Vedic Astrology - The Missing Link
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Over the last two decades, the ancient eastern Yogic view of the cosmos has had a renaissance in the hearts and minds of the modern world. Yoga and Ayurveda have had a phenomenal resurgence, as more and more people turn to them for their physical and spiritual wellbeing. However, most people are unaware that there is a final piece of the puzzle, which is the missing link in all our eastern spiritual, healing and yogic practices; Vedic Astrology (Jyotisha) is the sister science to Yoga and Ayurveda and it has been waiting patiently in the wings for its timely acknowledgment, as one of the most time tested accurate, profound systems of astrology. Together Ayurveda, Vedic astrology and Yoga form a unit of separate but interlinked healing practices; they supplement each other and share the same basic language and philosophy.
The zodiac in Vedic Astrology is called the kala pursha, which literally means the body that is expressing itself (purusha) through time (kala).- ie. the body of time, or the cosmic man. The Vedic horoscope reveals our karmas, or the soul’s journey in this life time, destined to be pulled to a particular birth, time and place. Thus each of us inherits a unique natal chart and destiny, as the higher Self selects a particular constitutional, pain/pleasure and spiritual imprint of experiences in each lifetime.
Like Ayurveda and Yoga, Vedic Astrology is also based on the five elements: earth, air, fire, water and ether/space. All ancient healing practices understood that suffering in life arises from the misuse, overuse, or under usage of one of these elements. In the Vedic horoscope each of the planets has its corresponding element; Mars, Sun, and the South node Ketu relate to the fire element, Venus and the Moon to water; Saturn and the North node Rahu to Air, Mercury to Earth and Jupiter to Ether. The Vedic Astrologer studies the horoscope to see which planets and their corresponding elements are expressing themselves in excess, or are too weak to express their energies and thus are causing imbalance, disharmony and disease.
Just as the solar system governs the external world, there is an inner solar system that governs our psyche through the chakras. Each of the seven chakras also has their corresponding planet, and the condition of our chakras in this life can also be revealed through the horoscope.
Saturn, the planet that shows our worldly karma and limitations in this life relates to the muladhara, or root chakra. The planets Venus and Jupiter govern our creativity and expansion and the Swadishtana or sex chakra. The fiery planets Mars and Sun correspond to the Manipur, or solar plexus, and reveal our ability to act with courage and force, as well as our digestive fire. The condition of the heart, or Anhata chakra can be seen by the placement of Venus and Moon in the chart. Our capacity and desire to attain higher knowledge, as well ability to communicate it is seen through Jupiter and Mercury and the corresponding Vishuddha, or throat chakra. The third eye or Agnya Chakra is more easily awakened in this life, when the Sun and the Moon are harmoniously placed in the horoscope. (In Hatha yoga, the Ha is the Sun and Tha the lunar energy, thus the aim of our yogic practices is to unite the Solar and Lunar forces within us and awaken the Agnya Chakra). Finally, the Sahastrahara chakra or crown chakra has no analogous physical planet, as it is not of this world and the esoteric North Node Ketu’s placement in the birth chart shows us the evolution of this chakra in this life time. The outer solar system is thus reflected back in our inner solar system through the Vedic horoscope.
Vedic Astrology offers many remedial measures, such as herbs, colors, lifestyle, gems, mantras, yantras, yoga therapies and pujas. In my practice, I find that the priceless remedy that Vedic Astrology offers is the gift of deep and genuine Self understanding to the spiritual seeker, which is the first and foremost step to healing. The Vedic Astrologer understands that not all difficult karma can or should be dissolved. After all, the karmas that we are born with is what generates our lessons and furthers our understanding, so we can grow spiritually and union with the divine.
Vedic Astrology is a highly precise science of prediction that has survived the test of time in India for thousands of years. Many fear Vedic Astrology, or avoid it because it feels fatalistic; however, the truth is that we are neither entirely free, nor truly bound. It is the ignorance of our karmas and lack of Self knowledge that causes suffering. By revealing our karmas much of the difficult karma can be transmuted and the positive karma can be realized to its fullest potential.