The Puritan, the Eclectic & The Smart

Oscar showed us an interesting article by some 'author' who wrote that any Vedic astrologer using the Saturnine planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto) are using 'hodge-podge' astrology. Maybe that term needs clarification.

'Hodge-podge' is a term used to refer to things that are put together loosely and without strong reason for inclusion. Sort of "let's put everything in and see what comes out of it" kind of attitude. So personally, I'm not sure if the author was using the right expression to reflect his sentiment on the issue, but here's my input to clarify things for my students.

Things are 'hodge-podge' when you don't know what you're doing. Things are 'integrated' when you are affirmative about what you are including.

Things evolve. They get better all the time. To include the latest that are proven to work, is to work smart. Not to do so leaves you behind, no matter your pride in being classic or puritan. In western astrology practice, I was a part of this transition when we saw the effects of asteroids and finally embraced them as we did the planets. Now we even have ephemerides for the asteroids. When I started my vedic astrology studies, I did not use the saturnines in that part of my studies. But the overwhelming effects they gave in my tropical work made me feel myself a fool and definitely untrue to my scholastic self for not considering them in my vedic astrology work. Today, our vedic astrologers have even produced sidereal ephemerides complete with these saturnine planets included.

To continue as a classic puritan has its advantages as a scholar. But as a practitioner, dispensing astrological wisdom to others for better living, one would not be giving service enough if one does not factor the saturnines in one's analysis. But never mind the saturnines, how about the asteroids, the arabic parts, even the wonderful mid-points? Does that author know that Wall Street researchers have been using the vedic Vimshottari cycles? Maybe they should just stop this hodge-podge millions-of-dollars research and simply stick to the old methods of market analysis that do not work.

Blind attachment to tradition defeats progressive reason. Everything evolves.

Bouncing karma?

The misconceptions surrounding the astrologer is amazing. But I think some of the worst are those within himself. We were just talking about this in a recent meet. One of the better ones is the misconception that by 'reading' other people's horoscopes, the astrologer is 'taking on' the karma of those people who consult him. To my astrology students, I need to say that this is bringing you into a more technical and metaphysical world. To my metaphysical students, you already know better.

Everyone's karma is contained and insulated. You do not 'soak up' another's karma by sheer proximity. But what happens is, the effects of another's karma, leading to subsequent action on his part, with you in that event, makes you a 'player' in the effects of his karma. And if you do not respond better, you will compound upon yourself with another probability track as a result thereof.

In dealing with clients, the astrologer's advisory work becomes a catalyst to the former's subsequent effects of decisions to make. Thus, it is more the client being affected by the presence of the astrologer, rather than the other way around. But, the ensuing effects on the soul of the client, positive or negative, as a result of the advisory work does leave a karmic trail in the astrologer's own karmic record and the astrologer becomes accountable for what he has dispensed to the client.

Now, imagine a fraudulent astrologer with bad or no astrology knowledge, pretending his way through, more interested in proving his predictive skill than the welfare of the client. This will lead the client into greater confusion, leaving with no better solution, probably making even worse decisions than if he were not to visit the fraudulent astrologer.

A skilled astrologer on the other hand, allays fears, clarifies roles and events, evaluates experiences and educates, advices on various probabilities ahead, what courses of action should be considered, and gives the client the confidence to make his own personal decision with full knowledge of the probable effects of the various courses of action. This liberates the client into better, self-accountable decision-making and leaves the astrologer only as a humble analyst of probabilities. Nobody to blame, nobody to exalt. Just each doing what he should be doing, and astrology remains just another tool for a second opinion.

So no, the astrologer will not 'soak up' the karma of another any more than a surgeon will soak up the karma of a heart patient who had an evil heart all his life, nor like the lawyer who will 'soak up' the karma of his guilty client, nor like the accountant who will 'soak up' the karma of his tax-evading client, nor like the architect who will 'soak up' the greed of his client building a palatial home when that money could have been used to feed thousands of hungry mouths in some deprived poor nation.

Nowhere in the astrological classics by the grandmasters was it ever mentioned of this misconception about the astrologer's occupational hazard. Instead, the maharishis had only warned of the nobility that this profession demands and the kind of sacrificial training and commitment it takes to give the astrologer's best to others.

I must say that the ones who kept on feeding this misconception are the people who knew very little of true astrology. Man often confuses himself by making the simple, complex. Even better, he conjures stories to invoke fear around the things he knows little about. I just hope my students will understand the working principles behind the integrity of astrology and astrologer in order to give their best at all times, to themselves as well as to others.

