Astrology
Astrology is a long-established method of exploring our selves, relationships and to have the introspection of values within the world. Vedic astrology is an analysis and forecasting system, based on astronomical data, that allows its practitioners to carefully assess and understand behavior, to measure the effects of the past, the influence of the present and the tendency of events to unfold in the future.
The fundamentals of Vedic Astrology were believed by ancient philosophers to have been instituted by Brahma, the creator. This knowledge was then passed down to various Rishis and to man. Vedic Astrology, in its current form, is thought to have been written several thousand years ago by Maharishi Parashara, although, following India's concepts of repeating time cycles, the work could have even have existed several thousand years more prior to that in oral form. Parashara's book, "
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra" is the primer on Vedic Astrology and most scholars view Parashara today as the father of mainstream Vedic Astrology.
The purpose of Vedic Astrology is to avoid problems before they arise. The aphorism, "Pull weeds early" describes a major purpose of astrology. Another quote from India states, "If you want to get rid of a snake, get rid of it when it is really small". In fact, Patanjali, a famous Indian philosopher who wrote the "Yoga Sutras", stated that it was important to know how to "avoid the danger which has not yet come".
The astrology of India is known for the quantity and quality of its analytical and forecasting tools. Most beginners are amazed to find not only the basic natal chart called the "rasi", but also a chart system employing 27 signs of the Moon, called the "
nakshatras". There is an additional set of birth charts called the "shodasavargas" which give the practitioner of Vedic Astrology 15 extra charts to examine. The most famous of these is the "Navamsa", which is analyzed carefully for marriage matching and to uncover more subtle aspects of a person's nature. The most widely recognized Vedic forecasting tool is called the
"Vimshottari Dasa" system which can track the karmic influences promised by planet in a chart out to a span of 120 years, with each planet ruling a specific period of a person's life. There are many other techniques, too numerous to mention in this small introduction.
