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Astrology
Myths in Jyotish:
Injected and Sustained by Jyotishis
by Rohini Ranjan
Several
months ago, I wrote about myths regarding Jyotish that float around
mostly western astrological forums. Those were benign and innocent myths
or even misunderstandings really, as I look back. There was not much
reaction to that article from western astrologers (actually the theme
was dealt with in more than one article, if I recall). But, to what I am
writing today, there could be some reaction, but again I expected such
reaction to my article on astro-treasures in which I questioned what was
written in Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. That would be almost
akin to questioning the Bible in a Church and perhaps the Talmud in a
Synagogue. I better stop with my analogies and examples before patience
runs out in some sectors.
 Getting back to Jyotish, which I just happen to think got enveloped and
enshrined in the skeins of an ancient religion and cultural milieu that
Hinduism is because of its geographical and temporal surroundings, there
are some questions that bubble up but not asked out of fear, deference
etc. Now, Hinduism is ONE religion and culture that will tolerate a lot
of questions and while it will vibrate dangerously or rather its bearers
would, there is an underlying stream of cool rationality and pragmatism
that runs deep that will make its people think more than react. The fact
that Jyotish is now a worldwide phenomenon, capable of deciphering and
helping people of all religions, races, nationalities, cultural
differences speaks to the universal applicability of Jyotish.
Jyotish is increasingly being embraced by and carried forward by people
who are rational, have real lives for the most part as opposed to living
in some spiritual stratosphere and meting out pronouncements to
householders and housewives how to improve their love life while cocking
an eye at the Dharma so that all levels of reality are respected and
cared for.
Let us begin! Is Jyotish something to be assumed by the saintly and holy
alone or even by the normal men and women? I am talking about the
practitioners and not the nativities that seek the aid of Jyotish! If a
rational and sane man or woman reads Jyotish classics, really – much of
what is covered is plain and simple building blocks dealing with
planets, signs and activities done and supposed to be done by ordinary
people. Being born, studying, finding work, marrying, making children,
acquiring position, fame, accomplishments, feeling accomplished, passing
wealth on to children, leaving worldliness and to more detachment and
peace and finally looking towards final peace and leaving this world in
hands that belong to one’s loved ones and hoping that what lies ahead
would be at least as fulfilling as the journey this far!
Now every life-story is not all that Disney-like and hence the stock of
astrology can only rise! Perhaps being born in the image of God, we all
desire for perfect lives. But most of us do not have those expectations!
Most of us, therefore, look for worldly solutions. Some win the race.
Others give up. A few neither win, nor give up but instead turn to
magic. The magic could be divinations or what has been somewhat cruelly
termed as “chicken feet!”. This comes from the realm of voodoo black
magic but really in this era of fear with the avian virus and chicken
flu, and the PANDEMIC, even chicken feet are anything but kosher! But
now I am mixing religions and metaphors thereof!
As one wades through Jyotish classics and other pertinent writings, one
continues to remain appreciative of the beautiful sense of aesthetics
displayed by ancient writers. Nearly the entire classical body of
Jyotish is presented in the form of disciplined verse and not unruly
prose! It is indeed a big feat to not only present factual and logical
information but to also to do so beautifully and in rhyme! A further
boundary is imposed on the Jaimini sutras which are presented in the
katapayadi ‘encoding/style’ in which the words must not be taken
literally but after transliteration! Given these additional
considerations, when someone applies mindlessly the same rigor to some
of these mystic writings as one would to a scientific research paper,
the road is fraught with danger. Imagine the entire body of science
having to be written in poetry? The additional challenge is simply
unimaginable for modern man!
Jyotish writings that have trickled down the centuries to us must be
given the benefit of a degree of poetic license. While enjoying their
beauty and veracity in general, one should not get hung up too rigidly
on a figurative statement such as: Jupiter in lagna removes hundred
doshas or blemishes! If a jyotishi then accepts this statement too
literally and begins to justify and force logic on to something that was
figuratively and perhaps a tad hyperbolically stated by an ancient
poet-jyotishi, this creates problems. All one needs is to view a few
charts and soon the reality dawns upon one that the statement should be
accompanied with qualifications and not taken too literally and by
itself. Jupiter is not an unsullied, benefic and if that were the case
there would be no reason for its shades of expression. Jupiter in lagna
in the 12 signs would have differences, where the dispositor (lord of
the sign hosting Jupiter) is placed would modify the Jovian expression,
planets aspecting Jupiter would exert their own modifying effects. The
same story as is applicable with other planets and so on.
