EYE ON ASTROLOGY: ASTROLOGY, FREE WILL AND RESPONSIBILITY
I find that people who are on a spiritual path are given new choices to make and are placed in Schools of Karma. Some karma can come back sometimes with a hard edge that seems beyond our control but if you are aware, you can see stuff coming and see how it is being set up to teach you new choices. More often than not, the planets are creating emotional and psychological fog that tug at us but do not manifest physically impact us unless we miss all the clues and make bad decisions and act wrongly. It all starts in our head. It is often like a huge fog or mist like our cover photo.
I recently had a man that was so convinced that his wife was having an affair that he accused her and battered her and broke up his marriage but the reality was that it was all in his head. He had Ketu/Rahu in Aries on the 1/7 axis spinning tales. Ketu in the first can create altered psychological conditions which can trick the mind into believing things that are not real. Ketu afflicted Aries can create an ego investment in wanting to be right and hence no matter what the truth, there was in ability to let go of what he thought and he became even more invested in proving and obsessing that he was correct.
Jyotish means, “light” and the practice of Jyotish is shining light on what is hidden. Revealing the puppeteer play of stings tugging at our emotions and psychology makes us realize that the planets are hard at work spinning their webs of illusion. In reality, there may not be anything there but a game of “smoke and mirrors.” When we recognize these “shadow” patterns, we have the opportunity to take responsibility and create positive shifts in our lives by taking directed action when we use this newfound awareness. We are placed in Schools of Karma to make new choices and we do have free will to not repeat the same mistakes again and suffer.
I find that certain periods and planets may continually give us false signs. Saturn and Rahu and Ketu are best at doing this but the Upagrahas like Gulika and Mandi can also create false paranoia about things that are not real. I had a client who had Saturn transiting over their natal Gulika and they encountered extreme paranoia and they were sure they were going to get tossed out in the streets during a difficult time but it was just extreme fear. Eckhard Tolle in Power of Now reminds us that 99% of the fears that manifest in our mind are illusion and never manfiests. We need to have the awareness from spiritual practice to step back and witness then and say, there goes Saturn again creating useless fears.
People think that mantras and Vedic ceremonies are magic bullets for solving our problems but that is not totally the case. Mantras and ceremonies are prescribed to loosen the grip of mind illusions so that we can then take new action without being manipulated, controlled or feeling victimized. When Rahu and Ketu periods are running or Rahu and Ketu are transiting our 1st house, 4th house, 5th house, moon or 1st house lord, we may be particularly impacted by illusion in the mind. We need mantras and Vedic ceremonies and meditation to be able to stand back and see the smoke and mirrors.
Mantras and ceremonies should create good health, power of speech and action to construct new directions in our life so that we are empowered. Sometimes clients would like a magic bullet to lift the problems and sometimes that can happen with grace if you have a Sat Guru and are blessed. More often than not, the client has to actively make major changes in their life to recreate their life.
This is no easy task and requires huge willpower, motivation and a strong ability to change. The ascendant lord and its placement have to be strong and Mars has to be strong to have the will power and awareness to make changes in our life. Without spiritual practice, service, the company of spiritual people and support this can be difficult to accomplish. Ideally, we have to own the responsibility of our own suffering and do something to change it.
If you enjoy essays like this, there is a section of them in my new book. Slightly revised edition with minor correction and additions available in a few days. Order now for PDF download.
FINDING YOUR BLIND SPOTS USING ASTROLOGY: SPIRITUAL, EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WISDOM TO HELP YOU UNCOVER YOUR UNCONSCIOUS PATTERNS AND HIDDEN FLAWS
19.95 for color pdf download; soon on Amazon black and white hard copy for 24.95.
What critics are saying: “Barry’ Poetic Tour de Force unveils lays of psychological wisdom that heals the troubled soul.–Jamie Bateman
The book is accessible for people who do not know much about astrology and is meant for a larger audience and only small parts of it are technical .
SUMMARY:
The deepest purpose of astrology should allow us to see the Maya or illusion that runs through our mind and blocks us from seeing our own Divinity. Astrology should reveal our hidden patterns and not just affirm what we know about our self already. It is our hidden patterns and blind spots which get us into the most trouble and cause us the most suffering. It takes courage to look at them, bring them into the light and transforms them but that is why we are on the planet. It is much like Bill Murray in Ground Hog Day (1993). How many times do we have to repeat our lives and relive our pain or do we realize our flaws and actively work on them and transform ourselves into a more conscious and active and loving and compassionate person. In this brilliant collection of essays divided into 7 sections, Psychological and Emotional and Spiritual Dimensions of Vedic Astrology, Secrets of the Houses, Blind Spots. Spiritual Astrology, Relationship and Techniques, Barry reveals material beyond the ordinary in unveiling our True Self beyond the illusion. The great spiritual teacher Yogananda was fond of saying that most of what we call the spiritual battle is really a psychological battle and once that battle is won, the spiritual battle is a short one. This book aims to support you in deep spiritual growth with profound psychological insight.
Barry’s spiritual and psychological approach to astrology seeks to cut the puppet strings of the planets that impact our emotions and psychology and bind us to self-blame, doubt and fear, and anger. This useful guide will help you navigate your life.
Will be sent within 24-48 hours via Dropbox.
Or Sign up for a Reading. A few dates still available in November but mostly booked: Special two day sale until Nov. 6th: 199.00. Regularly 225.00. Click below. 01-Vedic Natal Chart Reading – FIVE AREAS AND YOUR QUESTIONS
Have a great weekend!
