Bloomfield - How to Practice Vedic Astrology: a Beginners Guide to Casting Your Horoscope and Predicting Your Future

HOW TO PRACTICE

VEDIC

ASTROLOGY

A Beginners Guide to Casting Your
Horoscope and Predicting Your Future

ANDREW BLOOMFIELD

Destiny Books
Rochester, Vermont

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my parents Nathaniel and Suzanne for their love and enthusiastic support, and for making every opportunity available to me.

This book would not have been possible without the kindness of a remarkable Los Angelesbased Vedic astrologer and his family, who welcomed me into their home and treated me as one of their own.

Thanks also to Sandy Lee for her wisdom, encouragement, playfulness, and inspiration.

I would like to acknowledge Gareth Esersky at the Carol Mann Agency. Also, Ehud Sperling at Inner Traditions, who has championed so many vital and important books over the years.

Im deeply appreciative of the whole team at Inner Traditions Bear & Company, particularly managing editor Jeanie Levitan and my editor Laura Schlivek, for helping in innumerable ways. Its been a pleasure working with you two.

Finally, a special thanks to Michiel Boender, Svetlana, and the team at GeoVision software for producing the finest Vedic astrology software currently on the market, and so graciously customizing a version to complement this book.

DISCLAIMER

How to Practice Vedic Astrology is intended as an introduction to the practice of Vedic astrological interpretation. The author and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for actions taken on any readers part based on interpretation of astrological information obtained from this book or from the accompanying software CD. It is the authors hope that any reader who wishes to delve further into the art of Vedic astrological interpretation will seek the services of a professional Vedic astrologer.

Note: Apart from well-known public personalities, the names of people whose charts are analyzed in this book have been altered so as not to reveal their true identities or jeopardize their privacy.

INTRODUCTION

M any centuries ago in India, a great king was told by his Vedic astrologer that his son was destined to be killed by a boar on a certain date, at a certain hour. Luckily, the king had enough time to secure his castle, to make sure his son wouldnt wander outside. He even enlisted his most trusted aide to track his son at every moment.

As the appointed time neared, the king met with the astrologer again, and stated it was now impossible for his son to be killed by a boar, as the castle was now impenetrable. The astrologer reminded the king that it wasnt yet the appointed hour. While the kings son was playing with a ball upstairs on a small balcony under the watchful eye of the kings aide, the king paced the floors. Convinced they had averted the danger, the aide decided to peek in on the king, who yelled, Wheres the boy?! Turning, the king and his aide watched as the Vedic astrologer slowly entered the courtyard and approached the boys dead body. A rock column lay next to the fallen child. Horrified, the king and his aide ran outside and discovered that the column had been knocked loose by the boys ball and hit the boy on the head. As they examined the column, they saw an image of a boar had been inscribed on its top.

Fast-forward several hundred years to Hollywood, California. An aspiring screen-writer has completed what he thinks is a terrific screenplay. He consults a Vedic astrologer who tells him even though the script is finished, if he brings the project out now, there is little chance for success. However, if he waits and follows the timing the astrologer lays out for him, he is told his project will gross a certain amount of money, and the astrologer writes that amount on the back of this mans chart. Although the writer is anxious to put the project in motion, he heeds the astrologers advice. And in doing so, the movie makes almost the exact amount predicted by the astrologer, and goes on to win an Academy Award.

An ancient, 5000-year-old system of astrology from India is sweeping the country, attracting people from all walks of life, including Wall Street power brokers and Hollywoods most prominent actors and directors. The phenomenon is Vedic astrology.

In the sacred ancient language of India, Vedic astrology is called jyotish, pronounced jo-tish, meaning the science of light. An encounter with Vedic astrology has the power to transform your life by shedding light on the dark recesses that contain the primal, unconscious, driving forces behind your thoughts and actions.

Yet even so, Vedic astrology, unlike some forms of astrology, is concerned less with psychological issues than the more practical concerns of work, relationships, health, success, wealth, and children. More importantly, it can answer with great precision, sometimes to the day, when significant events are likely to occur, whether its meeting a life partner or getting a new job.

Further, when the chart indicates that good things are heading your way, this system provides you with methods to enhance those positive indications, helping to bring even better results. When challenging situations are indicated, remedial measures are recommended that will diminish, or help you avoid their full impact.

Can planets in the sky really influence events on Earth? Of course. What better example is there than of the moon affecting the tides? And because your body is made primarily of water, other celestial bodies affect you, as well as the moon, with staggering ramifications. Perhaps this is the reason that J. P. Morgan is said to have proclaimed, Millionaires consult advisors; billionaires consult astrologers.

The planets do not really control us, however. Planets only exert influence. The oceans waves may not have a choice in how they respond to this influence, but we do. Having free will, a person who uses it in alignment with divine purpose can generate more energy than the strongest planet. But in order to know where to focus this power, you have to understand the tendencies of the planets through Vedic astrology. Otherwise, you are operating blindly and are at the whim of the planets. As it is said, If you dont change your direction, youll get where youre headed.

CAUSE AND EFFECT

I once heard an Indian saint say, Just because youre a vegetarian doesnt mean a charging bull is going to stop when you stand in its path. In other words, just because you consider yourself a good person doesnt mean that life is going to be fair. According to Vedic astrology (and physics), there is a strong link between cause and effect. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

The problem for most of us is that we cant remember what we have already put into motion. Most of us cant even remember what we ate for dinner last week, let alone what we did years or, as Hindu thought would take into account, lifetimes ago. When the seeds of those actions ripen and come back to us, they bring either uplifting or challenging results. These results are made infinitely complex, too, by the effects they have had on countless others lives and by others reactions to our original actions. Because we cant remember what we did to deserve the good or bad results of these actions, we sometimes become incredulous. How unfair! we say, or Why me? or, if its something good, I always knew I was blessed. This cosmic action and reaction over multiple lifetimes explains why some people get all the breaks, and everything they touch turns to gold.