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Branches of Astrology
Natal
Astrology or Personal Astrology
The most popular area of
astrology is studying the birth chart of an individual,
known as natal or personal astrology. After studying the
horoscope of an individual, a skilled and experienced
astrologer can discover the major patterns and planetary
influences in a person’s life, principal character
traits and therefore can make fairly accurate readings
about past and future events.
Mundane
Astrology
An expansion of astrology
from the personal to the global level is mundane (or
political) astrology. This is a complex and interesting
system that uses various astrological methods to track
the horoscopes of countries, institutions, and political
leaders. Based on past events and planetary positions,
astrology has been used to track business and political
competitors, and to identify their weak points and how
to take advantage of them. Therefore a large volume of
vital information can be derived from the few bits of
information that are required to cast a horoscope.
Financial
Astrology
A sub-branch of mundane
astrology is financial (or stock market) astrology.
There are many who claim ability to predict the market's
fluctuations (i.e. when the prices of oil or gold will
go up or down), while their actual success rate remains
unknown (one would have to take their word for it). This
is not to say that there are no astrologers who can
predict market fluctuations--just that one must be
careful, especially when it comes to investing big
money.
What most people,
including some astrologers, do not realize is that the
personal chart contains information about one's
financial success or failure; therefore all the
"hot tips" in the world will not help one
whose karma is not to be wealthy in this life. Better
than going to someone who claims to know how the market
will turn, and then investing accordingly, is to consult
a good astrologer to have one's own chart read, to see
what economic opportunities reside in the future. If
from one's chart it is seen that finance and fortune
shines brightly, then one can safely invest in anything
according to his inspiration, and most particularly in
those items found via the chart to be lucky.
Medical
Astrology
Another derivative of
natal astrology is medical astrology. While much medical
information can be acquired through natal astrology,
i.e. probable times of sickness, susceptibility to
certain diseases, weak constitution, proneness to
accidents, exposure to blood related diseases, when to
perform surgery or give medicine, choosing a physician,
etc. Medical astrology is actually strictly the domain
of Ayurvedic physicians, who have the natural ability to
thoroughly study so many medical cases.
Medical astrology is the
full-blown investigation and diagnosis of medical
problems thorough the horoscope. It was once very much
in vogue. Even today in India, Ayurvedic doctors are
urged to study astrology. However the difficulty is that
to properly practice medical astrology one must be a
qualified physician. It is a valuable tool of the
astrologer-physician, but few astrologers fall into this
category.
Ayurvedic physicians choose auspicious times for
performing surgery or beginning a regimen of treatment
(Example: Since the moon rules over fluids, it is
considered very undesirable to have surgery closer to
the full-moon day, because of the tendency for excessive
loss of fluid and danger of heavy bleeding.)
Relocation
Astrology
Have you ever wondered if
life would be different in another city or state, or
even another country or continent? Well before you pack
up your bags for Melbourne or Toronto, check with your
Vedic astrologer. On the basis of your natal chart plus
other methods specific to relocation astrology, he can
advise you where it is best to live.
The normal method that Dr
Theja uses is too general. First, he uses a computer
program to generate a map of the world with planetary
lines on them based on the birth chart. Then, by
analyzing the chart he determines which lines are most
favourable. This is the more general approach, and it is
useful in analyzing large geographical regions.
Relocation astrology is a very powerful and accurate
technique which has become popular in the last ten
years. This method can be used to find the best place in
the world to make money, study, write a book, find a
spouse, etc.
Muhurta
or Electional Astrology
So far, we have talked
about ascertaining the future from the time of birth.
But suppose one is planning an important event or
project and especially wants it to be successful.
Logically, he should choose the best time available
within a particular "window of time," to get
the best results. This is called muhurta or electional
astrology. Basically it is the science of timing,
choosing the best time to start something in order to
get the best results. There are certain events in life
that we would especially like to see turn out
successful, such as a business or marriage. If one has
undergone all the trouble to match charts for
compatibility or to set up a business, then he should
also choose a good muhurta in order to start the event
successfully and to neutralize any defects that there
may be in the match.
With a little
imagination, we can expand the possibilities for muhurta
astrology well beyond these two items, business and
marriage: When to build a house or to lay the foundation
stone, make a significant purchase, start any important
project like writing a book, when to release a book or
movie or when to begin a long journey. Gurus and acaryas
(great spiritual leaders) would choose auspicious
muhurtas for conducting an initiation ceremony,
installing a Deity, or laying the cornerstone of a
temple. By studying the charts of the people involved
and the available time, Dr Theja choses what he
considers to be the most appropriate auspisious time.
Prasna
or Horary Astrology
One of the most useful
and dynamic branches of Vedic astrology prasna, which
literally means "question”. The natal chart
reading is an in depth research. Initially one is
presented with the full view, however its accuracy is
insufficient and therefore one has to zoom in and look
at a smaller segment of time, say, the duration of a
planetary major period or, even smaller, the planetary
sub-period, or perhaps a year or six months. The precise
analysis would be to focus on just one question for a
specific period of time. This is prasna.
If you meet a
particularly qualified person who could be the perfect
match for you but you do not want to jeopardize interest
by directly asking for their birth particulars. What to
do? After suitably considering the situation, you would
ask a Vedic astrologer the question: What will be the
result for me if I marry this person? The Vedic
astrologer notes the time the question is asked,
calculates the chart, analyzes it, and then gives a
scientific answer.
How does it work? The
conception of a question is the thought which enters
one's mind. Pondering, worrying, and brooding over it is
the gestation period. And asking is the birth of the
question. You might be surprised to learn how accurately
a trained astrologer is able to give the correct answer.
Of course prasna is not limited to romantic ponderings,
but can be applied to almost any situation wherein
humans have questions. Unfortunately they cannot always
take advantage of it for two reasons:
Prasna is very difficult
to perform, and it requires extensive special training.
Even if an astrologer capable to adequately read a natal
chart will not be able to do a prasna chart properly
unless trained to do so, because there are special rules
in prasna that are not applicable to natal astrology,
and vice versa.
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