Astrology and Birthstones

Gems have been used from times immemorial for luck and as good omens.Kings and queens are reported to be craving for the possession and pursuit of beautiful gems and stones. Our fore-fathers have used them to ward off evil spirits, to bring luck and favor as well as to prolong their longevity. Some astrologers prescribe wearing of appropriate gemstones or birthstones as they are commonly called as remedial measures for mitigating the malefic effects of some planets. This is akin to a doctor prescribing medicines to a patient.

The venerated Indian astrologer Varahamihira, in his magnum opus ?Brihat amhita? (chapters 80 to 83 ), refers to gems and their examination. Gems are said to be born of the bones of the demon Bala while some opine they were born of sage Dadheechi and have characteristic qualities of the earth. The list given by him includes diamond, sapphire, emerald, agate, ruby, bloodstone, beryl, amethyst, vimalaka, quartz, pearl, sughandika, opal, conch, azure, topaz, brahma gem, jyoteerasa, sasyaka, coral, moonstone etc. Diamonds that show scratches like crow-feet (kaakapadam), bees or hair , are mixed with colored minerals substances or gravel, have double facets, are burnt, discolored, lusterless or perforated, are inauspicious. So are those that are covered with bubbles, split at the points, flattened, or oblong. Diamonds that are triangular, trigonal and like the coriander seed or the buttocks are productive of good results to ladies desiring male offspring. Best pearls are those that are got from pearl-oysters.

Everyone who went to school is aware of the word SPECTRUM. When white light passes through a prism, the emergent beam is composed of seven (7) different colors, commonly known as the acronym VIBGYOR i.e., Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet in the reverse order. The same effect is observed in a rainbow. It is believed that our body contains these seven colors in different proportions. If the colors are balanced, the owner is lucky ? healthy and wealthy. Any deficiency or excess of one or more rays causes mental or physical (or a combination) problems. The principal gems represent or signify planets and luminaries (sun and moon). The astrologer examines the horoscope and determines which planet (or planets) is antagonistic to the native and prescribes the birthstone to be worn with details of what to wear, when to wear and how to wear.

Ruby, Pearl, Coral, Emerald, Topaz, Sapphire, Diamond, Agate, and Cat?s eye respectively refer to Sun,Moon,Mars,Mercury, Jupiter,Saturn,Venus,Caput (Rahu),and Cauda (Ketu). AGATE is said to be good for the heart, Amethyst cures sterility, Beryl enhances love and affection, Coral protects from epidemics, metorrhagia etc., Diamond cures plague, insomnia, charms, ensures safe delivery , Emerald is said to be good for the brain, increases memory power, ensures chastity, cures dropsy, epilepsy, hysteria, dysentery , Pearl is recommended for chastity, Ruby protects one from poison, plague, banishes melancholy, Sapphire assures good fortune, peace, comfort while Topaz denotes sympathy, re-possession of lost things.

Proper selection of a gemstone is done after a minute consideration of :

? Sun sign

? Ruling ascendant

? Lord of the ruling ascendant

? Debilitated or afflicted planets

The fundamental principle followed is the determination of the ray or rays causing abnormalities. The celestial bodies are known to emit different colors in the spectrographic analyses. One of the important uses to which this knowledge can be applied is medical science. The curative powers of gemstones have been studied by some who have opined that a proper and restrictive use of some gems can bring upon significant changes in the health of patients and even cure them altogether. Thus, the twelve houses of the native?s horoscope are said to signify different parts of the body. The first house denotes the head and the brain while the fifth house points towards the stomach and the intestines. Similarly, the zodiacal signs refer to the various human organs. The fingers are significators of various ailments and body parts. The birth star and the Drik ( 6th, 8th and 12th ) houses are also to be taken into account while recommending a birthstone for healthy living. The birth star is the constellation in which the moon resides at the moment of one?s birth. There are 27 (twenty-seven) constellations in Indian astrology each sub-divided into four parts or ?padas?. At times, Abhijit is also considered as a constellation occurring in Capricorn. In electional astrology, Abhijit muhurta is said to alleviate any affliction and hence if no appropriate or auspicious moment is possible immediately, recourse is taken to this.

Not only do birthstones help in health problems, they are worn to increase one?s wealth as well. Thus, Emerald denoting Mercury is beneficial for one dealing with liquid cash, shares and stocks, Jupiter for those dealing with properties, buildings and jewellery etc. The moon in the male horoscope and the sun in the female horoscope are important for prognosticating wealth matters. Jupiter is considered for success and Venus for pleasures in one?s life. Jupiter?s placement in eastern side i.e., aries to virgo assures early success in life. The 2nd house denotes movable assets, 4th fixed assets, 9th general prosperity, fate and the 11th recurring income.

