Intro to Vedic Astrology

I thought that I would share some excerpts from a book that I am writing on Vedic Astrology.  This is from Chapter 1 . . .

Astrology is the divine science.  People have looked to the sky find their connection to the universe since the beginning of time.  Turning to the stars they have looked to find answer life's most difficult questions:  Who am I?  Why am I here?  What should I accomplish with my life?  Why is this happening to me?  After thousands of years many of us are still asking the same questions.  We are driven to find our own answers and astrology is still most appropriate science to direct our search.

            Millennia ago sages in India asked these same questions.  The inspired answers that they received resulted in the development of Vedic Astrology.  Chances are good that you are more familiar with Western astrology than with Vedic astrology.  Western astrology is sometimes known as personality astrology because it does a very good job of identifying peoples' personality types, or as tropical astrology because the placement of the signs is determined by the vernal equinox.  Vedic astrology is better known for its predictive value.  In addition, Vedic astrology is closely tied to Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India.  That means that Vedic astrology is also a useful tool for understanding current and future health issues.

A Short History of Vedic Astrology

            The inspired answers the sages received millennia ago were passed down orally until sometime between 5,000 and 6,000 years ago when they began to be written down in the Vedas.  The Vedas are the written documents (scripture) of divine origin that contain the knowledge that was heard from the Cosmic Intelligence.  The four vedas are know as the Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda,  and the Atharva Veda.  The Rig Veda is considered to be the oldest book in the world and has passages that refer to dates before 6,000 B.C.  Sometimes called the "Book of Cosmic Law" it addresses the science of mantra.

The Sama Veda develops the science of mantra into the science of sound and music.  Sound and music are essential for transforming the mind and emotions.  The Yajur Veda is the science of action and provides the foundation for practices like yoga and meditation.  Finally, the Atharva Veda contains mantras related to treating diseases as well as names of plants used for healing it provides the foundation for Ayurveda.

Both the Rig Veda and the Atharva Veda contain information relevant to Vedic Astrology.  For example, the Rig Veda includes a system of astronomical calculations including twelve signs and a 360 degree circle.  The Atharva Veda also contains information about the Sun, Moon, and nakshatras or moon signs. Later sages like Parashara, Agastya, Brighu and Vashishta wrote large works on astrology called horas.  The rules and techniques used by modern Vedic astrologers are derived, for the most part, from the horas.

Next time I'll post about Vedic philosophy and the purpose of life.  Hope you enjoy . . .