AGENDA/EVENTS

Namaste Astrology Adventurers!

Just a quick email to let you know that I've pulled the plug and started a YouTube channel - with a bang. Well, a quiet bang. I've not told anyone yet - so YOU are the first to know! The plan is to post every day.... and so far so good...there's already 4 videos!

• Intro to My LOVA Channel (6 min)

• What is Conscious Astrology? (10 min)

• Empowering Astrology at Your Fingertips (8 min)

• Why Hope is Essential in Astrology (10 min)

Many thanks for checking it out and supporting the channel with your comments, likes, and subscribes! Enjoy!
 

Namaste,
Paul Manley

Namaste

We are happy to announce that as of the 15th of April A Ray Of Jyotisha will be facilitating online classes for Jyotisha beginners.

Topics:

History, scriptures (sastra), terminology

Planets

Signs

Houses

Aspects/Yogas

Transits/Dashas

Note: 

• for logistical purposes regarding time & language, one on one only via zoom/whatsapp, (English & Dutch)

• only for absolute beginners in Vedic Astrology, otherwise one will get bored stiff

• remains, like all other consulting via this website, donation-based
  

Kind Hare Krsna regards, your servants at A Ray Of Jyotisha.

ATICHARI BRHASPATI FURTHER EXPLAINED

First of all have a look at both video’s. Although i do not agree with all statements - possibly my bhakti yoga penchant - they do remain highly interesting and give another dimension to the phenomenon called Atichari Guru:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaht3IHWKKI 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rtfFzzKL4s

As i was listening, i got a little 90s flashback when i was serving in one of Iskcon’s shops and my senior called me: “Ali, one day people en mass will come and ask for our books.”

I’ve always wondered when that day will come, since for now i haven’t really experienced, heard of such a period where all our shops were sold out, online or not; except perhaps in India, where warehouses & the printing press may have difficulty keeping up.

Yet, something will have to give because Jupiter representing religion/spirituality, will have a double party of 8 + 8 years; already gave us a feeler as Preetika Rao puts it(see previous post), with some 4 years of covidiocy.

Just imagine, Sars-Cov Le XIX x 2 x 2. Hmm... and i thought that One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 2018-2022, in all spheres of all societies, even “spiritual” ones, was the denouement, not some ‘to be continued’ Soap.

Going back 800 and 1000 years also caught my attention. Of course, one would need the best of astronomers/mathematicians or if these are not readily available, a trustworthy Jyotisha software going back that far.

Then it’s just a question of opening your history books, always taking their factchecked with a grain of salt and one may end up with a medieval Atichar and some revolutionary Magna Carta for example or the beginning of a new Crusade.

Amos 9:13-15 was also an eye-opener, cause it speaks about things speeding up so fast that ones head will spin and many will not be able to follow, indicating Jupiter, one of the slower planets, sometimes visiting a sign/house for only 3 to 6 months, while otherwise giving the native a year, even with a little retrograde reassessing; remember, it’s been some 1000 years since that long a Guru Atichar was witnessed.

Anyway, that is for the researchers amongst the respected readers.

TARIFF-IED

Eating, sleeping, mating and… FEARING. This last principle seems to be another moneymaking machine that keeps giving, also within the Jyotisha world.

Thus when a less informed suddenly realises that his 2^nd lord/house is going to be thrown into the mix, it’s all hands on deck, sound the alarm bells, where is the nearest astrologer so I can keep my head above water with the next best remedy, even if it costs me some of my hard earned savings.

After all, the dasha of a maha maraka like the 2^nd house/lord or a milder 7^th house/lord influence – in some schools vice versa in severity – might be putting a final nail in my cosy earthly existence, yes?

What do you think? Is married life - often a war zone instead of a comfort zone - for at least 50 % ending in another battle in court, the biggest maraka? Could the family issues, genre who will inherit what, who will take over daddy’s business, the tolerating of in-laws, keeping up family appearance, be a heavier, 2^nd house pill to swallow?

Whether one sees the 2^nd  house as the Maraka Stana because it is the 7^th house from the 8^th house (longevity) thus end of longevity and ironically the 7^th house the place of death, because it being exactly opposite to the 1^st house (life) or even because they are 12^th house from 3^rd or 8^th, not taking into account the presence of malefics or dashas, some might as well – as per as usual – be dumping their euros/dollars into the sewage of deception or fire of kaitava astrology.

No, just like Kapil Raj one time put it, it’s not that you can start making your will, when you’ve only reached your mid-twenties, but the death afflicting influence is more one of sucking up your time and draining the prana, thus giving you early grey, perhaps even white hairs and in worst case scenario, complete bold headed feature, as smooth as a billiard ball.