At times, people know only the date of birth and the preparation of an accurate horoscope becomes difficult, if not impossible. They can be told to wear the birthstone pertinent to the date of birth. Thus, those born on the 1st, 10th ,19th or the 28th of any month can wear ruby or red coral to begin with. By trial and error and after consultations the correct gemstone can be worn. Some people are found wearing a ?nava ratna? i.e., a ring with all the nine main stones embedded on the ring. While this may do wonders for some, it is not recommended as a general solution to appease all the planets at a time! The factors to be considered when wearing a birthstone are :

1. The correct gem 2. Weight of the gem 3. Metal of the ring 4. Day and time of first wearing 5. Pre-treatment of the stone before wearing.

Pre-treatment refers to the purification or the sanctification process of the embedded ring. The big question remains which school of opinion to follow ? sympathy or antipathy? Whether one should appease the afflicted planet or counter-act it?

A detailed account of the article can be found at the author?s web site:

www.geocities.com/ugh_club/astrology

Audio Book Astrology: The Wave of the Future

Every hundred years or so, there comes along a new idea or innovation that changes life dramatically. The invention of canning made it possible to store food without spoilage. The advent of the automobile gave people mobility they never had before. When the telephone came into being, it suddenly became possible for individuals to stay in contact with others over great distances and with the invention of television, the rapid sharing of ideas has become an expected way of life.

Although Astrology has existed for many thousands of years, a great deal of astrological knowledge has been lost because of the lack of preservation methods in early civilizations. Since the advent of moveable type, and the beginning of the printing age, Astrology has been recorded more carefully in books so that each new generation can build on a past it can access.

Even up to as much as a century ago, most Astrology books were in hardbound, hardcover volumes. While this was a lot easier than carrying around a carved stone (from the days of the Mayans), it nevertheless was much too bulky for the student who might want to carry a few books at a time.

From this, came the advent of paperback astrology books. For the last half century, most astrological ideas have been passed down in this manner. Of lighter weight and less bulk than the hardbound books, these appealed to convenience and practicality.

However, as the Piscean Age came to an end in the late nineteen hundreds, a seed change began to slowly take place in book publishing. Many publishing houses found that as more people were being introduced to the internet, fewer people had the patience to read books,- a rather sad commentary on the direction of our culture.

As luck would have it, history has a way of bringing different evolutionary processes together when the time is right for them to join. The less people had patience to read books, newspapers and magazines, the more people were creating a need for electronic media as a replacement. However, for this to happen, several different and seemingly unrelated technologies had to be ready.

The average book reader would hardly have noticed the tremendously immense technological advancements in electronic sound recordings that were happening in the background. With the invention of MP3, now the current standard of excellent quality of sound recordings made possible by the demands of computer users, digital sound could be reproduced with startling accuracy.

While Audio books were starting to come into their own as tape cassettes during the nineteen nineties, the new MP3 standard, brings the start of a whole new digital era in sound recordings. Tapes have a tendency to bend, wobble, stretch with humidity as well as tear or break. Yet, digital MP3 recordings suffer from none of these weaknesses. In fact, where tape recordings would lose clarity over time, the new MP3 digital recordings on computer files, show absolutely no degradation over at least 25 years per recording. How many books do you own from twenty five years ago that are in the same condition today as when you bought them?

What does all this mean for Astrology? For one thing, it means the methods for recording information so that future generations can benefit from them keeps improving dramatically. For another, and maybe this is more important, Astrology is a learning process, and it has been proven many times over that the spoken word is a better way to learn than reading words. Try to remember something you read somewhere. Then try to remember something that somebody said to you. See what comes to mind faster!

Well ok, that may be true, but it's not so easy carrying around a desktop to play these files on. True. Yet, here is where another cooperation from history comes into play. As more people realize the advantages of MP3 sound, the need to also have portable ways to hear this sound pushed efforts to invent many new electronic devices almost simultaneously. Within only the last couple of years or so, we have gone from one or two MP3 players on the market, to literally hundreds.

The Ipod from Apple, can play MP3 files that were downloaded on a regular desktop computer. I have recently seen new MP3 players that work in wristwatches and eyeglasses. They are getting smaller, more portable and lightweight, yet with no sacrifice of digital sound quality.

