There are many differences between Vedic and Western Astrology. To go through every single one of them would involve writing hundreds of pages. We’ll give the highlights. Vedic astrology has its roots in Hinduism, while Western Astrology combines Ancient Greek and Roman traditions.
Most people will have heard of the Western astrology zodiac systems. Even if somebody doesn’t believe in astrology, they’ll probably know their star sign, e.g., Capricorn, Aquarius, etc.
Vedic astrology also uses star signs, but because star signs are based on the actual positions of the stars at a certain point in time (while Western astrology looks at the position of the sun at the vernal equinox), the signs are slightly different, and they correspond to a different ‘time’ period. For example, Aquarius is called Kumbha in Vedic astrology, and it happens between February 12th and March 12th instead.
This part can get a little bit confusing.
In Western astrology, planets and stars are fixed. So, no matter when a person is born, Western astrology will always have the same perspective of their planetary and star alignments.
Not Vedic astrology. It utilizes something known as sidereal time (which is what astronomers do, too). It looks at how the positions of stars and planets will change over time. This can significantly impact the reading somebody gets from a Vedic astrologist. Because of this, birth charts that follow the Vedic way of thinking are often more complicated and provide different guidance than those produced using Western astrology.
Those who listen to Western astrology will know that much of what it says is about how a person behaves or looks at compatibility between two different star signs. A bit of luckmay factor into the equation when making predictions, but most will be based on personalities. Vedic astrology plays heavily into the Hindu idea of karma and dharma. This is the luck and life path a person is meant to follow. Because of the more specific nature of Vedic astrology, each person has a distinct life path and challenges they’ll face along the way.
Astrology has become increasingly popular over the past few decades, with people taking an interest in how stars and planets might influence their lives. This interest has been demonstrated in various ways, from online horoscopes to dating apps that find your match based on compatible zodiac signsand even themed games or events. Astrology-themed bingo seems to have become something of an underground hit, where players use themed Zodiac cards and choose classic numbersand combinations based on elemental rulership. For example, Fire would be 1-5-9 (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). In Western astrology, the destiny is fixed. It cannot be changed. Well, that’s the theory. In Vedic astrology, the things that will hamper a person in life can be impacted. Many people who follow Vedic astrology will be very ritualistic, and they may wear gemstones to counter some of the bad effects of life (or boost the positive impacts). Western astrology just asks people to be more self-aware about what is happening around them. So, if a person is interested in astrology, the differences between Western and Vedic astrology may be worth investigating. It may be valuable to have a chart produced in both to see how vastly different the results can be.