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ApproachingJyotish
AComparisonofWesternandVedicAstrology
byHankFriedman AgrowingnumberofWesternastrologersarebecoming curiousaboutVedicastrology(Jyotish)andneedhelpsortingthrough thedifferencesbetweenthetwosystems.Often,thedissimilaritiesare notspelledout,sincemanyVedicteacherseitherhavelittle understandingofWesternastrologyorsimplydon'taddresstheissues thataWesternastrologermighthave. Asapractitionerofbothsystems,Ihaveagreatloveforboth WesternandVedicastrologyandwanttomakeiteasierforWestern astrologerstoapproachthefieldofJyotish(orHindu)astrology.That isthepurposeofthisarticle. Tosuccessfullymakethetransitiontounderstandingand practicingVedicastrology,Westernastrologersmustfirstgraspwhere Jyotishdeparts,bothintechniqueandinapproach,fromthemethods theyuse. Pleaseunderstandthatthisarticlewilltaketimetoassimilate, becauseitdetailsanumberoftheimportantdivergencesbetweenthe twoastrologies.Itisdefinitelyworthmakingtheeffort.Thosewhodo sowillfindthemselvesbetterpreparedtostudyVedicastrologyand willeventuallyknowtwoexcellentastrologicalsystemsthat complementeachotherincrediblywell. IfyouarealreadyfamiliarwithWesternastrology,youhavethe greatadvantageofunderstandingthemeaningsoftheplanets,signs, andhousesmostofthesearetransferabletoyourstudyofJyotish.

WhatIsVedicAstrology?
Westernastrologyhashadaveryfitfuljourney.Mostancient textsweredestroyed,andmanymedievalworkswerenevertranslated untilveryrecently.Westernastrologyhasdiedandbeenreinvented manytimes.Throughoutitshistory,ithasfrequentlybeenmaligned andrejectedbothbythepowersthatbeandbythemasses. Jyotish,ontheotherhand,hasbeenareveredcontinuous traditionforthousandsofyears.Itisrichinspiritualpracticesandwas orallytransmittedintactovermillennia,beforeitwaseverwritten down.Withsuchdeepandpowerfulroots,Vedicastrologyhasguided
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generationupongeneration,anditcontinuestobehighlyrespectedin Indiatoday.Assuch,thecoreprinciplesandmethodsofJyotishwere developedbyancientmastersandexplicatedingreatdetailbeforethe riseofmoderncivilization.Theclassicaltextsofthistraditionandthe commentariesbyadvancedteachersserveastheultimateauthorityto instructandguidepractitionersofJyotish.

DifferencesinTechniques
TheTwoZodiacs MostastrologersknowthatWesternastrologyusestheTropical zodiac,wherethesignsaredefinedbytheSun'sapparentannual seasonalmovementaroundtheEarth.Thus,Ariesisdefinedasthe placeintheskywheretheSuncrossestheequatorgoingnorthward (whichisthefirstdayofspringintheNorthernHemisphere). Vedicastrologers(Jyotishis)usetheSiderealzodiac,wherethe signsaredefinedbytheactualphysicalconstellations,thestarsinthe sky.ThemostcommonlyusedreferencepointisthestarSpica,which definesthebeginningofthesignLibra.ThisisthebasisoftheLahiri (akaChitrapaksha)ayanamsha.Thewordayanamshaliterallymeans the"fallingbackportion"thedifferencebetweenthetwozodiacs duetotheprecessionoftheequinoxes. Thisdivergencebetweenthezodiacsiscontinuallygrowingin 1900,itwasabout23degrees,andin2000,itwasabout24degrees.As anexample,forapersonbornin2000,youcanconvertaplanetat25 TropicalCancertoitsSiderealpositionbysimplysubtracting24 degrees,resultinginaSiderealplacementof1Cancer.Mostastrology softwareallowsyoutocalculateplanetarypositionsforboththe TropicalandSiderealcoordinatesystems. ItisveryconfusingtoWesternastrologersthatsomeonecan have,say,theSuninTaurusinWesternastrology,buttheSuninAries inVedicastrology.ThisseemstobeastickingpointformanypeopleI havetalkedto.Onceyouunderstand,however,thatthesignsareused differentlyinVedicastrology(primarilyfordeterminingthestrength ofplanetsandevaluatingrulerships),thisdiscrepancybecomeslessof anissue. TheHouses Housesystems:Westernastrologerssetthebeginningofthe1st houseattheAscendantandthebeginningofthe10thhouseateither

