Western Astrology and Jyotish - What’s the Difference?

Both are totally valid. But! Jyotish actually speaks to how I FEEL.

For me, Jyotish has many, many more layers and depths - like the depths of the mind and feelings that we can see from where the moon is located in a chart.

One of the main differences is the system used to calculate the zodiac. Jyotish uses the sidereal zodiac (not tropical), which is based on the positions of the constellations in the sky.

Because the two systems calculate the zodiac differently, your sign in Jyotish may be different from the Sun sign you know from Western astrology.

And yes, this sometimes leads to a moment of: Wait… what? I thought I was a Leo? Well, that was what I said. I still have planets in Leo and so some things make good sense.

But what fascinated me was that it made even more sense that I was a Cancer (A water sign - oh maybe that explains my great love of the water…)!

Jyotish simply offers a different lens through which to understand your life, and for me, many more Aha! moments.

Another important difference: The planetary cycles that unfold throughout our lives. Again - Aha! Looking at these cycles can tell us about some of the specific challenges we are facing and how we might choose to create more harmony. What does the next cycle have in store?

Jyotish is the tradition connected to the yoga path I have practiced for more than 30 years, and it is the lens I use in my work.

As with any meaningful practice, the value is not simply in collecting information. It is a conversation. A conversation with your astrologer, and a conversation with yourself. How might I shift and grow?

That information helps us to understand ourselves, meet life with greater awareness, and make more conscious choices.

And sometimes, looking at ourselves through a different lens helps us see something we may not have noticed before. An answer to a question that we hadn’t even thought to voice.

I would be honored to help you have a look at your life through the lens of Jyotish. You may just say Aha!