Jyotish (the first syllable rhymes with “yo”) is the Sanskrit word for Vedic Astrology. Its literal translation is “light” — the light that illuminates your journey through life. Although first written down thousands of years ago, it was passed down for generations before that, so no one truly knows how old Vedic Astrology is.
Being intertwined with the Vedas (the transcendent texts from ancient India), Jyotish brings with it a spiritual philosophy that can be used to explain why things are happening in your life. It guides you through events before they happen, and shows you how to progress spiritually from them.
Vedic Astrology was also designed to be used as an aligning tool. It helps you align to the path you were meant for, and reveals the reason you are here. Of course, it can tell you about your career, relationships, money, houses and cars — but at its highest level, it guides you through your spiritual journey, and tells you the lessons you need to learn in this life.
An individual is born at the exact right time and place, allowing the positions of the planets and constellations to form a map of the karma you’ve brought into your life. A good Vedic Astrologer reveals your life using those cosmic symbols in a helpful way.
Karma basically says that your intent and actions influence your future. Karma is created when you perform an action while being attached to its results. For example, if you have an intense desire to achieve something and become frustrated when it doesn’t come fast enough, that whole endeavor is clouded with desire and frustration. This generates karmic impressions that stay with you until it’s time for the karma to be released. When that time comes, the karmic impression will vibrate your subtle body at a similar frequency, causing a comparable event to materialize.
This is what a Vedic Astrologer is trying to describe — the positions of the planets when you were born show both the events to be materialized and their timing. Although it’s better to generate good karma through acts of generosity and kindness, the best thing to do is to develop equanimity when events occur, removing the karma cleanly and freeing yourself from the cycle of karma creation and release.
Herein lies Jyotish’s greatest gift — it allows you to peer into the future, to know what’s coming up, and to prepare yourself. The act of knowing builds a natural detachment throughout your life, allowing you to move through it with equanimity, bringing you closer to enlightenment.
Yes, of course! The designers of Vedic Astrology understood us well, and knew that we would prefer pleasurable life events. They wanted to help us be happy, so they created a specific set of practices that help us accentuate our strengths and reduce our suffering. These practices include specific gemstones, sacrifices, meditation techniques and mantra chanting. Through them, we reduce the intensity of our negative karmas and emphasize the positive — reducing suffering, developing equanimity, and moving towards a happier life.
Ken Reads Jyotish