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theMidheaven(forKoch,Placidus,Campanus,etc.,housesystems)or theNonagesimalthepoint90degreesbehindtheAscendant(forthe EqualHousesystem). Formostpurposes,Jyotishisusewholesignhouses,whereeach houseisawholesign,andthe1sthouseisthesignoccupiedbythe Ascendant.Forexample,ifapersonhadaSiderealAscendantof12 Leo,the1sthousewouldstartat0Leoandendat30Leo(i.e.,the1st housewouldencompassthewholesignofLeo). Note:SomeJyotishisuseShriPatihousesinadditiontowhole signhouses.Inthismethodofhousedivision,thehousecuspsthat WesternastrologersknowasPorphyrybecomethecentersofthe houses,andthebeginningandendofeachhouseisdeterminedby averagingadjacentcenters. SinceProjectHindsightrevealedthatancientWestern astrologyusedwholesignhouses,theacceptanceofwholesignhouses hasstartedtogrowamongWesternastrologers. Thenatureofhouses:Vedicastrologyclassifiesthehousesin manywaysthatareforeigntothemodernWesternastrologer.Thefour angularhouses(1st,4th,7th,10th)arecalledKendrasandare consideredtheplacesofpower,i.e.,planetshavefullexpressioninthese houses.Whatwewouldcallthefirehouses(1st,5th,9th)arecalled Trikonas,orTrines,andrepresenttheplacesofopportunityandgood fortune. Therearealsofourhouses(3rd,6th,8th,12th)calledthe Dusthanasthesehousesrepresenttheareasoflifewhereobstaclesand sufferingarise.Threeofthesehouses(6th,8th,12th)arecalledTrik houses(Trikastanas)theplanetsrulingthesehouses,andthe occupantstherein,canindicatethemostchallengingarenasoflife. Also,therearefourhousesofimprovement(3rd,6th,10th,11th)called Upachayasmaleficplanets(theSun,Mars,Saturn,andtheMoon's nodes)dowellinthesehouses,andplanetsoccupyingthesehouses representthemesthatgraduallyimproveduringthelifetime. Correspondences:Vedicastrologerssometimesgivedifferent meaningsandattributionstothehousesthandoWesternastrologers. Forexample,thoughWesternastrologersseethe6thasahouseof discernment,Jyotishisseethe5thhouseasgoverningthatfaculty. Also,themeaningsofthehouseshavebeenextended significantlyinVedicastrology.Forexample,besidestheusual

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meanings,the2ndhouserepresentsfamilymattersandthevoicethe 3rdhouse,courageandeffortthe5thhouse,wisdomandgoodkarma the8thhouse,masteryofancientwisdomthe11thhouse,oldersiblings andeasilyacquiredmoneyandthe12thhouse,sexualenjoymentand foreignresidence.(Myarticle,"BridgeofSkies"intheOct./Nov.2001 issueofTheMountainAstrologer,givesmanymoreVedichouse correspondencesthisarticlecanbereadonmyWebsiteat: http://www.soulhealing.com/november01astro.htm) Chartforms:Westernastrologersuseacircularchartwheelin theirworktheNorthandSouthIndianastrologersuseasquarechart. ThedifferencesbetweenthesethreeformsareshowninFigureOne. TraditionalRulerships ModernWesternastrologersviewUranusastherulerof Aquarius,NeptuneastherulerofPisces,andPlutoastherulerof