It is incredible how beautiful and elegant the writing prowess of the
ancient jyotishi-poets was. This was not some stream of consciousness,
non-rhyming, free-form poetry but rigidly constructed poetry with its
own grammar which expects one to be highly creative and capable. Very
saturnine, in my opinion – the ancient expressions of Jyotish truths
were, one would have to agree. But Saturn of very high purity and
refined tastes, the Saturn that brings with it a heightened sense of
responsibility and seriousness. Very obviously reflected in these
ancient classical writings on Jyotish.
Let us also turn our attention to a highly volatile, somewhat
emotion-charged aspect of Jyotish. Remedies! It is true that remedies
have been described in many classical texts but in an extremely matter
of fact and somewhat secondary way, usually at the end of a book. The
modern writers have glorified the remedies to a varying degree and
practicing jyotishis often present the remedies as if it is a rigid and
definite system, almost like reading the course of treatment of some
illness from some pharmacopeia or formulary of medication. If you have
this disease, take this medication, if that symptom, then apply that
ointment, etc. If this were the case then everyone, or at least most
jyotishis would agree on the remedy for a certain chart and nativity.
Even in medical sciences there are variations, but few and far in
between, in general. Most doctors would agree on the diagnosis and
treatment of a given ordinary illness. However, jyotishis tend to come
up with differences in interpretation, or the use of factors to reach a
conclusion, and certainly vary a lot when it comes to prescribing
remedies for the same chart/nativity/condition. This is troublesome and
very confusing to the student and the suffering nativity/consumer who
runs from astrologer to astrologer, forum to forum asking for answers
and then getting bombarded by very different solutions. One recommends
fasting on Wednesdays, the other five name other weekdays, one
recommends a mantra or certain pooja, another recommends a certain
gemstone and just when ready to buy, an email comes telling him that in
the opinion of another Shri Shri 1008, that if he wears that gemstone,
great harm would befall upon his daughter and so on. What is the poor
astro-consumer to do? Other than start studying astrology him/herself
and to hell with all these other astrologers! Maybe Brahma wants exactly
that to happen (Or Lord Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, … insert your favorite
deity’s name here!). The platform modern Practical Jyotish stands on is
full of planks of different kinds and in big need for attentive repair
or maybe even reconstruction!
I find it very curious that obviously very intelligent people and quite
pragmatic too who demonstrate fairly sharp wits and an ability to
critically think through things and even display a healthy skeptic side
of theirs suddenly break out in rapturous accounts about horoscopes of
Rama and Krishna and other Gods and Avatars. They make references to the
way ancient people lived and their way and framework of thinking. Based
on what? There are no historical accounts of those times available
really! There are no diaries and personal journals of those times
available to us or whatever forefathers used to have akin to our
newspapers. Based on scriptures – which at best were recommendations for
the best possible way of living as the prevailing religion recommended!
If our religion were to be wiped out in a flash and all that remained to
be found was a copy of the Bible, ten thousand years later, would the
finder be right in making the assumption that in 2006 humanity lived in
general in the spiritual purity that the Bible represents? Bible is only
2000 years old, so I use it as an example, but it could be some other
book. On the other hand if all that remained after the apocalypse was a
copy of Rajneesh’s ‘From sex to super-consciousness (sambhog se
Samadhi tak)’ then the impression about us on the finder of the book
10000 years down the road would be different, but equally wrong and
faulty as a generalization as to how humans lived 10000 years ago! Let
me not belabor my point with more examples!
There seems to be a very strong devotional aura that surrounds Jyotish.
When this ‘devotional’ mode is activated, suddenly it becomes difficult
if not impossible to challenge and debate about anything. Generally
speaking, questioning so called classics is taboo, although there is
really no definitive way of timing these texts written in beautiful
verse, and the statements therein are taken by some as gospel and beyond
questioning. This creates problems because some of the proponents who
display such a ‘hands-off’ demeanor in the next breath claim that
Jyotish is the absolute truth and even call it science. The primary
requirement of science is that it must be constantly questioned and
refined. Such luxury is not afforded to Jyotish because of the mind-sets
of people. Into this mix is also tossed in spirituality and morality.
