Vedic Astrology - A Divine Science

[Guest guest]

Dear Lalit, An interesting article touching on some of the aspects that I spoke about in my mail (8th house also rules dissolution) Regards, aavesh With Best Wishes, aavesh

Unlimited freedom, unlimited storage. Get it now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author : Yildiz Sethi

Vedic astrology is ancient Indian astrology referred to as Jyotish in India. This is an all encompassing system of astrology that is both practical and spiritual in nature, which grew out of the Vedic era in India along with Yoga and Ayurveda between 5,000-10,000 years BC. Vedic astrology is said to be the Eye of the Vedas, as it is Higher knowledge, passed onto us from the Sages of that golden creative period of Indian history, to help illuminate our life and purpose. The ancient peoples of that time were asking the same questions that we are now, about the purpose and meaning of their existence and looking for meaningful answers.

The Vedic era was an experimental and inquisitive period of history, where earthly Life was seen very much as part of the creation process in the universe. The great Sages of that time took a Holistic view of our place in the universe and realized that being part of the cosmos, we are effected by the movement of cosmic bodies (planets) around, the earth. Through a long period of research and observation of astronomy and its effects on daily life, the science of astrology was born, way back in the mists of time.

Traditionally Vedic astrology has been part of the Higher knowledge of the Brahmin priestly class, where it has been used to guide men and women in their daily lives. Though ancient, it is still very much alive and like Yoga and Ayurveda is becoming understood and popular to modern Western culture in helping us find meaning, purpose and balance in our lives.

Reincarnation

Vedic astrology and Eastern culture generally, believe that we are in a cycle of rebirth. The belief is that at some point in our creation as Human Beings, we broke away from our spiritual roots when we came down into earthly life and fell into the state of Maya. Maya is a veil of illusion. Through the state of Maya, only the realms of the purely physical and sensual seem real. Over many lifetimes of rebirth, we chase dreams and desires and experience many different situations, until we eventually realize that true lasting happiness is in fact illusive in these purely physical realms. Everything dies, withers and changes, so that even if we do find moments of fleeting happiness and success, it cannot be maintained., After many life-times of goal- chasing, eventually disillusionment of the material world begins to take root and we start to look for alternative ways to find true happiness and satisfaction, the veil of Maya starts to lift. This leads to the beginning of our inner journey and the search for true peace and lasting happiness and results in a reconnection to the spiritual realms from which we came. This leads to letting go of worldly desire and coming out of the darkness of Maya and onto the path of enlightenment, in order to reach the blissful state of Nirvana and the ultimate goal of reincarnation.

The Purpose of this Life

In addition to an analysis of the astrology chart according to Vedic principles, the houses of the chart can be divided into four main groups. Dharma, Artha, Kama, Moksha. An analysis of these can give vital insight into the main purpose in life for a particular person.

Dharmais duty and responsibility. Those of you with several planets in Dharma houses in your Vedic astrology chart, will feel a strong sense of duty and responsibility to your family, colleagues and society.

Those of you with no planets in these houses will not feel the same sense of duty.

Arthais wealth. Those of you with several planets in artha houses of your chart will feel a strong need to make money. You could be an aspiring entrepreneur, whether you are working in small or big business. Your main motivation is to create a strong material base. This is a necessary part of your evolutionary process as you feel that financial security will ensure your happiness. It is certainly true that having ample food etc is more comfortable than going hungry.

Those of you with few or no planets in artha houses will have little interest in making money.

Kama (This is not Karma)is desire. Those of you with many planets in the kama houses of your chart will have a high desire nature. You will want lots of excitement and enjoyment in your life. You will be the adventurers and risk takers in life.

Having few planets in these houses will mean that you are not driven by sensory desires, or the need for great excitement.

Mokshais enlightenment. Those of you with many planets in Moksha houses will be strongly focused on non-worldly matters or may experience physical confinement at some stage of their life. You may be interested in looking at subconscious or spiritual knowledge and experiences. Although this arrangement of planets is good for spiritual quests, you may be quite unfocused on worldly and practical matters.

Having few or no planets in these houses will mean that even though you might still have a sense of religion or spirituality, Moksha will not be your primary goal in this life.

 

As Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are all strong driving forces in each of our lives, we will all have a unique combination of these according to our karma, giving each of our lives a particular slant, as far as Life Purpose is concerned. In the Vedic system these specific groups should be looked at without judgement, as all of us at some stage of our development in the rebirth cycle will need to experience each area fully, before we are ready to focus more fully on the final Moksha stage.

