Introduction:
Stars are very beautiful that they catch the imagination in
different ways. People consoled children
that their dear ones become stars after death and watch from sky. Ancient
people spent most of their time outdoors, and some watch stars, their alignment
in the sky etc. An imaginary line drawn over the cluster of stars got some
shapes and categorized as Constellations 1
many of whose names and shapes are believed to date to Sumerian times because of
the animals and figures chosen held a prominent place in their lives. Travels
in desert as well as mariners in the southern hemisphere, (where the polestar
is not visible) depended upon constellations that became the markers
of time and direction
2 during night. There are 40 northern
and 42 Southern hemisphere constellations, of which only 12 Constellations
along the centric path of planets are collectively named as, Zodiac
3(Circle of little animals) considered as the Astrological
signs 4.
The accuracy of the reading predictive sciences depends a great deal
upon the level of mastery of the astrologer or reader with regard to the subject.
The article is a bird’s view to astronomy and astrology and other predictive
sciences. Links as on 25th May 2017.
Astronomy:
Astronomy 5(astro:
relating to the stars or celestial objects) is a natural science that studies
celestial objects and phenomena. It applies mathematics, physics etc. to
explore the origin of those objects including
planets, moons, stars, galaxies, and comets and phenomena of supernovae
explosions, gamma ray bursts, and cosmic microwave background radiation etc.
More generally, all astronomical phenomena that originate outside Earth's
atmosphere are within the purview of astronomy. Following is a Sloka6 (couplet)
sarva dishanaam, suryaha, suryaha, suryaha states that there are suns in
all directions. This describes the night sky as full of suns, indicates that in
ancient times Indian astronomers had arrived at the important discovery that
the stars visible at night are similar to the Sun visible during day time. Vedic
Literature refers to the Sun as the 'centre of spheres' along with the term,
was in a rudimentary form in the Vedic time around 1000 B.C. and was refined
further by astronomers of a later age. Ancient Astronomy was limited within the
scope of stars visible to the unaided eye in the night time. Heliocentric
Theory of Gravitation7
of Gravitation (Gurutvakarshan), perhaps derived from Tidal range8.
Earth orbit through an ecliptic path of 23.26° as it spins on the
axis, whereby 1° of Zodiac Ascents at Eastern Horizon (Sign termed as
Ascendant) in every 4 minutes. That means the 12 zodiac signs appear at an
interval of 2 hours. Earth covers 360.98° and reaches the next degree of
constellation on next sunrise as earth orbits ∼
0.98° in one day. The tilt of axis result in Equinoxes and solstices9
that happen twice a year. March 21 is the Vernal
(Spring) Equinox10
in the Northern Hemisphere is the Autumnal (Fall) Equinox in the Southern
Hemisphere and vice versa on September 22. The Solstice11
occurs twice each year (around June 21 and December 22) as the Sun reaches its
most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the
celestial sphere. The Summer
solstice12
(or estival solstice), also known as midsummer, occurs when a planet's
rotational axis, in either northern or southern hemispheres, is most inclined
toward the star that it orbits. This happens twice each year (once in each
hemisphere), at which times the Sun reaches its highest position in the sky as
seen from the north or the south pole. The Winter solstice is probably on
December 22 when the North Pole is tilted furthest from the Sun, will
experience shortest day of the year, whereas in the Southern Hemisphere, it is
the summer solstice and the longest day of the year. What is happening in terms
of celestial arrangement is that on the winter solstice on December 21, the sun
was over the Tropic of Capricorn. Earth
is closest to the sun13
every year in early January, when it’s winter for the Northern Hemisphere.
We’re farthest away from the sun in early July, during our Northern Hemisphere
summer. From that day, if you watch the sunrise and the movement of the sun,
slowly, every day towards the north is termed as Uttarayana14
, until summar solstice in the north and Dakshinayana
15 follows. Midnight Sun
16 is
a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the
Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the sun remains visible at
the local midnight. Around the summer solstice (approximately 21 June in the
Northern Hemisphere and 22 December in the Southern Hemisphere) the sun is
visible for the full 24 hours, given fair weather. The number of days per year with
potential midnight sun increases the farther towards either pole one goes.