The pressure on the poor Jyotish student is mammoth. He or she is
expected to be highly spiritual, moral and with a superior intellect.
Any professional must be of a high moral fiber be they a jyotishi,
dentist, lawyer, engineer, doctor or car mechanic! But technical prowess
does not go hand in hand with moral superiority. Likewise, having a fine
intellect is great but if one examines the framework of Jyotish, much of
it is really not very demanding on one’s cerebral faculties. Be it
ashtakavarga, or chakras, or dashas, or jaimini principles. The
intellectual challenge is overplayed in Jyotish. Sure Jyotish is
difficult but its difficulty arises more from its fragmentary and in
some ways obfuscative nature and not so much on it being very intricate.
The tendency on the parts of some on holding on to information and
appearing mysterious is more responsible for it appearing confusing and
more complicated than the framework really is. So, with all due respects
I think Parashara was underestimating the intellectual prowess of modern
human being for whom he designed the ‘simple’ ashtakavarga method. This
for the human being who successfully went into space several times,
demonstrably managed to decipher so many secrets of nature and created
the complex economies and ‘markets’. Compared to some of the surgical
procedures being carried out routinely, Jyotish seems to be almost a
child’s play. And about as predictable in its outcome in most hands! And
don’t forget ‘NANOTECHNOLOGY’! Let us leave it at that!
“Nose-thumbers” would say that in order to be proficient in Jyotish is
not easy and would give examples of few truly magnificent savants with
their accurate predictions. This is where the situation gets a bit
tricky to explore. To be absolutely candid, astrology in general is not
just logic but perhaps requires a fair amount of intuitiveness and
experience teaches some of that and the rest is inherent. While one
would get the impression that much of the Jyotish is logical and
technical and sometimes such claims are made in all honest innocence
because even jyotishis immersed in charts and planetary symbols would
not be fully aware of all the parts of their mind that are in commission
when delineating a chart. Sure, the jyotishi will find some logical
links to explain a reading but like the iceberg, perhaps that represents
only a tithe of the entire formulative process. It is as hard to prove
as to disprove this tenet. But it must be brought out and aired.
If astrology seems so very difficult, it must be because it is not
attracting a lot of bright people. Compared to other fields, that is.
Also, let us not forget that most who are attracted to it and are its
spokespersons have otherwise full careers and other engagements and
responsibilities. Unlike science which attracted many times more
individuals who made careers out of science. All Jyotish has is
volunteers, though some are super-dedicated, but volunteers after all.
Research is done in a sketchy manner and in volumes and quality that is
no match for research in other fields. This is not a reflection on the
people who are involved and engaged but the times. Jyotish or any form
of astrology really does not have the serious approval or endorsement of
society in general. It arouses disbelief, ridicule and is misunderstood
for the most part. Misunderstood even by those who are close to it and
think of it as some magical procedure for supersensory knowledge that
can predict life in utmost details.
It is not even definitely known if life is predictable and to what
degree. However, you will readily run into individuals who will
regurgitate passages on karma and the meaning of human life. Who are
easily irked when questioned or mildly challenged. Who are still
wondering about it all. Sometimes one feels as if the heavy cross of
Jyotish is on their frail shoulders and it is difficult if impossible to
talk about ‘light’ with these beacons and saviors. Perhaps with more
years true maturity shall come to Jyotish discussion groups and
discussants and with maturity, better communication may emerge. Until
then, I am afraid, you dear readers, you are on your own or at least for
the time being, under the protection of your school and personal
teacher!
You do have one, right? Maybe two would be even better – just in case …!
To reiterate, the ‘difficulty’ around or within Jyotish really does not
have anything to do with complexity, but rather, it is produced by the
gaps in information, half-baked and at times garbled combinations, lack
of familiarity with the original verses (Sanskrit, for instance) and
translations that are anything but clear (pick almost any translation of
classics and you will find many examples). And where modern books are
concerned, often the interpretation could be very personal, sometimes
with a smattering of proof and at other times, just bold statements
which do anything but attract the rational jyotishi (no – that is NOT an
oxymoron!). As far as spiritual purity and strength of moral fiber is
concerned, the same rules of conduct apply to jyotishis as do ideally to
any other service professionals be they doctors, engineers, lawyers,
businessmen.