Therefore each of the stages have merit in their own right in the Vedic system and in Indian culture.

 

Dharma. It is good to be dutiful to family and society. Artha. It is good to provide finance and security for yourself and your family and enjoy the comforts that money can buy. Kama. It is good to enjoy what you are doing and to have goals and ambitions. Moksha. It is good to let go of desires and attachments and reconnect with your Maker.

Most of us will experience a combination of these qualities in life, some being more accentuated at particular periods in life. For example, you may be aware of desires and ambitions continually in your life, even though they may be constantly changing. From the Indian perspective most people's lives go something like this.

Kama to the forefront in youthBeing a student, setting your goals and aspirations and launching into a career. Falling in love and having a family.

Dharma to the forefrontYoung adult to midlife. Feeling a duty towards your family and looking after them as best you can.

Artha to the forefrontMidlife. Working hard to provided everything you need for your families financial stability.

Moksha to the forefrontThe last stage of life. Free of family commitments, you can spend time in memories, reliving emotions and perhaps embarking on a more philosophical or spiritual life.

Karma

During our lives of chasing goals and desires, our creative powers radiate into the cosmos and eventually come back to us as Karma. This is because of Newtons Law that "wherever there is an action there is a reaction" and also because we are all interconnected at subtle levels in the universe. Our actions cause ripples in the cosmos that ripple outwards and eventually come back to us. Karma means "action" and are "thoughts", "words" or "physical action".

Over many life-times, we create a great deal of karma that is both positive and negative in all areas of life. According to Vedic philosophy, at death we assess our total karmas from many incarnations and decide what it is we need to experience in the next life, in order to further our soul's development. Having decided, we come into existence, to a couple making love, who have a karma that matches our own in terms of the parents we require this time. We enter the world when the planets are in exactly the right position, to provide the karmic experiences we need to have.

I know that for some of you, you will find it difficult to believe that some of you decided to have parents who will abuse you, or to have difficult or painful life situations. However, anyone who has "life experience" and has gained what we call "wisdom", is very likely to tell you that it is the crises or the painful situations in their life that were the turning points. These are the times when we are forced to go deeply into our personal resources and come to a point where we can decide whether they have had enough of living with a particular pattern. This is the opportunity to make a change and turn tragedy into growth and personal development.

Choosing a new path rather staying in the old pattern of violence, blaming others or continuing in the "victim mode", is the first step in taking responsibility for yourself and accepting your karma. This can lead to a realisation of your true creative power and can resolve and complete a karmic pattern, so that this cycle not need to be repeated in future incarnations.

The difference between Western Astrology and Vedic Astrology

 

The way the chart is drawn upWestern astrologers draw up their chart using the Moving star or the Tropical system. Vedic astrologers draw up their chart using the Fixed star or the Sidereal system. The Vedic Sidereal Fixed star system does not move and gives the exact position of the planets at birth. The Western Tropical Moving system has moved by more than 23 away from the true position of planets over the last 2000 years. To convert your Western astrology chart to a Vedic astrology chart, all you need to do is to take off 23 from all planets in the chart including the Rising sign. This means that in a Vedic chart your Sun may go back to the previous sign and so might your Moon and rising sign and some or all of the other planets. This can give quite a different reading. Divisional chartsIn addition the Vedic system has many extra charts in which to look at specific factors eg marriage, siblings, career, health, wealth and so on. The Moon is the most important planet.The Moon is the most important planet in the Vedic system, whereas the Sun is the most important planet in the Western system. The position of the Moon sets the planetary periods for each person. These are the planetary cycles which are the essential tools for prediction. Planetary periods. Dasas - the Key to Vedic predictivity.The quality and the focus of each period or cycle of life can be predicted according to the planetary periods or Dasa. The position of a planet and its strength in the Vedic astrology chart will enable the astrologer to predict the type of period you will have and where the main focus will be. TransitsTransits can help to pinpoint and trigger events in your life, especially if used in conjunction with planetary periods or Dasas. NakshatrasIn addition to the 12 horoscope signs as in the Western system, the Vedic system has a much more ancient system of 27 sub signs called Nakshatras or Lunar Mansions. Knowing which one you are born into can give you deeper information as to your driving force and purpose.

In short the Vedic system has many tools at its disposal to be used by the astrologer in helping their clients with issues and events in their lives.

Here in lies the fascination and rich tapestry of Vedic astrology which is still being researched and developed today in India and America in particular and is also becoming more popular in Australia, in helping modern men and women plan their lives and aid them in personal development.