Nature also holds us back

Not only does Nature speak to us, but occasionally, she urges us directly forward or even prevent us from doing certain things for our own good.

I am reminded of a recent situation. My beloved students and I were in one of our favorite restaurants. Out of compassion, I thought I would ‘pass down’ a key stotram for the propitiation of the planetary logoi which has been recited for thousands of years. In the recent past, this small group had spoken of this a few times, but I was surprised as Hindus, they had not studied this, let alone practice it whereas, this is an essential part of my practice in my 4.30 morning meditation sessions throughout my life.

As I was about to conduct the ‘transfer’, amazingly, my mind went blank. There was a gaping hole, as if I had to jump over a chasm in order to reach for the essence on the other side, that I wanted to share with whom I thought was a student worthy of the giving. The instant that happened, numerous thoughts and analyses went through my consciousness in a scant period of nanoseconds that appeared like an eternity. How is this possible? How can I ‘forget’ a recitation that has been repeated thousands of times in my thoughts and on my lips? Are my masters holding me back? But this is sharing? I do think this student is worth! But ‘while’ these questions were racing across my consciousness, another ‘simultaneous layer’ understood the instant logic to ‘let go’ and ‘let God’. And as it has been all my life, I submitted to Him. Without shame, I withdrew and told the student that ‘the time is not yet’. I offered no reasons. I had none.

How does one explain a ‘flow’? I now find it interesting that my ‘flow’ was to resist from doing what I thought was ‘right’, and that ‘not yet’ simply meant that her body, mind and spirit were not ready. The higher capacity of energies the stotram would have brought to her through any resulting imbalance because she is ‘not ready’ might be devastating. It keeps playing in my mind, that I disappointed the student, and I find myself sending thoughts of wellness and success for her. I am consoled by the fact that Higher Guidance is never wrong in spite of the self-righteousness of our small intellect.

So yes, a ‘flow’ also includes an apparent prevention; but only because it is for our higher good.

And so the universe responds!

After my last post on how my first professional charge occurred after my 760th something case, after 4 years, Ng called me up in the dead of night (or something like that) and told me how the number 7604 came out first prize in the 4D draw. We got ecstatic but laughed at ourselves for not buying it. Quite obviously, my reward is my mission itself, and not in the fruits thereof.

Nature always responds to moments of significance. She is always in communication with us. Unfortunately, we do not listen. Ever since I was privileged to understand Nature's language, I had always understood how we're constantly standing in the center of a living horoscope. The signs are unique and the communications even more real. They are CO-incidents of a series of connectedness on a common string of related events no matter how apparently unrelated to man's intellectual ego and rationale.

And the lesson behind all this? We are always being guided if we learn how to listen. All we have to do is see and listen to nature's moans, groans and shrieks. Not only can we see the suffering of nature as a direct result of man's self-destructive practices, but we can use her as a direct meter of our flaws screaming for attention and correction. If the higher masters can detect finer spiritual messages to produce miraculous sciences such as prasna tantra, then we should be able to use the same working principle to develop an ecological etiquette that has been long neglected. I believe this has been touched by many organizations and their heroes are struggling hard to make this understanding a more wholesome practice to save our planet.

Discipleship vs. Professional Students

We take things for granted all the time. As our living pace increases, living demands rise, the needs of our deeper selves get waylaid as we indulge in the warring values between societal positioning and freedom of self.

During my time, to be accepted as a disciple in my teacher's lineage was a glorious moment where the relatively simple initiation became the memory of a lifetime! My Master's personal touch in everything I did in the course of my learning with him was an infusion of power that I could not attain anywhere else. All I needed to do was to be at his feet, and I was always learning. There were no curriculums. Just by being there, I learnt something new all the time. Even during the drills, I knew I was going to get something dynamic. That way, the Master was flowing according to how he was flowing with his universe, and this small leech gained the little morsels the Master graciously shared with him. The 'flow' WAS the curriculum. Finally, I realized the secret: it was 'being there!' that counted.

In today's terms, masters come giving seminars. They even come promising spiritual 'attainment' with a simple touch of your forehead, or give liberation with a simple hug. People want shortcuts, and so some stage gurus make millions. Nothing wrong with that. Everybody needs to do what they need to do to get the high they think they need.