Although approximately defined by the polar circles, in practice the midnight
sun can be seen as much as 55 miles (90 km) outside the polar circle, as
described below, and the exact latitudes of the farthest reaches of midnight
sun depend on topography and vary slightly year-to-year.
Moon orbits around the earth17 and
appears to move relative to the stars each hour by an amount roughly equal to
its angular diameter, or by about half a degree through an orbit close to the
plane of the ecliptic by about 5°. The Moon's
orbit around Earth has many irregularities (perturbations)18,
generally speaking moon is always nearer on full moon are farther on new moon. The synodic period is longer than the
sidereal period because the Earth–Moon system moves in its orbit around the Sun
during each sidereal month, hence a longer period is required to achieve a
similar alignment of Earth, the Sun, and the Moon. The moon intersects the ecliptic – Earth’s orbital
plane – through the lunar orbital nodes which are the points where the orbit of
the Moon crosses the ecliptic. The ascending or north node is where the moon
crosses from south of the ecliptic to north of the ecliptic. The descending or
south node is where it crosses from north of the ecliptic to south of the
ecliptic. Moon crosses the nodes, twice a month, at ascending node (Head of
Dragon) and descending node (Tail of Dragon). An eclipse becomes inevitable if
the full moon or new moon is appreciably close to one of these nodes. As a result of synchronous rotation 19 with orbit period the moon does not seem to be spinning
but appears to observers from Earth to be keeping almost perfectly still
showing the rabbit every night. Lunar precession20 takes
place as the Lunar Nodes21 move in the
direction opposite to the Earth's orbit around the sun. The series of moon's
nodes move in a clockwise (i.e. retrograde) direction around the zodiac and
take 18 years, 7 months and 9 days to make one complete revolution. Eclipses
occur when either the new or full moon occurs close to the nodal axis.
There was no idea about the size or
distances that the astronomers started using the Angular diameter 22 represented in arc seconds for the apparent sizes of
the astronomical objects. Sun, as being seen from Earth occupies 1920 arc
seconds or 0.53 degrees, whereas Moon occupies 0.5 degree or 1800 arc seconds. Apparent sizes objects23 can be
assessed by extening your hand to arm's length, you can use your fingers to
estimate angular distances and sizes in the sky. Your index finger is about 1°
and the distance across your palm is about 10°, whereas stretched thumb and
little finger would be about 20°. First Cresent may be viewed24 almost in that angle. Although the sun’s diameter is
about 400 times larger than that of the moon, the sun at the present moment is
being that much times farther away, sun and moon appear to be same size 25 from Earth due to the similarity of the apparent
sizes. And that’s why we can sometimes witness most amazing of spectacles, a
total eclipse of the sun. Distances of
Constellations are either expressed as Light
year26 (9.5 quadrillion metres) or Parsec 27(3.24 Light Years). Light year is the
distance light takes to reach in one year, whereas parsec is the distance from
sun to appear as one arc sec. Sun's
orbit period around the centre of the Milky is estimated as 225-250 million
years, termed as a cosmic year Galactic
year or Cosmic Year28 which is much more than Solar Precession 29 theories of 23000-26000 orbit period and
a drift of 7.5° through 500 years had been derived.
Timekeepers,
Calendars and Clocks:
Calendars:
Astronomy and
civil affairs are concerned with both epoch and time interval whereas physics
deals almost entirely with time intervals. The word Calander30 has its origin from the Roman word Calends or Kalends
meaning a method of distributing time into certain periods adopted for the
purpose of civil life, hence it may be defined as a system of reckoning time
over extended intervals by combining various convenient periods of time. Measurement of Time31 involves natural
units of time (Day, Month, Year) and artificial units of Time (Hour, Minutes, Seconds, Week,
Decade, Century). The year is defined by a complete revolution of the Sun in
the sky along the ecliptic, the month by a complete revolution of the Moon
around the Earth and the day by a complete rotation of the Earth on its axis. All
calendars used throughout the word can be grouped into the following three
categories.
