusion from

Alexandria into Eastern Europe through the centuries ahead led to

confused occul t pract ices and perverted systems of bel ief that ran

rampant throughout Eastern Europe at the t ime. The Roman Empire ,

Chris t iani ty and Byzant ium, and their var ious sects--al l der ivat ions of

the esoter ic wisdom of Ancient Egypt--were the eventual resul t of this

confused cul tural fusion that or iginated in and migrated from

Alexandria .

Prior to the ear ly few centuries of the f i rs t mil lennia , planetary

measurement was always referenced to the f ixed s tars (s idereal) as was

the ast rology of the ancients (Babylonia , e tc) . Astronomy and astrology

were always one and the same unt i l the Greco-Roman church-sta te

ast ronomers began to record planetary ephemerides referenced to the

moving vernal point ra ther than to the f ixed s tars , but ignoring that the

vernal point moved with precessional , and while maintaining that a l l

other heavenly bodies rotated around the Earth--a s ta tement cer ta inly

aff i rming t rue egoic consciousness . (This was due in par t icular to

Claudius Ptolemaeus (c . 90 - c . 168 AD) who was employed by the

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Greco-Roman control l ing fact ion. Ptolemaeus was a mathematician, not

a t rue ast ronomer. Some asser t he never even looked into the heavens as

an astronomer would look (Allen) . ) To say anything other than Earth

was the center was heresy, so only those wil l ing to sel l out to the

manipulat ive ploys of the church-sta te , and perpetuate the asser ted

geocentr ic dogma of western Chris tendom, s tayed on the pay-role and

kept their heads (actual ly , they were burned at the s take!) . Here was

planted the bastardizat ion of t rue soul level as t ronomical as t rology, and

here began the Hel lenis t ic , Ptolemaic, t ropical as t rology in an age of

suppression, and which is s t i l l in vogue today.

This manipulat ion and bastardizat ion of the t rue ast rological

ar tscience into t ropical as t rology also aff i rmed that people had a f ini te

l i fe a t the end of which they would ei ther be saved or punished

depending i f they fol lowed the dictums of the control l ing pol i t ical-

re l igious fact ion, thus squelching any desire for individuals to

spir i tual ly aspire and awaken to the greater t ruth that they were

durat ive, cont inual ly evolving souls ; par ts of , not separate from a

greater unif ied intel l igence. The t rue and greater ar t -sciences including

astronomical as t rology, Pythagorean sacred geometry, harmonic math,

and other such ar t -sciences, were forced underground unt i l the la ter

t ime of Nicolaus Copernicus in the 1500’s who f inal ly t r iumphed in

eradicat ing the perpetuated dogma that Earth was the center around

which al l other heavenly bodies rotated-- the egoic head-tr ip of the

Greco-Roman church-sta te . From here, others would fol low: Tycho

Brahe (1546-1601), Johann Bayer , and la ter yet , Johann Kepler

(December 27, 1571 - November 15, 1630), who, in the ear ly 1600’s ,

brought for th the t ruth of the occul ted astronomical and mathematical

wisdom based in harmonic resonance that had been long lost . Kepler 's

most famous book is "Harmonia Mundi" (Harmony of the Worlds) .

Kepler was a mathematician, as t ronomer AND astrologer (responsible

for reveal ing the affect of many astrological aspects / harmonics) .

Kepler is sometimes referred to as " the f i rs t theoret ical as t rophysicis t ."

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I t i s interest ing to note that many of the re l igions of the world, as

wel l as the perpetuat ion of " t ropical as t rology" s t i l l in vogue today are

based on the confused mental i t ies common to the ear ly f i rs t mil lennia .

I t i s a lso interest ing to consider that the perpetual use of t ropical

as t rology today is an energet ic that perpetuates a chasm in t ime that

cont inues to widen at the ra te of Earth 's precession, one keeping the

masses dr i f t ing in t ime-confusion rather than l iving in the present and

t ruth that the t rue s idereal zodiak reveals . Perhaps Pluto's transit

through sidereal Sag s tar t ing in 2006 wil l help open the way for the

t ruth of the heavens to eventual ly shine.