Scorpiohowever,formostofWesternastrology'shistory,traditional rulershipswereused.Theseareidenticaltotherulershipsstillusedby Vedicastrologers:MarsrulesAriesandScorpio,Jupiterrules SagittariusandPisces,SaturnrulesCapricornandAquarius,and MercuryrulesGeminiandVirgo(andisexaltedinVirgo). Thesetraditionalrulershipsareveryvaluabletoknowand usefultoapply,eveninyourWesternastrologicalpractice.Theyoften revealconnections(suchasthosebetweenhouses)thatmightotherwise bemissed.Forexample,intheWesternchart(notshown)forAntonio Banderas,withPiscesrising,Jupiter(thetraditionalrulerofthechart) isinitsownsignofSagittariusinthe10thhousethisexplainshis incrediblesuccess,hisgoodlooks,andthatheisoftenchosentoplay thehero(alloftheseareJupiter/1sthousethemes). Also,VedicastrologersdonotusewhatWesternastrologerscall signsofdetriment(i.e.,thesignoppositethesignaplanetrules).This canbeconfusingtoWesternastrologerstryingtolearnVedic astrology,becauseEnglishtranslationsofVedictextsusuallyusethe term"detriment"asthetranslationoftheVedicwordneecha,whichis equivalenttotheWesternterm"fall"(thesignoppositetheexaltation sign).Inotherwords,insteadofsayingMarsisinitsfallinthesignof Cancer,aVedictextwouldstatethatMarsisinitsdetrimentin Cancer.(Neechaactuallymeans"fallen.") IttakessurprisinglylittletimetogetusedtotheVedicconcept ofdetriment,sincethesignsthatWesternastrologersdesignatefor "fall"areexactlythesameaswhatVedicastrologerscall"detriment": SuninLibra,MooninScorpio,MercuryinPisces,VenusinVirgo,

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MarsinCancer,JupiterinCapricorn,andSaturninAries.Vedic astrologersseeplanetsindetrimentasbothweakandunstable however,certainVedicchartfactorscanstrengthendebilitated planets. ThePlanets Westernastrologersusethetenmajorplanets(theSunthrough Pluto)andoftenaddpoints:thecometChiron,thefourmajor asteroids,andsoon. Vedicastrologersprimarilyuseninepoints:theSunandMoon, theplanetsMercurythroughSaturn,andtheMoon'sNorthNode (calledRahu)andSouthNode(calledKetu),whicharereferredtoas shadowyplanets. ThereasonthatmodernVedicastrologersoftengivefor continuingtoexcludetheouterplanets(Uranus,Neptune,andPluto)is thatthesystemofrulership,soessentialtoVedicdelineation,becomes disruptedbytheadditionofmorepoints.Furthermore,thenodesare significatorsofthekindsofmodernthingscomputers,technology, epidemicdiseases,etc.thatWesternastrologersuseUranus, Neptune,andPlutotorepresent.(Still,asmallnumberofVedic astrologersareintroducingtheouterplanetsintotheirpractice.) AlsouniquetoVedicastrologyistheassessmentoftheSunasa cruelormaleficplanet.Onecaneasilyimaginethat,inaTropical countrylikeIndia,thehotandintenseSunwouldbeseenas deleterious.Nevertheless,theSunalsosymbolizes,asitdoesinWestern astrology,thecoreofthesoul(orAtman). WhenVedicastrologersask,"What'syoursign?"theyexpect tobetoldaperson'sMoonsignormansion,nottheSunsign.That's becausetheMoonisconsideredtobemoreimportantthantheSunin Vedicastrology.Infact,transitsarereckonedfromtheMoon,andthe centralpredictivemethodofJyotishisbaseduponthelunarmansion occupiedbytheMoonatbirth. Aspects Howaspectsareformed:InWesternastrology,theaspectsare determinedprimarilybytheanglebetweentwoplanets.Tobein aspect,twoplanetsmustbewithinacertaindegreerange,ororb,ofthe specifiedangle.Forexample,iftheMoonisat12CancerandMarsis at16Pisces,theyaresaidtobetrineeachother,withina4orb.