The Solar
Calendars : These calendars are based on the yearly motion of the Sun, which
could be either sidereal or tropical. Roman, French, Gregorian calendars are
solar calendars where tropical year is used as the year length whereas Indian
solar calendars has sidereal year as the year length of their calendars in Assam,
Bengal, Haryana, Kerala, Orrisa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, etc. whereas a
Luni-Solar Calendars take into account both the monthly motion of the Moon and
the yearly motion of the Sun used some other states. Jews and Babylonian calendars
also are luni-solar.
The ancient Roman calander32 of King Romulus started the
year in March (Martius) and consisted of 10 months altogether containing 304
days. King Numa Pompilius reformed the calendar around 700 BCE by adding the
months of January (Ianuarius) and February (Februarius), that meant that some
of the months' names no longer agreed with their position in the calendar
(September - December). The month Quintilis was renamed July in honor of
Julius Caesarand Sextilis to August in honor of Augustus Caesar. Some residual
anomalies of the Julian calendar was corrected in Gregorian calander 33 by Pope Gregory, omitting a fortnight
from September in 1782. Chinese Calander34
had followed the 12 year cycle of Jupiter, and adopted Lunar cycle from Indian
Astronomy. However, incorporating a Lunar compensation of 10 days a year is
compensated a leap month once in 3 years, keeping in pace with modern calendar.
Both of them change day at Midnight.
The Islamic calendar35 or Hijra Calander is
Lunar based on the monthly cycle of the phases of the Moon i.e. synodic month
and has no relation with the yearly motion of the Sun. Islamic Hijira Calendar
is a pure lunar calendar. Hijira calendar is moon sight based or say, sunset
based. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar begins with the sighting of the
new moon. The new moon astronomically is the conjunction of the moon with sun
being invisible, but visualization of the first crescent is the start of a
month as per Hijra Calendar. Therefore the year consists of 354 days and no
Leap year correction done like Chinese calendar.
Time:
Time is an important integral in day to
day life activities, that got much importance to foresee phases of Moon as well
as Eclipses Astronomy as well as astrology. Sun dial Sundial 36 had been used to know the position of
the sun and know the time. Sundials would, of course, only function when there
was sunlight, and they could not maintain a constant division of time. To
compensate for these shortcomings, the water clock water clock37 was invented. One was
found in an Egyptian tomb of 1500 BC, and was regularly used by Greeks in 300
BC.
Ancient Indian clock (ghati) measured
using a Coconut shell38
that in those times took exactly 24 minutes. When it sank the priest would
strike a gong and pull it up to the surface again. This indicated that one
'Ghati' had gone by and there were 60 Ghatis in a day, whereas, the western
people used Hour Glass Hourglass39
to empty one direction. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a
narrow neck that allows a regulated trickle of material (historically sand)
from the upper bulb to the lower one takes 30 minutes. The Hourglass is
inverted and reused.
Modern times, all follow the Hour: Minute:
Second system, applying Leap
second40 based on the Atomic_clock41 . Local time in any time zone can be found by
visiting the world time server42.
Astrology:
Astrology40 is the
outstretched space between probability and possibility41 , which is one of the windows to foresee the future.
Astrology involves a lot of Mathematics32 and effects of the angular
differences amongst the celestial bodies in ancient astronomy. Astronomy
incorporates the study of Galaxies and stars explored by Telescope, whereas
Astrology is concerned about constellations containing cluster of stars
counting some hundred or below. Moreover, Sun and Moon have been considered as
diurnal and nocturnal Luminary Planets ruling the day and night respectively.
Ancient Greeks classified celestial bodies moving across the constellations, as
"wandering stars" (asteres planetai), came to be designated as
planets. All celestial bodies thus distinguished from the fixed stars by having
an apparent motion of its own, whereby, Sun also had been logically treated as
planet.
