Sunring astrology FAQ
There are many concepts in astrology that can be difficult to grasp. Here are explanations to some of the most common ones.
Click on the question you are interested in to read the answer.
What is the ecliptic?
Every day, no matter where we live on earth, we can see the sun rise in the east, reach its highest point in the south and then set in the west. The sun therefore does not travel randomly across the sky but in a path. This path, or great circle where the sun moves in the sky, is called the ecliptic.
Also the moon and the planets move along the ecliptic. Seen from earth, they also appear to rise in the east, reach their highest point in the south and then descend in the west. The same applies to the twelve constellations that have given their names to all the zodiac signs used in astrology.
Along the same path in the sky that the sun, the moon and the planets move are thus also the constellations Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Sagittarius, Scorpio, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Why all these celestial bodies and constellations appear to rise in the east and descend in the west is because we humans cannot see that far. The further away from us an object is, the lower and closer to the horizon it will appear to be. The closer the object, or celestial body in this context, is in relation to us, the higher it appears to be in the sky.
What is the zodiac?
The zodiac is a division of the ecliptic into twelve zones of 30 degrees each, seen from the equator.
Each zone is named after a constellation of stars that once could be seen in that zone. Over the millennia, the constellations have shifted but astrologers have kept the old names of each zone. They are what we call the zodiac signs (you can read more about the movement of the stars below under “What is the precession of the equinoxes?”).
The twelve zodiac signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Each zone, or sign, of the zodiac describes a unique composition of energies, or electromagnetic frequencies. The energies do not come from the stars themselves but originate from the position of the sun in relation to the earth’s magnetic field as well as from the moon and to a lesser extent the planets. When we were born, we were surrounded by specific energies at that time and place, and they will affect us throughout our lives.
What is the difference between constellations and zodiac signs?
Constellations are groups of stars that have been given different names throughout history. Well-known examples are, for example, Orion and the Big Dipper.
Zodiac signs are the names of twelve zones in the sky that are used in astrology. At the equator, each zone occupies 30 degrees of the sky. The zones are named after constellations that are in the same orbit in the sky where the sun, moon and all the planets move.
What is the ascendant?
The ascendant is the point in the sky that rises on the horizon in the east exactly at a person’s birth. The ascendant is very important in astrology because it describes our personality and how we are perceived by people around us.
Seen from earth, everything revolves around us – the sun, the moon, all the planets and the zodiac signs. They spin about one revolution around us per day. Because of the human perspective, all these celestial bodies and zodiac signs will appear as if they rise in the east, reach their highest point in the south, and then set in the west.
In other words, it is not only the sun that rises in the east, but also the twelve zones of the sky – the zodiac signs – that are used in astrology. The point in the sky due east on the horizon, the ascendant, will be in a certain zodiac sign (or zone of the sky) at a person’s birth. This zodiac sign will leave a strong imprint on the person throughout life. It describes our personality and how we act and function in the world.
What is medium coeli?
Traditionally, medium coeli is considered to be the point of intersection between the ecliptic and the birth meridian, that is, the imaginary line from north to south at the place where a person is born.
This point signifies our highest potential in life, our most mature self and the goal we should strive toward.
From an electromagnetic perspective however, it is not correct to use the point of intersection between the ecliptic and birth meridian when calculating medium coeli. Most astrology software as well as manual calculations of medium coeli thus give the wrong results.
Sunring astrology describes what energies, i.e. what electromagnetic frequencies, that marked a person at birth. Astrology is thus seen as an energy system in which there is perfect symmetry. When all four points in the birth chart (ascendant, medium coeli, descendant, imum coeli) are placed correctly, they form the spokes of a wheel with exactly 90 degrees between each spoke.
In sunring astrology, medium coeli is determined by the ascendant in the birth chart. Medium coeli will always be exactly 90 degrees from the ascendant and mark the point exactly south in a person’s birth chart. With traditional calculations and astrology software, medium coeli almost always ends up in the wrong place.
What is the descendant?
The descendant is the point in the sky that descends on the horizon in the west at a person’s birth.
The descendant describes the part of our personality that we project inward, as opposed to the ascendant which is the part of our personality that we project outward and show to the world.
In our birth chart the descendant will be in a specific zodiac sign. That sign describes the part of our personality that others do not see, except for those closest to us. It can be small eccentricities, emotions or characteristics that appear when we are alone, or with our family and close friends.
What is imum coeli?
Imum coeli is the point in a birth chart that is opposite medium coeli. Imum coeli describes the parts of our personality that we mainly expressed as children and young adults.
From an electromagnetic perspective, medium coeli is often misplaced in conventional astrology and that means that imum coeli also becomes misplaced. Conventional astrology places medium coeli at the intersection of the ecliptic and the birth meridian.
In sunring astrology, medium coeli is always exactly 90 degrees from the ascendant and is the point due south in the birth chart. Consequently, imum coeli is always the point that lies due north in the chart, 270 degrees from the ascendant counted from east to west in a clockwise direction.
What are ephemeris?
Ephemeris are tables that show the position of the sun, moon and planets in relation to the zodiac signs during the year. Traditionally, ephemeris have been published in books spanning many years forward and backward in time.
Nowadays, we do not need to use tables to find out where the sun, moon and planets were, or will be, at a certain point of time. It can be calculated with the help of astrology software.
What is the precession of the equinoxes?
The positions of the stars in the sky move slowly around over the millennia. Before the time of Jesus, for example, it was the constellation of Aries that rose on the horizon in the east on the morning of the vernal equinox. Jesus spoke of a new age that would come and he wore a ring with a fish motif on his finger. What he meant was that there was a slow movement of the stars and that in his time it was instead the constellation of Pisces that had become visible on the horizon in the east on the morning of the vernal equinox.
As many people know, we will now enter the so-called age of Aquarius. That is because we will soon see the constellation of Aquarius rising on the eastern horizon on the morning of the vernal equinox.
One by one, the twelve constellations along the ecliptic succeed each other approximately every 2160 years. After just under 26,000 years, we are back where we started and it is again the same constellation that rises on the horizon in the east on the morning of the vernal equinox. Learn more about it in The origins of astrology.
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