VEDIC ASTROLOGY
What is Vedic Astrology (Jyotish)?
Vedic astrology (Jyotish) is a system rooted in the Vedas that calculates, based on the sidereal zodiac, which of the 27 “nakshatras” (lunar mansions) the Moon and planets occupy, and combines this with period divisions called “dashas” to read life and compatibility.
Overview
- System
- Fate Reading (reads from date of birth, birth time, and birthplace)
- Origin
- India
- What You Need
- Date of birth, birth time, and birthplace
- Best For
- Life, love, career, compatibility
- Time Frame
- Life as a whole / one year
Origins & History
Vedic astrology (Jyotish) is counted among the six auxiliary disciplines that support the study of the Vedas, and its origins are said to trace back to ancient Vedic Jyotisha. However, the earliest Vedic Jyotisha texts are said to have focused mainly on constructing the calendar (timekeeping), and to have differed in nature from the present-day astrology used to predict an individual’s fate.
Modern Jyotish centers on reading which of the 27 equal divisions called “nakshatras” (each spanning 13 degrees 20 minutes) the Moon and planets occupy, and among these, the period system determined by the Moon’s position, known as “Vimshottari Dasha,” is especially widely used. It shares the same underlying calculation of celestial positions as Western astrology, but differs in that it uses the sidereal zodiac, which is referenced to the position of the fixed stars.
How It Works
- 01Prepare the date of birth, birth time, and birthplace.
- 02Calculate the positions of the Moon and planets at birth based on the sidereal zodiac.
- 03Identify which of the 27 nakshatras the Moon and planets occupy.
- 04Determine the “dasha” — the major period divisions that govern life — from the Moon’s position, and read the tendencies of the period currently in effect.
What It Reveals
Vedic astrology is well suited to reading overall life tendencies as well as love, career, and compatibility through the combination of nakshatra and dasha cycles. At the same time, it requires an accurate birth time and birthplace, and because the sidereal calculations and the dasha system are complex, a fair amount of specialized knowledge is needed to interpret a chart on one’s own.
Related Methods
References
- Wikipedia: Hindu astrology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_astrology)