17 Apr
It is unbelievable that these posts have been viewed nearly 3500 times from about 50 countries. There have been many suggestions to publish an FAQ list on Rational Astrology. Rather than provide a drab listing, you can instead find below an “interesting” version of the FAQ’s whose title page looks like this:
Just click on the link:
for the full version (32 p.) and feel free to direct others to this site or leave your comments. THANK YOU!!
29 Aug
“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes–and ships–and sealing-wax–
Of cabbages–and kings–
And why the sea is boiling hot–
And whether pigs have wings.”
One of my favorites. For me, the time has come to wind up this blog. Blogs like this, I believe, are written to give expression to deeply held thoughts, driven by an innerurge. The aim is not to preach, nor convert. More like walking a mile over a sandy shore to set a boat afloat on the waves, and then turning your back to it. A job done, move on.
It’s a pleasant feeling that these ideas resonate with a few – there have been almost 2000 views so far. It may not wean away addicts who hobble through life leaning heavily on the crutches of astrology. Nor may it provoke a rethink among astrology baiters ready to jump onto their next bandwagon after briefly mourning a missing boson. It’s simply something that was waiting to be said.
Good luck!
19 Aug
As i wind up this blog, i received a couple of requests to post examples of “good” horoscopes. So, here are two “good” horoscopes – not perfect, but “good” in the sense of having many positive qualities.
The first one here…
.. has yogakaraka (4th and 5th lord) Sa exalted in 1st house, Ma exalted in the 4th (a quadrant), and Ju in own house (the 3rd) with Ve.
The second one has no exaltation, but gains strength by good positions and associations.
All the benefic planets are aligned with each other – the Ve-Me pair is in mutual aspect with Ju and Mo – with no bad aspect. When seen with respect to Mo, all the key lords (1st, 5th, 9th, 4th, 7th, 10th) are in good houses (either 1 or 7 or 9). Ju, 9th lord in gajakesari yoga with Mo in the 1st house, aspects 5 of the planets, especially yogakaraka Ma (5th and 10th lord) in 9th house with 7th lord Sa.
The arrangement is equally strong with respect to As too – Ve being 4th and 9th lord is yogakaraka with 5th lord Me in the 12th house. This suggests that the person can combine logic and intuition in equal measure.
11 Aug
What sort of problems can astrology handle, and what kind of advice or solution can it provide? Let me give some examples from my experience, however meager.
One category relates to marriage, child. Some one produced his daughter’s and son-in-law’s horoscope wanting to know why they were childless. One look at Ra in 5th bhava, 5th lord in the 12th, and karaka Ju weak was enough to suggest that there was a problem in an otherwise excellent horoscope. The obvious solution was to seek medical advice. But it would have been smarter to have figured this out before the marriage. A couple wanting a second child brought their horoscopes. It did not appear encouraging, then it transpired that the doc had already advised them against it, astrology was for a second opinion 🙂
Often people have trouble at work or in the family. Or there is a delay in getting a son/daughter married. Usually astrology can explain why that period was unfavorable and when would be a better time. Knowing that better times are round the corner is itself a great relief, though that is no reason to stop trying.
There was this guy who had an offer to relocate abroad and did not seem inclined. The horoscope clearly showed a period where there could be expense on travel abroad and/or on mother. Later the mother fell ill while abroad and there was a huge bill for fetching her back home and on the treatment.
Health, money, work, relationships, family – there is no end to questions and astrology can usually provide good counsel. Sometimes astrology is just for emotional support, as for people who have lost a loved one and want some kind of understanding. There was this really good horoscope with only one brief unfavorable period and a strong indication of an inherited legacy, and the father passed away unexpectedly just then.
7 Aug
Can any one read a horoscope or practice astrology? The answer is Yes – provided you have the aptitude and some training. There is no clairvoyance here!
In fact, i would suspect that people with an aptitude for the sciences that require a combination of logic and intuition would make good astrologers. Unfortunately, these are the very people who often stridently oppose astrology. This may possibly be due to the popular misconception that astrology “makes predictions.” By extension, “predictability” can also be taken to argue for a different view of the origin of the universe as against the (presently) scientifically preferred theory of evolution. However, once this misperception is corrected, they may perhaps not disagree with astrology on this count.
Through these posts, i have tried to show that astrology does not make predictions. In fact, astrological influences are only one of many factors (genetics, upbringing, free will) that seem to influence human thinking and behavior. As far as i can see, astrology neither implies nor refutes the existence of a supernatural being. Just as the speed of light in vacuum being a particular constant is taken as a matter of fact without any supernatural connotations, hopefully scientists will accept astrology for what it is and learn to work with it, not against it.
3 Aug
Doubtless, science has done much to improve the quality of our lives, from food to healthcare to communication and transport. Does that mean that human beings today have fewer problems than in the past? Hardly ever. Some problems are eternal and newer problems seem to crop up to fill the vacuum left by the solved ones.
Faced with problems to which mainstream science has no solutions, people are bound to turn to alternative approaches. There is no point ridiculing them or ranting about these alternatives, as some so-called rationalists are wont to do. We need to humbly accept that science does not have all the answers (yet!) and keep trying. If there is an effective solution, it will sooner or later gain acceptance.
