Astrology | San Diego

GAY BY NATURE
         Choice or Intelligent Design
         It is noted that some degree of same-sex sexual attraction was acknowledged by nearly 25.6 million (11% of the US population). The question continues to be hotly debated as to why some people are gay, with a (decreasing) number of ‘authoritative’ voices outside the gay community stubbornly insisting that it is a matter of personal choice. Certainly rare would be the individual who having lived in their gay skin with self-integrity through the past several decades of experiencing various degrees of persecution, nuanced discrimination and outright gay-bashing, could say that that having confronted the supposed ‘opt in’ moment they had wilfully ‘signed up’ for life membership in their same-sex orientation.

         Biological Basis: Whose Choice Is It Anyway?
         Various studies since the early 1990’s have empirically demonstrated the connection between biology and sexual orientation which remains an ongoing subject of research. Although a universally accepted singular determinant of sexual orientation is yet to be conclusively demonstrated, scientists appear to agree that sexual orientation may be determined by a combination of elements that include social factors, brain structure, prenatal hormones and genetics (particularly vis-à-vis early uterine environment). While a specific ‘gay gene’ has thus far eluded scientists, the most recent research (W Rice, U Friberg, The Quarterly Review of Biology, December 2012) provides a good foundation for understanding why or how homosexuality can come to run in families by shining the light on Epigenetics - the process whereby external factors in the environment (in this case the womb itself) influence DNA expression causing genes to switch on or off.
         Referring to their discovery as "sexually antagonistic" epi-marks, Rice and Friberg note that "These things have evolved because they're good for the parents, but they sometimes, not [with] high frequency, but sometimes carry over" to the next generation from mother to son or father to daughter, causing homosexuality in opposite-sex offspring. Specifically, an epi-mark that benefits the mother by protecting her from high testosterone exposure in pregnancy when passed on to her son (opposite sex) could have the effect of desensitising him to testosterone, causing the ‘feminisation’ of his sexual preference and therefore promoting a preference for men (homosexuality or bisexuality). Similarly, the carry over of a male-specific epi-mark from father to daughter could lead to ‘masculinisation’ of her sexual preference so that she finds herself attracted to women. In this context feminisation/masculinisation of sexual preference refer only to the offspring’s sexual orientation and not to personality or physical traits.
         It has significantly been pointed out that proliferation of these epigenetic characteristics in the population can occur with relative ease because they enhance the parent’s fitness while only very rarely reducing that of the offspring. These findings complement past studies linking the proliferation of gay men in the population despite the lower likelihood of their having children to the fact that the female members in families of gay men tend on average to bear more children than other females. According to the study this effect could be produced specifically through two genes transmitted via the maternal line.
         This could also explain why although twin studies have generally failed to identify any ‘gay gene/s’, they have found homosexuality to run in families (ie heritable), where, in sets of identical twins, if one twin identifies as homosexual, there's a 2 in 10 chance of the other twin being gay as well - it has been suggested that these odds would have been higher had the determinant been some specific genetic change.

         Evidence of Biological ‘Hard-wiring’
         Other studies have found distinct physiological differences including very significantly in the brain, genitalia, etc, between homosexuals and heterosexuals demonstrating the correlation between physiology and sexual orientation. For example, with respect to the brain, gay men, on average, have equally proportioned brain hemispheres with the hypothalamus having larger VIP SCN nucleus than heterosexual men whose right brain hemisphere also tends to be slightly larger than the left.

The average size of the INAH-3 in the brains of gay men is significantly smaller, with more densely packed cells than in heterosexuals. Gay and straight men's brains show differing responses to fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), as well as to the putative sex pheromone AND, which is found in male armpit secretions. Also, in gay men the amygdala is more active upon exposure to sexually arousing material than in straight men.

         Praying for the Cure: What for?
         Although this is not the current view held by the vast majority of people, there are some groups in the United States, predominantly Christian groups, who regard homosexuality as an illness for which they offer so-called gay conversion or gay reparative therapy (typically prayer and/or counselling) which they insist can "cure the gay", ie make someone change their sexual orientation. The claim of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, is that gays suffer from: “childhood trauma; shaming in their families of origin; chronic unmet needs for love and affection by their same-sex parent”.
         Indeed, homosexuality was removed from the list of defined psychiatric disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), in 1973, with organisations including the American Psychological Association (APA) issuing clear statements asserting: "Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and the APA opposes all portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual people as mentally ill and in need of treatment due to their sexual orientation."
         Based on their review of 83 studies concerning gay cures, the APA has determined that there is little to no evidence to support the effectiveness of gay conversion therapy in changing one's sexual orientation. In fact any little semblance of ‘success’ was limited to convincing: (a) bisexual individuals to limit choice of sexual partners to those of the opposite sex; (b) homosexuals to remain celibate; (c) gays and lesbians to try and shoehorn themselves into heterosexual relationships, whilst however still retaining their homosexuality.
         In a famous case involving Exodus International, a major conversion programme, the two male founders who admitted that the programme was "ineffective… not one person was healed", subsequently fell in love and chose to live happily ever after in civil union.
         Furthermore, both the American Psychiatric Association and the (US) National Association of Social Workers have come out emphatically against gay reparative therapy calling it unethical and stating that practitioners thereof risk losing their license or being censured. The APA, whose study also found that therapy aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation could induce depression and suicidal tendencies, voted overwhelmingly to repudiate reparative therapy in 2009.

         Primal Instinct
         Whether science will ever identify any specific gene/s or additional biological factors on which the causality for sexual orientation could definitively be pinned, the simple truth is that homosexuality (and bisexuality), as we know from research into history and pre-history, has existed throughout the world, commonly practised at all times in history, and in almost all if not all cultures, including ancient Roman and Greek societies, Asian, African and Native American cultures.
         While it is the contention of some religious and other homophobic groups that homosexuality being a modern phenomenon symptomatic of the moral decline of contemporary society, is therefore a chosen orientation, historical evidence points to the opposite being true.

It is an acknowledged fact, for instance that the majority of men in both ancient Rome and Greece at least occasionally engaged in homosexual activity, with a fair number of consummated marriages in these civilisations being homosexual. Long before any pejorative labels were invented in the modern era - persecution of homosexuality has a fairly recent history - homosexuality was not just tolerated, but considered natural, accepted as normal and even celebrated in the arts, and cultural spheres, or deemed honourable (as with the Samurai). For the societies of antiquity gender did not feature as the preeminent or some ‘preordained’ determining factor of the ‘appropriateness’ of love or matrimonial relationships.
         In recent times, various studies have shown that absent cultural taboos, a large proportion of men quite commonly engage in a degree of bisexual activity or in “homosexuality of convenience”, especially in circumstances where there is a lack of available female partners (eg among prison populations, in remote all-male job sites).
          It has also been reported that most men, whether or not they would ever admit it, will at some point in their lives, experience what is known as ‘homoerotic feelings’ towards other males – a significantly high (though not really surprising) 60% of American men evidently will have experienced this by the age of 49.
So whereas homosexuality as we define and understand it today is clearly a very natural and primal instinct where the only real choice/s in the matter would appear to be whether, when, to what extent and with whom one chooses to act upon this instinct, the more pertinent question has to do with why some men are naturally inclined, i.e., ‘hard wired’, to be sexually attracted primarily to other men.
As noted above, science has thus far provided a number of biology based grounds to explain how such hard wiring may get ‘naturally selected’ (in other words by ‘intelligent design’), and with respect to epigenetics, during foetal development in the mother’s womb, as a result of the triggering of an inbuilt protective mechanism (epi-marks) that is beneficial to the mother and which carries over to the son. So should we then infer that it’s a choice mom makes because it’s good for her? (It would be interesting to see how psychiatrists would deal with this line of reasoning in apportioning causality).

