Sidereal or tropical zodiac?

[jim hebert]

Hi:

I am new at this. In regards to planting using the moon and the constellations, should I use the tropical zodiac or the sidereal? If I'm not mistaken, the moon differs by as much as a whole month depending which is used. Why is the difference in the 2 systems?

[Mark]

That is a good question. Glen Atkinson writes about this various zodiacs and Nick Kollerstrom's upcoming book Farmer's Moon also does. You can look at this page to discuss it bit further: http://considera.org/pbtsplanttime.html

One of the reasons for this site is to nail this question as there are those who swear by each system and the main BD work is with the constellations which is different again.

If we get enough results perhaps we'll know which one the plants do listen to...

[captaindot]

According to my observations with thirty of experience, I concur with the conclusions of Maria Thun and my former mentor, Wolf Storl that the gardener stands with his feet place firmly on the ground and looks into the sky for the indications. Thus the siderial calender would be the more accurate.

[jim hebert]

It seems the most logical. You have a webpage on Maria Thun and your former mentor, Wolf Storl? I like to read as much as I can.

[captaindot]

It seems the most logical. You have a webpage on Maria Thun and your former mentor, Wolf Storl? I like to read as much as I can.

Hopefully I will have some info there eventualy. Really don't have much time for bloggin lately between gordening and working. Wolf moved to Germany many years ago. America was a strain on his spirit. we were good freinds but have lost touch lo these many years. All I know about Maria Thun is what I have read. Wolf does have a website but it is in German. http://www.storl.de/

When I met him he was teaching a home gardening course Rogue Community College in Grants Pass, Oregon and I was involved with a flegling Waldorf School. When he came around to moon sign planting in his course he used to lose about half the class. :) People were a little less tolerent of alternative thinking at that time.

You have a great website here by the way and I hope to be able to explore it in detail and jump into the forums with both feet.

[captaindot]

I have to amend my answer. Since the sidereal charts use even divisions of 30 degrees for each sign sidereal is not the correct answer. Since the constellations are not exactly 30 degrees wide we should use the observable data.

[jim hebert]

Know of any good site that gives past, present, and future observable data on actual size, etc of constellations?

[Mark]

There is one good site - check it out here.

[jim hebert]

Thanks Mark. One more question. I'de like to find a site that displays a chart or could be a software, or anything that gives the dates of the lunar nodal crossings. That is when the moon crosses the ecliptic of the sun twice each month if I recall.

[yogazeal]

Hello,
I joined recently and have a blog that may help to show the power of the Calendar. Specifically, we can confidently measure rains, and compare the with the Cusps and Constellations. If we get response from a wide geographic area, let's say half of the www, we will have a huge measure of the Calendar.

As you can see at - http://biodynamicjournal.wordpress.com/page/2/

So far, I have a few theories, and it will take more response from people that study the BD Calendar and the Weather. Unfortunately, those tend to be the BD farmers, precisely the people LEAST likely to spend time on the internet. Please join in to help!

Zack

[Mark]

Good work Zack

I certainly appreciate what you say about busy farmers and their net time. I was disappointed about this but not half as much as I would have been if I had dragged them in from the farms.

Do you know of Doc Weather - Dennis Klocek ? He has been working with a different system for weather patterns which I remember to use astrocartography and chordal laws. His primary work is in the USA and he has a colleague looking at the patterns in Europe. I have alerted the latter to your site and he was interested. Let us know how things progress.

[rr5209806]

While classical tropical astrology is based on the orientation of the Earth relative to the Sun and planets of the solar system, sidereal astrology deals with the position of the Earth relative to both of these as well as the stars of the celestial sphere.