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Steven Stuckey (Shastrakara das)

began his study of Astrology in 1968. Hestarted teaching classes in both Westernsidereal and Jyotish techniques in 1979 andwas instrumental in the initial introductionof Jyotish in the United States. He currentlyresides in southern Oregon where hecontinues to teach and advise aninternational clientele. He may be reached

by email at: [email protected]

The Vedic Yearly

Chart-New Moon in

Pisces

he Vedic yearly chart isused by astrologers as amundane chart to predict

the yearly outcome of events relatedto the affairs of state of anyparticular city or country andincludes such things as thedisposition of heads of state, theeconomy, education, employment,foreign affairs, geologicalphenomena, and weather patterns.The chart is calculated for the exacttime of the New Moon in siderealPisces that occurs between March15th and April 15th (dates will varyslightly depending on the ayanamsaused).

Western or tropical astrologers usea similar mundane chart forpredicting the years events that isbased on the Suns entrance intozero degrees of Aries. Thisphenomenon always occurs exactly

at the vernal equinox or the firstday of spring on March 20th (in theNorthern Hemisphere). Other

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charts used by tropical astrologers for mundane prediction include lunations(new and full moons), eclipses, solar cardinal ingress charts, planetary ingresscharts and times of important planetary conjunctions. These same charts mayalso be used by sidereal or Vedic astrologers for yearly predictive work, butthe main emphasis for the year is generally placed upon the New Moon in

Pisces chart.

The question naturally arises, why the New Moon in Pisces? Unfortunatelythere doesnt appear to be an answer forthcoming from Jyotish classical textson this subject. However there is a reference in the Brahma Purana and theChaturvargaChintamani ofHemadri (approx 1300 CE), wherein it is stated thatLord Brahma created the universe on the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada or the firstday of the first month of the year. The month of Chaitra occurs generally in

the March/April time frame when the Sun is transiting sidereal Pisces (ortropical Aries), and is regarded by many Hindus as the first month of thelunar calendar year. The Chaitra Shukla Pratipada is celebrated as one of anumber of Indian New Years.

Chaitra is so named due to the fullMoon that will occur in the nakshatra ofChitra (23Vir20-6Lib40) during that month. Shukla refers to the bright half ofthe lunar phase or when the Moon is waxing. Pratipada is the first tithi or 12degrees of the Moon as it separates from the Sun after exact conjunction orNew Moon. Therefore the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada occurs either at the exactNew Moon or as the Moon is separating from conjunction with the Sun andis within the first tithi or 12 degrees from the Sun. Lord Brahma, the creator,is given rulership over this particular tithi.

There are many various New Year dates in use in India due to the necessityfor a civil calendar and because of a wide diversity of cultures. For instancethe Saka New Year is based on the calendar followed by the Government of

India and falls on March 21/22 (obviously coinciding with the springequinox). The Bengali and the Tamil New Years are celebrated around midApril. The Gujarati New Year is celebrated the day after the festival ofDiwali, which occurs in the month of Kartika. Other dates used include theentrance of the Sun into sidereal Aries, sidereal Capricorn and the wintersolstice on Dec 21st. There are many more such dates celebrated in India, evensome that use January 1st.

he timing of the New Year for the first New Moon of spring is notunique to India and was prevalent in many ancient cultures. TheModern Hebrew calendar for instance is based on a more ancient

calendar that began the year with the month of Nissan, when the first thinT


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crescent of the Moon became visible after conjunction with the Sun in thespring. The months of this calendar were all based on the principle ofobserving the first visible New Moon. Since the Moon is not visible when inclose conjunction to the Sun due to combustion, the New Year was generallyheralded when just after sunset, the crescent Moon could be seen setting

behind the Sun, having gained the minimum 12 degrees of separationnecessary in order to be observed. The Babylonians also used the first NewMoon of spring to begin the year.

So essentially there seems to be two possible explanations for the origin of thePisces New Moon chart; one coming from scriptural reference regarding thecreation of the universe and the other from an ancient tradition that began theyear with the first New Moon of spring. In either case, there are some

interesting things to consider about each scenario.If the yearly chart always begins with the first New Moon in the month ofChaitra then we should be aware that eventually, over a period of time, Chaitrawill no longer be connected to the spring. Due to precessional movement ofapproximately 1 degree every 72 years, the equinoctial points are slippinggradually backward along the path of the ecliptic.As these points recede, the date of the Suns entrance into sidereal Pisces willalso change, by entering the sign later in the month as time goes on. As anexample, using Lahiris ayanamsa, the Sun entered sidereal Pisces on March14, 2010. If we calculate a chart for March 14, 3010, a thousand years into thefuture, we will find the Sun at 15 Aquarius. The Sun will not reach Piscesuntil March 29, 3010 and the New Moon in Pisces will not happen until April6th of that year. If we move ahead another thousand years, the Sun will notenter Pisces until April 12, 4010, with the New Moon occurring on April 27 th.

This process will repeat itself until eventually, after 25,800 years (also knownas the great year), Chaitra will have passed through all the months of the year,and the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada will once again coincide with theMarch/April time frame.

ur second scenario, that of beginning the New Year with the firstNew Moon of spring, will also have to go through an adjustment astime moves on. The vernal equinox always occurs on or very close to

March 20th of the present Gregorian calendar. In the Tropical zodiac, which isnon-precession corrected, this point will forever be 0 Aries. However in a

sidereal framework that allows for precession, this same point is graduallymoving backward along the ecliptic.

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