         Vibrational Coherence
         This leads to the issue of understanding the deeper ‘mechanics of attraction’ that fuels an exclusive same-sex orientation, which may simply be explained in terms of fundamental energetics and vibrations. Since we are vibrational beings having a physical experience in a universe where everything is vibration- and frequency-based, such that the element or attribute that differentiates all beings and things from one another is essentially each one’s specific individual vibrational frequency and amplitude, it basically comes down to understanding that one can only be attracted to frequencies that are compatible or in harmony with one’s own resonant frequency (the individual’s personal vibrational signature). Thus if a person has come into this world with a ‘hard wired’ resonant frequency – a default vibratory setting influenced / determined during foetal development by the workings of Mother Nature - that is harmonised with the male energy vibration, they will naturally feel the strongest pull towards the male energy which will be in coherence with their own energy making them feel internally more coherent and complete (“it feels right”).
         However you still have the option to exercise your free will in determining how to respond to your hardwiring. You may choose to remain neutral by being consciously accepting of it without acting upon physical impulses, or fully embrace your orientation to the achievable logical conclusion, or even decide to make a shift to some preferred alternative vibrational state. The pertinent question to ask of yourself is whether the existing vibrational state is truly representative of your optimal equilibrium state of being: wherein you experience inner coherence that comes with the overall emotional, physical and spiritual alignment of living your physical reality experience in a state of grace and self-integrity that allows you to repel negativity inducing influences so that all your energy centres are constantly accumulating positive self-empowering energy.
         If however your orientation defines or contributes to an equilibrium state that keeps you anchored in negativity and self-perpetuating negativity-generating influences, which serves to keep you feeling emotionally out of coherence and spiritually off-kilter, leaving your energy centres depleted or completely drained off, it may be a good time to consider recalibrating your vibration by shifting to a different preferred vibratory state of being which is a truer reflection of your spiritual or soul energy.

         From an Astrological Perspective
         Although vedic astrology offers the basis for considering certain probabilistic significations, at this time, there is insufficient readily available evidence at hand that may be used to advance a statistically significant and empirically credible predictive analysis. On a higher spiritual level, our souls are also only pure energy and have no gender as such. Hence soul connections happen mainly on an energetic level. Souls may choose to take on one particular gender or another in physical form, so as to be able to have a particular experience in physical reality, in order to further progress in their evolutionary learning process or for other reasons. Thus it may so happen that soul mates re-connect with each other in different physical lifetimes either as same-sex or opposite-sex partners.

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       © COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2011 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

THE ARTICLES
© COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2011 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

TAKING THE WILL FOR THE DEED
To readily use the primacy of intention as a self-soothing salve to gloss over or cover up the absence of concrete results... •read more•

GAY BY NATURE
Various studies since the
early 1990’s have empirically demonstrated the connection between biology and sexual orientation which remains an ongoing subject of research...
•read more•

THE MYTH OF TANTRIC SEX
They've been doing it for years...
Offerings being hawked on the internet and elsewhere are likely no more than a naked attempt to sell snake oil to those preoccupied with their pent-up libido. •read more•

Tantric sex has taken on a life of its own, spiced up with tales of the many shades of sexual bliss of the so-called Tantra gods and goddesses. Small wonder then that these myths have spawned an entire industry of spurious, half-baked and half-brained offerings of Tantric sex courses, seminars and workshops dreamed up by self-styled experts, masters and other titular exponents claiming various equally dubious degrees of accredited knowledge or mastery in what is but one distinct but highly misunderstood component of Tantra, the intricately complex, ancient Indian spiritual path of unitary consciousness
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      In a society dulled by the population’s limited attention span, it appears that sound bites and rumoured celebrity endorsements are enough to carry the day for tantric sex teachers tripping over each other to school the populace in the erotic arts of the East. These entrepreneurs unabashedly profess to be able to unlock the secrets for the students, to use their bodies and genitalia for delivering prolonged, full-bodied multiple orgasms. There’s no dearth of people willing to sign up and shell out significant sums, all in pursuit of the holy grail of seemingly endless sexual bliss. This preoccupation with sex would partially explain why this particular aspect of Tantra, shamelessly sensationalised and hastily branded as ‘Tantric Sex’, has, like yoga, become so hotly commoditised in recent years. The term ‘Tantra’ has been hijacked and grossly misused as a branding prefix to promote and sell a wide range of sexual ‘techniques’ touted as being the practices originally prescribed in Tantric teachings and scriptures; at its worst it’s become a meaningless buzzword for promiscuity and wanton sexuality or even an excuse for indulging in salacious sexual activities, addictions, and commoditising sex and sexuality. The typical Tantric sex courses and workshops being marketed today are usually a hodgepodge of various yoga and pranayama (breathing focused yoga) exercises, perhaps accompanied by select ‘mudras’ (gestures) and massage techniques and topped up with some superficial spiritual discourse around sacred sexuality in the union of the primal male and female energies personified in the gods and goddesses embodied by the participating couple. While the packaging may vary depending upon the so-called teacher’s knowledge level, the basic practical instruction to be gleaned from the programme content, distilled down to the unique selling proposition is: how to suppress ejaculation (for males) or orgasm (for females) for as long as possible in order to achieve full-body, prolonged sexual bliss.

      A note of caution for males who are tempted to explore possibilities: The Journal of the American Medical Association, April 2004 has linked ejaculation frequency (whether through sexual intercourse or otherwise) to lowered risk of prostate cancer in men: “Overall, an average of 21 or more ejaculations a month during a man's lifetime decreased the risk of prostate cancer later in life by 33%... Men who reported more than 21 monthly ejaculations in the previous year had a 51% lower risk of prostate cancer.”

