Vedic astrology uses the sidereal
(according to the stars) positions of planets against the backdrop
of the relatively fixed stars, as astronomers do. Vedic astrology
calculates as the stars appear in the night sky. This is the most
important difference between Vedic and tropical Western astrology.
Tropical Western astrologers based their zodiac on the Equinox
instead.
The arithmetic difference between planetary
positions calculated sidereally and tropically is a value for what
is called the procession of the equinoxes, or the Ayanaunsh. Today,
this difference is 24 degrees. This 24 degrees causes the entire
astrological chart to move back about 24 degrees from the Western to
the Vedic chart. The positions of most planets go back to the
previous sign. This naturally results in a very different chart. It
can be confusing for those used to their Western chart, especially
with the Sun sign, which is a likely to change in Vedic system.