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Vedicastrologersgenerallyusewholesignaspects(which, incidentally,werealsousedbytheancientGrecoRomanastrologers). Therefore,anyplanetinLibraisinaspecttoanyplanetinAries,no matterwhattheirdegreepositionsare.AndifMarsisat2Libraand theMoonat28Pisces,Jyotishisdonotconsiderthemtobeinaspectto eachotherwhereasmostWesternastrologerswouldcharacterize themasbeinginopposition.(ManyVedicastrologersdopayattention toaspectorbs,buttheydon'tuseastightorbsasdoWestern astrologers.) UnlikeWesternastrology,wherethetypeofaspectadds meaning(e.g.,squaresarechallenging),Vedicaspectsareneutral. Whatmakesanaspectpositiveornegativeisnotthetypeofaspectbut whethertheaspectingplanetisabeneficoramalefic.Thebenefic planetsare:Jupiter,Venus,andalsoMercury(unlessaspectedonlyby malefics),andtheMoon.Themaleficsare:RahuandKetu(theMoon's NorthandSouthNode,respectively),Saturn,Mars,andtheSun. Whataspectsareused:InWesternastrology,thePtolemaic aspects(conjunction,sextile,square,trine,andopposition)aremost frequentlyusedofcourse,manyastrologersaddotheraspects.Every planetiscapableofmakingeachkindofaspect. InVedicastrology,theconjunctioniscalled"association."For example,aclassicalVedictextmaystatethattheMoonisinassociation withMars,whichmeansthatbothareinthesamesign. TheonlyaspectthateveryplanetmakesinJyotishisthe opposition(toallplanetsintheoppositesign).ThreeplanetsMars, Jupiter,andSaturnmakeadditional"special"aspects.Thesespecial aspectsareconsideredunidirectional(madebyoneoftheseplanetsto anotherplanetandnotviceversa). Jupiter'sspecialaspectiseasyfortheWesternastrologerto understand.Jupiteristheonlyplanetthatcantrineanotherplanet. Sincewearereferringtowholesignaspectshere,thismeansthat Jupiterin,say,anearthsignaspectseveryplanetintheothertwoearth signs. Note:Whencountingaspectsandlordships,Vedicastrologers countinclusively,i.e.,theyincludethehousethataplanetisin. Saturn'stwospecialaspectsaretheforwardsextileandthe backwardsquare.ThatmeansthatSaturnaspectsanyplanetsthatare threesignsforwardofit(countinginclusively)andanyplanetsthatare foursignsbehindit(oftencalledSaturn'stenthaspect).Forexample,if
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SaturnisinCapricorn,itforwardaspectsallplanetsinPiscesand backwardaspectsallplanetsinLibra. Marshastwospecialaspects,too.Itaspectsthefourthsign forward(i.e.,theforwardsquare)forexample,ifMarsisinTaurus,it aspectseveryplanetinLeo.Italsoaspectsthesixthsignbackward(the backwardquincunx),soifMarsisinAries,itaspectseveryplanetin Scorpio. AlthoughtheseVedicaspectsmayseemillogicaltoaWestern astrologerandabithardtolearn,theyareindeedveryworthwhileto lookat,becausetheyactuallyworkwhenappliedtoaVedicchart. Whatisaspected:InmodernWesternastrology,planetsaspect planetsandotherpointsinthechart,suchastheAscendantand Midheaven. InVedicastrology,asinancientWesternastrology,planetsalso aspecthouses,whethertheseareoccupiedornot.IfJupiterwereinthe 1sthouse,itwouldinfluencethe1sthousebyassociationitwould aspectthe7thhouse(sinceeveryplanetaspectstheoppositehouse)and alsothe5thand9thhouses(byitsspecialaspects). Whatmakesanaspectstrong:InWesternastrology,thesmaller theorb,thestrongeranaspect.(SomeWesternastrologersalsoratethe typeofangleforexample,alooseconjunctionoroppositionisoften consideredstrongerthanatightsemisextileorbiseptile.) AsIsaid,manyVedicastrologersalsopayattentiontoorbs,but evenmoreimportantisthestrengthoftheplanetmakingtheaspect.A planetofmiddlingstrengthwillmakeamuchlessnoticeableaspect thanthatofaverystrongplanet.(Interestingly,theaspectofavery weakmaleficisdestabilizing,ratherthannegligible.) IndicationsofPlanetaryStrengthandWeakness BothWesternandVedicastrologersconsideraplanettobe stronginitsownsignandinthesignofitsexaltation.Andbothsystems characterizeaplanetasweakifitiscombust(within6degreesofthe Sun)orinthesignofitsfall(calleddetrimentintheVedicsystem). VedicastrologersalsoconsidertheMoonweakifitisdark(within72 degreesoftheSun)andstrongifbright(inthesignoftheFullMoonor thesignbeforeorafterthat).BoththeSunandtheMoonaredeemed weakifaneclipseoccursatthetimeofbirth. However,becauseVedicastrologyismuchmoreobservationally
