The Mystery of the Annual Cycle
On the trail of a forgotten secret, hidden in Chinese memory.
Our calendar is the result of a long quest to find the original starting point of the year, a knowledge once likely universal, of which the Chinese seem to be the last guardians.
The Secret of 0° Aquarius
Why does the Olwhyde calendar begin the year when the Sun enters Aquarius? The answer lies at the crossroads of two astrological mysteries, one Western, the other Eastern.
The First Mystery: The “Tilted” Axis of Planetary Domiciles
In traditional astrology, each planet “rules” one or two signs of the zodiac. This is what we call domiciles. This distribution, inherited from the dawn of time, forms a perfectly symmetrical structure around an axis that divides the zodiac into two hemispheres.
This axis connects the signs of Cancer and Leo (ruled by the two luminaries, the Moon and the Sun) to the signs of Capricorn and Aquarius (both ruled by Saturn).
However, a question has always puzzled astrologers: why is this fundamental axis “tilted” in relation to the cardinal cross of solstices and equinoxes? This apparent asymmetry, inherent in the organization of planetary rulerships, had never found a satisfactory explanation. It seemed to be an accepted but not understood peculiarity.
The Second Mystery: The Shift in Chinese Astrology
Parallel to the Western enigma, Chinese tradition offers us another, equally fascinating one. The “Chinese New Year” everyone knows is a movable event based on the lunar calendar: it occurs on the second New Moon after the winter solstice. However, a year is by definition a solar cycle, linked to the Earth's course around the Sun. The Moon cannot define a year.
However, the Chinese also have a lesser-known solar calendar, which serves as the basis for their astrology and Feng Shui. Historically, this solar calendar starts the year around February 4th or 5th, which corresponds to the Sun's entry into the 15th degree of Aquarius. This starting point has always seemed arbitrary and strange.
The puzzle deepens when we observe that their solar months are also shifted by 15 degrees compared to ours. A logical question then arises: what happens if we consider this shift a historical error or manipulation, and “correct” the system by starting each Chinese solar month at 0° of the corresponding tropical sign?
The Revelation: A Key That Opens Both Doors
It is by making this simple correction that light is shed.
By canceling this 15° shift, the Chinese Solar New Year, which corresponds to the beginning of the Tiger sign, finds its natural place: 0° Aquarius.
And suddenly, this date echoes the first mystery. 0° Aquarius is not an insignificant date: it is the exact starting point of the cycle of planetary domiciles. The great cycle that structures the zodiac, from Saturn (Aquarius/Capricorn) to the Luminaries (Leo/Cancer) and back, begins precisely there.
The “tilted” axis is therefore not an anomaly. It is the founding axis of the true astrological annual cycle. Correcting the Chinese enigma gave us the key to the Western mystery.
This is why the Olwhyde calendar anchors the start of its year on this event. It is not an arbitrary choice, but a return to a fundamental astronomical and symbolic starting point, shared by the greatest astrological traditions once their veils are lifted.
The Enigma of the Tetramorph: The Seal of the Ancients
This discovery sheds light on another. For millennia, a mysterious figure has traversed sacred traditions: the Tetramorph (the Bull, the Lion, the Eagle/Scorpio, and the Man/Aquarius). Its origin remains debated.
Yet, the answer lies in the sky. These four creatures are the symbols of the four Fixed signs of the zodiac. The cross formed by these signs is precisely the one highlighted by the cycle of domiciles beginning in Aquarius. The Tetramorph is therefore not a simple allegory; it is the marker, the seal left by the ancients to remind us of the importance of this cross and its true starting point: Aquarius, the true New Year.
An Incomplete Revelation: The Mystery That Remains
The exact astronomical phenomenon that allowed the ancients to detect the importance of this precise moment remains, for us, a mystery to be explored. Its sacralization was then the means to inscribe this knowledge in tradition to transmit it from generation to generation.