Houses of the Sun

As revealed in the recent and comprehensive work, "History of the

Zodiac," an in-depth explorat ion of the or igins of the Babylonian

Zodiac and i ts locat ion in the ecl ipt ic , or iginal ly a Ph.D. thesis , by Dr.

Robert Powell (now publ ished in 2007), the divis ion of the ecl ipt ic into

t ropical as t rological s igns was or iginal ly a der ivat ion of Euctemon's

t ropical Calendar of Seasons (432 B.C.) ; " . . .d ividing the solar year into

twelve equal months commencing with the vernal equinox, in which

each solar ( t ropical) month is named af ter one the twelve s igns. . ."

(Powell) . The t ropical calendrical system (referenced from the vernal

point) was merely used as an astronomical coordinate system for

measuring t ime in the solar year , a t or just af ter the t ime of Hipparchus.

Astrological qual i t ies were la ter a t t r ibuted to the twelve calendar

months ( t ropical s igns) through the inf luence of Ptolemy, and the t rue

(s idereal) zodiak, thus faded into obscuri ty . Unfortunately the term

"signs" had replaced "months." The t ropical calendar ( t ropical zodiac)

was based upon the sun 's decl inat ion above and below the ear th 's

equator , not the sun 's ecl ipt ical longi tude. From an astrological

perspect ive, I suggest the t ropical s igns should be cal led "Houses of the

Sun," more apt ly descr ibing their t rue his tor ical or igin, as e loquent ly

revealed in Robert Powell ' s work "History of the Zodiac" (Sophia

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Academic Press , San Rafael , Cal i fornia 2007) -- recomended reading

for a l l as t rologers and astronomers. https: / /sophiafoundation.org

The Galactic Ayanamsa: Reckoning of the Sidereal Zodiak

The exact locat ion of the s idereal cusps in the ecl ipt ic is a topic of

debate amongst scholars s ince s tar and planetary placement s tar ted to

be measured from the moving vernal point . The exact dis tance in arc

degrees between 0° t ropical Aries ( the vernal point) and 0° s idereal

Aries must therefor be calculated. This dis tance is cal led the

"ayanamsa" (a Hindu word) . There are several ayanamsas in vogue

today, a l l varying s l ight ly from one another . Most ayanamsas are

reckoned to the s tars , which also move al though qui te s lowly rela t ive to

Earth t ime. The most common is the Fagan-Bradley Ayanamsa. I t i s

reckoned to the s tar Spica in s idereal Virgo. The Fagan-Bradley

Ayanamsa is 24° 44 ' 12" @ 2000 A.D. This means that on Jan 1, 2000,

00:00:00: GMT, the t ropical zodiak has dr i f ted backward from the f ixed

s idereal zodiak by 24° 44 ' 12" based upon the Fagan-Bradley Ayanamsa.

This places the vernal point (0° t ropical Aries) a t 5° 15 ' 48" in s idereal

Pisces . Other arguments adjust the s idereal s igns such that Aldebaran 's

ecl ipt ical longi tude is exact ly in the center of s idereal Taurus; or that

of Antares in the center of s idereal Scorpio ( those being two of the four

royal archi tects (meaning: reveal ing s t ructure in the heavens) . Because

they are both south of the ecl ipt ic , i t i s thought by some that i t makes

more sense to use a s tar on the ecl ipt ic plane (0° ecl ipt ical la t i tude) ,

such as Spica or Regulus, hear t of the Lion. Regulus, for this reason,

(near 5° s idereal Leo depending on which Ayanamsa you use) is

considered the King or Chief of the four Royal s tars (Regulus is f rom

Rex, meaning law giver; i .e . , def ining order in the heavens) .

