Happy Spring & New Growth!  (Part I is Analytical) (Part II is Energy-Specific)

Before we tap into the energy signature for the vernal equinox and explore its timbre (Part II), let’s first review precession of the equinoxes (Part I). The timing of the vernal equinox is when our Sun crosses the celestial equator and travels north. See the image below where the point of the vernal equinox is labeled.

Traditionally, the timing of the vernal equinox is at the moment when the Sun enters 0.00 Aries.  This indicates the changes of the seasons and the equal timing for day and night. However, Tropical/Western zodiac does not match with the sidereal or Vedic zodiac, where the vernal equinox point is now in Pisces. The reason for this is due to the precession of the equinox – a period of 26,000 years – due to the Earth’s wobble on its axis.

As a consequence of precession of the equinox, the pole star (a star that does not rise or set, such as the North star) changes, as does the earth’s orientation, to the viewing of circumpolar stars. In other words, we will see different circumpolar stars throughout time. Our current North Star, Polaris, points to the direction of the North Pole, but this was not always the case. Thuban, in the constellation of Draco, was once the North Star, ~3942 BC to ~1800 BC.  Due to the precession of the equinoxes, Thuban will become the North Star again ~21,000 AD.

 So, the *actual* constellation – Aries – does not match up in the sky at the same point at the vernal equinox, if you were to go outside and look. You may wonder why we still use the Aries point to indicate the beginning of spring in the western zodiac, and this will be a good question. There’s no one final conclusive answer on that one. A mathematical construct has meaning within the context from which it is derived.

In accord with antiquity, mathematical constructions have served the purpose of drawing meaning between observations and recording events from the past into the future. There is practical application for both methods of astrology, using either the Vedic or Western Zodiac, just be mindful to be consistent within each system. Symbolic meaning of points are only relevant so long as they are observed to be relevant and descriptive of actual occurrences. It makes no difference whether or not you call midnight “midnight” as long your labeling is consistent within your system. Often times, I see people trying to merge the Western zodiac signs with the Westernized version of the Vedic signs, and, in my personal opinion, meaning is lost this way.

Finally, why do we put the Earth in the center of our astrological charts? The reason is that this is the point of our observation. We live on Earth. Earth is from where we look at the sky. Astrology is the art of subjectivity as well as a quest for objectivity in the sense that it is realistically melding the subjective and objective viewpoints together for interpretation. The apparent objectivity of the outer spheres is still only apparent, based on the perspective of from where one is looking. Such is the basis of all astronomical measurement to the exclusion of satellites and other orbiting, recording devices. Regardless, for all practical purposes, we are still pretty much Earth-based. Relax, you’re not meant to understand everything all at once!

Here is a link to figure out the precise timing for this event for the area where you live.  Click on the link. Then click on, “Local times for March Equinox 2014 worldwide.” There is a caveat, however. The software I used to drawn up the chart for the vernal equinox shows Aries at 0.00 at 9:59a, not 9:57a as the website indicated for the timing of the vernal equinox. Please be mindful of that when you draw up your charts. Stay tuned for Part II of the Vernal Equinox.

Ka Malana, 2014©

Note about image credits: Where I could find the actual source of the photo, it is credited. These images were found using Google Images; however, in certain cases the originals could not be found. Many times the website included the picture without linking back to where it was found. In this case, the credit would be falsely attributed. If the photography is uncredited, in most cases that means it is my own (such as the rose above). Please feel free to contact me for any questions or clarifications, or if you wish to share my images. Blog writing is unique in that it is editable, and always subject to updates and revisions. Thank you for reading!