For Astrology, this makes Audio books the perfect medium. In fact, in this day and age of information technology, Audio books can be structured into very small files, so that each Astrological topic (not just chapter) can be on its own file. This means that for the student, or even the astrologer doing research, the ability to find the exact place of an idea, refer to a lesson or something of interest, becomes easier than it has ever been.

Yet, this is only the beginning. Audio books are not only easier, more portable and more learnable from the point of view of the student, they have another advantage for the publisher and listener alike. In the days of paperbound books, if a table, an ephemeris, an idea or date or chapter had to be updated, it was impossible to do this, without ordering a reprint of the entire book.

With Audio books, a book could be many files, sometimes more than a hundred in larger books, yet if something needs to be updated, edited or corrected, it often only takes repairing the single file that needs it, to update the entire book. This means publishers can keep Audio Books more current than they could paperbound books, and listeners can benefit from this in more ways than I can imagine in this article. There is no question about it, Astrology Audio Books are in their infancy and if listeners can learn faster and more thorough because of this medium, than we can only conclude that Astrology too will benefit from this vast increase in sharing knowledge.

It is because of these advantages that I have recently finished recording eight Full Length MP3 Audio Books for Classic Legend Books. A sample can be heard here.

Martin Schulman is the published author of over 50 astrology Best-Sellers in many languages. He is especially known as the founder of Karmic Astrology,- the kind of Astrology that sees this life as a continuation of the soul learning its evolutionary lessons that it began in past lives. Much more about this author and his recent works including new Audio Book versions, more articles, stories and the famous Martin Schulman Sign Allegory can be found at Classic Legend Books.

Astral Twins - The Proof Of Astrology

If you have ever had the slightest doubt as to whether or not Astrology works, consider the phenomenon of Astral-Twins. We know about identical twins (two individuals born of the same mother from the same egg) because they have identical physical features, their mannerisms are the same and so too are their attitudes. In fact, to exaggerate their sameness, many identical twins dress alike and try to fool people as to their identity.

We also know about fraternal twins (two individuals born of the same mother, from two different eggs). Each of these twins have their own distinct physical characteristics, tend to be more independent than identical twins, and if not for the fact that they were born from the same parent, would sometimes be hardly recognizable as twins at all.

Astral-Twins is a phenomenon that belongs only to astrology. Here, we find that it is possible to call two individuals twins if they are born at the same time at the same degrees of latitude and longitude, regardless of the fact that they may have two different mothers and come from different eggs. Thus, identical twins and fraternal twins can both in a sense also be Astral-Twins, (if they are born close enough in time to each other), but most Astral-Twins are in fact neither identical or fraternal twins.

They are for the most part born of different parents who do not even know each other. The coincidence happens because within the same degree of latitude and longitude it is possible for two different mothers to give birth in two different hospitals or different rooms in the same hospital.

The exciting thing about Astral-Twins is that many go through life without realizing they have a twin brother or sister until some unlikely coincidence brings them together. Then the realization is brought to light as they share the incredible coincidences that have occurred in their lives. Studies show that similar events occur at similar ages all through the lives of Astral-Twins.

In one instances the lives of Astral Twins (born of different parents) went to the same school, graduated school the same year. Then both of them got married in the same year and on the same day. They in fact, married each other!

What is even more interesting is that if Astral Twins are born almost the same minute in time, then they would also have the same Ascendant or Rising Sign, which influences physical appearance. As a result, there is a good likelihood that many Astral Twins resemble each other in physical characteristics.

The age old question then of whether heredity or environment plays a greater role in how one's life unfolds, may have a new twist. There is no question that identical twins having almost the same DNA would be very similar. But, what about two individuals, whose lives parallel each other in almost every way, including the same illnesses at the same ages, the same experiences at the same ages, similarities in appearance, as well as their making identical choices in life at almost identical points in time, even though their DNA is entirely different?

There is something worthwhile noting here and it may well be that the birth stamp of the heavens, as it creates the imprint for life to begin and to become, may well be the final proof that Astrology whether we believe it or not, is playing a much larger role in life than we have given it credit for!

Copyright ?2006 Martin Schulman All rights reserved. (You may use this article for your website, provided you keep the author information and live links intact).

About the Author: Martin Schulman is the published author of over 50 astrology best-sellers in many languages. He is especially known as the founder of Karmic Astrology,- the kind of astrology that sees this life as a continuation of the soul learning its evolutionary lessons that it began in past lives. Much more about this author and his recent works including new audio book editions, more articles, stories and the famous Martin Schulman Sign Allegory as well as many astrology features including photo gallarys of celebrities for each astrology sign and new transits and aspects for each days' planet positions can be found at Classic Legend Books- Official site.

