The Tropical Zodiac is not based on Seasons
they're siblings, not parent and child
It is very common to hear that the tropical zodiac is based on the seasons, which is incorrect. I find it to be an unfortunate state of affairs that this misconception is so prevalent, so I would like to remedy the situation.
The tropical zodiac is not based on the seasons because that would mean that the seasons give rise to the zodiac, which is not how it works. However, seasons and the tropical zodiac do have a relationship: they are siblings. Who are their parents? Their parents are the equinoxes and the solstices. That is, their parents are the fact that the daily path of the Sun around the Earth changes over the course of the year.
(Yes, I believe the Earth is the center of the universe! Just kidding, I know the Earth revolves around the Sun, so really I should say that the parent of the seasons and the zodiac is the fact that the Earth is tilted on its axis. But, we are doing astrology, which is about life on Earth, therefore we will be considering this geocentrically.)
The main difference between the two is that the tropical zodiac is invariant: it is the same for everyone on Earth at every time. The seasons, however, are very different at different places on Earth, even at the same time, even in the same hemisphere.
If the tropical zodiac is based on seasons, and Aries represents spring while Libra represents autumn, then we have to flip this when we go to the southern hemisphere, so that what is Aries/spring in the north will be Libra/autumn in the south. But this is not how the tropical zodiac works.
The tropical zodiac is defined by the apparent path of the Sun around the Earth. For half of the year, the Sun is north of the equator, in both hemispheres, and for half the year the Sun is south of the equator, in both hemispheres. The point where the Sun rises over the equator is called the ascending equinox, and the point where the Sun falls below the equator is called the descending equinox.1
Likewise, the northern solstice is where the Sun is most north of the equator, and the southern solstice is where the Sun is most south of the equator. For every place on earth, at the same time.
This movement defines the tropical zodiac and it is the same for everyone on Earth at all times. I will demonstrate, using the planetarium software Stellarium. If you doubt this, you should simply experience it for yourself, which is really the best way to learn anyhow.
Here are the date and times for the equinoxes and solstices in the year 2024 (found here):
Southern Solstice: 12/21/2024 09:20:24 UTC
Descending Equinox: 09/22/2024 12:43:42 UTC
Northern Solstice: 06/20/2024 20:50:53 UTC
Ascending Equinox: 03/20/2024 03:06:34 UTC
When I first published this post, the images I used were at these exact times, but some of the photos were hard to understand, so I have updated them photos that display what I am trying to convey more easily. The times in the photos are close to but not exactly at these times.
We will look at the position of the Sun at these four times at three different places on Earth: Washington, D.C. for the northern hemisphere, Quito, Ecuador, essentially on the equator, and Temuco, Chile, for the southern hemisphere; Temuco is at about the same southern latitude as Washington, D.C. is at northern latitude.
An explanation of what is visible in the images: the Sun is the really bright light. The yellow line is the ecliptic, the path of the Sun around the Earth. The blue line is the equator — this means that if we took the equator and extended it into to space, this is where you would see that line if you were standing at these locations. The directions are marked as red letters.
Here is the southern solstice in the three locations.
Let us consider these images. Take a look at Washington, and then take a look at Temuco. The first reaction might be to say: in Washington, the Sun is below the equator, and in Temuco, the Sun is above the equator. This is clearly true. Consider, however, that above and below are subjective terms, that is, they are based on the actual spot you are in. And this is in fact how the cycle of the Sun creates the seasons: in Washington, the Sun is very low on the horizon at the same time it is very high in the sky in Temuco; winter in Washington, summer in Temuco. However, if you look closely at the directions, you’ll notice that in Washington we are facing south, and in Temuco we are facing north. In both locations, the Sun is south of the equator. This is the fact that creates the tropical zodiac. The beginning of Capricorn is the point where the Sun is most south of the equator. It is called cardinal because is makes one of cardinal points of the Sun’s path around the Earth. It is called dynamic because after that point the Sun starts rapidly heading north.
The ascending equinox:
Notice that the Sun is at the point of intersection of the ecliptic and the equator, which is what defines the equinoxes.
The northern solstice:
(I didn’t include the descending equinox because visually it looks very similar to the ascending equinox.)
At the height of summer in the northern hemisphere, which is the height of winter in the southern hemisphere, the Sun is nevertheless at its northern most point relative to the equator, and that is the basis of the tropical zodiac, not the season that is occurring at any certain place at that time.
To make the tropical zodiac we consider the ascending equinox to be the start of the Sun’s cycle, and call it Aries. The northern most point is called Cancer, the descending equinox Libra, and the southern most point is Capricorn. These spaces between each of these is divided into three equal segments of 30 degrees each, and that is what defines the tropical zodiac, which is the same for everyone at every place on the Earth.
Is it wrong to use seasons with the tropical zodiac?
I hope that I have demonstrated that the tropical zodiac and the seasons are siblings: they are created by the same phenomenon, the equinoxes and the solstices, but they are significantly different. The tropical zodiac is invariant, the same for everyone on Earth, whereas the seasons are very much a product of our specific location.
I understand that there is a logic to relating the zodiac and the seasons. Especially in the northern hemisphere, in places with four distinct seasons, I understand how it makes sense. I certainly don’t want to say that it is wrong; ultimately, I don’t believe the point of astrology is to be wrong or right, but to be helpful and useful.
I can imagine someone very in tune with nature who has created a map for themselves relating the seasons and zodiac signs, and I don’t believe that is wrong. However, their map will be specific to their place, and will work best for other people that have a similar connection to place.
I believe that seasons undoubtedly have an impact on us, however, I choose to keep them separate from the zodiac, because I believe the tropical zodiac is best used as a common human construct, which it cannot be if we deeply intertwine it with certain place-based seasons.
To add to the confusion, it is true that there is a northern hemisphere bias, so even people that understand what I am saying will say “spring equinox”, when they should really say “ascending equinox”.
I should have read this before I finished my Comments on your later article. You have essentially outlined why I prefer not to use Tropical Signs in general, given i am in the Southern Hemisphere. You might be right in saying that the Tropical Signs are independent of the seasons and are consistent across our Realm. But that's not what I seem to hear from mots Tropical Astrologers: the Signs and their characteristics are directly informed by the stage of the Sun in its cycle based on the Northern Hemisphere seasons.
So: is my Leo Stellium actually a Leo Stellium, symbolised as such with the Sun near the peak of its power, or am I an Aquarius because I was actually born downunder during the peak of Winter? I would like to think you are right, but if I am being logically consistent based on what I have been told by Tropical Astrology, I would actually have an Aquarius Stellium (which I am completely fine with anyway, and another reason why I basically CBF with Tropical outside of Mundane Astrology).