Hmm… contradictory, wouldn’t you think, cause the so called positives of the 2^nd & 7^th house can give, assets, family identity/heritage, ample food and other household delights? Not necessarily only that, no. Example: a friend of mine gave me the horoscope of an acquaintance of his, an actual multi-millionaire, who has many planets in 2^nd house and has a beautiful spouse.

Although his assets are considerable, his life is one big roller coaster; aspects of the group of planets to the 8^th house, you think? Every night he sleeps in a different bedroom in his huge villa, because he’s afraid of being kidnapped, has to pay a small fortune to his bodyguard, has a son with a chronic disease, is jealous of his wife and may now and then put a private detective on her, has a CEO-ulcer before reaching 50, etc.

One swami put it as follows: carrying a heavy bag of gold around, speaking in particular about children. How long do we have to carry this weight around with no guarantee in this Iron Age, that 1) you will get a son who might get you out of Pitriloka – for those who actually still follow this Vedic principle – or 2) have a daughter religious enough to save you from the visit down under, region Patalaloka?

And what if your Putra is a daughter?! As long as her authorised, practical application of a process like bhakti yoga, within a recognised Krsna/Visnu line (Parampara) is on par, the parents can sleep on both ears, surely?

Hmm… personally I wouldn’t be betting on one horse. Come what may, I make double sure as to get on the Vimana of spiritual upliftment, when the moment will finally be there; just in case the tra (protection/liberation) in Pu-tra is weak. Time, Tide &… Transcendence wait for no man.(3)

I don’t want to sound like Narada Muni, who had an uncanny knack for dissuading many a strong, potent brahmacari of engaging into grha (householder) life, but in Jyotisha, no matter your mathematics, inside out & upside down, this earthly realm is one of dualities, thus there’s always the opposite house or 12^th, 6^th, 8^th house from any, so called benefic house.

Again, say your sadhana or that of your offspring, does keep you on the straight and narrow, golden brick road, back to self-realisation. Losing your ayur is guaranteed, cause of carrying the baggage called 2^nd & 7^th house Christmas goodies: “A wife, a wife, a house, a house & other ancestral assets, by the sea, Jaya Jagadisa Hari”.

Sounds heavy? Sorry to burst somebody’s bubble here, but sages far more exalted then I will ever be in many a future lives, are as straightforward, if not more.(1)

Queen Kunti, such a great dame from the Mahabharata, at one point in time was also lamenting her being too attached to family, home and the rest.(2) Calling her harsh is not understanding Bhagavad Gita 2.59. No, hers was more one of: “If only some of my family members could become more spiritual, and when not, how long do I have to tolerate having to play this temporary role?”

In the meantime the fearmongering continues, also in Jyotisha circles, cause that means ‘Kassa!’ as we say in Dutch; cling, cling, ching, ching, ching … another few bit-coins in the pocket of M…… Bit, by bit, by bit…

Misery miscreants they are indeed, if need be creating a problem, reaction & solution out of thin air - nowhere mentioned in sastras -, a remedy which in Kali Yuga will leave you stranded in no-man’s-land, hoping against hope, with your 2^nd house purse some 10.000  rupees lighter.

As my teenage daughter her addicted, abbreviated iPhone texting would have it: KRAP PRS EX-TERMINATED; KRS & KNR RHETORIC BURIED ‘CONVEYERBELT ASTRO’!!!! !!!!(4) ANNNND PEACE OUT/CHILL

So, before hastily making an appointment with the notary and checking the nearest undertaker, you might want to have a second opinion regarding your soon to be entering mahadasha/antardasha of the lord of Kalatra/Dara bhava and/or Kutumbha bhava, thus saving yourself time, effort and plenty of laxmi.

(1) Srimad Bhagavatam 5.14, specifically text 3 and purport

(2) Teachings Of Queen Kunti; Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.41

(3) Srimad Bhagavatam 4.6.27; by the way: no return ticket!

(4) 8 is an auspicious nr; no, that SMS is not her head title, that is her intro, middle & end (she has another way with words, just that bit more concise)

Travelling light... the Jackpot.

Imagine sitting next to a Dane, completely in black with beer belly, drinking the wine and eating the meat, a child behind you kicking your seat, toddlers crying & some heavy turbulence to top it all off.

I have nothing against Danish folk, since some of my devotee colleagues are from that neck of the woods and are in good spiritual standing and very friendly, but when your co-passenger (me) wants to start a chat and asks if you speak any English and the fellow in black replies in near perfect English: ”No, i don’t speak the language”, you just know it’s going to be a longggg flight.

When i'm finally in India, the train got a few hours delayed or never showed up, cameras & mobiles get stolen, people cheating you with price for taxi or items in shop and yours truly falling sick many times.