The recent work of Robert Powell (2007) presents his tor ical

evidence

that the Babylonian Zodiac was referenced to the Aldebaran / Antares

axis

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I prefer to reckon the s idereal zodiak to the galact ic axis of Earth 's

Precessional Cross . This approach is based on the harmonic math and

spherical geometry of the ast rophysical spheres involved (specif ical ly

our solar system's current locat ion and or ientat ion ( t i l t ) in our galaxy /

the galact ic equatoria l axis / Gate of God), ra ther than on s tar locat ions

as seen from Earth. The galact ic equartor ia l axis is far more "f ixed"

than the s tars as seen from Earth, which do move over longer per iods of

t ime. Therefor , I int roduce the "Galact ic Ayanamsa .

" Now, before you loyal Fagan-Bradley astrologers (or any others)

scoff , please understand I am placing astrological and astronomical

precedence in the geometr ic re la t ionship between the vernal axis and

the galact ic axis over the re la t ionship of t ropical and s idereal s igns.

The s igns are merely harmonic divis ions nest ing within this far more

embracing astrophysical geometry. The t ropical s igns are based upon

the moving vernal axis of this underlying geometry and the s idereal

s igns are based upon f ixed galact ic axis-- thus independent of

constel la t ions, which are imagery that has evolved and changed over

t ime, and independent of s te l lar placement .

Consider that the f ixed galact ic equatoria l axis re la tes more to our

durat ive soul- level awareness , whereas the moving vernal axis reveals

the current incarnat ional punctual moment (our dai ly t ropical

experience) , precipi ta t ing from the durat ive soul s t ream (sidereal / soul

experience) .

Real iz ing the re levance of Earth 's Precessional Cross geometry ( the

movement and geometr ic or ientat ion of our Earth and Sun in our

galaxy) places the s igns (and our awareness) in the far greater context

of our evolut ionary sojourn as a s te l lar race of sent ient souls .

Thus, the Galact ic Ayanamsa is def ined by the Galact ic Equatoria l

Node (GEN) as being the pr ime f iducial of the s idereal zodiak; set t ing

the GEN (Gate of God) to exact ly 5° 00 ' 00" s idereal Sagi t tar ius . The

Galact ic Ayanamsa is 25° 00 ' 00" for epoch 2000 A.D. Thus, 0°

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Tropical Aries resides a t 5° 00 ' s idereal Pisces @ 2000 A.D.; i .e . , the

t ropical zodiak has dr i f ted from the f ixed s idereal zodiak by 25° 00 ' 00"

based upon the Galact ic Ayanamsa.

The placement of the s idereal s igns reckoned to the Galact ic

Equatoria l Node (Galact ic Ayanamsa) is qui te c lose to the both the

Fagan-Bradley reckoning (Spica) and the Babylonian reckoning

(Aldebaran) . Differences this small can become an academic

argument only. However , var ious s tars may l ie on different s ides of

the s ign cusps depending on which reckoning is used. Detai led

explorat ion of the appropriate placement of cuspal s tars is something

I have explored using the Galact ic reckoning, perhaps to be

publ ished at a la ter t ime. Another area where the exactness of

s idereal s ign cusps are of s ignif icance is when using sub-divis ions of

the s igns (dwads, e tc) where each sub-divis ion is ruled by a specif ic

s ign. Using this as t rological technique, the placement of a planet in

a chart may cause i t to cross a sub-cusp depending on the reckoning

used. This is another interest ing way to experient ia l ly explore the

reckoning of the s idereal zodiak.

Due to the constant ly moving vernal point (0° t ropical Aries) , the

ayanamsa (any ayanamsa) is a dynamic f igure, i t therefor must be

referenced to a specif ic t ime in the precessional cycle--general ly this is

1950 or 2000 A.D. When convert ing a t ropical chart to a s idereal chart ,

this precessional dr i f t must be taken into account , especial ly i f making

a chart in the far dis tant past or future . Software programs general ly

take into account Earth 's precessional dr i f t and nutat ional var iances

when calculat ing a s idereal chart , but the s idereal as t rologer must

choose the ayanamsa of his or her choice. Star longi tudes must be

adjusted to the chosen ayanamsa i f adding individual s tars to an

astrological chart . This is important due to the t ight orb of s te l lar

inf luence.