In recent times, there has been an explosion of very exciting ‘new’
material in terms of techniques that were there but not used a lot due
to problems with calculations and fragmentary explanations given in
classics. A real problem for the average jyotishphile is the problem
that a child faces in a fancy candy store. Which one to pick and which
one tastes better? So, from time to time, others generally from older
generations (pre-computer era) remind and insist that they only use
barebones charts and get by quite well. It is a conundrum that each of
us would have to personally come to terms with! Interestingly that
‘approach’ has remained the same for decades and decades that I know of!
We still hear about ayanamsha differences, and what one would consider
basics such as which bhava division (or if?) to use, also confusions or
variations around the issues of drishti – it is almost as if we have
been in an armchair all this time! Lots of activity and swinging but we
remain in the same place!
FACTORS IN PLAY: Getting back to what we were discussing, one of the
things that most beginners find mind-boggling in jyotish is the array of
indicators and ways of determining a given result. This situation has
escalated recently with the release of many new books which have
expounded the relatively less known and inadequately researched areas of
Jyotish, particularly, the vargas, chakras, ashtakavarga system, the
Jaimini system. There may be some resistance on the part of some
astrologers, however, the consensus seems to be one of joy with all of
these "new" introduction of tools and techniques. The relentless work of
Mr. K.N. Rao and others from his school as well as other independent
researchers has been and will continue to be very important in the
field. There have also been attempts at presenting jyotish in a
simplified and easily transferable/learnable format by authors such as
Mr. V.K. Choudhry. There never has been a better time to learn and
appreciate the beauty and power of jyotish, than now. No single teacher
or school is enough and one must try out and incorporate some or all of
the large variety of information that is available out there.
Hopefully, only very few individuals still continue to believe that
there is a flawless, magical system of astrology that exists just beyond
the common grasp. Until this is clearly established and demonstrated, it
is prudent to view astrology as a craft of probabilities. The trends
that we see in horoscopes are strengthened by our finding more
consonances in a chart. This is why it is important to learn to view a
horoscope from many angles, using as many indicators as possible. It is
a dangerous or at least frustrating practice to spot a single indication
or yoga and lean too heavily against it for supporting a prediction.
Most indications would work most but not all the time and this margin of
error can be reduced if we begin to develop a habit of looking at more
than a few indicators when studying a house.
Jyotish has described the role of the lord of a house, the bhavat-bhavam
house, arudha or pada (which is in a remote or loose way related to the
bhavat bhavam principle), and there are the natural, chara and sthira
karakas or significators. There are the sookshma and sthula, jeeva and
sharira indicators for a house. Then there are specific vargas that are
assigned to study the attributes of a house in greater details, and some
of these considerations are also to be studied from the moon and even
the sun, in addition to the ascendant. The purpose of having so many of
these is very clear. They must be utilized together and the resultant
would probably be a better indicator of what the trends are likely to
be. But some of these indicators come from different systems and experts
state that one must try and not mix the rules, casually. For instance,
it can be quite confusing if one begins to use Parashari aspects or
relationships (friendly, inimical) with Jaimini chara karakas, or begins
to use these with Jaimini dashas. Likewise, the charakaraka system if
used with Parashari awasthas can cause problems, since these have
different implications based on the longitude of a planet. A Jaimini
atmakaraka could be a 'dead' planet in the Parashari vimshottari dasha.
Chara karakas such as atma, amatyakaraka etc., should be very cautiously
(and only secondarily) used with the Parashari vimshottari dasha system.
Hotchpotch
cuisine may create an exotic and very delectable flavor to a reading but
can also cause severe predictive indigestion! Experiment wisely and with
discrimination.
Essentially,
jyotish is built on a 'simple' premise. How to represent all that can
happen in a human life through astrological symbols and their modes and
ways of interconnecting (sambandha or dignity, for instance).