      While it’s anybody’s guess as to whether these sundry workshop offerings might actually deliver on their promises of bliss or ecstasy or any other hyped up erotic effects, the one thing certain beyond a shadow of a doubt is that Tantra they are not! The very term ‘Tantric Sex’, itself completely artificial and made up, is a reflection of the purely profit motivated attempt to excise this important component from what is both a complex science and a comprehensive holistic branch of Indian spiritual studies and practices called Tantra. Any practice focusing on sexual gratification in isolation as a goal unto itself no matter what the label, is never a part of tantric teachings and in fact goes against the grain of Tantra, which only at the highest level of spiritual instruction and in certain specific contexts, involves ritualistic practices where physical union becomes an important channel of instruction - in the process of attaining unitary cosmic consciousness, by training mind and body to channel latent desires and physical drives into spiritual energy. These techniques constituting the most advanced stage of holistic Tantra practice are taught to advanced practitioners as the final step in their spiritual progression, but most certainly not before a process of initiation and intense instruction where the aspirant under the guidance of the Tantra master has become fully versed in controlling the critical energy flows within body and mind. Attempting to undertake the sacred sexuality practices without the preceding integral steps is not only a corruption of Tantra but quite a fruitless exercise that could prove rather damaging in the long run. Given that true adepts and their extremely advanced initiates are all committed to upholding the secrecy and never revealing their actual practices, precisely to prevent misuse/abuse, one could safely say that the vast majority (possibly even all) of the courses and other offerings being hawked on the internet and elsewhere are likely no more than a naked attempt to sell snake oil to those preoccupied with their pent-up libido. Amongst the more ludicrous justifications advanced mainly by self-serving western pseudo experts is the claim that Tantra was almost lost or in danger of dying out but has now been saved and is enjoying a revival in the West thanks to the efforts of these sexual entrepreneurs who should therefore be lauded for their endeavours. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Tantra is (and always has been) alive and kicking in India (and other parts of Asia) where the many schools and traditions of Tantra continue to thrive and be practised in their pure form in locales far and wide, from remote villages in the south to the caves in the high Himalayan peaks, often under the watchful guidance of genuine living Tantra masters belonging to direct ancient lineages that have remained unbroken and preserved intact for thousands of years. Thus Tantra was never in need of being rediscovered, revived or reformed. This misconception may have arisen due to the fact that true adepts and masters who are qualified to teach the practices that involve sacred sexuality rarely reveal themselves other than to the few advanced aspirants who themselves have been chosen to receive initiation into these practices only after a series of gruelling tests to determine that their true motivation is spiritual expansion as opposed to physical gratification. Inherent in these false claims is another related misrepresentation in need of clarification, which is the assertion that “Tantric Sex is available for anyone and everyone who wants to do it”. Certainly Tantra as a spiritual path is open to anyone whose spiritual quest leads them to become more aligned with the Tantric view of life and the cosmos, and to therefore determine Tantra as the most direct and appropriate way to spiritual unfoldment and ultimately to attaining divine consciousness. However, as already mentioned, Tantra masters are notoriously rigorous in their selection process to assess the aspirant’s fitness for safely receiving these teachings and their propensity for appropriately applying the practices to positive ends. Rarely if ever will a master unlock these sacred mysteries merely on the student’s say so, let alone conduct mass workshops that are open to the public or to anyone who can afford the admission fee.

      Tantra
      Most spiritual traditions impose a separation between the worldly and the spiritual, rendering the desire for material pleasures and the quest for spiritual progression incompatible, ergo mutually exclusive. This perceived dichotomy becomes the source of constant inner conflict, guilt, or self-condemnation for most people who feel torn between the need to follow a more spiritual path, but are unable to ignore their physical needs. Tantra averts the dilemma born of the misperception that the two paths are irreconcilable by offering a holistic approach to life which considers the person as a whole, and addresses both material and spiritual domains. Understanding tantra requires an expanded view of reality precisely because the tantric vision of reality is radically different from the norm. Where most people are conditioned to experience the perceived duality implicit in life (eg male-female, right-wrong, young-old, pure-impure), it is the Tantric’s avowed living, breathing reality to envision everything as one. This is no metaphorical statement of a philosophical premise. In the Tantric’s ‘unitary’ world view the whole world and everything it contains is considered an indivisible whole, a vibrant, seamless tangible manifestation of the divine, which is the world, and indeed the entire universe. Therefore, perceiving any difference or separation between the self, or any natural or cosmic force and the divine is misperception. To effectively inculcate the Tantric vision requires, amongst other facets, study of the scriptures, interaction with Tantric initiates and adepts, and obviously disciplined practice in accordance with a systematic course, all of which are ideally to be assimilated in an integrated fashion. This presents several challenges. Indeed the key scriptures are often not available in translation form, and where translations exist their accuracy and thus usefulness are subject to the skill and comprehension of the translator – an assessment that itself calls for a certain level of understanding of Tantra and, should one manage to obtain a fairly good translation, it would be well-nigh impossible to glean any important practices from it as it is a known fact that the adepts strictly adhere to the inviolable principle that none of the key or potent practices is ever to be laid down in its entirety. There will always be some critical missing element that can only be provided usually via the oral tradition by a guru (Master Tantrika).

      Realising Divinity
      The ancient sages and seers realised that the key to achieving lasting success in both the material and the spiritual realms is to awaken our latent soul, or shakti (divine force) which lies dormant within most of us. Since Tantra believes no real spiritual illumination can be attained without accessing our shakti, tantric practices therefore seek to awaken and use this inherent shakti. In its all-encompassing scope, Tantra is both a spiritual path focused on purifying heart and mind and fostering a spiritually illuminating philosophy of life, as well as a complex science involving highly effective techniques that rely on the precise application of Tantric mantras (chants), yantras (diagrams), and mudras (gestures), complemented with mental exercises and the ritual use of particular substances and materials. The full spectrum of Tantra is said to include, amongst other outcomes, healing diseases, kundalini (latent divine energy in body) awakening, memory enhancement, developing clairvoyance and the ability to invoke a vision of one’s preferred deity, and attainment of the highest spiritual illumination via the practice and use of special yantras (Kala Chakra, Sri Chakra). Because these practices effectively work like scientific tantric ‘formulas’ that yield desired results if properly applied, irrespective of the practitioner’s intent, character, or spiritual comprehension thereof, they are liable to be misused/abused in the hands of charlatans and unscrupulous profiteers, which is how Tantra came to be sensationalised in the West and why it continues to be misunderstood by the ignorant in the East. While it is relatively easy to encounter individuals who may have learned how to apply a limited number of Tantric formulas to obtain gratifying results, finding genuine Tantric adepts or masters is an uphill task.