An example. This is the horoscope of a person whose parents were worried that he was not getting settled down (read, getting married and holding a steady job).
I had suggested that Sa/Ve period starting end-April 2011 would be favorable. Anyone could logically have arrived at the same conclusion.
The wedding took place last month.
1 Aug
As you can see, I have never had to invoke religion in any of my posts so far. In fact, astrology as a branch of inquiry appears to predate any of the organized religions in vogue today. So where does religion enter the picture, if at all?
Once it is clear that astrology does not make predictions about the future, there is no reason for religions to feel threatened by it. You are born with a horoscope, just as you are born with a set of genes inherited from your parents. With good nutrition, hygiene and healthcare, you will most probably grow to be taller than your parents and perhaps live longer, but you may also inherit genetic defects. Just think of the horoscope along similar lines.
We must admit that we do not have a “scientifically” convincing explanation for why astrology has an influence on individuals. Unfortunately, the refusal by mainstream science to examine this question has left the gates open for any one to walk in and pitch his favorite supernatural tent in this field. The prevailing scientific atmosphere is such that any one who sets out to examine astrology rationally and without prejudice puts his reputation and career as a scientist at risk.
On the other hand, in India, astrology and religion have co-existed, and the planets have been co-opted into the pantheon. How may this have come about? Quite possibly, in the olden days (and to a large extent even today) the priestly class practiced astrology. People who approached them with problems would have also sought “solutions,” which then obviously took the form of religious rituals.
28 Jul
What becomes painfully obvious after examining several horoscopes is that human beings – all of us – are far from perfect. Even the best of us has defects, and there is none who does not have some positive qualities. Instead of being judgmental and critical of others, why not help them realize their potential in areas of their strength?
Another thought:
Is it possible to define an astrologically ideal horoscope – something along the lines of a Carnot engine, an ideal whose efficiency cannot be achieved by practical engines – against which we may benchmark our less-than-ideal selves?
My attempt is as below (only the main 7 planets are shown):
Ma, Su, Ju, Sa are all exalted at the four quadrants (1st, 4th, 7th, and 10th, respectively), Ve and Mo have own house strength. Ve being 5th and 10th lord is yogakaraka. Ve (10th lord) is in the 5th house with Me (9th lord), the combination itself is a powerful rajayoga. The Mo-Ju combine is also strongly beneficial (gajakesari yoga). Thus, all the planets are strong and well combined.
All the key lords (1st, 10th, 9th, 5th, 4th, 7th) are in quadrants (1, 4, 7, 10) or trines (1, 5, 9). Notably, 1st lord is exalted in the 10th house, 1st house gets powerful Mo-Ju aspect, and is occupied by exalted Ma – all excellent! Thus, 1st house strong and all quadrant-trine lords well placed.
The houses then take care of themselves 🙂
For starters, when you see a horoscope, you could just check for these:
Alternative ideal solutions are welcome!!
28 Jul
The astrologically minded can go to extremes to find a spouse with a “good match” or have a child at a supposedly favorable time. However, that is only the first base. Just as a kid born to rich parents gets a leg up but may not always end up being rich, or a child born to university professors may have a head start but may not become an academic, a favorable horoscope is just a good beginning. One needs to work on the marriage or the child or whatever to make things happen.
Secondly, one must remember that astrological indications are relative, not absolute. A well-to-do person in a developing country would be way down the ladder in the developed world, in absolute terms. A child born to illiterate parents would be considered “educated” if he entered high school; not so if the parents both hold Ph.D. degrees. So astrological indications are relative to the circumstances at the time of birth.
Thirdly, horoscope readings are abstract and need to be interpreted. For example, there is no direct indication of marriage. The 7th bhava deals with “what you acquire in this life” and, being the 11th from the 9th bhava, also refers to gains with regard to the body. So, it is taken to represent acquisitions, material gains, health, bodily pleasures, spouse, marital life, earnings. Astrology does not really recognize marriage in the form of a legal or religious contract, but astrologers interpret the horoscope indications in the light of a particular social/cultural background.
Finally, consider this situation: A child born to poor parents has a horoscope that indicates a rich, comfortable childhood. Does it suggest that the parents will suddenly come into money or that the child will be orphaned and adopted by a rich family? Sometimes, “good” and “bad” may be far from obvious!
27 Jul
It doesn’t need an astrologer to tell you that marriage can change your lifestyle and fortunes. 🙂
However, what is not so well recognized is that the horoscope of a child can have an influence on the life of the parents. As an example, consider this horoscope and let us examine only the 9th bhava, which represents father (among other things):
Benefic Mo is present in the 9th which also gets the good aspects of Ve and exalted Sa. 9th lord, Mo again, is in the 9th house. Su, karaka for father, is fairly strong. There is nothing negative connected with the 9th bhava. All in all, this horoscope is very positive indeed with regard to father.
In fact, the father in this case did very well after the birth of this child, a girl after two sons. That in itself does not prove anything, but hopefully the message gets across without having to state it explicitly.
And, as I keep insisting, horoscopes are indicative, not predictive. For indications about a person’s life, I would examine his/her horoscope and also that of his/her children.
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