The fo l l ow ing cha r t i s a compar i son o f seve ra l o f t he more common

ayanamsas .

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Ayanamsa @ 2000 AD * @ 1950 AD * De l ta * *Sp i caV i rgo

A ldeba ranTaurus

GENSag i t t a r i us

GCSag i t t a r i us

R a m a n 2 2 ° 2 4 ' 2 5 " 2 1 ° 4 2 ' 4 1 " - 0 2 ° 3 5 ' 3 5 " 0 1 ° 2 5 ' 5 2 " L i b r a 1 7 ° 2 3 ' 0 7 ° 3 5 ' 3 5 " 0 4 ° 2 4 '

K r i s h n a m u r t i 2 3 ° 4 5 ' 4 3 " 2 3 ° 0 3 ' 5 9 " - 0 1 ° 1 4 ' 1 7 " 0 0 ° 0 4 ' 3 4 " L i b r a 1 6 ° 0 1 ' 0 6 ° 1 4 ' 1 7 " 0 3 ° 0 2 '

L a h i r i 2 3 ° 5 1 ' 1 1 " 2 3 ° 0 9 ' 2 7 " - 0 1 ° 0 8 ' 4 9 " 2 9 ° 5 9 ' 0 6 " 1 5 ° 5 6 ' 0 6 ° 0 8 ' 4 9 " 0 2 ° 5 7 '

T a k r a I 2 4 ° 3 0 ' 0 1 " 2 3 ° 4 8 ' 1 7 " - 0 0 ° 2 9 ' 5 9 " 2 9 ° 2 0 ' 1 6 " 1 5 ° 1 6 ' 0 5 ° 3 0 ' 0 0 " 0 2 ° 1 8 '

T a k r a I I 2 4 ° 3 2 ' 3 2 " 2 3 ° 5 0 ' 4 8 " - 0 0 ° 2 7 ' 2 8 " 2 9 ° 1 7 ' 4 5 " 1 5 ° 1 4 ' 0 5 ° 2 8 ' 0 0 " 0 2 ° 1 6 '

F a g a n - B r a d l e y 2 4 ° 4 4 ' 1 2 " 2 4 ° 0 2 ' 2 8 " - 0 0 1 5 ' 4 8 " 2 9 ° 0 6 ' 0 5 " 1 5 ° 0 3 ' 0 5 ° 1 5 ' 4 8 " 0 2 ° 0 4 '

B a b y l o n i a n 2 4 ° 4 7 ' 1 2 " 2 4 ° 0 5 ' 2 8 " - 0 0 1 2 ' 4 8 " 2 9 ° 0 3 ' 0 5 " 1 5 ° 0 0 ' 0 5 ° 1 2 ' 4 8 " 0 2 ° 0 1 '

G a l a c t i c 2 5 ° 0 0 ' 0 0 " 2 4 ° 1 8 ' 1 6 " 0 0 ° 0 0 ' 0 0 " 2 8 ° 5 0 ' 1 7 " 1 4 ° 4 7 '0 5 ° 0 0 ' 0 0 "

R e f e r e n c e0 1 ° 4 8 '

D e L u c e 2 7 ° 4 8 ' 2 0 " 2 7 ° 0 6 ' 3 6 " + 0 2 ° 4 8 ' 2 0 " 2 6 ° 0 1 ' 5 7 " 1 1 ° 5 9 ' 0 2 ° 1 1 ' 4 0 " 2 9 ° 0 0 ' S c o

