Frequently Asked Questions
What is the differences between Western and Vedic Astrology?
History
Jyotish, also known as Vedic Astrology, traces back to Indus Valley civilization with the earliest reference in Veda, precursor of Hinduism. Parashara, an accomplished monk and seer, wrote the monumental classic Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra, a bible-level work on Vedic Astrology. Jyotish’s meticulous and sometimes fatalistic approach attracts only the serious few and deters many.
Western astrology originated in ancient Greece 2500 years ago. Ptolemy, a Greek philosopher, was credited with laying the foundation for modern western astrology in Tetrabiblos. Though originally also fatalistic, current western school is mainly guided by the ‘psychological’ approach of Alan Leo as he attempted to avoid legal issues of ‘fortune-telling’ back in the late 19th century England.
Zodiac
Earth has three motions, though most people only know the first two. Spinning on its tilted axis creates day and night. Rotating around the Sun generates equinoxes and solstices, thus, seasons. Picture a tilted spinning top; it would wobble in a circular motion. In other words, if the spinning top is perfectly perpendicular, such wobble would never happen. This is the third movement: Earth’s tilted axis wobble one circle per 26000 years, or 1 degree per 72 years. The motion creates precession of equinox where the position of Sun on the first day of spring (the vernal equinox) shifts westward a tiny bit every year. This shift creates two zodiacal systems, as well as astrological ages, i.e. Age of Pisces, Age of Aquarius, etc.
Western astrology operates on tropical zodiac where the first day of Aries is the vernal equinox. Jyotish uses sidereal Zodiac where the first day of Aries is when Sun ingresses into constellation Aries. They were once the same day about 2000 years ago. Due to precession of the equinox, these two started to diverge. In Jyotish, this discrepancy is called Ayanamsa, and currently it is at 24°, meaning someone born with Sun at 23° Aries in Western system translates to Sun at 29° Pisces. Both Zodiacs are legitimate and are used for different purposes. Being Aries in western system and Pisces in Vedic system is like being 6 feet 1 inch in the imperial system and 1.86m in metric system.
My personal experience with the two systems
Started with western and transitioned into Jyotish, I found many astrological concepts better defined in Jyotish. For example, lunar Nodes in Western astrology refers past life to South Node and next life to North Node. These wishy-washy descriptions don’t go much deeper. In contrast, clearer explanation can be found in Jyotish: South Node describes a meditative mental state and North Node describes an anxious mental state. Another difference between two systems lies in their relative spiritual integration. Unlike Western astrology, Jyotish is deeply rooted in Hinduism and offers not only psychological understandings but also spiritual insights. It not only pinpoints personal gifts and weaknesses but also offers practical methods for achieving individual goals and aspirations.
I started with the western tradition, but transitioned into Jyotish when I found many astrological concepts better defined in Jyotish. For example, lunar Nodes in western astrology refer past lives to the South Node and next life to North Node. These wishy-washy descriptions don’t go much deeper. In contrast, clearer explanations can be found in Jyotish; the South Node describes a meditative mental state and North Node describes an anxious mental state. Another difference between two systems lies in their relative spiritual integration. Unlike Western astrology, Jyotish is deeply rooted in spirituality and offers not only psychological understandings but also spiritual insights. It not only pinpoints personal gifts and weaknesses but also offers practical methods for achieving goals and aspirations.
Which is better
Is the western system better? Is Jyotish better? Is Tarot better? Is I-Ching more accurate? Which one should I work with? For gamers, Windows is better than Mac since more games are published on Windows. For videographer, Mac is better because Apple’s chips are configured for video editing. One astrological system is better for one thing while not so great for another. In fact, comparing these divinatory practices is akin to comparing languages. Though all language is capable of conveying large spectrums of information and emotion, it still depends on the proficiency of the speaker.
What is a natal chart/birth chart, and what is ascendant/lagna?
The natal chart is a two-dimensional map of what is happening in the sky at the moment of birth. It contains planetary positions and many geometric points, symbolizing the good, the bad, and the ugly of what a person is about to experience in life. The Ascendant is the most important part in a natal chart as it describes what kind of intelligence someone has and how such intelligence would be applied. The Ascendant determines how to use your monthly salary; what to do next after a recent breakup; and even which soda to get at a vending machine. Astrologers use it as the main reference for interpretation and prediction. Spatially, it is the eastern most point on the horizon at moment of birth. For example, if John Doe is born around sunrise, he would have his Sun next to his Ascendant since Sun rises from the east. John will naturally exhibit solar qualities of leadership in the way he makes decisions. How he leads is described by other parts of his chart. The uniqueness of each natal chart within an endless ocean of planetary configurations contribute to the multitude of human experience.
How is astrology and other divinatory practices such as Tarot, Palmistry, or I-Ching are different and/or connected?
Only an expert in all of the above subjects can fully answer this question. Since each of them requires years, sometimes decades, of study and practice, anyone claiming to know-it-all should have you raise your eyebrows. My Vedic astrology background and basic understandings in other practices lead me to believe divination is comparable to languages, unique in communicating aspects of consciousness. German is known for its precision with intricate grammar, as Chinese for its multiple meanings with many characters sharing the same sound. French sounds different than Chinese in many ways, yet a bilingual person can communicate his thoughts and emotions in either. There will be untranslatable phrases of course like ‘C’est la vie.’ Yet, the meaning and feeling associated with ‘C’est la vie’ is not unique to only French speakers. Similarly, a divinatory practitioner should arrive at similar conclusions with regard to the past, present and future if he is indeed competent in multiple divinatory languages. For example, Vedic astrology is excellent at examining larger timeframes, while a Tarot spread can work wonders for a short-term decision.
