General Issues > Eastern Astrology

1. Why don't you offer Eastern types of astrology?
   
   Astrodienst stands in the Western tradition of astrology. We are aware of the fact that in other parts of the world, there are great astrological traditions that differ from ours and are just as valid. The technical, philosophical and cultural differences in astrology vary hugely, depending on where the art is practised.
   
   We have specialised in the Western kind of astrology, and even here there are techniques that we cannot offer. It would be impossible to provide in-depth information on all the different kinds of astrology, be it Vedic, Hindu, Joytish or Chinese - and there are many more ... But there are plenty of Indian or Chinese astrology websites, full of interesting offers based on their respective tradition.
   
   
2. Why do I have a different sun sign in Indian astrology?
   
   The systems of astrology as practised in India and in the West are quite different. This accounts probably for this difference.
   Hindu astrology uses a fixed star based zodiac which was taken over from the Greeks in the Hellenistic times, when Hindu astrology had its main formative period.
   Since then, the spring equinoctial point has moved by nearly a sign, and western astrology, which uses the tropical coordinate system of modern astronomy, has shifted its sun-signs accordingly (see also: Precession and Zodiac). Hindu astrology however sticks to a zodiac of 2000 years back in time. It has developed different traditions of knowledge, also in many other respects.
   Under Free Horoscopes -> Extended Chart Selection, there are options for specialists which allow you to compute a chart also with the Hindu-style zodiac.