What is Astrology?
If you are looking for an answer to this question then you have come to the right place. Vedic astrology or Astrology is an ancient Indian discipline that describes celestial motions and placements in relation to time, as well as their impact on humans and other earthly creatures. Vedic astrology dates back thousands of years. Early Vedic astrology was focused solely on the movement of planets in relation to stars, but it subsequently expanded to include zodiac signs as well. Vedic astrology recognizes 27 constellations comprised of 12 zodiac signs, 9 planets, and 12 houses, with each house and planet symbolizing a different facet of human existence.
The 12 signs are distributed among the 12 houses based on the time of birth, while the 9 planets are placed in various houses. A horoscope chart is a visual representation of the signs and planets. Vedic astrology is simply the interpretation of these arrangements as they apply to humans and other phenomena.
TYPES OF VEDIC ASTROLOGY
Vedic astrology (Jyotisha) is divided into three branches:
Astronomy (Siddhanta): Astronomy and its use in astrology
Samhita (common astrology): Includes Mundane astrology, anticipating key occurrences in countries such as war, earthquakes, political events, astro-meteorology, financial positions, election astrology; house & building related problems (Vaastu Shaastra), animals, portents & omens, and so on.
Hora (Predictive astrology): This branch includes the following styles / sub-branches:
• Jaatak Shaastra / Hora Shaastra (Natal Astrology / Horoscopy): Individual horoscope prediction.
• Muhurt or Muhurtha (Electional astrology): The selection of a favorable time to begin an activity in order to maximize the fruition of life activities.
• Swar Shaastra (Phonetical Astrology): Name and sound predictions.
• Prashna (Horary astrology): Forecasts based on the time the querent/querist asks the question.
• Ankjyotisha / Kabala (Numerology): A number-based discipline of astrology.
• Nadi Astrology: An ancient treatise that provides accurate predictions for individuals.
• Tajik Shaastra / Varsha Phal (Annual Horoscopy): Yearly solar return astrology.
• Jaimini Sutras: A non-traditional approach of event scheduling based on the famous Indian astrologer Acharya Jaimini.
• Nastjaatakam (Lost Horoscopy): The art of tracing and building lost horoscopes.
• Streejaatak (female astrology): A branch of astrology that focuses on feminine nativities.
The Difference Between Vedic and Western Astrology
The most obvious distinction between the two is the way of measuring the Zodiac. Vedic astrology typically employs the sidereal zodiac (in which stars are seen as a fixed background against which planet motion is calculated), whereas most Western astrology employs the tropical zodiac (the motion of the planets is measured against the position of the Sun on the Spring equinox). As a result of the precession of the equinoxes, this difference becomes visible only after several millennia. Synchronically, the two systems are similar, with only a 22-degree shift in the origin of the ecliptic longitude, resulting in the placement of planets in the previous sign in Western charts around 80% of the time.
Is astrology a science?
What does astrology mean? Or Is astrology a science? The mythology surrounding the zodiac signs, constellations (also known as Nakshatras), and planets in ancient Hindu literature explain many astrological laws. But, popular belief holds that mythology was simply a method utilized by our ancient seers to explain some highly complicated scientific principles that were beyond the knowledge of ordinary people. Regrettably, modern science has yet to fully comprehend the physical rules underlying this ancient system, albeit progress is being made. Our present understanding of astrology is based on statistics and probability. Statistics is a discipline of mathematics that deals with the correlation of two or more seemingly unrelated events without knowing the reason of that link. If a chart of 1000 persons has the same astrological chart, some astrological rules hold true in 70%-80% of them.
In statistical terminology we may argue that the occurrence of a given event in one”s life when a certain planetary combination exists is “statistically significant”. If you flip a coin 1000 times, the probability of “heads” is always close to 50%. Assume you observe the results of a coin flip during the sun’s set and rise. If, after a year of testing, you discover that the probability of “heads” appearing during sunrise is not 50%, as expected, but 70%, you may really construct a rule stating that if you flip a coin during sunrise, the chances of receiving “heads” are always greater. Similarly, Vedic astrology can be described. Some pairings in a chart result in a forecast, which is right in 70-80% of the charts with that combination. We may not yet understand why it occurs, but the evidence suggests that events may be predicted with high statistical significance.