L a r r y E l y 2 8 ° 0 0 ' 1 3 " 2 7 ° 1 8 ' 2 9 " + 0 3 ° 0 0 ' 1 3 " 2 5 ° 5 0 ' 0 4 " 1 1 ° 4 7 ' 0 1 ° 5 9 ' 4 7 " 2 8 ° 4 8 ' S c o

The Ayanamsa @ 2000 AD can be used to convert t ropical

longi tudes to s idereal longi tudes. For example i f your Sun resides a t 0°

00 ' 00" Aries (exact ly on the vernal point) subtract 24° 44 ' 12" to get

your sun 's s idereal locat ion using the Fagan-Bradley ayanamsa. Or

subtract 25° 00 ' 00" to get your sun 's s idereal locat ion using the

Galact ic Ayanamsa.

A quick and s imple shortcut to this is to add 5° and drop back a

s ign; i .e . , i f your t ropical Ascendant is 9° 00 ' s idereal Pisces (add 5° ,

minus one s ign) . Your s idereal ASC is 14° 00 ' s idereal Aquarius . This

is t rue for charts cast around 2000 AD. Remember, an ayanamsa

changes over t ime at the ra te of precession. The chart l is ts ayanamsa for

two epcohs: 1950 and 2000 A.D.

** The Delta f igure can be used to convert s idereal longi tudes

calculated with one ayanamsa to the Galact ic Ayanamsa. For example,

i f you have a computer program that calculates your sun to be at 15° 03 '

s idereal Taurus (a l igning with Aldebaran) using the Fagan-Bradley

ayanamsa, you can subtract ~ 00° 16 ' ( - 00° 15 ' 48") to get the Sun's

locat ion at 14° 47 ' using the Galact ic Ayanamsa.

Precessional Time is NOT a Constant

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To further compound the problem of zodiakal reckoning, we must

recognize that the ra te of Earth 's precession is NOT a constant . I t i s

accurate to say the las t erect precessional cross had occurred exact ly

180° degrees ago in the precessional cycle , but we can only est imate

that to have been 9,000 to 13,000 years ago. The rate of precession may

vary over long periods of t ime, or even osci l la te around some harmonic

ideal . There are many cont inuously changing astronomical factors that

affect the ra te of precession, not to ment ion the cause of the

precessional of the equinoxes is not even clear . (Just as we can not

pinpoint a date in the dis tant past is why I suggest man-made calendars

made in ant iqui ty fa l l short of being able to predict future evolut ionary

changes to a specif ic date . )

"The Great World Cycle ," or "Earth 's Great Year ," as Earth 's

precessional cycle is sometimes cal led, is es t imated to be between

22,000 and 26,000 solar years--of ten rounded to the la t ter f igure. The

25,920 f igure, of ten seen, is a natural harmonic ideal found in quantum

math. Another quantum number of s ignif icance is 22,680, qui te c lose to

the 23,000 f igure. These are a l l academic f igures however: Earth 's

current ra te of precession is calculated to be ~25,867 years , and i t i s

s l ight ly increasing. This is about 1° every ~71.85 years , or 0° 00 '

50.26" per year .

Walter Crut tenden, in his binary s tar model , suggests our binary

sun 's average orbi ta l per iod is 24,000 years , with i t s lowing to 22,000

years or less a t the binary orbi t ' s apoapsis and increasing to 26,000

years a t i ts per iapsis . This model appropriate ly recognizes an ever

changing precessional ra te .

Some Technical References on Precession & Earth Orientation:

REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASTRONOMICAL UNION DIVISION I WORKING GROUP ON PRECESSION AND THE ECLIPTIC - Celest ial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy (2006) (PDF)

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IERS (International Earth Rotation & Reference System Service)http:/ /www.iers .org/

Earth Orientation Centrehttp:/ /hpiers .obspm.fr/eop-pc/

JPL Technical Report Serverhttp:/ / trs-new.jpl .nasa.gov/dspace/handle/2014/6130

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