Then... Providence getting compassionate with me and some Srila Prabhupada disciples who are into Jyotisha giving me greater discrimination regarding when exactly to stretch my legs, going direction next pilgrimage or any bigger journey for that matter.

So, it has come that far that my last travels have been so smooth that amongst others, the big Dane vanished, the seat to my left & right were unoccupied (in going & coming back!), the turbulence + delays were little or non-existent, the child behind me was an adult, sleeping...  nothing got lost or was stolen and except for some tiredness, no more struggle with health.

Factually, this was more or less the scenario before even reading Muhurta-Traditional & Modern and my last 7 or 8 visits to the “Holy Land”.

How i got it done? As Marc Boney likes to put it: if your karma allows, with some diligence, you can hit what is called the Jackpot. I use 3 principles, taking the day and the hour into consideration. If all 3 bananas or apples, like a casino slot machine, appear on your astrological radar, you better book your plane ticket asap. Plus you’ll meet some nice people during your sojourn and possibly sleep better also, no matter if it's tropical climate.

Now, if even your mahadasha plus subdasha become favourable, one could end up paying an economy ticket, but get similar set up like people in first class.

Annnd... if then only i go into even more detail with the help of K.K. Joshi’s book on muhurtas, who knows, one day i may reply by saying: “No, i didn’t come by British Airways or Lufthansa. Practically speaking, i had my Turkish Airlines private jet, with my charming personal stewardess warming up some prasadam thali, while filling up my very, very soft cider and all that for the price of a 2nd class."

2025, SUBJECTIVE OR OBJECTIVE

Sure, everyone has at all times my best wishes, but are we going to have a 2025 full of subjectivity or shall we be a touch more objective?

It seems that even those who are supposed to be representing the head of society, the intellectual class, also known as brahmins, in a more varnashrama-like setting, feel the need to come with their subjective contribution.

Without naming names, even renowned astrologers, have their opinion ready regarding the newest commander-in-chief of the USA and in another instance there was a not so objective comment made on the horoscope of a certain Satya Sai Baba and his more recent version(s).

Having looked somewhat in my astrological crystal ball what 2025 is going to bring, it behooves one, certainly in the first part of the year, to keep a cool head, cool brain and keep the rather subjective opining for yourself, while taking a more neutral position.

In that sense an astrologer is like a doctor, not fault finding a patient coming into his waiting room/sick ward, but rather approaching the case with the necessary objectivity and… compassion, showing better control over his vaco vegam & manasa vegam.

I’ve heard one time that when a doctor is sick, he will consult with a colleague and not try to diagnose himself. Similarly, when I have to have a look at the chart of my near and dear, or my own horoscope, I prefer to go to a colleague astrologer whom I trust or at least ask for a second opinion, because otherwise my reading will risk to be over- or underestimated.

If even a vipra, normally living in a remote ashrama/monastery, away from the hustle and bustle of the village/city, suddenly feels the urge to purport the next Chief amongst Chief Wips, like f.e. Mr Trump, going beyond ‘as a matter-of-fact’, than we are in for a spicy first half of 2025.

Somebody may put forward that even an astrologer is but human & their nature is one of feelings. “We are not stones!” All the better, I would say, but if any subject matter is of the ice-cool, Mercurian, Mithuna or Kanya-like 33.000 feet up in the Academic Regions of sticking to the data, the science of things, than the Vedanga which is Jyotisha, is definitely up there.

So, as praja, an ordinary citizen, I would be more than happy with a kshatriya head-of-state, if next to having cloths on my back, food on the table for me & my family, running water, a roof above my head, he or she could guarantee that I can practise my religion peacefully.

Thus sticking to the facts only, one might want to have a look at somebody’s tenure and put it next to the one before and after. One may than figure out that the one before had at least 7 involvements in a war, thus practically 1 every year of his leadership; ironically getting the Nobel Peace Prize. The one in the middle had 0 engagement in war, while the one after pumped billions of taxpayer’s money in a war which is still not over as I’m writing this.

Here also one would do better to have a look at Bhagavad Gita As It Is chapter 18 text 48, instead of jumping on the umpteenth bandwagon, genre Covid-era, where practically everyone became an authority overnight, with the non-objective Drama Queen theatrics – even from MA, MSc & PhD – seriously out of their medical and/or geopolitical depth.

So, can people expect my best wishes for this so called Biblical 2025? Sure, as those who know me a bit better, I’m forever everybody’s well-wisher and… a practical person as well, so my New Year Message is one of Private Setting Subjectivity mixed with Public Décor Objectivity.

Nevertheless… with a lot more green, if you know what i mean.

If only we would…

Note the birth time properly. You will do yourself and your astrologer a big favour and save a lot of  time and energy. In Vedic times there was indeed a tradition of keeping the watch at hand or keeping an eye on the atomic clock, wherever and whenever the offspring would manifest him or herself on this earthly planet.