Given the very meager number of basic factors, namely, the 12 signs and
nine planets, it is obvious that one would have to consider derivatives
in order to even get close to the rich complexity of the human
experience! And, this is what is represented in the many different and
effective ways of utilizing the basic building blocks through many
layers of interaction and attributes. Many uncanny predictions have been
given by jyotishis by utilizing only a few of these indicators, and
indeed for many of you, after a little bit of experience and familiarity
develops, you might find yourself focusing on some indicators primarily
and utilizing others for confirming a reading or indication or as
tie-breakers. There is much about astrology and how it works that none
of us know completely and it is important to remind ourselves of that
from time to time. That astro-symbolism works must immediately indicate
that there exists in this Universe a correlation amidst chaos. That
within this noise of disparate bodies and movements, there exists a
symphony, perhaps many symphonies, into which we tune into as
astrologers, reading bits and pieces of the entire score. People have
successfully read horoscopes using different ayanamshas, different
dashas, different year durations and even with no ayanamshas and what
this impresses upon me is the incredible magnitude of redundancy of
patterns in the universe that creates and lends to the plethora and to
the richness of existing divinatory crafts. It is unwise to waste energy
in feeding the arrogance that leads the ego to believe, "Only my method
is right, everyone else is sadly mistaken!".
So begin in a
simple way, look at the rashi chart, note down what you see in the house
under scrutiny, say the fifth house and children is what you wish to
examine. Look at the fifth lord. Where is it placed, how strong it is,
what are its qualitative attributes, who else is it related to, what is
its relationship with the ascendant and its lord (the personal
experiencing of the 5th house!). Then look at Jupiter the natural
significator of children and 5th house. Is it aspecting the house, its
lord and ascendant? Look at the fifth house from Jupiter. Next look at
the 9th house which is a secondary bhavat-bhavam house for the 5th. Look
at the arudha or pada of the fifth house, at the Jaimini putrakaraka
(and always examine the atmakaraka). Look at the varga chart that deals
with the fifth house, the saptamamsha. Look at the placement and
influences of the fifth lord from the natal chart in the saptamamsha
chart. Examine the first and fifth house in the saptamamsha. Build these
into your interpretation as layers. If the net influence is positive,
then the final bottom line regarding the house should be too. Note the
periods where planets strongly connected with the house and indicators
are ruling in nakshatra dasha (e.g., vimshottari or yogini) or when the
relevant signs are ruling the rashi dashas (chara, sthira or kalachakra).
The planetary indicators that denoted strong negativity (even though the
net result was positive) would be the ones which can cause minor
problems and must be watched out for or remedied.
Now to put the pudding where the spoon is PERHAPS our collective karma,
jyotishis!
DIFFERENT STROKES (Another Perspective): What I like most about jyotish,
in fact astrology in general is its pliability. I know, I know ...
skeptics and those married to the rigid elitist path, the only right way
by their reckoning, unproven for its worth or any lasting boost to the
ego for the most part, can have a field day with that statement. What I
mean is that astrology does not alone bring illumination to us, but that
we as individuals bring a lot to it, as well. To the open-minded student
and observer of divination in general; astrology in particular, this
will become very evident in months or maybe a several years. Through
ages and eons, different groups of individuals with diverse backgrounds
have felt drawn to this wonderful language of the soul that describes so
well and fluently, the human experience, of all times, places and
leanings in such a timeless, amoral and *value*-less way!
Mystics have always been attracted to astrology, so we have the esoteric
astrology of Alice Bailey, so rich in mystical terminology and concepts
something that is almost lacking in Indian scriptural writings on
astrology. Indian writing styles, old and new tend to be concise even
terse, and at times cryptic even secretive! In relatively modern times,
we find psychologists of all cloths drawn to the universal language of
astrology and their cognitive flavors and influence particularly on
western tropical astrology is hard to miss. It has even created the
modern myth that western astrology is better capable of delineating the
persona of the nativity, while Indian astrology serves more aptly as a
tool for timing of events and for predictive purposes. Almost smacks of
trying to keep lines and boundaries respectfully clean yet distinct!
Purveyors of such myths miss out on the essential point that astrology
is a mirror that reflects to some extent the image and background of the
reader, the astrologer. This statement should not result in dropped
jaws, dear readers. All of us come to a discipline such as this language
of astrology with our unique and different backgrounds which includes
personal biases and leanings. The essentially value-neutral and amoral
(not to be confused with immoral!) nature of astrology lends very well
to and perhaps actively promotes such attitudes. It serves equally well
the religious fundamentalist as well as the scientist, both looking for
a raison d’etre against the backdrop and medium of astrology.
They say, “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!”
Now, that is very cynical and reeks of reductionism, if you ask me, but
like in everything else that is terse and provoking, therein lies a
grain of truth. So what does that have to do with jyotish? Everything!
