|
|
Astrology / Vedic Jyotish
Consciousness
in a Horoscope
 In
reading through the ‘Seth’ material which was channeled during the last
millennium by Jane Roberts, the ‘consciousness’ that Seth talks about
appears strikingly similar to the concept of soul. “That which is not
born, never dies, cannot be burnt or cut ¼”, as some Hindu scriptures such
as Bhagwat describe. Seth also hints at a minor form or unit of
consciousness, that is present in the atoms, and in the particles within
and around us unitarily separate from the human-soul-consciousness I am
referring to.
In astrology, and more specifically in Jyotish the Indian system of
astrology, we lean heavily towards the central theme of karma, attributed
to be the primary impetus behind births and rebirths, and responsible for
our destiny and the shaping of it. One property of consciousness would
seem to be in its being constantly aware of its surroundings. In other
words it is interacting and communicating with its milieu all the time.
Consciousness is dynamic and restless. It cannot remain resting and
unperturbed for any length of time. It must rise to action; it must act
and interact constantly merely to continue to exist! The moment when
status quo (brahma-nidra when the creation and creative process
sleep) and equilibrium is disrupted, the birth of consciousness occurs,
the soul stirs and this initiates karma or action; a seed is sown for a
future effect, for a future fruit, be that a sweet apple or one that is
poisoned.
The soul is often thought of as an entity that is bigger than (mortal)
experiential life, something that lies between the earthly (tangible)
human being and the Divine (conceptual) God – I have often called this
“human experience” with its highs and lows. On the other hand, perhaps it
is no more than a potentially restless but now quiescent conglomeration of
consciousness that extends into, pervades through and interlinks realms of
perception (and ‘dimensions of reality’ as some would prefer to call
these) that far exceed the specific focus of awareness of the ‘witness
being’, the here and now point of consciousness that we think of as ‘I’.
Aware (earth-bound) consciousness as in ‘I’ then is the result of the
soul-sense, or consciousness perturbed strongly enough into making its
existence discernible.
We have almost been conditioned to take it for granted that our
experiences in this lifetime, are all illusory and that some exalted state
of heightened awareness and a burst of insight awaits us as soon as we
shake off our mortal coils with or without medical attention. That, we
suddenly grow wiser or regain, as some say, our inherent and true wisdom
and awareness as soul-entities soon after death and then sit down, with
our Glowing Angelic Companion, to judge our performance during this recent
lifetime to prepare a plan for yet another return to the school of life
and work to diffuse our karma, without any memory (in most cases) of past
experiences or lessons learned as a conceptual construct has always made
me very uncomfortable. Since we are returned back to the amphitheater of
life without any recollection of the past mistakes or lessons; the point
of going back to school begins to look less like a win-win situation.
There is also the issue of coming to terms with the ‘maya’ or illusion
that life is supposed to be against the uncannily real and concrete
experiences that most of us ‘worldly’ creatures face during our wakeful
hours.
We have clearly two phases of existence during our lifetime: the wakeful
period and the hours spent in slumber and in dreaming. We have the
analogous phases of the lifetime in this worldly reality and the phase of
death in between lifetimes. What if, the hours of wakefulness with the
many more vivid activities and sense of immediacy, and of things happening
within circumscribed laws is the tangible reality, while the period of
death between two lifetimes were analogous to the state of sleep and
dreams – presumably of recuperation and rest! This means that the time we
spent during our wakeful life is what is more important and although we
seemingly have less control during such reality, we end up learning more,
are more awake and in which we can exercise our inherent potential better,
try out different things and quite frankly, live more vividly as souls!
Somewhat similar to our sleep and dreams, the pause after death and prior
to the next birth allows us some quiet time for recuperation, for
reflection and restructuring our strategies for the next ‘academic’ year.
I am sure most of us will feel more comfortable and at ease with this
conceptual framework, that gives more importance to our wakeful life, the
consequences wherein are more palpable and real. It is a difficult switch
of ones mind-set, because wise ones from time immemorial have told us
otherwise and it is attractive to escape from the reality of the
consequences of our decisions and action in the here and now and wait for
some time of greater understanding and insight that awaits us at the other
end of the ‘lighted’ tunnel. But, karma, the tenacious thread of
continuity that plagues our existence from one lifetime to another is very
real and snares us back into consequences and repercussions, whether we
like it or not despite our momentary escapades into the ambrosia of
spiritual loftiness or other forms of denial. Like it or not, we must keep
returning to this realm of duty, of responsibilities and of wakeful
REALITY!
But, how can we utilize all this in astrology? Astrology deals with the
tasks and growth of the incarnate consciousness, a subset, a fraction of
the larger consciousness. The ‘I’ in the horoscope primarily relates to
the ascendant or first house. This is where the primary focus lies in the
current incarnation, the ‘nerve’ center of our awareness and existence.
Astrology reminds us of our freedom at the same time as it nudges us to
recognize our responsibilities and the utility of engaging in wise action.
–
Continued Next Page
Top |
Astrology / Vedic Jyotish
|
|
