Explaining the Calendar and changes proposed

Now that I’ve shown you the model, the precession movements, and the lengths of years and days, there’s one factor I’d like to explain in more detail: the calendar. The way it’s currently structured can make things unnecessarily complicated. For that reason, I’ll also propose changes to better align the calendar with natural cycles.

Four Type of Calendars

Although it might be obvious to some of you, I still like to start with what a Calendar actually is. This is what I found on the internet:

"A calendar is a tool that measures, divides, and organizes the continuous flow of time into recurring, structured periods. The smallest unit it measures is the ‘day,’ while the largest is the ‘year’ — both of which are defined by the calendar itself. The primary purpose of any calendar is to identify points in time, track durations, and organize the passage of time into distinct yet cyclical intervals. Calendars, whether ancient or modern, are ultimately rooted in astronomy. They develop from observing and recording the constant motions and interactions of the Earth, Sun, Moon, and stars.”

All ancient calendars originated from careful observations of the Sun, Moon, and stars, transforming these celestial patterns into numerical measurements. Through this process, early astronomers identified three natural units of time:

• The solar day – from sunrise to sunrise (or sunset to sunset).
• The lunar month – from new moon to new moon (or full moon to full moon).
• The tropical (solar) year – from summer solstice to summer solstice (or March equinox to March equinox).

It's important to note that calendars can therefore only be designed for one of four distinct purposes, which cannot be combined—you have to choose.

1. Fix the Sun’s Position as seen from Earth on a Specific Date

   This is known as a (Solar calendar (opens in a new tab)).

   So March Equinox (the day length of 12 hours day, 12 hours night)) or Summer Solstice (Sun highest in the sky) fixed on a date.

   As a result the background stars will move across time and the moon phases are not in line with the months.

2. Keep the moon cycle as observed on Earth fixed on a specific cycle

   This is known as a Lunar calendar (opens in a new tab).

   A lunar calendar follows the phases of the Moon (e.g. from new moon to new moon). If you follow such calendar, the solstices and therefore the experienced seasons will move across time. Additionally the background stars will move across time as well.

3. Combine Lunar and Solar Alignments

   This is known as a (Lunisolar calendar (opens in a new tab))

   A lunisolar calendar primarily follows the lunar cycle but occasionally adds an extra month to realign the months with the seasons. This adjustment keeps the calendar somewhat aligned with the solar year, but over time, the background stars continue to drift.

   One major drawback is that the length of the year fluctuates, making some years longer than others—complicating long-term planning.

4. Fix the Position of the Stars on a Specific Date

   This is referred to as a stellar or star calendar.

   In this type of calendar, a specific date (such as March 21) is linked to a constellation—for example, Pisces.

   Although I haven’t found historical references to such a “sidereal year” calendar, it’s theoretically possible. If you follow such calendar, the solstices and therefore the experienced seasons will move across time AND the moon cycles also do not play any role. Additionally because the length of year is based upon a MEAN Sidereal day, there could be some small fluctuations. That could all be even more confusing.

Western civilization chose to create a calendar that keeps the March equinox fixed on March 21. The calendar we use today — the “Gregorian calendar” — is therefore classified as a “solar calendar”. This design inevitably causes the background stars to shift over time.

NOTE: It’s important to understand that only one equinox or solstice can remain fixed. By anchoring the March equinox to a specific date, the September equinox, June solstice, and December solstice will gradually shift. This shift occurs due to the combined effects of the precession of the equinoxes and the precession of the perihelion. It also explains why the average length of the solar year measured from the June solstice differs slightly from that measured from the December solstice.

The J2000 values for the length of a solar year are:

• March Equinox 365.242 374 04 + 0.000 000 103 38 x a days
• June Solstice 365.241 626 03 + 0.000 000 006 50 x a days
• September Equinox 365.242 017 67 - 0.000 000 231 50 x a days
• December Solstice 365.242 740 49 - 0.000 000 124 46 x a days (9)

The average from the above periods is currently ~365.2421896 days

As observed, the lengths of the seasons are not equal, causing the duration of the solar year measured at the March equinox to be slightly longer than the average solar year. This occurs because Earth's position in its orbit during solstices and equinoxes shifts gradually each year—a process that takes approximately 19,110 years to complete one full cycle.

NOTE: The Analemma effect introduces a slight variation in the balance of day and night on March 21 at 12:00 UTC. This shift is driven by the precession of the perihelion and changes in Earth's axial tilt, which alter the eccentricity of the Sun’s apparent orbit around Earth. For more details, see the For more information see the Equation of Time section of Wikipedia. I also reference the Analemma in Chapter 16 on Predictions.

On the March equinox, this effect creates a difference of 7 minutes, resulting in a right ascension (RA) of 23h53m at 12:00 UTC on March 21, instead of the expected 0h.