How does Vedic Astrology accounts for twin birth?
In Vedic Astrology, first and last breath marks the first and last moment of life. For twin births, there are always a few seconds to minutes of delay between the first breaths of two newborns. This tiny difference causes one twin to have different divisional charts even though their natal charts are almost identical. Think about these divisional charts as magnifying glasses into some specific areas of life. Divisional 9 chart (or D9) deals with fortune and luck; D10 deals with career and business; and D12 deals with parents, etc. One of the most important one, D60, deals with past life karma as it changes every 2mins. For example, if D60 changes exactly at 21:01:00, Jane Doe is born at 21:00:55, and John Doe at 21:01:05, Jane and John are destined to lead very different lives though sharing many similarities.
What are remedial measures?
Diagnosing truthfully is a must for a good doctor, yet no patients with acute stomach pain is looking only for diagnosis. Without treatment, he is no doctor. Similarly, a competent astrologer should not only see karmic gifts and debts but also prescribe tailored remedial measures to manifest positive promises and curtail negative tendencies. Remedies are performed on the physical, mental, and/or karmic level. Physical level remedies usually include donation, volunteering, pilgrimage, fasting, dieting, gemstones, and Fengshui rearrangement. Meditation, breathing practices, mantra, and yoga are mental remedies. Modern psychological therapy often dwells on this level. The good, bad, and ugly coming from the third karmic level can only be remedied, if at all, through mantra and puja.
If John’s acute stomach pain comes from accidental alcohol poisoning, water, rest, and basic medicine is enough. If he is a chronic alcoholic, physical and mental remedies are needed. If he was born into an abusive family, grew up with unstable addicts, and regularly had alcohol poisoning, karmic remedies, if there is any, are required since the issue comes from somewhere considerably deeper. If someone has a tendency to pick egoistic partners, a competent astrologer should see the nature and depth of his problem before prescribing effective remedies. From my experience, combination of remedies yields the best result given someone’s specific background.
What is a mantra?
This piece serves only as a starting point to grasp the tip of an enormous iceberg. ‘Mantra’ consists of ‘mana’ and ‘tra’, meaning ‘mind’ and ‘instrument or tool’ in Sanskrit. A mantra is a specific string of sound designed to influence certain aspect of our lives by steering the mind toward a direction. Repeated utterance of a mantra vocally or silently serves as a focal point during meditation practices. Based on a natal chart, a fitting mantra supports a native to achieve intentions, let it be attracting right opportunities or obtaining mental clarity. It might sound absurd, but its undeniable that different sound, no matter how simple, exerts influence on us. Dogs barking implies danger while birds chirping does not. Phone alarms usually produce more anxiety than that of its ringtones. Nirvana’s Smell Like Teen Spirit gives a rush while Chopin’s Nocturne brings melancholy. Syllables within a mantra carry intricate vibrational frequencies that change an individual over periods of time. Think about how the syllable ‘Ma’ universally represents mother, uttering ‘mom’ brings us into a state of innocence. Here is the famous eight-syllables mantra for protection from bad karma:
Sanskrit: ॐ नमो नारायणाय
Transliteration: Om Namo Nārāyanāya
Translation: I bow down to the ultimate reality, Narayanaya
Is everything fated?
If freewill is complete, then why no sociopath has successfully cheated death yet? If fate is immutable, then why handful North Korean defectors live to tell the tales? We can choose a favorite dish, but we cannot choose to fast forever. Depending on personal karma encoded within a natal chart, an individual exists somewhere in the middle on the spectrum of fate and freewill. It is impossible to talk about Freewill versus Fate without mentioning the four types of Karma:
Saṁchita: The sum of all actions from past lives.
Prārabdha: A tiny portion of Saṁchita Karma we are destined to experience in this life. E.g., the specific family we are born into.
Kriyamāṇa: Actions based on freewill in this life that plant seeds for future results, whether this life or next life. E.g., studying hard now leads to better grades.
Āgama: Karma created by our present desire. E.g. Desire for a Ferrari causes the mind to find ways in manifesting a Ferrari either in this life or future lives.
For example, in John Doe’s natal chart, he might have positive Prārabdha and negative Kriyamāṇa in relationship with money: born into a rich family but lack the motivation to conscientiously manage wealth. He might have negative Prārabdha and positive Kriyamāṇa in friendship. He might grow up with addicts but learned how to let go and be a positive influence.
Why two astrologers can make different predictions from one another?
Given a natal chart, two astrologers, having different understandings on different parts of the same chart, can very well arrive at different conclusion. It doesn’t make one right and another wrong, simply different. It’s a little like the story of three blind men and elephant. One touches the tail of the elephant and says, this being must be a very hairy and thin. The other feels the trunk and decides it to be a long and rubbery. The last blind man tries to get his arms around the leg and says, no! This being is solid and huge! The more experienced and well trained an astrologer, the more accurate his judgement and prediction are to the actual elephant.