the-astrology-book

Equinox
larly Derek and Julia Parker’s The Compleat Astrologer (first published in the United
States in 1971), propagated the equal house system because it is the easiest system to
use. The increasing popularity of Vedic astrology in the West, in combination with
the new interest in recovering Western tradition astrology, has also helped the older
whole sign house system make a comeback. Most contemporary astrologers who do
not use the equal house system are severely critical of it.
Sources:
Frawley, David. Astrology of the Seers. Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2000.
Gettings, Fred. Dictionary of Astrology. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1985.
Hand, Robert. Whole Sign Houses: The Oldest House System. Reston, VA: Arhat Publications,
2000.
Parker, Derek, and Julia Parker. The Compleat Astrologer. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
Reprint, New York: Bantam, 1975.
EQUATOR
The equator is the imaginary line drawn around Earth (and, by extension, other celestial
bodies), separating it into northern and southern hemispheres. The celestial equator
refers to the circle that results when one imaginarily projects the terrestrial equator
against the background of the fixed stars.
EQUINOCTIAL SIGNS
The equinoctial signs are Aries, which begins on the vernal (spring) equinox, and
Libra, which marks the autumnal equinox.
EQUINOX
The equinoxes (from the Latin for “equal night”) are the two points in the year when
the length of the day is equal to that of the night. These are the vernal (spring)
equinox, which occurs on the first day of spring (on or around March 21), and the
autumnal equinox, which takes place on the first day of fall (on or around September
23). In astronomical terms, the equinoxes occur when Earth reaches a place in its orbit
where, from our point of view, the Sun appears to be situated at the exact intersection
of the celestial equator and the ecliptic. The vernal equinox is especially important for
Western astrologers, who regard the Sun’s position against the backdrop of the stars at
the spring equinox (the vernal point) as the place where the zodiac begins.
Sources:
Filbey, John, and Peter Filbey. The Astrologer’s Companion. Wellingborough, Northamptonshire,
UK: Aquarian Press, 1986.
Tester, Jim. A History of Western Astrology. New York: Ballantine, 1987.
THE ASTROLOGY BOOK
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