Jyotish and astrology of all kinds for that matter have shown this
‘background-related’ bias through all times. Depending on the cohort of
individuals that were called to it and became its voice for the time
being, shaped the expression of the horoscope in boundaries determined
by where they came from, their line of thinking and bias (a negative and
non-useful thing unless you are an electronics engineer making radios!)
and when they were brilliant, shaped the contemporary thinking in
astrology.
A group of mystics got drawn to astrology and all sorts of symbolisms
soon embraced the divinatory craft. Some of these individuals were poets
and romantics – hence they described astrology along those lines. Then
came the era when astrology ‘belonged’ to the priestly class and sure
enough, a bevy of rituals and interpretations based on the framework of
mythology, religion and theology became the garb in which the prevailing
astrology proudly paraded before us for centuries, or some would say,
remained veiled under, its true beauty remaining victim to the quality
of our imagination and cognitive/perceptive boundaries.
A group of psychologists saw the richly symbolic ancient descriptor and
as their curiosity turned into real passion, astrology became garnished
by the language of the mind and soul and thus came to become the
neo-astrology of west and later on, the humanistic variant thereof, all
with the best possible and sincere minds feeding life into it and added
to its rich color and taste in the process.
In recent decades, astrology, particularly jyotish has drawn to its
fold, managers and applied scientists, so we see a reorganization and
revelation in this field of astrology as the practical and concrete
aspects and applications of it surfaced with increasing lack of
tolerance for philosophical and esoteric aspects and viewpoints of
astrology. But, note the beauty and flexibility of astrology. Like
water, astrology can take up the shape of the vessel that holds it, at
any given moment.
Is it any surprise that astrology has been symbolized, off and on, by
mercury truly befitting its mercurial, all encompassing fiber, its core
that will accommodate all ways of explaining it, of describing it in a
meaningful rational way. Other planets have also been implicated and
perhaps indicate the flavor of astrology that is current, at any given
time.
For many, particularly starting anew, sadly this leads to confusion. How
can the same technique, the same approach lead to such diverse
interpretations, and what then is the utility of such a ‘vague’ language
or mode of describing something, that describes just about everything
mostly in hindsight? These questioners miss the point, yet again, that,
essentially all languages are neither precise nor vague. The user is at
the helm, in full power. And, vagueness or its converse has nothing to
do with the utility of the language, either. We, as individuals and
certainly as a group possess different tolerances and needs for
different levels of precision, clarity and outright vagueness. Hence,
the most anal linguist and the diffuse mystic are required at the same
time to impart the appropriate clarity or the opposite to those whose
needs match the different modes of expression. I have seen chatrooms
empty as soon as the anal professor goes through the first 3% of the
discourse and interestingly, the same happened when the poetical mystic
began distributing his flowery wares. And yet, I rejoice in the variety
and the Grand Intellect that makes it all possible for so many different
styles of expression and comprehension to coexist and to be
simultaneously available and useful!
I confess. I am a bit of both and this is not a blessing, but a curse,
because, I get frustrated by both! When things go too left brained, it
worries me and when they swing to the other half that gives me no solace
either.
Oh sure, strive for the middle path, the wizened wise advise – which
leads us to, what? Perhaps a realization that the ladder is not the
roof! Astrology will not get us closer to the goal of understanding the
human experience but will not be the final tool or replace the very act
of understanding! That must come through astrology, but not just by it.
Astrology is like those help-books, the cheat-sheet that short-circuits
our path to learning, but does not replace learning itself. The student
must still burn the midnight oil, and absorb all the texts and
cheat-sheets and learning aids.
OVERREPRESENTATION IN ASTROLOGY—JUST AN OBSESSION OR WORSE?: It is very
human to dream, to want the best, and to get the most mileage out of
very little effort. It is quite commonly seen in astrology, where
individuals begin to get obsessively fixated on a given factor in a
horoscope in their practice of astrology. Sometimes, this is based on
what they see in their own charts where they tune into a particularly
beneficial or malefic combination and then try to explain a LOT based on
that single factor and risk ignoring nearly everything else in their
charts, including ultimately – the reality! There are many astrologers,
even good ones, who feel this Subjective need to see it all happen in
their charts before they are convinced of the significance of any given
factor or combination under consideration. There may be nothing wrong
with that approach, but unfortunately, over a long period of time, it
does begin to cloud one’s judgment – at least some of those times, when
the astrologer is vulnerable, and things are not going exactly the way
he had wished them to or –worse– had so ‘foreseen’!