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basedthanWesternastrology,retrogradeplanetsarealsoconsidered tobestrong.Whenaplanetisretrograde,itisclosesttotheEarthand thusappearslargerthanatothertimes.(WhenMars,Jupiter,and Saturnareretrograde,theyareoppositetheSun,liketheFullMoonas aresult,theseplanetsarevisiblylargerandshinetheirbrightestatthis time.) PlanetsarealsoconsideredstronginVedicastrologyifthey havedirectionalstrength(calleddigbala).JupiterandMercuryhave directionalstrengthwheninthe1sthouseSaturn,inthe7thhouse VenusandtheMoon,inthe4thhouseandtheSunandMars,inthe 10thhouse.AniceanalogyforthisisthatMarsandtheSunarehot planetswholovetoshineoverothersinthe10ththeMoonandVenus aremoistplanetswhoarestrongestathomeinthe4thhousethe1st housetheclearlightofdawnisthebestplaceforMercuryand Jupiter,theplanetsofperceptionandSaturnrejoicesattheendofthe Sun'sday,inthe7thhouse. Finally,ifatrueplanet(Mercury,Venus,Mars,Jupiter,or Saturn)iswithinonedegreeofanothertrueplanet,thenthetwo planetsaresaidtobeinaplanetarywar(grahayuddha)thisweakens bothplanetsbut,especially,theloserofthewar.Vedicastrologersuse variouswaystodeterminethevictorofawar,includingfavoringthe planetthatisbrighter(mostfrequentlyused),stronger,orhasthe higherzodiacallatitude(orlongitude). HarmonicCharts Vedicastrologersuseharmonicchartsaspartoftheirbasic chartanalysis.Harmoniccharts(whicharecalledvargas,amshas,or divisionalcharts)arecalculatedbydividingeachsignintoanumberof sectionsandassigningasigntoeachsection.InVedicastrology,the calculationofsomeoftheharmonicchartsdifferfromWestern methods. TheVedicuseofharmonicchartsisunique.Eachchart representsadifferentlifetheme,suchascareer,parents,spouse. Analysisofthatchartsupplementstheinformationaboutthelifetheme givenbythenatalchart. Forexample,thenavamshadivisionalchart(identicaltothe Westernninthharmonicchart)isthesubchartthatindicates marriage.Thischartisevaluatedalongsidethenatalchartformarital compatibilityandtiming.Adifficultnavamshachartmightreflect conflictswithinthemarriage,ordivorce,ortheinabilitytofinda partner.InthenavamshachartofArnoldSchwarzenegger,it'sclear

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thathewouldn'teasilyfindastablerelationshiphemarriedforthe firsttimeatage38. Thenavamshacharthasmanyotherpurposes,including assessingthesecondhalfoflife,thestrengthofplanets,andthequality ofaperson'sselfexpression.Sincedivisionalchartschangemuchmore quicklywithshiftsinthebirthtimethannatalchartsdo,theyarealso routinelyusedforchartrectification,whichmanyVedicastrologers perform. LunarMansions WhereasWesternastrologyseldomtakeslunarmansionsinto account,astrologiesbaseduponlunarcalendars(Chinese,Tibetan, Indian)usethemextensively. InVedicastrology,lunarmansionsarecallednakshatrasfor morethan3,000years,theyhavebeenthecenterpieceofVedic electionalastrologychoosingwhentogetmarried,gotowar,builda house,etc.Thenakshatrasarealsousedinnatalastrologyandin severalpredictivetechniques. TheChineseandArabicastrologersuse28lunarmansions,but modernVedicastrologersprimarilyuse27lunarmansions.(TheMoon takes27.3daystogoaroundthezodiac,soonecaneitherroundupto 28daysorrounddownto27days.)

