Vedic astrology is one of the oldest and purest schools of astrology . It is derived from the same source as Western astrology (although what source that is - India or Babylon - is disputed), and the two systems share most basic concepts such as the signs, planets, and houses, as well as their general interpretive meanings. The fundamental difference between the two lies the measurement of the zodiac.

Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac (the stars are considered to be the fixed background against which the motion of the planets is measured), whereas most Western astrology uses the tropical zodiac (the motion of the planets is measured against the position of the Sun on the Spring equinox).

The most obvious effect of this difference is that about 80% of planets in a Western chart will move to the previous sign in a Vedic reading of the same chart (i.e. if you're  Western Sun sign is Leo, in Vedic your Sun sign is probably Cancer).   Vedic astrology has developed separately from Western astrology for thousands of years, and has evolved a uniquely rich and powerful system of interpretation and prediction. It also incorporates truly Vedic elements not found elsewhere, such as the system of Moon signs (called nakshatras).

The term "Vedic astrology' is itself something of a misnomer, introduced by American astrologers in the 1980s and 1990s. 'Vedic' refers to the Hindu holy texts, known as veda. However, there is very little, if anything, recognizable as astrology in these texts. A more accurate term would be 'Indian astrology' or 'Hindu astrology.' In the end, however, all of these words are English. In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, 'Vedic astrology' is referred to as jyotisha, which means the 'science of light.' Modern Hindi speakers pronounce the same word jyotish - hence the name of this site.