All World
Gayatri Pariwar

The positive role of astrology in spiritual healing has been demonstrated through the ages. If the spiritual healer is well versed in astrology he can draw a very close estimate of the patient’s past and future courses of life. True, in modern times astrology has become a victim of many kinds of misconceptions and criticisms. Variety of malpractices and superstitions have tarnished and overshadowed the basic scientific premises of this great science. But if these layers of popular blind beliefs are unpeeled and its real character deciphered, its scientific worth becomes apparent. It is a very effective technique of personality assessment. It gives a glimpse into a person’s latent potentialities and future prospects. It fairly accurately predicts what major hurdles one will be coming across in life or which ill-fortunes are likely to befall him at which specific points of time.

But for this, it would be necessary to have a clear understanding of its nature and functioning. Modern science accepts the truth that this universe is instinct with energy. Indeed, the physicists have now gone to the extent of according primacy to energy waves over material particles. They hold that matter is only an illusive appearance; the substratal reality is nothing but energy. Everything in this creation – whether animate or inanimate – was pure energy before taking form, will dissolve into the cosmic formless energy waves after physical death. The scientist and the spiritualist both agree that this all-pervading energy has many levels and states, which are continually changing. This perpetual flux is the cause of the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the creation.

There is, however, a theoretical disagreement though between the scientists and the spiritualists as to why this change occurs. While science ascribes this to mere chance factor, the spiritual viewpoint considers it as born out of the cosmic consciousness-force as an absolute necessity for the creational process. According to this view, change in the circumstances of a human being, a higher order living being, is caused and guided by his actions, thoughts, emotions and resolves. This is the core premise of the science of astrology. This science also postulates that in this life-long cycle of changes the different levels of the cosmic energy are also affected in some way. These different energy levels have been classified by the experts of astrology in symbolic codes, which are expressed as navagraha (the nine planets), twelve zodiac signs, twenty-seven naksatras (constellations), etc. 

  

Astrology and spiritual science both agree that a person’s moment of birth has special significance. Undoubtedly, every moment of time is important but the birth moment exercises continuing influence on the whole course of embodied life. Why is it so? The answer is that special currents of the cosmic energy meet every moment at one point or the other in a specific arrangement and quantum. It is in these moments of convergence that the birth of a person takes place. This precise moment decides in what sequence these energy currents will meet in future and what influence they will cast on the course of his life.

The astrologers prepare horoscope or diagrammatic representation of the energy cycle of every sentient or insentient entity. This cycle is generally based on the nine planets or nine primary currents of the cosmic energy and twelve special currents forming the zodiac signs. If the calculation is accurate, it will reveal the resultant effect of the confluent energy currents on the  lives of these entities.

Man’s position is somewhat different. He is neither completely non-conscious like matter nor semi-conscious like plants or animals. He is self-conscious. He is richly endowed with the powers of reason and discrimination. That is why he is capable of adapting and modifying the effects of the cosmic energy waves falling upon him.

Astrology looks into the intricate pattern of a person’s birth-moment-based energy cycle and determines when, and in what way, a particular energy current is likely to cast its influence on his life. This cycle also tells which actions and sanskaras of the past, otherwise called fate, caused the person’s birth at that precise instant. This kind of knowledge constitutes one aspect of astrology (jnana jyotisa). Its other aspect is concerned with methodology of adjustment with these energy currents, that is, it prescribes the conscious steps a person may take to enhance the effects of his good luck or opportune moments, or to mitigate the impact of bad phases lying in store for him as per astrological readings of his horoscope.

There are many efficacious and helpful methods prescribed in Jyotish Shastra for different situations. It is for the spiritual healer to intelligently and intuitively select or reject a particular method. It all depends on his own depth and range of knowledge. Unfortunately, there are very few scholars today who are equally adept in both spiritual sadhana and astrological science. But some decades back, this rare confluence was seen in Swami Vishuddhanandji who was the guru of Dr. Gopinath Kaviraj, a great scholar of Indology. The former had acquired this twin expertise from his enlightened gurus during his sadhana days in the divinely charged environs of Gyanganj Siddhapeeth located in the astral realm in a remote region of Tibet. Swamiji was greatly skilled in all the three branches or aspects of astrology viz. Ganita Jyotisa (mathematical or computational astrology), Yoga Jyotisa and Deva Jyotisa (astrology of the gods).

Mathematical astrology is the branch widely known and practiced. In it, computation is done on the basis of time and place of birth, and the resultant effects are studied. In yoga astrology, the time of the union between the parents is determined with the help of yogic power. The starting point of calculation here is the moment of conceiving and not of the physical birth. Deva jyotisa contains many wonders, for example, preparing a person’s horoscope on the basis of information given about a person indirectly or by simply looking through his energy field by direct interaction, etc.

Swami Vishuddhanandji utilized these different aspects of astrology in his spiritual healing according to the time and need. Rohini Kumar Chel has recounted his own experience with Vishuddhanadji. When he went to meet Swamiji the first time he was carrying with him his own and his wife’s horoscopes. He wanted to seek solutions to some problems of life. But as soon as he began to take out the horoscopes from his handbag, Vishunddhanandji stopped him and brought out a piece of paper on which had been drawn not only the two horoscopes of his and his wife but full details of unfoldment of their lives had also been worked out. A surprised Rohini Kumar compared the two sets of horoscopes – those with him and those shown by Vishuddhanandji. His wife’s horoscope exactly tallied while in his own case the birth lagna (time) differed. Vishuddhanandji explained: “It is the horoscope prepared by me that is correct. If the one you possess had been correct, you would not have been an ordinary mortal but an avatar (Divinity incarnate). You would not come to me; I would have gone to you. Because, the horoscope you have with you shows a birth lagna whose conjunction with the cosmic energy currents and the specific sequence of their meeting makes it an extra-ordinary moment”. Through this personal interaction, Swamiji took the necessary remedial measures for Rohini Kumar’s spiritual healing. This curative process included some techniques of tantra too.

To sum up, for correct astrological prediction, the practitioner has to be an adept in all the three branches of this occult science, viz; Ganita Jyotish, Yoga Jyotish and Deva Jyotish – as was Swami Vishuddhanandji.