      Guidance from a Master
      Given the complexity and scope, Tantra practice should be undertaken under the attentive direction of a competent master who knows how to determine the appropriate time and place for the practice or ritual to ensure maximum potency. Tantrika’s caution that experimenting with even the most seemingly benign of these practices without an adept’s proper guidance is like playing with fire, which is why they have been labelled "forbidden tantra". To ward off the misinformed and the under/unprepared, the adepts warn: "An aspirant should not even open and read the scriptures containing these practices (prayoga shastra) without the guidance of a master", for the "forbidden" practices, regardless of the purity of heart or intention of the aspirant, are capable not just of activating but also of materialising extraordinary forces so overwhelming as to literally be beyond the unprepared practitioner’s ability to comprehend, let alone control. This is why prior to imparting this knowledge masters traditionally put their students through rigorous tests to ensure they have attained purity of heart and mind and are interested, not in worldly gratification, but in spiritual expansion through attainment of wisdom, peace, and enduring happiness. Such aspirants upon successful completion of the practices discover the dynamics underlying the extraordinary forces that are the basis for the laws governing energy and matter. By learning how to implement them to control or subdue the negative forces within the inner being such as anger, desire, hatred, ego, and attachment, they further liberate themselves from the consequent obstacles thereof: fear, doubt, disease, inertia; inability to attain the goal, or back-sliding after achieving the goal; grief, mental/physical instability, etc. The objective in mastering these practices and rapidly overcoming these hurdles is to prepare for even higher practices. Hence, while spiritual illumination (enlightenment) may or may not result from the "forbidden tantra" practices, they do demystify the eternal life-force manifest in countless forms all around us while illuminating the forces of matter and mind to reveal a radiant glimpse of the divine within.

© COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2011 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

vibrational shifting is a process of changing one’s reality by exploring the present and changing the experience to make it more suited to one's needs and in tune with the vibration one prefers
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     Vibrational shifting needs to take place at the deepest spiritual level. This calls for profound introspection in order to be able to identify and break down the negativity generating structures, patterns and behaviours and essentially create a total paradigm shift for oneself. It entails fundamentally adjusting one’s perceptions so as to take on a ‘panoramic’, wholistic perspective of one’s physical experience of life, then accordingly reconciling values and priorities to one’s new existential reality. It means stepping off the merry-go-round of constantly seeking instant gratification and learning to enter the stillness of internal coherence and vibrational attunement which is consistent with the sense of enduring self-fulfillment.
     Over time your vibrational state of being and your immediate environment will mirror each other and move into a ‘vibratory state’ of equilibrium. If your persisting vibratory state is one of being professionally unfulfilled or frustrated, then it is highly probable that you are steeped in a field of energetic signals that also share similar vibratory frequencies as dissatisfaction and frustration. This will include your living space, the people within your network, professional environment or workplace, your social life, event calendar, and so on.
     Should you continue to remain awash with such environmental signals, they will serve to further reinforce your existing state thereby inducing you to continue vibrating at the same level, so that the current state persists indefinitely until the cycle is broken. Anything short of a conscious and concerted attempt to permanently shift your vibration will only yield short term results, allowing you to move away from it temporarily.

• making an ‘irreversible’ shift •
In order to effectively make a permanent shift, the existing vibratory state will need to be broken down so that your current vibration can be definitively disconnected from the environmental vibrations and signals with which it is harmonised. At the same time, your vibrational wave pattern needs to undergo lasting alteration by either consciously altering the personal signal you are broadcasting, or by drastically modifying the environmental sea of signals in which you are immersed. This may be accomplished by shifting your vibration for long enough so as to allow the decoupling from your current environment to take hold and endure.
     As you begin vibrating at the new frequency and transmitting your new signal, you will find that it progressively repels anything and anyone that is not compatible with the new signal, essentially keeping them out of your environment. By the same token, you will concurrently also start attracting new people, conditions, experiences, and events that are in harmony with the new signal. Assuming you are able to sustain the new vibration so that it defines your new equilibrium or vibratory state, you will likely experience incredible change all around you to the extent of perceiving an entirely different physical reality. How rapidly your present reality will shift will be determined by how steadfast you are in sustaining the new vibration. One effective approach to creating a lasting shift is to intentionally replace your current environmental signals with new signals that are consistent with those of the desired vibratory state, and then immerse yourself within the new vibrational environment. Initially, given that your existing baseline vibration will be out of synch with the new signals, this may feel somewhat discomforting until such time as your own vibration can get entrained and harmonised with them.
     To be most effective this approach should be applied by making significant and meaningful changes in your overall environmental landscape, including physical, relational-social, professional and other aspects.

© COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2011 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

Cell biologist - geneticist Dr. Bruce Lipton’s ground-breaking research has shown that conventional medicine has been operating on invalid scientific knowledge based on the mistaken belief that genes cannot be changed and therefore have the power to control our biology, our health and lives, essentially promoting the misperceptions designed to make us victims of genetics.

Through experiments involving genetically identical cells being exposed to different environments, Dr. Lipton demonstrated that while culturing one set of cells under certain environmental conditions caused the cell to express itself as a muscle cell, a genetically identical cell subjected to different environmental conditions resulted in the expression of a bone cell. Similarly, placing a culture of cells in an adverse environment causes the cells to get sick and die, but when the same cell culture is transferred to a healthy environment, the cells immediately begin to recover and proliferate. These prove that cells are programmable in response to the information they read from the environment. Contrary to conventional thinking, it was further demonstrated that the cell membrane rather than the DNA nucleus serves as the cell’s centre of intelligence. The human cell essentially behaves like a sophisticated programmable (read-write) device, where the cell membrane operating as the information processor much like a computer microprocessor, reads the surrounding environmental data (ie the signals received from our consciousness) and accordingly adjusts the expression of the genes to match the needs of that environment by writing/rewriting the DNA code which determines the cell’s biology. It follows by extension, that the human body with its 50 trillion cells will get sick and start to die when subjected to an adverse environment, but has the capacity to regain health and flourish when placed in a healthy environment. This implies that our state of health is a reflection of the environment that we either choose to be immersed in or that we perceive. Therefore it is possible to reprogramme our DNA, our personal blueprint, by redesigning mental models, adjusting our emotions and accessing higher states of consciousness, in order to achieve our desired objectives.

brucelipton.com

Polish astronomer-astrologer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to postulate the revolutionary cosmological concept of heliocentrism that put the sun at the centre of the universe, with the earth revolving around the sun while also rotating daily around its polar axis. Nicolaus was a physician and served as a canon in the Roman Catholic Church.

I came across a video of a young pastor evangelising at one of downtown Toronto’s street corners. As I viewed his ‘died-for-your-sins’ stand-up, which turned to attacking horoscopes, astrology and such, I was amazed as to the level of ignorance that stubbornly prevails, even in this age of high speed internet, where knowledge is usually only a few clicks away.

...in the expanse of the sky
"And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the Earth." And it was so." (Gen. 1:14-15). This explicit astrological reference in the Old Testament is generally acknowledged as an exhortation to read the skies in order to mark the passage of time and delineate the seasons.

