Sandra Ehlemann

Jyotish is called ‘the eye of the Vedas’ because it provides us with the light that allows us to see Vedic truths and how they apply to our lives. It is not, therefore, just another science like chemistry, physics or mathematics, but a sacred science that opens the doors to knowledge of the past, present and future.

 

Jyotish and tropical or Western astrology are two different systems, with a different zodiac, a different logic and different rules of reading and interpretation. They do not complement each other; on the contrary, they are mutually exclusive.

Vedic astrology is based on the principle of karma, the law of action and reaction, and reincarnation. In other words, in the practice of Jyotish, it is understood that what we are currently experiencing is the result of our activities in previous lives.

Understanding the law of karma is very important in Jyotish, as the astrological chart is like a graph that reflects the result or karma of an individual's past actions. Although the literal translation of karma is work, the term indicates action and reaction, and refers to the universal law of cause and effect. Every action produces a ‘seed’ which, as such, does not bear fruit immediately after it is sown. Sooner or later, the countless seeds we sow through our words and actions produce positive or negative results according to their nature, either in this life or the next.

Jyotish does not consider the movement of the Earth and other planets in relation to a fixed point such as the Sun, but rather takes the Earth itself as the central point and calculates the position and movement of the planets in relation to the Earth, using a geocentric system.

The Vedic Zodiac is divided into 27 nakshatras or constellations, which occupy 13˚20' of the Zodiac, approximately the same number of degrees that the Moon travels in one Lunar day. The Zodiac has 360 degrees and the 12 zodiac signs cover 30 degrees each. Therefore, each sign contains 9/4 parts of nakshatras, arranged in various ways.

‘Sider’ means ‘star’ and indicates that sidereal astrology is based on the actual astronomical positions of the planets in relation to the constellations of stars. The sidereal zodiac is not symbolic; it is an observable astronomical phenomenon that corresponds to the positions of celestial bodies as recognised even by modern astronomy. Vedic astrology is a map of your soul's journey on its spiritual path. Based on this knowledge, we can exercise our free will to change, heal and improve things in our daily lives. 

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