Why Sidereal Astrology?
Star Struck in Arizona
Sidereal astrology became a focal point for me when I visited Lowell Observatory in Arizona in December of 2023. I looked up at the night sky and noticed Jupiter wasn’t in the constellation of Taurus as I’d assumed it was. It was actually in Aries!
On some level, I knew this, but when a person looks at an astrological chart on a computer every day instead of looking up at the real sky, one becomes desensitized to that fact. Upon this realization, I didn’t automatically jump over to sidereal astrology. It was a gradual process. Further derailed by the fact that I had Saturn transiting through my 12th house of loss, retreat, self-undoing, and letting go.
I Quit Tropical Astrology
At the time, I had a YouTube channel where I spoke about tropical astrology. Over time, I stopped posting because I found myself looking at the tropical chart but only wanting to talk about the transits in the sidereal sky. I recorded a video on May 7, 2024, titled “Why I’m quitting Tropical Astrology.” I thought I could keep going on that channel discussing sidereal astrology, but I couldn’t. Even though I made the decision to quit practicing tropical astrology, I had to go through the process of letting go.
I felt lost, and I had no one to talk to about it. All of my astrologer friends were in the tropical astrology camp. I didn’t know any Western astrologers practicing sidereal astrology. Looking back, I don’t think I was ready to find like-minded people. It’s not lost on me that once Saturn left my 12th house, I had no problem finding a group of people I could relate to.
Sidereal Astrology is the True View
At one point, I lived and breathed astrology, but after this sidereal revelation, I became numb to astrology. I felt so defeated, mainly because I felt like I’d lost a community of peers. Yes, I continued to observe, but I had to become indifferent in a way. I feel part of this was Saturn in my 12th house. I had to isolate myself to find the way on my own. Ultimately, it served my purpose. I feel my senses have been nearly scrubbed of the effects of the tropical view, but in doing so, I left behind the good bits of Hellenistic astrology.
Hellenistic Astrology is based on the Sidereal View
During that time, I didn’t know how to practice Hellenistic astrology from a sidereal view. I didn’t understand that practicing from the sidereal view is truer to the tradition than the tropical view, and that is mainly because the astrologers who wrote the Hellenistic texts lived several thousand years ago, when the sky and chart placements were nearly equal. In my opinion, the observations they made back then have to be truer to the sidereal view.
Astrological Point of View
I’ve recently gone back and watched several videos from one of my classes to re-synthesize myself back into an astrological mind frame from a sidereal view. In one instance, the teacher was discussing how eclipses look in a chart, and how they look on Planetarium (a software similar to Stellarium that allows one to view the sky in real time). The teacher was jumping from one view to the other. On the chart, the eclipse was in Libra, and on Planetarium, the eclipse was clearly in the constellation of Virgo. I kept waiting for a student to say something about the difference, but no one said a word.
Tropical Point of View
To be fair, the teacher had already discussed why tropicalists choose the view of the sky that they do. The tropical focus is clearly on set dates that have very little to do with the actual representation of the sky. Tropical astrologers would say that their system is based on the seasons but lately I’ve noticed that Sidereal Leo season is the hottest month of the year which technically would be Virgo season for the tropicalists, so that justification doesn’t actually seem to be true. They don’t consider where the planets are when looking up in the night sky. For me personally, it was another confirmation that I’m on the right path.
Sidereal Variances
I think the biggest hurdle for me in the transition from tropical to sidereal astrology has been thinking that I have to learn astrology all over again in order to read a chart, but that’s not true. It’s fundamentally akin to twisting the dials on binoculars to clarify and sharpen one’s view. That knowledge alone has been fundamental for me in continuing to practice astrology.
The only other hurdle I have had is in understanding the 13th sign, Ophiuchus, and how it plays a role in the celestial skies and in an individual’s birth chart. Nearly all astrological software shows 12 signs only.
Sidereal Community
After bouncing my thoughts off of other sidereal astrologers, I’ve come to the conclusion that I can use the Fagan-Bradley ayanamsa as I have been. I don’t think the 13th sign needs to be distinguished separately, as it shares many traits with the constellation of Scorpio. From my perspective, variances in the bleed-through of constellations within the house systems have already been accounted for in the decans, Egyptian terms, and 12th parts systems.
As my confusion about the differences in constellation size dwindled and I considered the house system I use, I realized, they’ve never been equal. As I’ve stated above, this is why these parts systems were created in the first place. It’s up to the astrologer to experiment and see what works for him or her. There are many house systems and Ayanamsas that can accommodate an astrologer’s preference.
What’s Your Sidereal Awakening Story?
This is my sidereal awakening story. What’s your story? Write to me in the comments.
About The Author
Maria is a writer, creator and mystic who focuses on various spiritual practices to navigate her daily life, which include channeling, tarot, QHHT, BQH, reiki, astrology and study of ancient thought. She shares her experiences to help others embody their own way of traversing this plane of existence through authentic presence and awareness with grace for self and others within the human experience. Maria specializes in Sidereal Hellenistic astrology with a focus on ancient techniques like Zodiacal Releasing and Annual Profections. She holds certifications from The Astrology School with Chris Brennan and Nightlight Astrology with Adam Elenbaas. Her work is guided by the belief that astrology is a powerful tool for self-discovery and spiritual growth. Her astrological work centers on using traditional methods to provide practical, modern-day guidance.
Email: mariaravener@gmail.com