Astrology's Rulerships Make People Different

As much as astrology shows us how neatly things seem to fit, it also shows us what appears to be inconsistencies, that make us wonder. Is the system imperfect after a few thousand years of evolution, or are we missing something that needs further scrutiny for us to understand?

If astrology categorizes all people into twelve equal subdivisions of the zodiac,- the twelve signs, then how come we see such differences within any one sign. Not all Scorpios are confident in themselves. Not all Geminis like to talk a lot and not all Cancerians like their families. If this is true, where do we begin to understand the differences between people of the same sign.

For one thing, there is something called Decanates in Astrology that divides a sign into three ten degree segments. Thus, for every sign, there are really three parts of the sign,- the first ten degrees, the second ten degrees and the third ten degrees, and because these decanates or segments of a sign are different, individuals born in any one of these decanates are necessarily different from anyone born in another decanate.

The first decanate of each sign is ruled by the sign itself, and so it is most characteristic of the sign qualities we expect. However, the second decanate is ruled by the next sign of the same element. This is not the next sign that follows it in the zodiac. To get to the same element repeating itself, you have to skip four signs.

To see this think of Aries, ruled by Mars under the element of Fire. The first decanate is easy enough since it is the same as the sign and we call it the Aries decanate. The second decnate is a little harder to find. We have to look four signs ahead to when the Fire element repeats itself again. We find this in the sign Leo, ruled by the Sun and of course, Leo is a fire sign. Thus, the second decanate of Aries is the Leo decanate.

The third decanate of Aries would be four signs after Leo when we find the Fire element again, this time ruling Sagittarius. As a result, the third decanate of Aries is the Sagittarius decanate.

This analogy carries through each sign and all the elements. Thus, we can see how an individual born in early Aries in the Aries decanate is much more impulsive than one born in mid Aries in the Leo decanate, which would give them much more will power over their actions.

You can find your decanate by counting the days from when your sign begins until your birthday. If it is 0-10 days, you are in the first decanate. From 11-20 days puts you in the second decanate and of course from 21-30 days puts you in the third decanate. You could learn much about yourself by seeing how the decanate rulership combines with the sign and modifies how the stars influence your life.

Planets also transit through decanates of each sign. If you look at today's planet positions, you could see by degree numbers (1-10, 11-20, 21-30) what decanate of a sign each planet is in now. You can find today's planet positions by sign and degree numbers here.

Copyright ? 2006 Martin Schulman (This article may be used provided the author information and live links are kept intact).

About the Author: Martin Schulman is the published author of over 50 astrology best-sellers in many languages. He is especially known as the founder of Karmic Astrology, the kind of astrology that sees this life as a continuation of the soul learning its evolutionary lessons that it began in past lives. Much more about this author and his recent works including new audio book versions, more articles, stories and the famous Martin Schulman Sign Allegory can be found at Classic Legend Books.

The Mystery of Horary Astrology

I have always been fascinated by Horary Astrology, inasmuch as its most basic assumption seem so unbelievably simple that one wonders how it could possibly work. Yet, it does! In fact, it works almost flawlessly in so many situations that it becomes important for us to take a step back and see why, and this, in and of itself puts us in a mindset to understand something very special about ourselves and the universe we live in.

Horary Astrology differs from Natal Astrology in that it does not concern itself with the birth of individuals. Instead, it addresses a question and formulates a chart based on when and where the question was asked. In other words, the entire assumption that Horary Astrology is based on is that whatever causes someone to ask a question comes from the forces that created the consciousness to ask it.

Thus, the universe is somehow prompting one to ask something in lieu of asking something else. Strangely enough, there is a peculiar sort of logic to this, that seems to have infinite truth to it.

At any given time, the universe is in a state of change. Things are always becoming, changing, and evolving into new things, new ideas, and new consciousness that becomes our ever-unfolding future. Thus, the flowing forces of nature are ever prompting our behavior and actions as well as reactions to our environment and how we function in it.

Consider a man in a snowstorm. Feeling cold, he asks the question, "When will the weather change?"

Horary Astrology would draw a chart for the time of the question, which would show the forces that prompted the question, and could easily see if these are transient forces, or long duration forces, and from this have some clues as to how to answer the question.

In another example (not weather-related) a person might want to know something about a decision they are trying to make with their life. A horoary chart would show the forces that prompted their question. Seeing where these planets will move by transits and progressions holds the clues to the answer.

