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Zodiac and Precession of the Equinoxes
For a proper understanding of astrology, a knowledge of the Zodiac and Precession of the Equinoxes is necessary. In order to learn about the reason behind the precession of the equinoxes, people have to learn about the rotation of earth and astrology. The earth goes through different cycles of rotation, precession and orbit and these cycles specify the time of the day, the year and the age at the same time. It is through the the current position of the precession of earth with the sun to the far away constellations of the Zodiac, that the earth and sun system is presently in a transition stage. Thus it is shifting from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius.
Precession and Zodiac
The axis of the earth is not at all very stable and neither is the planet a perfect sphere. It flattens out at the poles and prominently bulges at the equator. It is due to the gravitational forces of the sun and moon that the earth spins like a top and its rotation is deformed by external force. Now this the cause behind the formation of the earth's precession. According to this axis of the earth itself rotates in a circular motion, which leads to a kind of conical movement centering round the fixed and static pole of the ecliptic. The time taken for a complete and single rotation around this cone is approximately 26000 years. This sort of shift in the earth's axis drives the celestial equator to shift in a way, that the vernal equinox or point of intersection between the ecliptic and it shifts from east to west through the path of the circle of the ecliptic. This means it will move in the direction opposite to the standard zodiac.
The vernal equinox makes one complete revolution through all of the 12 constellations in about 26000 years. Nearly one twelfth of this time or roughly 2160 years are taken to cover one sign of the zodiac. As the constellations do not possess well defined boundaries, one cannot say exactly on which date the vernal equinox will shift from the constellation of Pisces to the constellation of Aquarius or in other words, when the Age of Aquarius will start. It might happen any time between 2100 and 2500 AD.
For astronomers and astrologers the point of reference for measuring the ecliptic is the vernal equinox . It marks the start of the different divisions of the zodiac into 12 equal parts. This is the reason behind the fact that Aries, a segment or part of the zodiac is located where Pisces, the fixed star constellation is. On March 30, the sun is located at about 10° of the astrological division of the ecliptic called Aries, however if people looked up straight into the night sky, they would be able to see the star constellation of Pisces, which is fixed.
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