Solar Calendar attempts

Now that we have a better understanding of the solar calendar's purpose, let’s examine the three major attempts to design solar calendars aimed at keeping the March equinox fixed on a specific date (March 21 at 12:00 UTC, as established in 325 AD).

While many earlier calendars were developed, most are poorly documented and open to interpretation. To stay focused, I will only cover the three most significant solar calendar systems.

1. The Julian calendar (opens in a new tab)

   The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC to honour Julius Caesar, who brought stability to the Roman Empire.

   The calendar began with an initial extended year of 445 days (known as the annus confusionis) to realign the equinox on the 25th of March. Despite this adjustment, the official start of the year remained January 1, a tradition maintained for historical reasons, particularly to coincide with the start of the consular year (opens in a new tab).

   To keep the equinox fixed on March 25, astronomers calculated that one year contained 365.25 days. Under this system, a normal year consisted of 365 days, with an extra day added every four years (leap year).

   However, this calculation was slightly inaccurate, causing the equinox to drift backward over time. By the year 325 AD, the equinox had shifted to approximately March 21.

   Interesting Fact: The reason Easter is linked to March 21 originates from the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD (opens in a new tab). This council set the rule that Easter would fall “On the Sunday which follows the 14th day of the Moon which reaches this age on 21 March or immediately after that ” (e.g. Levy, 1974, La date de Paques, in Annuaire du Bureau des Longitudes, Paris). This firmly established March 21 as a reference point for the equinox.

   For more details about the alignment with March 21, check out this resource.

2. The Gregorian calendar (opens in a new tab)

   Since March 21 was essential to the Christian Church for calculating the date of Easter — and by the 16th century clearly visible was no longer aligned with the March equinox — the Gregorian calendar was introduced in 1582 AD by Pope Gregory XIII, head of the Roman Catholic Church.

   To correct the drift caused by inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, 10 days were removed from the calendar in October. As a result, Thursday, October 4, 1582, was immediately followed by Friday, October 15, 1582. A period sometimes referred to as the “10 days of darkness”.

   Despite this adjustment, several key elements were retained:

   • The year still began on January 1.
   • The March equinox was fixed to March 21.
   • The average year length was recalculated to 365.2524 days by refining the leap year pattern.

   NOTE: The Gregorian calendar was not adopted worldwide at once. Different regions transitioned to the new system at different times, which can sometimes cause confusion when interpreting historical dates. To accurately determine the modern equivalent of an event from that era, it is important to know where the event took place and whether that location had adopted the Gregorian calendar by that time.

3. The Revised Julian calendar (opens in a new tab)

   The Revised Julian calendar was introduced in 1923 AD. Although not widely known, it is currently the most accurate calendar for keeping the March equinox fixed on March 21, ensuring equal day and night (12 hours each).

   This calendar was co-designed by Milutin Milankovitch, the renowned scientist behind the Milankovitch cycles (discussed in the appendix).

   Despite its accuracy, only a few Orthodox countries have adopted the Revised Julian calendar. While it is not yet in widespread use, I believe it represents the most correct approach to aligning our calendar with natural cycles.

Proposals

To help everyone better understand how the calendar works, how Earth moves through time, and to encourage living in harmony with the natural cycles of the seasons, I have five proposals

1. Use months as reference for naming solstices/ equinoxes

   The current terms are confusing for those that live in the southern hemisphere. So let’s rename the Vernal equinox to March equinox, summer solstice to June Solstice, etc.

2. Replace the Gregorian calendar with the Revised Julian calendar

   To keep the March equinox consistently aligned with March 21 over long periods, it is necessary to transition from the Gregorian calendar to the Revised Julian calendar, which includes 128 leap days every 900 years.

   NOTE: Over extremely long periods, the equinox may drift slightly forward or backward from March 21. However, it will always return to this date as part of its natural cycle. This variation occurs due to Earth's movement along its Earth Axial Precession Orbit (EAPO) around the CENTER, as well as the Sun’s motion around the HELION POINT, which orbits the CENTER in the opposite direction.

3. Agree year 2029 AD will be followed by PERIHELION YEAR (PY) 10,339 / 19,110

   Our current calendar marks the start of the year count from an event chosen approximately 2,000 years ago. This choice, while significant to many, is ultimately arbitrary.

   Since the universe operates on a grand repeating cycle of 305,760 years, we have the flexibility to redefine the starting point for our calendar. I propose that we set year 0 to correspond with the most recent alignment of perihelion and June solstice, which occurred on December 28, 8309 BC. By this system, the year 8309 BC would become year 0.

   For example, under this model, the year 2030 AD would be referred to as PERIHELION YEAR (PY) 10,339 / 19,110.

   The preference to link it to the duration of 19,110 years because the eccentricity and therefore length of years follows this same cycle AND to show the connection to the moving apsides of Earth to be able to add the leap days.

