| VEDIC ASTROLOGY | Jyotish illuminates the nature of creation By Elsa F. Kramer |
| During a 1995
"Branches Radio" program on astrology, I took a phone call from
a very agitated Bloomington man. "I was just on my way home from the university, where I teach, and tuned into your show," he began. "I was shocked and dismayed that my community radio station would be giving valuable air time to this subject. I am a scientist, and there is no scientific validity to astrology whatsoever," he asserted. "It's hocus-pocus." It's true that empirical proof of most of astrology's propositions has yet to be established. But how many of us with even the most casual interest in the subject would deny its validity entirely? While scientists, mathematicians, engineers and doctors have struggled with the evidence, people throughout the ages have noted the uncanny accuracy of the correlations that exist between the positions of the planets and human behavior. Astrology has been part of humanity's intuitive knowledge for tens of thousands of years. Cro-Magnon man made careful notes incised in reindeer bones, about the Moon's phases. Modern analysis of ancient structures such as Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid suggests that their original purpose was connected with knowledge of the planets and stars. Doctors and law enforcement officers have for centuries noted the effects of the full Moon on some individuals. Scientists have shown a correlation between sunspot activity and chemical reactions. Studies of dowsers have shown that a capacity for detecting extremely small magnetic gradients is common among humans. Additional research has proved the relationship of the homing instinct to sensitivity to Earth's magnetism; that the electric fields produced by human beings vary with the seasons as well as with the cycles of the Moon and sunspots; and that most magnetic storms occur when two ore more planets are in conjunction or are at angles of 180º or 90º from the Sun. For most of us, these findings are not hocus-pocus. Indeed, the creative thinking and intuition necessary to make astrological information useful far outweighs the mathematical calculations of the chart itself. Eastern astrology in particular depends on spiritual and mystical traditions of ancient origin for complete understanding. Vedic astrology from India, called Jyotish in Sanskrit ("light of God"), is replete with techniques derived from "revealed knowledge" rather than from human research. I was given the gift of a Jyotish consultation last year, and was surprised to learn the differences between this "science of prediction" and its Western counterpart. While the main components - the Planets, the Signs and the Houses - are familiar, the three outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, are not used. Planetary ruling periods are determined by the Dashas, which the Vedic astrologer, or Jyotishi, can use to predict future events. The Grahas, or planetary transits, move continually on their paths and exercise an influence on the fixed positions of the transits in the birth chart. |
But the most important
difference is that Jyotish illuminates the nature of creation. The planets
and stars are not merely objects that apply external influence on us, but
are concentrated expressions of natural law contained in our own consciousness
and physiology. By functioning in consciousness, Jyotish reveals a way for
us to create as nature does: to trace the good and bad events of our lives
back to their source inside us, where we can exercise free will. A Jyotish consultation, like a Western astrology reading, begins with an interpretation of basic personality traits and comments on health, finances, relationships and professional life. But it also includes specific information you may never have heard in such a setting. For example, the Maharishi Jyotish pandit who analyzed my charts related many typically Aquarian traits about me, but also knew that I have had problems with my left knee and hip. Traditionally, Jyotish has been used to diagnose problems, and yagyas - chants of special sounds - are performed by Vedic pandits in India to help resolve them. According to tradition, a yagya performed before a predicted danger arises can help neutralize negative influences, or the cosmic sounds can be sent out to enhance the success of an anticipated undertaking. Yagyas are also performed for individuals with chronic disorders. A consultation can include muhurta, or the selection of favorable moments to begin undertakings, useful knowledge to have if you are planning a business venture or new relationship. Some Jyotishis provide "collective astrology" services, used often by executives to predict business trends or play the stock market. Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Jyotish services is the recommendation of gemstones for healing and well-being. The habit of American women to wear large diamond rings is not a good idea for most of them, the pandits say. Depending on a person's charts, other precious or semiprecious stones would be more beneficial. These practical applications of the "light of consciousness," this "science" of Jyotish, they say, makes it possible to live in such a way that desire becomes fulfilled not through effort but through spontaneously carrying desire to its creative goal. Hocus-pocus? I don't think so. If a person I've never met before knows intuitively that my left knee hurts, I feel no need to wait for the scientists to concur. An introductory presentation on Maharishi Jyotish will be offered at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan 16 at Maharishi Vedic University, 3434 N. Washington Blvd. in Indianapolis. For more information, call 317/923-2873. Branches January/February 1997 |