My Thoughts On Astrology

Mysteries of the nature have always fascinated me. My inner has always been that of an inquisitive child who loves to ask as many questions about the nature of things as may be possible. Thinking of evolution, what I have come to understand is that the universe evolves, like a tree evolves from its seed at the time of creation, which contains all the future development and qualities within itself in a basic form. The growth and decline of this evolution can be measured with the help of time as quantities in the form of years, days and months etc. and the other aspect of quality can be explored through the science of astrology. Astrology then becomes a unique subject, which studies the most intricate problems of life in an amazingly integrated manner. Astrology basically deals with the quality of time.

When I was eleven years of age I started learning astrology at the feet of my maternal grandfather, Late Pt. Raja Ram Shastri who was a scholar of legendary stature. In October 2000, I started my own astrological consultancy under the name of Jyotish Anveshan Kendra and also started writing articles on astrology and other related fields.

The one question, which I have been asked most frequently as an astrologer, is that, ? do you believe in astrology?? I think that I need not believe in astrology or disbelieve because belief is for someone who is not aware of something, I know that astrology is for real.

People are a confused lot today about astrology as they are told one thousand and one different things by some people who influence their lives in strange ways through print and electronic media most of which is trash. One popular fad today is attaching the title of Vedic scholar with one?s name nowadays. One day I asked my maternal grandfather, Late Pt. Raja Ram Shastri of what he thought of vedic scholarship, he replied, ? Vyakarana is one of the vedangas which will take 12 years to read it out alone and then it is to be mastered and then again it is only one of the six vedangas each of which is to be then mastered separately. After acquiring all this erudition, one only becomes eligible to begin the study of Vedas.? What of the scourge of Vedic scholars today then? I do not think anything else need be said.

Under the inspirational guidance of my maternal grandfather I had also become inclined towards research work in the field of astrology. The questions that were raised against astrology in the name of science without any knowledge or investigation whatsoever in astrology proper made me determined to take charge opposite these so- called rationalists and scientists. Later I also presented a research paper on the scientific nature of astrology in the Third National Science Conference organized at NPL, Pusa in Delhi in feb. 2004. My research paper was also published in the NPL souvenir. Among the main problems that I addressed in my research paper were: -

1. Why is astrology required? Natural place of the astrology.

2. What astrology deals with?

3. The correct and incorrect systems of prediction in astrology.

4. Comparison of mathematical probability and astrology on the level of principle. Why astrology is a better predictive tool than mathematical probability?

Some experts in their respective fields like physics, chemistry, nuclear science, astrophysics and others deluded by what is known in psychology as the ?transference of skill? start condemning astrology without knowing even an iota of what is astrology. Such persons can be given no credibility in their views on astrology. Astrologers are doing no less harm on the other hand as they try to create a false aura of mystery around them and behave as if they have a divine persona and there are others who in the garb of modernism start condemning whatever they are unable to understand in astrology. Most of the astrologers have spread this misconception today that intuition plays an important role in astrology and calculations are after all just a means of stimulating your intuition. I do not agree with these people because if you go by intuition you do not need astrology because intuition is complete in itself and in the same manner if you go by astrology you do not need intuition because astrology is also complete in itself (if you know astrology).

What is practiced today is in fact a form of khichdi (hotch-potch) astrology in which zodiac forecast is widely prevalent, Sade- Sathi, Sign based lucky stones computerized horoscopes, computerized predictions and other forms of instant astrology which needs to be done away with. There is a great craze for computer horoscopes today but there is no awareness regarding its authenticity or otherwise. One day when I was sitting with a programmer of an astrology software I started noting down the calculations, which were programmed in the software. When I checked them I found that for combustion a fix range of 15 degrees was programmed in the software for every planet whereas the range of degrees for combustion vary with every planet and it also fluctuates which can be worked out with proper detailed calculations.

In my view, astrology is to be re- established on the pedestal of science (although it is already the most complete of all sciences), which can revolutionize the way we think and live.

Sonal Sharma is in the field of astrology for past six years. He is also engaged in research in the field of astrology and has presented a research paper on the scientific nature of astrology in A.B.V.S.-2004, held in Pusa, Delhi in Feb.2004. He is also associated with the website http://www.astrocent.com, which you can visit. His contact email address is unik_logik@yahoo.co.in.