That missing out on the proper time, or the eternal discussion of the exact time being 1) the appearance of the head 2) the cutting of the umbilical cord 3) the first cry of the child(1), can be resolved by respecting the maths of birth time rectification; 1 + 1 = 2 & not 3. Not the wishful thinking, let me make the sum total come out right, like in many a ‘Kali Yuga accountancy’, fiddling around. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QSmj_b64b0

In my own case f.i., I recently found out the exact period I was inscribed in the Belgium Army – obligatory at the time – which was from 03/08/1987 till 01/08/1988, plus the many times I got my new official address, etc… all exactly registered in my personal Federal Dossier, here in Belgium.

So, the quicker we get our timings right, the quicker we may find out that we could be dealing with the next Maharaja Pariksit or others of his caliber:

Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 12 text 12:

तत: सर्वगुणोदर्के सानुकूलग्रहोदये ।

जज्ञे वंशधर: पाण्डोर्भूय: पाण्डुरिवौजसा ॥ १२ ॥

tataḥ sarva-guṇodarke

sānukūla-grahodaye

jajñe vaṁśa-dharaḥ pāṇḍor

bhūyaḥ pāṇḍur ivaujasā

Synonyms

tataḥ — thereupon; sarva — all; guṇa — good signs; udarke — having gradually evolved; sa-anukūla — all favorable; grahodaye — constellation of stellar influence; jajñe — took birth; vaṁśa-dharaḥ — heir apparent; pāṇḍoḥ — of Pāṇḍu; bhūyaḥ — being; pāṇḍuḥ iva — exactly like Pāṇḍu; ojasā — by prowess.

Translation

Thereupon, when all the good signs of the zodiac gradually evolved, the heir apparent of Pāṇḍu, who would be exactly like him in prowess, took birth.

Purport

Astronomical calculations of stellar influences upon a living being are not suppositions, but are factual, as confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Every living being is controlled by the laws of nature at every minute, just as a citizen is controlled by the influence of the state. The state laws are grossly observed, but the laws of material nature, being subtle to our gross understanding, cannot be experienced grossly.

 As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), every action of life produces another reaction, which is binding upon us, and only those who are acting on behalf of Yajña (Viṣṇu) are not bound by reactions. Our actions are judged by the higher authorities, the agents of the Lord, and thus we are awarded bodies according to our activities.

The law of nature is so subtle that every part of our body is influenced by the respective stars, and a living being obtains his working body to fulfil his terms of imprisonment by the manipulation of such astronomical influence. A man’s destiny is therefore ascertained by the birthtime constellation of stars, and a factual horoscope is made by a learned astrologer. It is a great science, and misuse of a science does not make it useless.

Mahārāja Parīkṣit or even the Personality of Godhead appear in certain constellations of good stars, and thus the influence is exerted upon the body thus born at an auspicious moment. The most auspicious constellation of stars takes place during the appearance of the Lord in this material world, and it is specifically called Jayanti, a word not to be abused for any other purposes.

Mahārāja Parīkṣit was not only a great kṣatriya emperor, but also a great devotee of the Lord. Thus he cannot take his birth at any inauspicious moment. As a proper place and time is selected to receive a respectable personage, so also to receive such a personality as Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was especially cared for by the Supreme Lord, a suitable moment is chosen when all good stars assembled together to exert their influence upon the King.

Thus he took his birth just to be known as the great hero of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This suitable arrangement of astral influences is never a creation of man’s will, but is the arrangement of the superior management of the agency of the Supreme Lord. Of course, the arrangement is made according to the good or bad deeds of the living being.

Herein lies the importance of pious acts performed by the living being. Only by pious acts can one be allowed to get good wealth, good education and beautiful features.

The saṁskāras of the school of sanātana-dharma (man’s eternal engagement) are highly suitable for creating an atmosphere for taking advantage of good stellar influences, and therefore garbhādhāna-saṁskāra, or the first seedling purificatory process prescribed for the higher castes, is the beginning of all pious acts to receive a good pious and intelligent class of men in human society.

There will be peace and prosperity in the world due to good and sane population only; there is hell and disturbance only because of the unwanted, insane populace addicted to sex indulgence.

(1) Ganesha Hora Shastram by S.Ganesh, Alpha Publications ed.2007, p 106-107

Bitter Yoga, Sweet Yoga and fructified or not ?

Here we learn what differs a mediocre astrologer with a topmost seer, having the ability of assessing the potential manifesting, yes or no, when exactly and to which degree:

Vedic Astrology Software

Many are asking which are reliable Jyotisha software. After doing proper research, programs like Shri Jyoti Star & Parashara Light are trustworthy: https://www.vedicsoftware.com/    +  https://www.parasharasoftware.com/