Difference between Vedic Astrology and Western astrology?

I am new to astrology and just learning. I would like to know what the differences between them are. Is one favoured over the other? any info on the difference between them would be greatly appreciated. and where I can get a vedic chart read. I have had my birth chart made up but I am assuming a vedic one would be different?
Thanks in advance to those that reply!!!

shannonmelissa said:

I am new to astrology and just learning. I would like to know what the differences between them are. Is one favoured over the other? any info on the difference between them would be greatly appreciated. and where I can get a vedic chart read. I have had my birth chart made up but I am assuming a vedic one would be different?
Thanks in advance to those that reply!!!

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As far as I know, both are very different though there may be some superficial similarities. Beginners should try not to mix those two but treat them as separate and thriving systems, each on their own.

As far as I know, in India and among Indians in general, jyotish is preferred by nativities, whereas, in the western hemisphere (and southern branches thereof, culturally-speaking) tropical astrology is preferred.

They have co-existed for a long time and I see no point or reason behind not seeing them continue to co-exist in future, as well. I realize this was not the kind of answer you might have been expecting but that is how I see and feel about the two schools of divinatory crafts based on astrological symbolism! Like eastern and western cuisine. One is neither better than the other, and both can be delicious and so too can astrological cuisine be!

Regards,

Rohiniranjan

Planets and houses and signs, all have similar meanings/indications between the 2 systems (with a few exceptions)

Differences are in the delineative and predictive techniques between the systems, yet we must differentiate when we refer to "Western" astrology, because there are many variations within Western, such as Modernist, Traditionalist and Hellenist approaches.

Perhaps the most significant difference is that the majority of the various Western systems use the Tropical Zodiacal matrix*, while about 99% of jyotish use the Sidereal Zodiacal matrix (although there are some who follow Vedic concepts and practices yet use the Tropical Zodiac of signs-like me!) So, yes, the great majority of Vedic practitioners would recast your natal chart using a precession-corrected adjustment (called an "ayanamsha") and the chart would not be exactly the same as your Western Tropical Zodiac chart.
Another significant difference is the great emphasis given to nakshatras (aka "Lunar Mansions") in Vedic astrology, whereas in the West (with some exceptions) these have not received the same importance as found in Vedic astrology.

(*although a small % of Western practitioners, called "siderealists", use Modernist Western techniques but applied to a sidereal zodiacal matrix)

Thank you for the reply! I am excited to learn the Vedic way as well!!

also is there somewhere I can have a Vedic chart drawn? I would like a comparison of the two in text...

You can draw one yourself at astro.com; on the free chart page, select "Lahiri", which will then use your data entry to draw a sidereal chart (Lahiri is the most commonly used of the ayanamsha's); for house, select either whole sign (which was once universally used in jyotish-and which is the only house format I use) or Equal house (although you could also select prophyry, which is the same as the sripati house system commonly used over the past few hundred years by a majority of jyotish practitioners)

If you want a square chart (there are 3 styles of such charts in common use: South Indian style, North Indian sytle and Eastern Indian style) you would have to have the chart drawn (for free) at such sites as "astrosage" or "mykundal" ("kundal" is the term for a natal chart)...

Ok! Thank you so much for the info, much appreciated!