The Book of Ecclesiastes whose authorship is traditionally attributed to King Solomon could not have been more plain in describing the overarching influences of astrology over human life and humanity: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." (Eccl. 3:1-8)

As with the old so with the new…
The New Testament (Gospel of Matthew) narrates how the three Chaldean wise men learned about the birth of the infant Jesus and set out to track down the new born King of the Jews, upon whom to shower gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The magi are believed to have been very skillful Persian astrologer-kings who using their only real source of information, the movement of the planets and stars traversing the vast expanse of Eastern skies, were able to not just pinpoint the time of birth but to accurately calculate Jesus’ birth place as they set out to locate him in the little town of Bethlehem. Thus, rather than literally following “the star” this is an actual reference to the magi’s application of astrological knowledge in observing the constellations and celestial bodies so as to extrapolate their significance to earthly events taking shape.
Evidently, it does not take a Bible scholar to observe that the Bible is full of astrological references - all that is required is the ability to read and understand the written word and some very rudimentary knowledge of astrology.

Christians who blindly believe that astrology is evil or satanic or is somehow mixed up with the occult simply because the “Church” or the Bible says so, need to take a good hard look at the Good Book. It may surprise them to learn that of the numerous astrological references some of the choicest are attributed to no less a luminary than Jesus Christ himself, indeed revealing his deft proficiency in astrology, as in the verse where Jesus reveals the "signs" of his coming: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the Earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:25-27)

That astrology was widely accepted and openly practised in Biblical times is historical fact. Indeed the Biblical references to astrology are so numerous as to merit at least an entire section later in this article.

   (The Age of Pisces is dominated by fish symbology and the fish sign carries special significance having been the recognised sign of Christianity.)

History and Historical Fate of Astrology
Man’s fascination with the skies, and hence the birth of astrology predates written history and certainly predates the Christian era by many thousands of years. Although no one quite knows exactly how or when the practice of astrology got its start, evidence of it is to be found across the globe with archeologists having uncovered artifacts from as early as 15,000 BC that show that our Mesolithic ancestors were well aware of the lunar phases which they carved out in bone!

While star charts have been discovered in Egypt going as far back as 4200 BCE history credits the earliest advances in developing a sophisticated astrological system to the Babylonians (2350 BCE) who are also believed to have originated the Signs of the tropical Zodiac (western). The exploits of Alexander the Great created the conditions (post 323 BCE) for these ancient systems to merge with the Greek astro tradition and culture which spread throughout Mesopotamia and the Roman Empire. As well, other ancient forms of astrology had made their appearance among some major Eastern cultures more or less simultaneously, including in India, Tibet and China. The sophisticated Mayan and the Aztec astronomical-astrological systems came to us through another parallel though unconnected track in Central and South America.

A fundamental principle that is universally accepted in astrology regards the individual, the Earth, and its environment as one single organism seamlessly integrated within the cosmos, wherein every part of the whole is correlated with every other part. Hence the belief that cycles of change and evolution observed in the cosmos are the reflection, rather than the cause of similar evolutionary cycles of change unfolding on earth and within the individual. This relationship and the symmetry between the individual - the microcosm, and the universe - the macrocosm, are succinctly summed up in the Hermetic expression "as above, so below; as below, so above".

Modern Western astrology which has its roots in Ptolemaic, Hellenistic and Babylonian traditions is broadly speaking, a system of divination based on constructing the horoscope for the precise moment, of a person's birth, for instance, and determining the impact of the influences that various celestial bodies are believed to exert. The relative positions of the Sun, Moon and planets are analysed by their movement through signs of the zodiac (spatial divisions of the ecliptic) and by their aspects (angles) relative to one another, as well as by their placement in houses (spatial divisions of the sky). Western astrology as reduced to the tabloid variety “sun sign astrology”, only looks at an individual's date of birth (‘position of the Sun’ on that date), lumping everyone born on a certain date together.

In contrast, the origins of Indian Vedic astrology (Jyotish in Sanskrit) can be traced back at least four thousand years, with the first references to astrology contained in the ancient comprehensive texts of the Vedas (hence the name Vedic astrology), which has ensured the creation of a robust body of practices and techniques to support a highly precise predictive astrological system.

Through the long passage of history astrology has encountered varying degrees of acceptance and popularity both among the ruling classes as well as the general population. Initially, astrology’s main purpose was for so-called Mundane or Political astrology with many of the astrologers/astronomers being attached to royal courts, and therefore expected to apply their craft towards securing the interest and welfare of the rulers, the kingdom, and managing local conditions or events. The notion of casting natal charts for common individuals did not gain currency until about 300 CE; the ensuing 1500 years swept astrology along over alternating currents of waxing and waning popularity.

The publication in 140 CE of the first major authoritative manuscript on astrology, by Greek astrologer-astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria, made astrology accessible to many more people in Europe where it had gained a strong following in the Catholic Church by 410 CE. Its eventual fall from grace was brought about largely by St. Augustine’s scathing arguments against it.

From as far back as the 10th century CE through to the 18th century including during the Enlightenment, astrology and Christianity coexisted throughout Europe, sharing the status of being the predominant philosophies of the time. During the 10th century Greek astrology made inroads into Britain along with the introduction of the Latin translated works of the Greek philosophers (Boethius, Averroes, Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus); with learning being under the Church’s purview during the Medieval period, Britain’s monasteries represented the primary source of education for young boys at the time. The country thus produced many priests who studied and practised astrology, for good reason, including academic necessity. Essentially, preparing for the priesthood by working towards a theology degree at university required the study of the seven liberal arts that were divided into two components, the trivium and the quadrivium, wherein one of the subjects was astronomy, often called astrology which covered both branches. Moreover, while the study of astronomy necessarily included the study of astrology, studying philosophy included medical astrology.

Indeed it is acknowledged fact that modern medicine has its roots in medical astrology, developed as an ancient medical system that associated various parts of the body, diseases and medicines with the Sun, Moon, planets, and the twelve astrological signs and therefore characterised as being prone to their influences. The father of medicine, Greek physician Hippocrates, required his students to study astrology, saying, "He who does not understand astrology is not a doctor but a fool". Similarly, based on the planetary influences on many herbal plants a codification system of plant properties was developed and used in the preparation of specific medicinal mixtures to treat various diseases.

St. Augustine, an early Catholic theologian who had been a student and proponent of astrology in his youth, eventually denounced it in his Civitate Dei (City of God), evidently because of his inability to come to terms with various phenomena that appeared inconsistent with his understanding of the underlying astrological significations. For example, he couldn’t reconcile how twins who were conceived at the same moment and shared roughly the same birth time could end up leading very different lives; or, that a large number of people with widely differing dates and times of birth who should therefore have had very different horoscopes could all share the same fate, dying together in the same battlefield on the same day. Coming at a time of decreasing literacy in the Europe of the Middle Ages, his arguments were enough to sway the Church into condemning astrology in the 3rd-4th century, thereby leading to its overall decline in Europe and generally in the West, a state to which it remained relegated for approximately an entire millennium.