DifferencesinApproach
ApproachingAllFacetsofLife OnethingthatinitiallyputmeoffaboutVedicastrologywasthe bluntandoftenharshassessmentsofplanetarycombinations.Atthe time,Ihadpickedupabookthatsaidthatpeoplewithaparticular configurationwoulddieofleprosy. Readersshouldunderstandthattheancientastrologicaltexts bothintheEastandintheWestusedextremeexamplesaspointsof emphasis,tomaketheconceptsstickinthestudent'smemory.These textswerenotmeanttobereadbyoneself,butonlyunderthetutelage ofone'smentor,whocouldexplainthemeaningsofeachverse. Thatsaid,Vedicastrologycoverseverypartoflife,fromthe mostignobletothemostdivine.Eventheforemostclassicaltexts containversesongenitalsizeandquality,addictionandincest,howto knowwhetherachildwilldieyoung,theindicatorsofspecificdiseases,

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theexpectedlengthoflife,andmuchmore.Theyalsoreveal combinationsforspirituality,asceticism,andenlightenment. Vedicastrologyalsoshowsthefixedkarmasinthechartthat is,patternsthatareclearlygoingtobepresentinaperson'slife.For example,everyVedicastrologerwholookedatmychartknewIwould neverhavechildren. Somemodernhumanisticastrologershavetroublegetting comfortablewiththeVedicwillingnesstofaceeveryconditionoflife. Yet,inmanyways,thisapproachenablesustounderstandourclients thatmuchbetter. MaleficsandBenefics AlthoughmodernWesternastrologerstendtoshyawayfrom suchconceptsasbeneficormalefic,Vedicastrologersdonot.They understandthat,toeffectivelydescribeandpredicttheupsanddowns oflife,eventheextremetragedies,oneneedsalanguageandasetof principlesthatelucidateboththegoodandbadfacetsofexistence. Iinitiallyhadaveryhardtimelookingatnegativefactorsin anychart,beitWesternorVedic.Ididn'twanttoalarmordiscourage anyone,andInavelythoughtthateveryonecould"createtheirown reality,"thatanythingwaspossibleinanyone'slife.Gradually,Ihave cometorealizethatVedicastrologyisneitherpessimisticnorfatalistic rather,it'sjusttryingtohelppeopletounderstandtheirlotinlife. OneofthefirsttimesIexperiencedthevalueofanegative delineationwaswhenItoldaclientthatitwouldbeveryhardforher topulltogetheracareerinthislife.Hersurprisingresponsewas: "ThankGod!"Shesaidthathearingthisgavehergreatrelief,sinceshe hadinfactneverbeenabletosettleuponacareershenowknewthatit waspartofthekarmicflowofherlifeandshecouldmakepeacewithit, insteadofendlesslyjudgingherself. TheLunarNodes In1936,DaneRudhyarpublishedhisseminalbook,The AstrologyofPersonality.Sincethen,mostWesternastrologershave interpretedtheNorthNodeasindicatingthedirectiononeismeantto movetowardinthislifeandtheSouthNode,asthedirectiontakenin pastlives,whichoneismeanttomoveawayfrom. Formorethan3,000years,Vedicastrologershavetreatedthe lunarnodesasplanets,andusedthemforbothnatalanalysisand prediction.AlthoughtheNorthNodecanindeedrepresentsuccess,
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determination,anddrive(especiallyifitisassociatedwithoraspected byastrongJupiter),itcanalsorepresentobsession,greed,lust, overindulgence,narcissism,extremematerialism,rebellion,and alienation.AndthoughtheSouthNodecanindicateselfundoingand theplacesinourliveswherewemustlearntoletgo,italsorepresents suchpositivethemesasachievingspiritualdetachmentand enlightenmentanddevelopinghighervaluesaswellasnegative patternssuchasselfdoubt,selfsacrifice,inhibition,selfeffacement, paralysis,andfeelingovershadowedandinvisible. MostWesternastrologersforgetthatthecoreastronomical meaningofthenodesisthattheyarethe"eclipsers"thepoints