Vedic astrology or Jyotish - the best of lights - is the ancient art and science of observing the flow of time and thus understanding the past, present and future. The Vedic seers saw from the highest level of consciousness the implications - tendencies in life - that are indicated by the positions of theplanets. With this knowledge, we can understand how our life is unfolding and the strengths and challenges in every area. For example, in the areas of family and relationships, health, career, finances, interests, and personal and spiritual development.

Compatibility and Relationships

An individual’s relationships can be seen from the birth chart. It shows the energies involved and their cycles and the challenges which are likely to arise. Knowledge of the dynamics of a relationship and its cycles in time can often help enrich and smooth the experience. For instance, when a tendency to separate arises being aware of the planetary energy involved and the duration of its influence can save from hasty decisions.

Sometimes we can take personally something we feel in another. The charts let us see what is really going on, what is our own projection, and what is arising in the other person as a result of some unresolved experience in the past.

Since time immemorial, Vedic astrologers have been consulted in India before marriage was solemnised or business partnerships begun. Thus Vedic astrology offers sophisticated methods for determining compatibility.

Health

Culpeper, the great English herbalist, wrote that a doctor must know astrology. From the planetary cycles, the transits, and the birth chart the significant health problems can be seen, when they will arise, how long they will last, which part of the body will be mainly affected, if they will be curable, what the cure should be and what the 'real' cause is. Often serious health problems arise from ancient memories which need much more than medicine to disentangle. Vedic astrology offers very deep solutions to very deep problems and points to the ultimate solution to every problem - Self-realisation.

Finance

Life revolves around certain key issues. Obviously resources as well as gain and loss are of primary concern to all but a few. Naturally, Jyotish can give much insight here as well as making useful predictions. Resources go far beyond money and loss and gain are not merely experienced in the bank account. A planet associated with the 12th house can give an ongoing sense of loss with which we struggle until rescued by clarity of understanding. Knowledge is power and we need to know when to advance and when to bear gracefully with a sense of retreat or how to use it for our advantage, because advantage lies in every experience that comes to us.

Purpose in life

Jyotish shows us what any life is primarily dedicated to. While everyone has an ultimate spiritual destiny, we take birth with certain desires to fulfil or we could say a certain intention. If this is not well understood, we may be wondering why life is unfolding contrary to certain expectations we have acquired or why we keep meeting with certain experiences.

With the cycles of time our life's issues change. For every intention there is an allotted time. When the time for something has passed, there is only loss in continuing out of habit. It is better to know at least the outline of our life's map.

Spiritual direction

The Vedic wisdom is the knowledge of consciousness. As such its primary concern is self development. The planetary energies can be both obstructive and supportive. When we neglect our spiritual process they obstruct, when we nourish it they support. Thus our own unique spiritual path is also the key to outer happiness and fortune and the nature of that path can be seen from the birth chart.

One of the specialities of Vedic astrology is that it has many different sub-charts based on the exact position of the planets, each one giving insight into an area of life. One of these is concerned with our spiritual experience and its modes of development.

Auspicious Times

Every moment in time has its unique quality, and the destiny of any project or process started at that time can be seen from the planetary configuration at that moment. Conversely, by selecting an auspicious moment we can facilitate the success of an undertaking - marriage, starting a business, occupying a new house, etc. This is why heads of state and leaders in every field often have their own Vedic astrologer. This is rapidly becoming true even in today’s business world.

Planetary Cycles

A speciality of Vedic astrology is the remarkable methods of determining the cycles of time and the influence of the planets on them. This allows us to know when the fruit of a certain combination in the birth chart is likely to express itself. In particular, the method called Vimshottari (literally 120 years) is uncannily accurate.

Vedic and Western Astrology

There are many differences but the most obvious is that the planets are read primarily with reference to the background stars (the sidereal zodiac) rather than the seasons (the tropical zodiac). There is now a difference of about 23 degrees which means that, for instance, your sun may prove to be in a different sign. The difference can be quite enlightening. Vedic astrology is strong in every area. It can give an amazingly accurate personality profile but it shows at the same time all other areas of life from the spiritual to the most mundane.