Astrology - The Science of Make-Believe?

A lot has been said about Astrology over the centuries. Mankind has experimented with it several times. Some results were astonishing, some utter failures. Why is it that Astrology has a bad name? Is it because the science is flawed or is it because of a flaw in our understanding of something of a very subtle nature? Let's explore.

Everyone is curious about their future, about what is going to happen to them or their friends and family. We are all guilty of checking that daily horoscope in the corner of the newspaper. How many times has it been accurate? How many times has it made you think that the universe has created only 12 types of human beings on the planet?

In the course of this article (and subsequent ones), I wish to discuss with you about this very interesting science, that has intrigued me greatly and I hope it will have the similar effect on you too. I am not trying to form your opinions for you but rather present some facts that I’ve uncovered in my research on the topic. You are free to believe or reject anything that does not make sense to you.

What is Astrology?

To put it simply, astrology is an occult science. It uses the positions of the planets in our solar system while keeping in mind the Earth’s position to form combinations and derive predictions out of them. A planet’s motion, its distance from Earth and its speed is also important and taken into consideration. Didn’t know that, did you?

So, how does Astrology tell you about your future from these details?

The first step is to draw a Horoscope or Kundali. Horoscopes can be drawn for a person, state, country or even a question (called Prashna Kundali). If we are drawing the horoscope for a person, we’ll need their Birth Time, Date of Birth and Place of Birth.

Different systems such as Vedic Astrology, Western Astrology, Nadi Astrology use different formats of drawing a horoscope. For the sake of convenience, I am going to be using the ‘North Indian style’ used in Vedic Astrology. We shall discuss the different systems in a different post.

The horoscope chart represents ‘12 houses/bhavas’. Each house has its significances attached to it. Nothing is without meaning here.

Next - time, place and date are taken into consideration. We place the ‘planets/Grahas’ and the ‘zodiac signs/rashis’ in the different houses according to their positions relevant to that time and place. This process involves a lot of calculations as the latitudes and longitudes, degrees are used here.

Earlier, this was done with the help of a ‘Panchang’ which used to have all the information about each day for that particular year. Now, in the digital age, we have a lot of softwares and apps to do it for us.

In this manner, a horoscope is made. This chart is called as the ‘Rashi Chart’. It is now ready to be interpreted and several predictions can be made from this. (For more, click here)

What are Grahas and Rashis?

The ‘Navagrahas’ or 9 Planets are the celestial bodies present in our solar system. I use ‘Graha’ because the word ‘Planet’ does not correctly or completely translate the word ‘Graha’ from Sanskrit. ‘Graha’ leans more towards ‘seizing’ or ‘having a hold over’. When we say ‘Grahan’ it means we’ve taken hold of it or seized it. So, ‘Grahas’ are representations of ‘forces capable of having a hold/pull. Which is accurate because we know every object has its gravity, a pull. (We’ll discuss more on Grahas in later articles.)

For now, knowing the names of the NavaGrahas shall be enough. They are - Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. (Surya, Chandra, Buddha, Shukra, Mangal, Brihaspati/Guru, Shani, Rahu and Ketu) Rahu and Ketu are the North Node and the South Node of the Moon, respectively.

Don't worry, we aren't disregarding the existence of Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. It is just that they aren't considered in Vedic Astrology, normally. Why? I shall explain that in another article.

The Solar System (Picture Credits - freepik.com)

The Zodiac belt or Rashis are the constellations mapped on the sky. You can observe them in the night sky with the help of a telescope. It is a 360-degree belt around the Earth in the sky which is divided into 12 parts of 30 degrees each.

The names of the 12 Rashis in order are - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. (Mesha, Vrishabha, Mithuna, Kark/Karkataka, Kanya, Tula, Vrichika, Dhanu, Makara, Kumbha and Meena.)

The 12 Rashis in the Zodiac Belt

So Far So Good

I hope you’re not tired already, the journey is long. The reason I chose to tell you these details because it is necessary to understand the basics before understanding whether something works or not.

You don’t have to memorize the details such as all the names of the Grahas and the Rashis but it helps to know what is being used to determine that Scorpio ascendants have to face a loss of money within 1 year of their marriage, doesn’t it? When you learn more about the ‘Energies’ being represented by the Grahas and Rashis, suddenly all of this won’t feel like some random jargon.

Everything is Energy

Yes, everything in this universe, is energy. Most of us will have read or at least heard about this phrase. The food we consume, the water we drink, the air we breathe, all of it is a different manifestation of the same energy. And so are you.

Every object in the universe is in constant interaction with every other object. We know this because modern science has proved this experimentally. Everything is made of atoms, within which there are electrons, protons and neutrons. Science has also proved the dual nature of light which shows its behaviour as a particle in some experiments and as a wave in some. This just reiterates the same. Everything is energy.

So if everything is energy and in constant interaction with the other, shouldn’t the huge bodies present in the solar system influence us?

No, don’t reject the possibility yet. Hold on. And no, you aren’t facing problems because suddenly your Saturn has gone bad. Go ahead, reject that nonsense.

How Can the Planets Decide My Future?

That’s a good question. The answer is they don’t. Yes, that’s right. They are only indicators.

"But Vedant, you just said that everything influences everything else?" That is also true. The two seemingly contradicting realities exist simultaneously. It would be foolish to think that these huge celestial bodies aren’t in constant interaction through their gravitational forces. The role of the Sun in the solar system needs no introduction and that it is the cause of life on Earth. The role of the Moon and it’s influence on the movement of the tides is also well established.

Then what are remedies or Upaays for? The remedial side of Astrology will be talked about in a separate article as it is a big part of Astrology and there’s a lot that needs to be known about it. The logic behind it is just like a corrective measure you’d take when there’s an imbalance. I shall explain them in detail in another article.

In Summary

Astrology at its core is about understanding the influence of different celestial forces on the life of a much smaller life, us. It uses the position, motion of the various celestial bodies to give an insight into how they influence the environment on Earth. In essence, there is nothing that cannot be known about your life through your horoscope. The past, present and future are all there in those 12 houses and 9 planets.

While I state that, I do recognize that you may not believe it. It is alright, I don’t need you to believe everything I say, I just request you to keep an open mind and be receptive.

Conclusion

Today, we’ve taken the first step towards understanding what Astrology truly is about. We haven’t even scratched the surface yet, so it is natural if you have several questions. The Grahas, Rashis, your horoscope are all talking about Energy and how ‘everything is connected’.

I hope I’ve helped you see things with a different perspective here. If there are specific questions you’d like me to address, please take a moment and comment down below or reach out to me on any social network.

You can continue to read further by clicking here.

Thank you!