responsibleforeclipsingtheSunandtheMoon.Itisthismeaningthat informsmuchoftheVedicusageofthenodes.InJyotish,whenaplanet isassociatedwithoneofthenodes,itsexpressionisusuallyamplified, exaggerated,obscured,ordistortedinsomeway. ThePrimaryVedicPredictiveMethod MostWesternastrologersusetransits(especiallybyouter planets)andprogressionsastheirprincipalmethodsofprediction, supplementedwithsolarreturns,directions,etc. Vedicastrologersemployseveralpredictivemethods(including transits),buttheirpreferredmethodisasystemcalledVimshottari Dasha.Thissystem,whichissurprisinglysimilartoHellenistic astrology'sTimeLords,isactuallyveryeasytounderstand.Atany giventime,apersonisundertheprimaryinfluenceofoneplanet. Everyoneisbornduringaperiod(dasha)ofaspecificplanet. Todeterminewhatplanetgovernstheperiodstartingatbirth,welook atwhatplanetrulesthelunarmansion(nakshatra)occupiedbythe natalMoon.Fromthenon,theperson'slifeunfoldsundertheinfluence ofoneplanetatatime,inafixedsequence.Forexample,ifyouwere bornundertheinfluenceofJupiter,thenafterthatperiodended,you wouldnextbeundertheinfluenceofSaturn,andthenMercury,etc. PlanetDurationofDasha Ketu7years Venus20years Sun6years Moon10years Mars7years Rahu18years Jupiter16years Saturn19years
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Mercury17years Eachplanetaryperiodhasitsownfixedlength(e.g.,theSun's periodissixyears,Mercury'speriodis17years).Thefirstperiod, startingatbirth,isusuallylessthanthefulllengthofthedasha, dependinguponhowfarintothelunarmansiontheMoonwasinthe natalchart. Thedashasystemallowstheastrologertoassesswhatwill happenduringanyperiodinaperson'slifebylookingatallofthe factorsthattheparticularplanet(calledthedashalord)rules,relates to,andsignifiesinthebirthchart.Forexample,ifapersonisrunninga Sunperiod,andtheSunisinthe7thhouse(relationship)andrulesthe 9thhouse(representingtravel),andtheSunisaspectedbyastrong Jupiter(bringinggoodfortune),theastrologermightpredictsuccessin meetingaspousethroughtravelorhavingawonderfultimetraveling withone'sspouse(assuming,ofcourse,thatotherchartfactors corroboratetheseinterpretations). Becauseeachplanetaryperiodlastsseveralyears,theperiodis dividedintosubperiods(calledbhuktisorantaras)ruledbyeachofthe planetsinturn.So,apersonmaybeinthemajorperiodoftheSun,for example,andthesubperiodofMars.Ifthesetwoplanets(theperiod planetandthesubperiodplanet)havearelationshiptoeachotherin thebirthchart,thenthatperiod/subperiod(dasha/bhukti)inaperson's lifeisparticularlynoteworthy,becauseallofthemeaningsofthetwo planets'relationshiptoeachotherarelikelytomanifestduringthat time.Forexample,JacquelineKennedyOnassislostherfirsthusband, JohnF.Kennedy,duringherMoondashaandRahubhuktiinher natalchart,bothplanetswereconjunctinher7thhouse. HowVedicAstrologersApproachaChart Chartpatternsemergedynamically:Vedicastrologyseesthe natalchartthemesasmanifestingduringspecificperiodsofaperson's lifetheplanetaryperiodswhentheplanet(s)makingupthenatal patternsarethedashaand/orbhuktilords.Ifapersonneverrunsthe periodofaplanet,itspotentialeffectsmayneverbefullyrealized.For example,MarilynMonroeranthedashasofonlythreeplanets,Mars, Rahu,andJupiter,duringherlife.AllthreeplanetsareinTrikhouses (MarsandJupiterinthe8th,Rahuinthe12th)andindicatehow troubledherlifewas,frombeginningtoend. The1sthouseispreeminent:OneofthefirstthingsaVedic astrologerdoesistoassessthe1sthouseanditslord.Thishouseis consideredtorepresenttheindividualsthemselves,theirbodyand

