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The origins of Vedic astrology (or "Jyotish" in Sanskrit) can be traced back
thousands of years into the hazy mists of antiquity. Unlike Western astrology,
however, Vedic astrology has a more or less unbroken chain of textual sources.
This has created a fairly stable body of practices and techniques that I believe
forms the basis for a superior predictive astrological system. Hundreds of years
ago, Western astrology also more focused on the eternal concerns of the human
condition -- What does the future hold? Will I be rich? Will my loved ones be
safe from harm? But the influence of modernity and the development of
psychoanalysis in the 20th century changed western astrology's emphasis from
prediction to psychological profiling and enhanced self-understanding. With the
coming of the 21st century, perhaps the pendulum as swung back the other way as
more people are seeking guidance on life's more pragmatic concerns.
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The Vedas are the oldest scriptures known to exist, being well over 5,000 years
old. The vast ocean of Vedic knowledge encompasses both material and spiritual
knowledge; it is perfect knowledge that was revealed by Sri Krishna (The
Godhead) to the Rishis, the sages of Vedic culture. Astrology is part of the
Vedic literature, and has been preserved and handed down in the guru-parampara,
the chain of apostolic succession, since time immemorial. Vedic Astrology is the
original form of astrology that existed thousands of years ago in what is now
known as the Indian subcontinent. It gradually spread by diffusion into other
cultures such as the Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Chinese, etc. The major
differences between Vedic Astrology and modern Western Astrology are threefold.
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