   This system would allow us to track the durations of years and days, creating a valuable record for future generations during the next 19,110-year cycle.

   I acknowledge that such changes are never easy. However, in the long term, this shift could help humanity better understand and appreciate our place within the cosmos.

   

4. Change the start of the year from current 1 January to current 21 December

   I propose we realign the calendar with the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere) and the summer solstice (in the Southern Hemisphere), instead of anchoring it to the March equinox. Additionally, the solstices and equinoxes should align with the first day of the month.

   By doing this, all solstices and equinoxes would consistently fall on the first day of a month. Over long periods, the New Year would once again coincide with the winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere), celebrating the seasonal shift, reflecting the original essence of New Year’s celebrations.

   To achieve this, we would need to remove 11 days from the calendar. For example, Thursday, December 20, 2029, would be immediately followed by Friday, January 1, 10,339 / 19,110 PERIHELION YEAR (PY). This adjustment reconnects January 1 with the solstice.

   Let’s call this shift: 11 Days of Light!

   

5. Change the length of the months to reflect the Perihelion precession cycle

   We need to equalize the length of months once again, while accounting for the fact that season lengths shift over time due to perihelion precession.

   Currently, leap day is added as February 29, but this placement does not reflect the ongoing shift in Earth's orbit. To adapt to the changing lengths of seasons over the 19,110-year cycle, the leap day should become flexible.

   Since aphelion (Earth’s farthest point from the Sun) currently occurs on July 4, the leap day should eventually shift to July to better align with the evolving solar year.

   Please have a look at the Excel in the TAB “Chapter 18” for the proposed calendar.

   The reason why I propose this change is to remind us how wonderful life is, we should celebrate nature and we could achieve way more as humanity. Life is a cycle. All is repeating. The universe is and ever was.

Additional information: Astrology

While digging into the origins of the calendar, I ended up stumbling across astrology. It’s always fun to imagine how our ancestors might have seen and made sense of the universe. I thought I’d share a few cool observations with you.

To help remember the stars, ancient astronomers grouped them into constellations, kind of like cosmic connect-the-dots. These shapes represented everything from people and animals to random objects. Some well-known ones include:

• Orion, the Hunter.
• Cassiopeia, the queen and mother of Andromeda.
• Taurus, the Bull.
• Cygnus, the Swan.
• Lyra, the Lyre (basically a fancy harp) These star patterns weren’t just for navigation. They were part of stories that helped connect people to the sky and the mysteries of the universe

1. Why does the sign of Pisces starts astronomically on 21 march but we call it Aries?

   According to mainstream science, the origin of western astrology started with Babylonian astrology around 2000 BC (opens in a new tab).

   Since humanity decided to stick with a solar calendar, Earth's axial precession has slowly shifted the zodiac signs over time. As a result, the meanings behind the original zodiac signs are no longer accurate.

   Most people who haven’t dug into the topic assume they “are a certain zodiac sign,” but the truth is, many of them are actually one sign earlier. So, if you thought you were a proud Leo... surprise! You’re probably more of a Cancer type☺

2. Why there are 12 signs and not - for instance - 9?

   We can only guess why there are exactly 12 zodiac signs, but it’s likely that our ancestors noticed the four seasons repeating throughout the year. If you were a farmer back then, knowing when to harvest your crops was essential. To keep track, you’d need to divide each season into smaller parts, naturally landing on multiples of 4. Our ancestors chose 12.

   More recently, NASA (opens in a new tab) suggested adding Ophiuchus as a 13th zodiac sign. But honestly, that feels a bit arbitrary. It all depends on where the lines of the zodiac are drawn. I say let’s just stick with the 12 we know and love.

3. What’s the origin of Fire, water, earth and air?

   The four elements (opens in a new tab) seem closely tied to the four seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, it could make sense to associate winter with air, spring with fire, summer with earth, and autumn with water. This concept also appears in systems like the medicine wheel (opens in a new tab).

   However, since the seasons are reversed between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, this division doesn’t fully align worldwide. The only logical solution would be to create two cycles of the four elements, one for each hemisphere.

   While the origins of this system may have been rooted in seasonal changes, living in a world where the seasons run opposite to each other on different sides of the equator means the concept no longer serves much practical purpose.

4. What is the origin of Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed zodiac signs?

   The three qualities (opens in a new tab) seem to reflect different stages within the four seasons: increasing, fixed, and decreasing.

   These qualities likely originated from observing the changing months within each season. And unlike some older systems, this one still feels relevant and useful today!

In this chapter, I’ve tried to highlight the consequences of the historical choices we've made regarding our calendars. Despite advancements, we have yet to adopt the best possible version. The main reason? It’s hard. Sticking with the current system is simply easier.

But here’s a call to action: let’s aim higher. It’s time to put the best calendar in place and restore our connection to the natural cycles that shape our world.