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appearance,andtheircapacitytobeeffectiveinlife. Iftheoccupantsofthe1sthouseandtheplanetsaspectingthe 1sthousearebeneficsandifthelordofthe1sthouseisstrong,ina goodhouse,andassociatedwithoraspectedbybeneficsthensuch peoplearecapableofusingtheirtalentsandofbouncingbackfrom upsets,andarelikelytobepopular,grounded,healthy,andsuccessful. Iftheoppositeistrue,theseindividualsmayfindlifeoverwhelming, feelrejectedbyothers,andstruggletoexpresstheirgifts. Mostpeoplearen'tateitherextreme,ofcourse,butan evaluationofthe1sthousecanshowaperson'sfundamentalstrengths andchallenges. Fourfactorsareusedtoevaluateeachareaoflife:When Jyotishiswishtoassessaperson'sexperiencewithchildren,theywill considerthe5thhouseandthe5thlord,asWesternastrologersdo,and alsolookatthesignificatorofchildren(Jupiter)andthesaptamsha chart(theD7divisionalchart,roughlyequivalenttotheseventh harmonic). Planetarysignificatorsareusedmuchmoreextensivelyin JyotishthaninWesternastrology,andthesecontributesubstantiallyto theinterpretationofeverylifetheme. Yogasshowthelevelofaperson'slife:Vedicastrologersassess thedegreeofsuccessinaperson'schartbylookingatplanetary combinationscalledyogas.Thewordyogasimplymeans"joiningor combination"forexample,aplanetisinaspecificsignandhouse,or twoplanetsareconnected,orsixhousesareoccupied.Oneofthebest yogasforsuccess(calledaRajaYoga)occurswhenthelordsofthe9th and10thhousesareconjoined. Whatdistinguishesthechartsofhighlysuccessfulpeoplefrom thechartsofaveragefolkisthepresenceofmanyauspiciousyogas (alongwithotherfactorsthatindicatetheabilitytousetheyogasto goodeffect,ofcourse,suchashavingastrongAscendantandrunning thedashaofyogaformingplanetsduringadulthood).Therefore,Vedic astrologerscantellwhethersomeoneislikelytohaveavery conspicuousroleinsocietyorgreatsuccessoramoreordinarylife byassessingthenumberofyogasinachartandtheirstrength.A yogaisconsideredtobestrongifatleastoneofitsplanetary componentsisstrong.
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MasteringVedicastrologyisquitealargeundertaking,butone candevelopproficiencyinstagesandlearntoapplytechniquesinvery rewardingwaysateachstepofthejourney.Ihopethisintroduction willhelpreadersbegintounderstandtheVedicapproachtoastrology. ChartDataandSources Antonio Banderas, August 10, 1960 9:00 p.m. MET Mlaga, Spain (36N43',04W25')AA:FrankC.Cliffordquotesbirthcertificate. Marilyn Monroe, June 1, 1926 9:30 a.m. PST Los Angeles, CA (34N03',118W14')AA:birthcertificateinhandfromBobGarner also,photoofbirthcertificateinTheCuriousDeathofMarilynMonroe. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, July 28, 1929 2:30 p.m. EDT Southampton,NY(40N53',72W23')A:FrancesMcEvoyquotesher, tomutualfriendsdatanotreleaseduntilafterherdeath. ArnoldSchwarzenegger,July30,19474:10a.m.METGraz,Austria (47N05',15E27')A:frommemoryD.C.Doanequotesacolleague, fromhimin1979. 2005HankFriedmanallrightsreserved HankFriedmanisrenownedintheSanFranciscoBayAreaforhis astrologicalandtransformativecounselingworkwithindividualsand couples.HisastrologyreadingscombinethebestofbothWesternand Vedicapproaches.Hankhastutoredastrologers,taughtclasses, conductedyearlongastrologicalapprenticeshipprograms,andgiven lecturesinternationallyinWesternandVedicastrology.HisWebsite, soulhealing.com,hasdozensoffreetutorialsandarticlesonbothWestern andVedicastrology.Asanexpertonastrologysoftware,heoffersreviews andindeptharticlesonastrologysoftwareonhisWebsite.ContactHank viaemail:stars@soulhealing.comorcalltollfree:(888)7777366.

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