Gospel Truth… or Fiction:
Bible Misinterpretations, Contradictions
The astrological references incorporated throughout the text of the Bible are far too numerous (Revelation is filled with Astrological symbolism) for the argument that the Bible forbids astrology to stand up to serious challenge. On the contrary, the text clearly indicates that astrology was very much an accepted and prominent part of life for the ancient Israelites.

As proof of the Bible proscribing astrology, naysayers tend to quote misinterpreted verses like Isaiah 47:13-15 which appear to mention certain approaches to astrology/astrological practices. However the apt interpretation of the intent of these verses would be to warn that though the astrologer may foresee forthcoming dark events, astrology may not be used to attempt to thwart God's justice for previous transgressions.

A major hurdle for naysayers is that the entire Bible is open to interpretation and misinterpretation with the latter often times used as a manipulative tool to support Church doctrine.
That being said, the Bible apparently contains several passages seemingly advocating contradictory positions on astrology. As a point of fact, the contradictions and differences do not end there. After much painstaking work spanning the last few centuries and upon examining thousands of manuscripts of various versions, Bible scholars have reached the conclusion that there are more differences and variations than there are words in the New Testament. And herein lies the crux of the problem for anyone trying to support their objection against astrology by quoting from the Bible based on the claim that Bible presents the inerrantly “inspired words of God”.

In actual fact no one can tell what the actual words of God really were because the original books of the New Testament which were accounts as reported by the Apostles and originally written in Aramaic, are forever lost. The copies of the Bible in circulation today are mass printed versions of a translated copy of a Greek translation of one of the thousands of early manuscripts that prior to the printing press, had been reproduced by being hand copied by scribes for almost fifteen hundred years.

In his book Misquoting Jesus (2006), well known Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says that when he first began to study the Bible texts in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of involuntary mistakes and intentional modifications that were made by ancient translators and/or scribes who were influenced by the cultural, theological, and political currents of the day. All of these changes, accidental or intentional, significantly affected all subsequent versions of the Bible. Ehrman found that all four Gospels are somewhat different from each other with the last written Gospel of John, being markedly different from the other three: “in this Gospel, Jesus isn't born in Bethlehem, he doesn't tell any parables, he never casts out a demon, there's no last supper. The crucifixion stories are different -- in Mark, Jesus is terrified on the cross; in John, he's perfectly composed. Key dates are different. The resurrection stories are different.” He also casts doubt on a number of episodes considered by most Christians to be “gospel truth”, including the oft repeated story about the crowd preparing to stone the adulterous woman to death, wherein Jesus says, let the one without sin cast the first stone. Ehrman, confirming what other scholars have concluded, says the episode is most likely fiction, added on by scribes centuries after Christ. Similarly, he says the last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark -- the only verses recounting Christ’s reappearance after his death, as well as, the critical passage in 1 John, explicitly setting out the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), both appear to have been added years later.
In light of these findings, and given the preponderance of astrological symbolism and supportive references in the Bible, it may be argued that the text segments claimed to be allegedly proscribing astrology could possibly also have been subsequent additions or subject to some alteration by scribes.

Astrology a Science
Flying in the face of the contention in the West that astrology is unscientific or not a science is the remarkable fact that throughout its history, astrology has attracted some of the most brilliant scientific and medical innovators, mathematically gifted and technically evolved individuals, formidable thinkers and philosophers - Aristotle, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, to name but a few. One of modern western astrology’s founders Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century CE) was a Greek mathematician, astrologer, astronomer, geographer, and musician, amongst whose major achievements include various authoritative tomes (eg Almagest), precise astronomical calculations for planetary movements, and geometrical refinements made to the fundamental Earth-Sun system used to design astrolabes.

The Ptolemaic model of an Earth-centred universe where all astronomical objects maintained circular orbits moving at constant speeds remained the keystone of astronomy for 1,500 years proving to be one of the longest held scientific theories of all time – until it was disproven by Copernicus. Ptolemy is also credited with the rather sage reflection on astrology, that "the stars incline, but they do not compel". Polish astronomer-astrologer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to postulate the revolutionary cosmological concept of heliocentrism (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies) that put the sun at the centre of the universe, with the earth revolving around the sun while also rotating daily around its polar axis.

His theory was roundly debunked by scientists at the time but readily embraced by astrologers who contributed to his findings being gradually accepted despite being considered contradictory to the scriptures and in 1616 being judged heretical by the Church, who remained stubbornly attached to the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic geocentric view of the cosmos long after modern science had produced irrefutable evidence otherwise.

At age 46, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer, physicist, and yes astrologer, built his first telescope little realising how it would forever change his life. The telescope enabled him to observe Jupiter's four moons (aka Galilean moons) orbiting around it, the phases of Venus, and make other discoveries which further developed and expanded upon the Copernican theory of heliocentrism. First denounced by the Roman Catholic Church in 1615, Galileo was forced to recant his beliefs regarding a heliocentric universe and promise never again to teach this theory as fact; he thus managed to evade the Church’s ire for almost two decades. However in 1632, Galileo published his 2nd book, a 12-year opus written at the request of Pope Urbano VIII, entitled “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems—Ptolemaic & Copernican” that presented all the pros and cons related to the two major cosmological systems: Copernican (sun centred) and Aristotelian-Ptolemaic (earth centred). This work was promptly confiscated and banned by the Roman Curia (his works remained on the Church's Index of Prohibited Books until 1835), subsequently providing the grounds at Galileo's second trial for his condemnation to a lifetime under house arrest in 1633. Convicted of breaking his agreement to refrain from teaching the Copernican theory and at pain of being burned at the stake for heresy, he had been ordered by the Church to abjure.

The Holy Tribunal declared: “The proposition that the sun is the centre of the world and does not move from its place is absurd and false philosophically and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture. The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world and immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is equally absurd and false philosophically, and theologically considered, at least erroneous in faith.”

Although Galileo was rehabilitated by the Church in 1757 after it had accepted the Copernican theories, he was made to languish 350 long years after his death before being officially pardoned. In 1979 Pope John Paul II requested the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to conduct a review of the church's case against Galileo. Only after the report from the commission of scholars had been presented to the Pope on October 31, 1992 did the Roman Catholic Church finally expunge its verdict of heresy against him. Pope John Paul II reportedly declared, “...Galileo suffered unjustly at the hands of the Church" and praised Galileo's religiousness and his views and behaviours regarding the relationship between science and religion.

These few examples serve as a cautionary tale of how historically, the Church has not only always been out of synch with progressive thinking, be it new developments in science, philosophy or in any other genre, but also unable or unwilling to understand and make the needed separation between science and philosophy. The Church’s stoic historical attachment to Aristotelian traditions in science was erroneously interpreted to mean that admitting Aristotle was wrong would necessarily imply that the Church and all Christianity had also been wrong! Thus the desire to safeguard its power and influence at all costs largely explains its traditional methods of choice - ruthlessly stamping out dissent and relentlessly persecuting those who would challenge or pose a threat to the Church’s moral authority as Keeper of the Faith.

