Pam Carruthers - The Birthday Oracle

A note on the Precession of the Equinoxes

The precession of the equinoxes is an astronomical phenomenon that refers to slight shifts in the Earth's axial rotation, which means that over the years it has become out of sync with the position of the Sun and the constellations as they appeared in the sky in the first millennium BC.

Due to this phenomenon, the Sun no longer rises in the constellation of Aries at the vernal equinox around 20 March, and the Sun's journey through the other signs of the zodiac no longer aligns with the same months of the year as it used to in Aries and Libra at the spring and autumn equinoxes, or Cancer and Capricorn at the winter and summer solstices.

Western astrology tends not to take the precession of the equinoxes into account, and the tropical zodiac, as it has become known, continues to use the original division of the zodiac signs beginning with 0 Aries at the vernal equinox around 21 March. This is mainly because the Greek philosophers, such as Ptolemy, shaped the way we practise astrology today, and modern Western astrologers appreciate the practical simplicity as well as the symbolic value of this original system.

Vedic astrology tends to use the sidereal zodiac, which takes the precession into consideration and uses the actual positions of the signs as they appear in the sky.

At the moment there is about 24 difference between the tropical and the sidereal zodiacs, so that 0 Aries in the tropical zodiac is actually around 6 Pisces in the sidereal zodiac. In real terms this means that a Western (tropical) birth chart for a person born on, or around, 20 March would show the Sun in Aries, but a Vedic (sidereal) birth chart would show the Sun in Pisces, and the whole chart would be moved back by 24.

Many critics of astrology cite this as one of the shortcomings of astrological theory how can both tropical and sidereal zodiacs be correct? However, this is just one of the many differences between the various branches of astrology, and even though each system uses different criteria, they are thought to have their own integrity, and each system is found to work. For the purpose of this book, we will be using the tropical zodiac, as commonly used in Western astrology.

This edition published in 2011 by Arcturus Publishing Limited
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ISBN: 978-1-84858-513-3
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H ave you ever wondered why we all have different characteristics and why the planets and celestial bodies have an effect on us? An astrologer uses the position of the planets to create a horoscope an interpretation of the way ahead for a certain person. They use this information as a tool to try and understand who we are, where we are going, and why we do certain things at certain times of the year.

The Birthday Oracle is broken down into the 365 days of the year, and as you read through these you will notice that a pattern of qualities starts to appear. You will not only learn a lot about yourself, but also the characteristics of many of your colleagues, friends and family. Hopefully, it will all start to make sense and explain why you may get on with one star sign better than another as you learn how the signs interact with one another. Your star sign will fall into one of twelve Zodiac signs Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Each of these signs is governed by a planet or planets, whose position in the birth charts provides clues as to how we should best channel their energy to our advantage.

	SUN The Sun tells us about the fundamental essence of a person and their inner self.
	MOON This planet represents our feelings and emotions and also has an effect on our general body rhythms and our ability to cope with change.
	MERCURY Mercury is the planet that controls our common sense, our ability to learn and our sense of reason.
	VENUS Venus governs our enjoyment of pleasure, our libido and general aesthetic awareness of beauty.
	MARS Mars represents our energy and drive; it also signifies courage and our readiness for action.
	JUPITER Jupiter gives us our sense of justice and also our optimism.
	SATURN Saturn rules our conscience and governs the way we choose to live. It can also tell us about our powers of endurance and ability to concentrate.
	URANUS Uranus gives us our intuition and our insights into anything new or unusual.
	NEPTUNE Neptune governs our supersensory perception and opens doors to mystical experiences.
	PLUTO Pluto governs our regenerative powers and also controls the cycles of birth and death.

Tarot and astrology have always been closely linked. So what exactly is tarot? The Tarot is a deck of cards that is believed to have originated over 500 years ago in northern Italy. The art of tarot has always been shrouded in mystery and controversy, but there will always be something irresistible in the notion of shuffling a pack of cards and having your destiny laid out in front of you.

Many people regard tarot-reading as a so-called 'dark art' and are not comfortable with its use, while to some it is a magical way of unlocking the future.

A typical tarot deck is comprised of 78 cards, which are split into two different tiers. The Minor Arcana are split into four suits swords, staves, cups and coins (also known as disks or pentacles), corresponding loosely to the hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs in a modern deck of playing cards. The Major Arcana were apparently added later and number 22 cards in total including the Fool the tarot equivalent of the joker card. The Major Arcana are the most powerful cards in the tarot deck. They tell the story of a journey through space and time with the Fool as the central character, representing the new-born infant or the basic human element in all of us. It is the cards of the Major Arcana that can be successfully used in conjunction with numerology and astrology to unlock the secrets of our inner selves. Here is a description of each card in the Major Arcana as it relates to your astrological profile: