The Mystery of the Zodiac

by Ernst Wilhelm www.vedic-astrology.net The path of the Sun, which is known as the ecliptic is divided into twelve divisions of thirty degrees each. The common Sanskrit word for one of these divisions is a Rasi. Rasi means a group, a quantity, a mass, etc. In the context of astrology, as well as in mathematics, it refers to the quantity of 30 degrees of an arc, which posses the colorful names of the twelve signs of the Zodiac: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Rasis and the Zodiac are generally considered to be a very simple aspect of astrology, with little room for mystery. However, the world is divided in its interpretation of exactly how to calculate a Rasi. The Greeks, Persians, Egyptians and the modern world of Europe along with its offspring in the Americas consider a Rasi to be a thirty degree arc of the ecliptic as measured from the Vernal Equinox (the position of the Sun as it crosses the equator on the first day of spring). This is known as the Tropical Zodiac. The East Indians, on the other hand, consider a Rasi to likewise be a thirty degree arc of the ecliptic, but as measured from some fixed point of the starry heavens. This is known as the Sidereal Zodiac. This difference in thought is a serious handicap to astrology as a science. While some astrologers have the tolerance to accept both views as there being many paths, and more ways than one to skin a cat, the astrologer with a critical and scientific mind will appreciate the need for the definitions of astrology to be accurately defined and there being precise and scientific methods of astrological practice which are replicable and worth following as compared to sloppy methods which are no better than imaginative guesswork. Though the intuitive astrologer can have skilled and enviable guesswork, his use of astrology does not fulfill the scientific requirements of replicability and techniques that can be passed down to students.