For a long time, or so it seemed, jyotish as discussed in books,
articles and internet seemed to be undergoing a reexamination, a
separation was unfolding -- moving away from its religious
underpinnings, most of which dealt with curses, magical karmic premises
and a line of thinking that would not quite be in consonance with modern
thinking. Sadly, the tides seem to be turning and I presume partly due
to the growing fundamentalism and a disturbing and escalating sense of
chaos in our daily lives, more and more of us are increasingly finding
peace in more archaic and puritanical but fixed forms of astrological
‘reasoning’. Hence, an increase in the use of amulets, magical
incantations, worship, remedies; particularly remedies that do not need
personal involvement and can be carried on by someone else, hopefully an
expert, on one’s behalf, thousands of miles away, in some *pure* land
and realm! Such is the innovative bent of the modern entrepreneurial
human mind that as the modern saying goes, the Mountain will be made to
come to ‘Mahomet’ since the seeker is too busy in leading a
stress-riddled modern life which has no room for himself, let alone
remedial procedures to be carried out by the very sufferer of one’s own
doings!
The *b*a*d* in all this is that while individual convenience is
increasing as proxy-based fast-kiosks of McKarma, McWorship and
McRemedies are opening up all over the world, the misery counter does
not seem to settle down and the wails of souls-in-despair seems to mount
increasingly, even though ‘billions of SOULS get served’ over a very
short time (like the fast-food operations such as McDonald in some
countries)! Is all of this, an essential part of evolution of modern
jyotish? Must individuals go through this surge of superficial
spirituality until purged from its influence, they can finally settle
down and see if a balanced approach is at all possible and sustainable
in jyotish and that there is some role for personal choice, personal
decisions, and human creativity in this MAYA-riddled paradigm of divine
puppetry, conjured up or perceived so by some humans with questionable
motives and abilities?
It is not as if the world has not experienced similar chaos before, it
is not as if we have en masse gotten rid of our reasoning abilities
(though it sure seems that way, at times!), but the SOUL has become
restless as IT drowns into the sea of uncertainties and
unpredictability. The stock of divination will continue to climb, but so
will the short-cuts that get picked up by Its (its) flowing robe as it
sweeps along! It is essential to remind our-selves where the robe ends
and the dirt, that soils it masking its true colors and texture, begins!
Leaving aside the very few who have managed to convince themselves that
one’s chart (or even charts, the whole gamut) can capture one’s complete
life-experience as a human being, most of us continue to observe the
gaps in the astrological cloth. Particularly those who are not very
devotional or totally accepting of puritanical beliefs keep coming to
this question of personal responsibility, karma, and fate vs free will.
Often has it been stated and repeated by many: If fate is supreme,
unalterable and insurmountable for most mortals, then astrological
framework is absolute, must not fail and must at the same time be
useless because knowing that which is fixed and unalterable cannot
change it. At this point, even the staunch believer of jyotish begins to
weasel out and mumbles excuses such as astrology prepares one to face
eventuality and so on. In this weak argument itself lies some truth,
that there is some room for change, modification, shifting. Even if this
is as simple as a mental shift, a mental preparedness against some
shocking but unalterable event. If not knowing the event or fate can
somehow make the pain more unbearable as opposed to pre-knowledge and
being prepared ahead of the event, does that not show that there is room
for attitudinal and even behavioral adjustment? Where there is such
room, a crack, a wedge of questioning and truth can perhaps widen the
gap further and let more life energy flow into the stagnant corner of
soul that decrees such helplessness as total destiny to run our lives.
And without such room for growth, for one’s ability to influence and
modify karma – not through worshipping some magical symbol or shape, but
through changing karma or effort itself – the human experience kind of
loses its chart and even its purpose in this grand and divine scheme of
things. Mind you, this does not throw light on why or how karma started,
or some simple statement of original sin, if any, etc. When one is in
the middle of a dirty and unclear room, the best strategy is to start at
where we are and to go back and forward from there or even go in circles
cleaning up the dust and gradually see what is hidden beneath the dust
of timeless amnesia. Then and perhaps only then shall it all fit in the
big cosmic picture and the latter would begin to make cohesive sense.
May 7, 2006
Top | Astrology
Image under license with Gettyimages.com
Published in arrangement with
Crystal
Pages, Ottawa.
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