Christianity - Paganism - Astrology
As to the Church’s objection on the grounds of astrology being a pagan practice, although the genesis of religious thought and practice is a complex topic requiring many diverging/converging branches of further study that is beyond the scope of this writing, a brief overview of this aspect is essential insofar as it sheds light on the common pagan roots of both religion and astrology while highlighting some of the shared/borrowed mythology, symbology and practices between Paganism and Christianity.
In many respects, astrology and religion share a common genesis, birthed from the same “womb” so to speak: man’s necessity born out of the instinct of self-preservation, to devise a comprehensive system with which to better understand the how's and why's' of events unfolding in nature; to determine patterns that could help prepare for these natural phenomena and where possible to control or manage their impacts; and eventually, to design practices that could perhaps minimise the frequency of their occurrence if not prevent them altogether. So it was that early man concerned with survival and the practical problems associated with hunting, gathering or growing food, began to look heavenwards for early warning signs of impending gloom and disaster, and over time began to observe and document the movements of the Sun, stars and the planets in the sky, eventually making the connection between celestial cycles and natural phenomena like night/day and seasons. Thus began the early study of astronomy-astrology which were considered indistinguishable.

Concurrently, these observations lead to the ”creation” of and the belief in sun gods, earth and nature spirits and much later, entire pantheons of gods and deities ruling the earth and earthlings from their lofty dwellings in the heavens above – so giving birth to early pagan religions, rites and religious-ritualistic practices that were developed for their appeasement, placation and propitiation. Indeed in some ancient cultures astrology and religion were not considered distinct from each other and astrologers also actually served as priests.

The magi are the best example in antiquity of this trend which is still common to this day in India. But the integration of astrology with religion (not just pagan) goes far deeper as evidenced in the personification of the sun and other celestial bodies in the form of the gods, deities and other personages of religious mythology, including it has been argued, in Christian mythology where Jesus and God are referenced as Solar deities in the Bible. Similarly, major astronomical-astrological events align perfectly with crucial mythological accounts in various pagan traditions (eg Mithraism) believed to have been Christianised in the parables of the Gospels.

Here are some examples: In the Bible, the star of Bethlehem signalling the Messiah’s advent into the world which Johannes Kepler hypothesised (1600) was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, has been confirmed by modern astrology as a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in 7 BCE. Its symbolism coincides with prophecies heralding the coming of the Messiah amongst the Jews, based on the conjunctions occurring at the end of Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter the planet of kings, while the planet Saturn rules the Jews, hence symbolising the king of the Jews.
Similarly the "Morning Star", an astrological reference to the planet Venus, is also known as the "light bringer" symbolising the onset of dawn putting an end to the darkness of night. By extension it is a reference to the Messiah bringing God’s light to the people and is used to refer to all sons of God. Some other examples of obvious astrological symbolism in the Bible include God chiding Job, "Canst thou bring forth the Maz'zaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bier with its children?" Job 38:32. Maz’zaroth is the Hebrew word for the twelve Zodiac signs. The Bier corresponds to Ursa Major or the Great Bear. The reference is to a story wherein the children were following the funeral procession of the bier of their father slain by Gedi, the pole star (based on common Syrian folk lore). Furthermore, the Great Bier is symbolic of the first Adam, and the Little Bier of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel of Luke: “A man will meet you carrying an earthen pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he goes in” 22:10. Since the Age of Aquarius is symbolised by a water-bearer, this line is viewed as Jesus recommending entry into the astrological 'house' of Aquarius, the age superseding the Age of Pisces in which Christianity gained predominance.
The Bible describes various events occurring according to their respective astrological "Age", a period of 2160 years corresponding to a specific sign of the Zodiac: “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this AGE and, in the AGE to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30).
"[Christ was raised] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present AGE but also in the one to come.” (Eph. 1:21)

Jesus was born on the cusp of the Age of Aries and the Age of Pisces. Aries is sometimes represented by a lamb and Jesus was known as the Lamb of God. The Age of Pisces is dominated by fish symbology and the fish sign carries special significance having been the recognised sign of Christianity. Jesus recruited "fishermen" as disciples and fed the hungry masses with fish produced miraculously.
A commonly used icon shaped like a fish without a tail is the "Vesica Piscis" (Latin for "mouth of the fish") which can be seen in stained glass windows in many churches and cathedrals. The Pope wears a fish head shaped ceremonial hat. Going back to a few centuries before and including the period corresponding to Jesus’ reported lifetime, a great variety of pagan creeds and rituals were prevalent across the Mediterranean and surrounding regions.
The godly cast of characters included Mithra (Persian), Osiris, Isis and Horus (Egypt), Apollo/Dionysus (Greek), Hercules (Roman), Adonis and Attis (Syrian), Baal and Astarte (Babylonian, Carthaginian).

The astonishing fact that emerges is that almost all share remarkably similar story lines: born on or around 25th December, of a virgin-mother, in some sort of cave or similar structure; destined to a life of strife for the benefit of humanity; known as Teacher, Healer, Mediator, Light-bringer, Saviour, Deliverer; vanquished by the forces of evil, descended into the underworld; rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven; founded ‘Communions of Saints’ and churches, admitting disciples through Baptism; rites include the Eucharistic meal.

Many parallels have been recorded between Christianity and the ancient Persian religion of Mithraism and between the legends of Jesus and Mithra, who was born in a cave on 25th December, of a Virgin. In addition to the above noted similarities, Mithra was accompanied by twelve disciples (the twelve months) with his major festivals observed on the winter solstice and spring equinox (Christmas and Easter).
According to an inscription Mithra reportedly said: "He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation."
In John 6:53-54, Jesus says: "...Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day".

As well, Catholism and Mithraism both had seven sacraments; Mithra followers celebrated the visit of the Magi to their newborn infant-saviour on 6th January (Epiphany), which was co-opted by the Church in the 9th century. Christianity has also co-opted various pagan symbols including the important images of the good shepherd and the Orans/Orante, the standing figure in the attitude of prayer with extended arms that were borrowed from the Romans. Today these images evoke the gospel stories of Jesus as the good shepherd or the lost sheep.

In fact, for the Romans it symbolised one of the most important virtues of civic and public life, that of philanthropy (love of humanity). The Orans figure symbolising the old pagan virtue of piety, loyalty to the gods and the state, denotes loyalty to the God of Jesus Christ, for the Christians.
Furthermore much of the appropriated pagan symbology often appears on the ceremonial raiments, vestments and paraphernalia at the Vatican (eg. at St. Peter's Basilica), including various symbols of pagan sun worship on the Pope’s ceremonial robes and headgear. Additionally, numerous astrological illustrations and adornments are also to be found, starting at the Vatican and across several ancient churches and cathedrals all over Europe and North America.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:
And just to seal the deal for anyone still clutching their pearls over “pagan astrology,” let’s get this straight: long before Copernicus stuck his neck out and told Europe the Sun was the main act, the ancient Vedic seers were already hinting that the Sun stays put and the Earth does the spinning. Aryabhata¹ spelled it out a thousand years before little Nikky was even a twinkle in Poland’s eye, and the Sūrya Siddhānta² was laying down orbital math while Europe was still arguing about how many angels could dance on a pin.
So no, the Universe wasn’t waiting for a Renaissance priest-astronomer to explain the heavens; the old world had been reading that cosmic script since antiquity. The only real surprise is how much of that knowledge got buried, repackaged, or sanitized before the Church decided it was safe to look through a telescope.

