An absolute fire of a conversation for me to engage in usually starts with the question: "Have you heard about sidereal astrology?"
I'm not here to address whether astrology is "real" or not (in a universe like ours, how can claims even be made to what's real or not? Human egos, I swear...). But there's no denying that nothing gets my cells dancing like a good ol' conversation about the stars. Okay, actually, now that I think about it... is this a cult-like mentality? Because I swear nothing gets me more excited than sharing what I've learned with the hopes that it will also become a shared belief of yours—or at the very least, something you ponder now and then. Damn, that sounds bad!! LOL. But astrology is so funnnnnn. Join ussss.
Okay, whatever, that's a conversation (and a possible intervention) for another time! Imma just focus on sharing what I've learned about True Sidereal Astrology.
I've noticed that I always claim this activity as "fun" and "our right to whimsy" because I am probably the first to judge myself for being so pumped about astrology. I mean, it is fun, and it can be delusional, and yeah, not all of it is factual. But I think my self-judgment is a result of—yeah, you guessed it—the patriarchy. Magic, the stars, and relating to them have been around for a fucken long-ass time, and I can't help it that I'm so whimsical! But my patriarchally conditioned mind has a hard time co-existing with that sweet, luscious side of me.
Alright, sorry, I'm rambling again. I just want to express to you guys how much I'm judging and doubting myself already just by standing firm in my beliefs. So really, you totally don't have to do that—I got it covered. Just enjoy! Haha.
What is True Sidereal Astrology?
To sum it up real quick, sidereal is basically a different system of measuring where the planets were located in the sky on the exact day you were born. This form of measurement is most commonly used in the East. What the West primarily uses to formulate your birth chart is tropical astrology.
Tropical astrology measures your birth chart by looking at a static calendar that was constructed thousands of years ago by a man. Because it's a static calendar, it doesn't account for the small movements in the planets that have happened—and will continue to happen—over time (since we live in a live, expanding universe, not a static one).
So when someone in America asks you, "What's your sign?" you usually reply, "Well, my birthday is January 10, 1992, so I'm a Capricorn." You got that answer because that's what a static, unchanged calendar says you are. But—and this is where sidereal measuring comes in—if you were to look up at the sky on the exact date you were born on January 10, 1992, you would actually see that the real-life sky shows the Sun was in the constellation of Sagittarius.
If that made no sense, I totally get it. Just check out masteringthezodiac.com (*not sponsored, by the way, wish it was). It goes into greater detail and is much more precise than I am. But essentially, what I'm getting at is that Sidereal Astrology asks you to actually look up at the sky on the day you were born and see what was actively happening with the planets, instead of taking the word of a 2,000-year-old calendar.
Facing the Shadow Self
So, what's the point? It's just fun to learn new things. Although, I have noticed it's not always fun to change the idea you have of yourself.
While I'm not going to argue that sidereal is more accurate or more "real" than tropical astrology, you can't deny that it's a very valid form of measuring your birth chart. At the very least, you should give it a try and stay open to the possibility that a form of measuring the sky that isn't mainstream in the West might be worth contemplating.
Personally, I've noticed that when I share this with friends and family and ask if I can read their sidereal chart, I'm often met with: "As long as I'm any sign besides Cancer, or any sign besides Virgo." The funny thing is, more often than not, their sun sign ends up being the exact sign they so badly didn't want to be associated with! I think this is very telling. As American humans, we see traits in those signs that we reject as negative, but is it possible it's because we secretly know those traits are somewhere in us and we don't want to admit it? Intro to shadow work, guys?!?!?
Let's Deep Dive
Next time you feel like you don't relate to your tropical signs, or you just want to re-invent yourself, or you feel like you need something new to hyperfocus on (literally the three reasons I deep-dived into Sidereal Astrology on a random Tuesday night), just get on the worldwide web and calculate your true sidereal birth chart. Just remember to stay curious and stay open. (I really hope this isn't how Scientology works.)
Or, literally just send me your birth date, time, and location. I'll calculate your chart, make it really cute and easy to read, and then email it to you so you can print it out. Heck, if you wanna be friends and meet up I'll literally even interpret it for you and guide you in the exploration of a different version of who you always believed you were, cuz that shit lights me up! (Okay, should I possibly consider a career as a salesperson?!?)
All that to say, you are more than your birth chart, and human souls are immeasurable!! But while we're here, and while we can learn something new, we might as well deep dive.
More on sidereal astrology in the future. And seriously, message me your birth info—no joke, I'll make a cute birth chart for you.
Until next time!!
🧸 Meet the Author
Chantal is the founder and curator behind Lila Bear, a dreamy, sustainable gift shop dedicated to giving new life to secondhand treasures and celebrating mindful curation. When she isn't yapping on the blog or analyzing social theories, you can find her restoring items and saving teddys from the landfills.
Browse the Lila Bear curation here: https://mylilabear.com/
P.S. I love to yap, so if you have a topic you'd like me to yap and blog about... I'm so there, it's insane (shoutout to the iconic Eunice in She's the Man). Anyways, email meeeeee! Byeee!