On Astrology — The science that predicts our future by the alignment of stars at the moment we were born

I was at a funeral last weekend and got to participate in the last rites of a departed soul. A priest from the Arya Samaj read a few passages from the Gita and explained succinctly what they meant. He spoke about the eternity of the soul and how death is just the end of the physical body, mind and the intellect. In the Hindu belief system, the soul is just an eternal wanderer forever seeking a different form in pursuit of eternal salvation. He said birth is when the soul enters a body and death signifies a departure of the soul from the body. Keep that thought in mind as we explore the topic for today.

In astrology, the first thing to sketch is your “Jathakam”, the alignment of stars at the time you were born. Your “Jathakam” defines your existence. It influences the quality of your life and what you experience. It defines who you are and what you become. It defines what sins you carry from your previous Janma’s ( read incarnations ) and the Punya’s ( good deeds). These combined with your actions defines what you carry to your next life. Seems like simple math, pre-existing conditions plus inputs ( read your actions ) equals output. Seems quite basic. Your actions in turn are influenced by your Vastus the behavior and mannerisms you inherit at birth. The soul that enters your body to make you who you are brings these characteristics with it.

So lets say five people are born at the same instant. Since they have the same “Jathakam” even though they have different souls, astrologically they are clones of each other. So their life should be the same, identical, ditto. Hope you are with me still. Their Vastus being different might influence what Punyas or Sins they accumulate in their current form of existence.

The Aha, I got sitting in the room listening to the priest was how does astrology predict a persons future not knowing which soul entered the body. Since the soul is a unknown in a predictive sense, it should almost be impossible to predict a different future for the five people born at the same time that day. To accurately predict your future an astrologer would have to meet you in person assess your soul along with your “Jatakam” to make a prediction. In my experience that does not appear to be the case. Does that mean the whole basis for astrology is just quackery. Or am I missing something. I am sure I am not the first one to stumble on this. I am not even arguing how the ancient astrologers studied the planets and understood the Universe and the basis for the interstellar forces that form the basis for astrology.

Are astrologers just shaping our lives by their predictions? If we are believers we tend to believe what they say and use their predictions to define our existence. If they predicted a bad time for us then we are able to explain away all the misfortunes that come our way. Similarly if they predict good times then we are likely to be more positively minded in everything we do. Prediction or not, it is our mindset that helps us be successful in what we do. If you believe in omens or like to read your daily forecast, seeing two birds instead of a black cat or reading that your zodiac sign is going to have a great day is likely to spur you to be successful in your endeavors on that day.

Maybe my analysis of astrology is all wrong and some learned soul will correct my ignorance. But that’s not the point. If our soul is the driving force then despite the alignment of the stars, having a positive mind set will help each of us get the best outcome when everything is stacked against us. Whether you believe or not believe in astrology is immaterial, always having a positive mindset will definitely help one ride out a storm.