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¹ Aryabhata — A 5th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer whose works introduced a rotational model of Earth, advanced methods in mathematics, and foundational astronomical calculations.

² Sūrya Siddhānta — An early Indian astronomical treatise presenting systematic models of planetary motion, time cycles, and trigonometric functions used in classical Indian astronomy.



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       © COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2011 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

Some believe that when the time comes, one needs to get one's self out there to make things manifest. If for example, the transits dictate that a specific event could happen, such as a relationship or a new job, then one must do one’s bit to facilitate these events. “Get out there and make it happen” is what is advised. The specifics of time periods, transits and the interplay of these energies on one’s natal chart would trigger an event if the logical progression represented by the astrological configuration is allowed to continue whereby the astrological prediction comes true. Given enough time and effort one can consciously take real and constructive measures to change the trajectory of the probable (predicted) outcome. To assert one's free will to change the outcomes one must make the required vibratory shifts at the core level with intention to manifest a different result.
Of course, there are times when there are other external factors involved, for instance, not all put themselves out there for ill-health, but it visits even health-conscious folks. One cannot totally prepare for these events. Holistic well-being too is considered a belief system by some and therefore controlling the experience of a reflected reality is squarely one’s own responsibility. Then there are those who believe in karma - an equaliser, suggesting that one receives according to what one puts out – from lives gone by or one moment to the next and that the universe is not random. Destiny is what must and will happen. You don’t really need to be out there. Karma will find you.

THE GOSPEL ON ASTROLOGY
...evidence of it is to be found across the globe with archeologists having uncovered artifacts from as early as 15,000 BC that show that our Mesolithic ancestors were well aware of the lunar phases •read more•

DETERMINISM IN THE VEDIC TRADITION
In the Vedic view, fate isn’t a prison - it’s a map.

While highly skilful Vedic astrologers are able to achieve a remarkable degree of precision and accuracy in their predictions, the principles of Vedic astrological science do not teach that one’s destiny is ruled or determined by the stars. The cosmos and celestial bodies are understood to be more like a “hieroglyph” in that they indicate a record and thereby merely reflect a certain probabilistic destiny mapped on the basis of an individual’s trajectory as observed at the current period, which is by no means cast in stone, or in this case, cast in the stars! Indeed on occasion various fated possibilities could be indicated contingent upon certain events occurring. The Karma philosophy further teaches that one may bring about a change – thus evading the inevitability of destiny - by exercising free will, from the moment one decides to, and actually acts to make a conscious shift away from all that which is responsible for the various afflictions and malefic effects experienced in one’s life as they are reflected in the natal chart. These developments often begin to manifest upon the individual’s acquiring a deeper self-awareness and spiritual awakening through certain practices that aid spiritual development and growth. In effect, it appears that there may be a higher plane which is the determinant of “spiritual destiny” that can sublimate the lower plane which is the determinant of “vital and material fate”. Astrologers sometimes explain this concept in terms of two forces, fate (daiva) and “individual energy” (purusakara), where it is possible through individual energy (act of free will) to alter fate.

INDIA WAR TIME: During World War II, all over India, i.e. present day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, clocks were advanced by one hour to make India Time six and a half hours ahead of GMT. This 'war-time' was in effect from Sept.1,1942 to Oct.14,1945.

IN THE VEDIC TRADITION
- fate isn’t a prison, it's a map - •read more•

THE FIELD OF POTENTIAL
New scientific insights appear to have understanding of the quantum composition of the human body in terms of light energy and vibrational frequencies... •read more•

ECLIPSES ☼ A Solar eclipse occurs when the Moon stands between the Sun and the Earth, cutting off the light of the Sun. A solar eclipse is always a new moon. A lunar eclipse occurs when the earth stands between the Moon and the Sun, cutting off the light of the Sun to the Moon.
A lunar eclipse is always a full moon.

THE POWER OF
INTENTIØN
a summary of the studies and experiments by Dr. William Tiller that have proven human onsciousness changes space...
•read more•

THE LAW OF RESONANCE The circumstances, events and conditions that make up our personal experiences of physical life are brought about as a direct consequence of the law of resonance...
•read more•

•read more•

₳ F F I R M ₳ T I ʘ N Svibrational alignments packaged under a different name... •read more•

CELLULAR
INTERFACE
Cell biologist - geneticist Dr. Bruce Lipton’s ground-breaking research has shown that conventional medicine has been operating on invalid scientific knowledge....
•read more•

Core Beliefs Some believe that when the time comes, one needs to get one's self out there to make things manifest. •read more•

IN THE VEDIC TRADITION
fate isn’t a prison, it's a map •read more•

TAKING THE WILL FOR THE DEED
To readily use the primacy of intention as a self-soothing salve to gloss over or cover up the absence of concrete results... •read more•

TANTRIC SEX
They've been doing it for years...
Offerings being hawked on the internet and elsewhere are likely no more than a naked attempt to sell snake oil to those preoccupied with their pent-up libido.
•read more•

The GOSPEL ON ASTROLOGY
Evidence of astrology is to be found across the globe with archeologists having uncovered artifacts from as early as 15,000 BC that show that our Mesolithic ancestors were well aware of the lunar phases...
•read more•

₳ F F I R M ₳ T I ʘ N SAffirmations are vibrational alignments packaged under a different name... •read more•

THE LAW OF RESONANCE
The circumstances, events and conditions that make up our personal experiences of physical life are brought about as a direct consequence of the law of resonance...
•read more•

THE POWER OF
INTENTIØN
a summary of the studies and experiments
by Dr. William Tiller that have proven human consciousness changes space...
•read more•

CELLULAR INTERFACE
Cell biologist - geneticist Dr. Bruce Lipton’s ground-breaking research has shown that conventional medicine has been operating on invalid scientific knowledge....
•read more•

THE FIELD OF POTENTIAL
New scientific insights appear to have understanding of the quantum composition of the human body in terms of light energy and vibrational frequencies... •read more•

1945 One Pice Copper Hole Coin. Calcutta Mint, India.

INDIA WWII WAR TIME
During World War II, all over India, i.e. present day India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, clocks were advanced by one hour to make India Time six and a half hours ahead of GMT. This 'war-time' was in effect from Sept.1,1942 to Oct.14,1945.