Vedic Philosophy - Astrology Aditi

A common form of forecasting in the modern world is that used by Meteorology. This science uses measurements, such as temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, and the behavior of the winds for a certain geographical area over long periods of time to be able to predict the behavior of weather for future days. Are Weather Forecasts Accurate? With vast amounts of data at its disposal, you might think that Meteorology would be a very precise science, one that you regularly depend on. But how many times have you left the umbrella home because the weather forecast was for a sunny day only to have it rain? As you know if you follow the weather forecasts, they generally are reliable. But many times, they are not exactly correct. For example, they may predict rain in the morning, and instead it doesn't rain until the evening. This is because the factors that this science measures are variable, and they change constantly. Are Astrological Predictions Accurate? Why are we talking about meteorology in an Astrology article? Because similar to Meteorology, the predictions that are made in astrology are generally accurate most of the time but are not always precisely correct. This is because there are many sudden onset factors that can impact the prediction. It is like buying a ticket on a bus that is destined to arrive at 2:45 in the afternoon, but on the way, the bus had to stop because a passenger had a health emergency. He subsequently was delayed due to a highway accident. So, you no longer arrive at 2:45, but instead at 3:30 pm. Other possibilities could be that you were delayed and missed the bus, the bus was full and departed early and you missed it, or that you decided not to take the bus at all and instead rode to your destination in a taxi. A salient question is why people are accepting of many things in life being generally accurate but at the same time expect astrology to be exactly so? Why is there a double standard? In the book, Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramahansa Yogananda recounts that astrologers predicted that he would marry 3 times in his life, because twice he would be a widower. However, this never happened because Yogananda chose to follow the path of a monk all of his life. Therefore, he never married and as such was never widowed. The planets in a natal chart bless the native or cause the opposite. Actually, it is as Yogananda said in his book, the planets do not have a special animosity against us or consciousness of benevolence. They are channels for cause and effect to operate in balance. Each birth is then dependent on the past actions of a person. Astrology Predictions Don't Always Come True It is difficult to accurately predict the specific effects of certain planetary positions. When I say this, I mean that in a person's natal chart a difficult planetary conjunction could appear related to that person's love area, and also to her health. But it is not always easy to give specific details about that affliction. For example, a natal chart might predict that a woman will suffer from a very unhappy marriage, or that she never will find happiness in romantic relationships. But then, similar to Yogananda, that same woman decides not to marry, and she becomes a nun. Marriage was never something that attracted her. On the surface, we might conclude that the astrological prediction did not come true. However, this would be wrong. The prediction about her love life actually was correct because it never existed, the planets denied her having a husband, and finding happiness in romantic relationships. Instead, she dedicated her life to service and spirituality. She apparently found happiness and fulfillment in that choice. Somehow, the karma of suffering in a relationship was changed. This is similar to the natal charts of many women who never have had children. In society, it generally is assumed that women have an inborn desire to bear children. But what if a woman doesn't want a child? What if it is not a priority for her? In many cases, the planets and houses related to pregnancy and children are very afflicted for these women. Thus, if they chose to have children, they would undergo great suffering. However, by not having children, karma spares them of this suffering even though their natal chart predicts that they will experience it. How Does an Astrologer Predict? There are several methods to predict. Among the most used in Vedic Astrology is the study of planetary periods. A Vedic Astrologer uses the moment of a person's birth to determine the position of each of the planets. The Moon at birth will be in a specific position. The lunar mansion in which the Moon is located at birth is then determined. This lunar mansion is ruled by a particular planet. For example, if the Moon is in the lunar mansion of Ardra, which is ruled by Rahu, the periods of this person will start from the planet Rahu. This person will live their first years ruled by Rahu, after this period, they will start the Jupiter period. The planets have a specific order in relation to the planetary periods. The periods are also subdivided into others called sub-periods or bhuktis. That way, the astrologer also studies what the planet of the subperiod does. The Vedic Astrologer observes what the planets of the period and subperiod do in the natal chart. Planetary transits are also important. These are the positions of the planets on a given day. A relationship is made of these transits with the natal chart and vice versa, in addition to the behavior of the planets within the same transit chart. Is it accurate? Yes, it is accurate. Difficult and very good times can be predicted weeks, months or years in advance. However, it is important to remember that it is the planets, as they are aligned in the natal chart, that make the prediction, not the astrologer. He or she reads and interprets the chart. For example, a person could receive a prediction that in certain months they will be prone to an accident or injury. With this information, she could avoid this problem by managing certain risks; for example, driving more carefully. It is possible, however, that she suffers the accident anyway, despite her efforts to avoid it. However, the prediction could still help her to cope with it and avoid complications. In most of the occasions, and perhaps it can be said that in all, a significant event in the life of a person can be studied from the perspective of astrology. Bad streaks, extreme anxieties due to certain situations, legal problems, separations, serious illnesses, of all these situations you can find clear indications in the natal chart. In addition, you can encounter and study indications of spiritual experiences, profits, trips abroad, and more. How do the planets predict situations that affect the world? During the year 2019, the astrologers who practice the System Approach, a method to interpret natal charts according to Vedic astrology, were observing certain very prolonged conjunctions that occurred in that year. A conjunction is when two planets are very close together as seen from Earth. When the planets are less than five degrees apart in longitude, the conjunction is close. Sometimes slow-moving planets can be close to each other for a long period of time. This brings affectations to a large number of people. Wars, natural disasters, and outbreaks of disease are examples of situations that result from affectations of large populations. The conjunctions observed by Vedic Astrologers in 2019 gave rise to the appearance of a pandemic. Let us remember that it was in this year that the COVID-19 disease appeared in China, only to later spread throughout the world in 2020. The astrologer, however, only can identify and interpret planetary alignments that predict difficult periods of time. In the case of COVID-19, a time of suffering for many people could be predicted. Astrology is a useful tool. We can use it to discover possible periods of suffering and take steps to try to avoid them, thereby making better decisions. The woman who decides to marry and asks the astrologer about her relationship, could receive the answer that she should be patient in this period of her life, reflecting on each important decision. Being in love, this might not be the advice that she wants to hear. However, in my Vedic Astrology practice, people often recount that "something" told them that getting married was not right, but they married anyway, only to have the marriage end in divorce shortly after. So, a person might do well to pay attention to what the planets are telling them. Astrological predictions are very useful, but you shouldn't rely on astrology to make your day-to-day decisions. By this I mean everyday situations. I recommend that you adopt a relaxed attitude if the planets predict bad times ahead in your life. After all, it is better to know that something can go wrong and be careful in your actions than to be ignorant when danger lurks. It's also great to be able to prepare for good things that are coming your way.