It is amazingly simple, yet profoundly fascinating in how horary astrology can tune in on the specific answers without even looking to the past. What if you have questions on your mind now? If you could look up where the planets are transiting today, you would find some clues to your answer.

You can look here for today's planetary transits.

Martin Schulman is the published author of over 50 astrology best-sellers in many languages. He is especially known as the founder of Karmic Astrology,- the kind of astrology that sees this life as a continuation of the soul learning its evolutionary lessons that it began in past lives. Much more about this author, including other articles and his recent works can be found at Classic Legend Books- Official Site..

Astrology Tattoo Is More Than a Mere Fashion

Astrology symbols have become very popular tattoo designs, such as a scorpion or a bull as body art. This is due to astrological symbols making great tattoo designs. There is also a quiet mysticism that surrounds these signs that makes them a popular choice for the younger population.

Besides the zodiac signs celestial bodies like the sun and the moon also make popular tattoo designs. Most of the astrology tattoos are done in bright colours that give them a life of their own. Astrology tattoo designs can be tattooed just about anywhere as body art, such as arm bands, lower-back, ankles, chest or shoulders.

Different astrological systems have different signs which represent different meanings. However, the preferred astrology tattoo designs are based on the Greek or Roman zodiac system. These include the twelve different signs namely Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius.

Each of the astrological signs depicts an animal, character or object associated with it. Here are the traditional symbols associated with each sign of the Zodiac:

Capricorn (December 23 to January 20) is depicted by a Goat.

Aquarius (January 21 to February 19) by the Water Carrier

Pisces (February 20 to March 20) by the Fish

Aries (March 21 to April 20) by a Ram

Taurus (April 21 to May 21) by a Bull

Gemini (May 22 to June 21) by the Wolf

Cancer (June 22 to July 22) by the Crab

Leo (July 23 to August 22) by the Lion

Virgo (August 23 to September 23) by a Woman

Libra (September 24 to October 23) by Pair of Scales

Scorpio (October 24 to November 22) by the Scorpion

Sagittarius (November 23 to December 22) by the Centaur Archer

Other widely practiced arts include those devised by the Native American, incorporating the medicine wheel as an important part of their astrological system, and the Chinese that depicts animal names and traits to people born in a certain year.

All the astrology tattoo designs are characterized by certain qualities that make them unique. For instance, they are especially meaningful if they happen to be your sun sign, tattooing the sun sign that you were born under can be a simple way of reflecting your unique personality, goals and interests.

Today, the astrology tattoo designs can be seen on a wide selection of people from all nationalities and age. Earlier, the tattoos were limited to sailors and maybe artists. Now days, all tattoos are flaunted with great pride.

Darren Lintern publishes articles, guides and reports, on many topics for Kerrash.com

For all your Tattoo needs and concerns, visit our Tattoo Information Guide

Test Your Astrology IQ

Sometimes we tend to be insecure about what we know, often underestimating how much we understand. We change our minds so easily, based on circumstances or the environment. At other times, we might hold onto ideas tenaciously, regardless of whether or not they hold value. Ever wonder how smart you are or how much you know about astrology? Now is the time to find out.

Here is a simple quiz, - or is it? Some of these questions are tricky, so think carefully before you answer. Some questions are so simple that if you think too much you might go past the truth. Jot down your answers, then see how you did.

True or False

1. An Aries with Mercury in Leo would be a very fiery person.

2. People born near sundown are better at marriage than people born near sunrise.

3. Two unrelated people, born the same day, time and location will lead very similar lives.

4. A person born just before sunrise is likely to have escapist tendencies.

5. A person born near noon will take on a lot of responsibility.

6. Karma is the same for all people born of the same sign in the same year.

7. The Sun influences the first half of life, then the Moon influences the second half.

8. Planets change their meaning every three years.

9. Scorpio women are more masculine than Leo women.

10. A Virgo female is more organized than a Sagittarius male.

Ok, are you ready? If you got 5 right, well... a monkey could do that. 7 right answers, pretty good. If you got 9 or more, you're almost a genius!

Click here to find the right answers.

Martin Schulman, known the world over as the original founder of Karmic Astrology, has over 50 published books in America and foreign translations throughout the world and was the first astrologer to reach a top 10 Best-Seller list in New York. He has lectured at Boston University and many astrological conventions across the United States with articles appearing many times on the cover of Dell Horoscope Magazine and he has personally appeared on national tv.

More articles, an astrology word glossary where you can look up meanings of many astrological terms, as well as many Martin Schulman best-selling astrology books with reviews, some on special pre-holiday sales can be found at classiclegendbooks.com