But today I have some respect for professionalism in the New Age community. It took me 4 years and my 760th-something case before I made my first charge for my astrological consultation service. My deeper self didn't feel right accepting payment for dispensing astrological advice. Quite obviously, I didn't reach in deep enough. Today, I understand professionalism as something that brings out the best in the parties involved in the transaction. It has become a symbol of commitment.

I have ordained students who have not displayed sufficient understanding of how spirituality works in spite of direct instructions let alone innuendos, and I have professional students who have displayed a tremendous amount of adult spirituality among their student colleagues and towards their teachers. Old school values are phasing out and a more structured, world-based system appears to be in order. I consider myself right on the transition as I review my own relationship with my Master and how I responded to his presence in my life, and now seeing ordained disciples and professional students engaging with me in my deepest work.

Astrology and the General Media/Public

I see them doing it again and again. For decades, the media have been using astrologers for 'fun', and astrologers play into their game.

For one, many astrologers interviewed are not even good technically, and two, the media won't exalt them for their 'correct' predictions. When that happens, they'll subsequently turn to 'political analysts' or 'economist' experts and just classify the 'correct prediction' of the astrologer to a fluke. For that reason, I think astrologers should just stick to the communities that they developed who have proven to want to listen to them for whatever reasons of their own.

Some people regard astrology and astrologers so vehemently that they reveal their fundamentalistic stand from the outset to make any reasonable debate hopeless. A recent article on astrologers making their predictions said, "The astrologers are so stupid, I could have said that", and "What the astrologer said was so general".

Nobody really cares. The astrologers don't care about improving their situations based on what the readership is saying, the readers who hate astrologers continue to give their anger and hatred, fence sitters continue to keep quiet and watch the confusing fun to see who has the last word on anything, and the media keeps on queuing the astrologers for their 'comments' every year. Of course, this has become a media tradition.

I know astrologers who have no clue as to how to read the horoscope of a nation but make predictions for the country anyway; I know astrologers who think they can use the same exact techniques in individual horoscopes and apply that to the horoscope of the nation in which case they shouldn't, but do so anyway; I know astrologers who are just not good with their astrology so decide to include some 'psychism' to spice up their 'astrological skill' to impress others and themselves when they are just faking the whole thing out.

To all my students, leave the pizzazz out of your serious scholarship and apply your knowledge and skills to those who will listen and succeed in silence. For this reason, I deal with those who are present in front of me, those who are 'here', one by one. So join me. Turn worlds, one by one.

5-year Secondary Progression

In an attempt to step back to get a bigger picture of Malaysia's overview for the next 5 years, I did a secondary progression of Malaysia's Independence chart.

The big picture seems to be dominated by a majority of positive progressions but this would have to be integrated with the interpretations of the transits for the same respective periods, which I will do in this session.

The only relationship that concerns me is the Moon/Jupiter opposition that is still not over yet; well, at least till Malaysia reaches her 51st year. This promises major economic issues to handle as well as a need to re-evaluate core values; Jupiter being the classic significator for financials and economy. But more than that, particularly matters of acquisition, wealth, justice, and compensation. The opposition being the only major aspect for Malaysia's 50th year does not portend that age to be easy. A year of 'opposition', it will be a year to deal with things that must be confronted whether she likes it or not.

The good trend I see is that the next 5 years will not be as strenuous as the current period with the exception of a looming uranus/saturn square. This challenge deals with new forces that might be a bit more than what the local fighters are used to. A Uranus/Rahu combination shows that new threats come from 'out there'. And when they come, they won't come in slow and steady, but quite forcefully, demanding significiant turnaround changes and compliance. This trend will be commanding and sweep through the whole 5-year period of this analysis. In fact, I would say that the strongest challenge Malaysia needs to concern herself with for the period of this analysis is with outside forces trying to 'come in'. If it involved some other planets, I wouldn't worry too much about it. But Uranus with Rahu? That's a lot of international diplomacy to work out plus a lot of intelligence work. The backroom boys will be busy trying to balance things and probably bring up lots of sensitivities to shovel around for that delicate balance to accommodate some kind of internationalization of Malaysia. I think we've been trying to do that with some of our policies for quite some time now, but this time, it looks as if it is not up to us to decide, nor within a time-frame of our comfortable choosing.

However, the other players give a good mix of hard vibes to the ultra-soft; especially with Mars and Saturn throwing in their presence, it sorts out reasonable balance and gives me the idea that things will sort out well but not without key sacrifices and changes.

In my next analysis, I will search for transits that coincide with similar configs of these progressions. This will also indicate those PFFs finast students should keep a look out for to serve their Financial Astrology clients better.