I have significantly improved my birth chart overview… please have a look at it: here. Thank you.
Category Archives: Key Elements of Astrology
Astrological Caste System?
I just want to quickly say that you cannot declare what someone’s “varna” is by looking at their horoscope! Especially not by simply looking at the Nakshatra of their moon. If you want to get some idea of where they most likely are on the spectrum of various varnas, for the purpose of selecting an ideal career – you can do that, if you blend the nakshatra in with the varnas of the rashi, navamsha, and planets. Here is an old example I once gave in this regard: Career Assessment in Vedic Astrology.
You cannot look at a horoscope and say – “you are a shudra” or “you are a vaishya” etc. etc. It is absolutely preposterous to anyone who understands the difference between the pre-modern, corrupt caste system and the beautiful, ancient varna system. The horoscope is an artifact of an individual’s birth. Social status based on a factor of birth is caste. It is bogus. The varna system is based on actual behavior and character (“guna and karma“). That is why Krishna declares in Bhagavad Gita catur-varnyam maya srishtham, guna-karma-vibhagasa - “I created the four social classes, differentiated by character and behavior.”
Vic DiCara
The Philosophy of Astrology
Astrology is a tool for understanding your destiny. Obviously, it is founded on the supposition that destiny exists. This is a very reasonable supposition, because every part of the universe moves like a pre-ordained mathematical clockwork that reeks of destiny.
But, why? Why does destiny exist? And why do you have a specific destiny?
Do we get our destinies by chance? Is it by chance that one person is born to become a successful hair dresser, while another is destined to be a ruined stock broker? Well, that wouldn’t make any sense at all, honestly, because destiny itself antithetical to chance. Destiny means things that are supposed to happen, not things that happen at random.
Look at the word itself, destiny. Do you see the same root in the word “destination”? A destination is “the place you intend to reach.” Destiny has intention. It is not allotted by chance. It follows a reason, a pattern, a law: cause-and-effect.
What is the cause of your destiny? Your freewill! Your free choices today determine the inescapable circumstances of your future. The decisions you made in the past, therefore, determine your present fates and fortunes. This cause-and-effect is a universal principle, but it is very well developed and explained in the ancient and classical Sanskrit literature of India, called by the term karma.
But there is another problem to address: A birth chart, the most essential tool of astrology, depicts the moment of birth; directly implying that we are we born with a destiny. If destiny is a result of our past freewill, why should we start out with destiny already determined?
The only answer is that birth is not the beginning of our existence!
We forget this. As soon as we are born, with each and every breath we identify more and more solidly with the body we inhabit, and forget that our existence extends above, beyond, before and after that body. Nonetheless our past extends beyond the date and time on our birth certificate and into a vast span of limitless time that even words like “ancient” cannot do justice.
Again, this is a universal concept, but the philosophical and spiritual traditions of India have really explored and explained this principle, “reincarnation.”
This sort of talk is a “trip” and “blows our minds” – which is great. But there are practical reasons I think it is the most important thing to get straight first, before going further into astrology or into a reading:
- Whatever happens to you – regardless if it’s something you prefer or dislike – is supposed to happen to you.
- It’s supposed to happen to you because you made some decisions in the past that require you to experience it.
- You require these experiences because they are instrumental in your evolution as a living being.
- The right way to approach you destiny then, is with open arms.
So: Never be afraid of your destiny.
We are an embryo in the cosmic womb. Our universal, loving mother is trying to mature us; trying to make us capable to be born into the real world. It is only smallness of mind that allows us to fear or hate some destiny our mother has allotted for our evolution.
Before you go further, stop here for a while. At the very least, spend a few deep breaths imbibing this concept into your understanding.
When you are ready to go further, always remember this: The wins and losses of this tiny lifetime are no more significant than scores in a video game. What is significant is that we use these wins and losses to make progress in the direction our universal mother is ushering us. Do not use astrology in an attempt to tinker with the ups and downs of an infinitesimal fragment of lifetime. Use it to help you embrace the ups and downs of this lifetime in a positive manner, as vehicles for evolution towards birth into the real, spiritual world of selflessness and divine love.
Online Gita Class
I would like to teach a 24-hour/session Bhagavad-Gita class online:
- 1 session for each of the 18 chapters,
- 1 extra session for each long chapter – 2 and 18
- 4 sessions free for discussion, and if possible to go into more detail on the Sanskrit of specific important texts
The important part now is to see how many people are seriously interested in taking the course. I’ve done group classes over Skype before for astrology and it is pretty easy and simple. The more students we get, the less the tuition per student. We can accept up to 12 students, and then the tuition per student would be $100.
If you’re interested in this, please ask around / spread the word and see who else might be interested. Once we get a significant list of interested students, we can sort out the schedule details with everyone and get started.
Interested parties should contact me by email, or, if you don’t have my email address, through my contact form. If you have questions or comments you can also comment on this post: Online Gita Class.
Thank you!