Sun being the leading planet in solar system33 is said to influence all other planets, stars and
zodiac signs to give some astrological meaning to our lives. Sun is the ruler
of zodiac sign Leo. So, those who born under zodiac sign Leo or born on Sundays
obtain benedictions of venerable star Sun; they possess impressive personality,
marvelous characteristics and majestic behaviour in their lives if they have beneficial
Sun. Astrology developed in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sun is said to be
exalted in Aries (a Spring Sign)and depressed in Libra. Meanwhile Saturn is
exalted in Libra and depressed in Aries. Whereas, the Moon is exalted in the
Spring sign of Taurus, directly following the sign of Aries, and the Moon's
depression comes in Scorpio, directly following the Sun's depression in the
sign of Libra. Neither of the luminaries is as comfortable in the Autumn signs
as they are in the Spring signs.
Some efforts to articulate the movement
of planets across the signs with people and events on Earth has resulted in the
formation of a new branch called Astrology, which variegate into Horoscopic
Astrology, Medical astrology 34 as well as Psychological Astrology 35 . Medical astrology (traditionally known as
iatromathematics) is an ancient medical system that associates various parts of
the body, diseases, and drugs as under the influence of the sun, moon, and
planets, along with the twelve astrological signs. Each of the astrological
signs (along with the sun, moon, and planets) is associated with different
parts of the human body. The signs of the zodiac were believed to preside over
the parts of the body, covering the body from head (Aries) to toe (Pisces).
After examining an individual's natal chart, a western medical astrologer may
give advice to the client about the areas of the body in which they are most
likely to experience trouble. Vedic astrology follows almost the same with some
variations in the parts of the body.
Astronomically Sun had been identified
as a Star by ancient Indians Zodiac position of Sun is of great importance in
Western Astrology, whereas Moon or other planets become of prime importance in
other regions. The time of birth
determines the nature and intensity of the vibrations of various planets which
are apparent in your mental, moral, spiritual, and physical characteristics,
and these in turn indicate the character, environment, and opportunities.
Therefore, the time of birth also got a crucial importance in astrology. Various
types of astrology are aligned alphabetically:
Ancient Babylonian Astrology has been
the first organized system of astrology, arising in the second millennium
B.C. The
history of Babylonian astrology shows the development of astronomical knowledge
within the context of divination. A collection of 32 tablets with inscribed
liver models, dating from about 1875 BC, are the oldest known detailed texts of
Babylonian divination, and these demonstrate the same interpretational format
as that employed in celestial omen analysis. Assyrian astrology38 related only to affairs
of state, not to peasants has been the case for most of the history of
astrology. An Assyrian king used the
astrological info as a political weapon for the practical day-to-day running of
his kingdom. After his death the library was destroyed or dispersed.
Since the astronomical knowledge was based on an empirical character, it failed
to substantiate and was flawed. However, the Babylonian Astrology became
Progenitor of Greek & Roman Astrology.
Chinese Astrology:
Chinese zodiac signs39 can
offer extraordinary insight into the human psyche. Their ancient calendars were
based on arithmetical resonance patterns Arithmetical Resonance Patterns40, and the Tang reform came about because of Indian
influences over Chinese Astronomy41,
adopting Lunar
Mansions42. Chinese
Constellations are known by cardinal directions as well as their The Chinese
Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve-year cycle, each year in that
cycle related to an animal sign. Chinese Zodiac43
has 12 Animal signs, in the order they visited Lord Buddha44. These signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon,
snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. It is calculated according
to Chinese lunar calendar. Comparisons of various animal signs charted in primal astrology45. Predictions
are associated with the Wu Xing46,
having 5 elements called Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and representing five planets
viz. Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury, through a 60 year cycle.
Vedic (Indian) Astrology:
Vedic astrology48
is a subject originated in Vedas. It is a branch of knowledge, ancient as
Vedas. Astrology is composed of 3 Skandhas (main branches), such as Sidhantha
(Astronomy and Maths), Samhitha (Omens) and Hora (Horoscope-Horary and
Muhoortha). Birth Sign in Vedic/ Indian Astrology is the tenancy of
the Moon in the Astrological signs recognizes great role for Moon50, with due consideration to Moon Sign, Lunar mansion (Nakshatra or Birth Star51)
as well as the Ascendant52
(Rising Sign). Entire zodiac is divided into an equal sector of 30°, where the
27 Lunar Mansions in a sector of 13°-20' irrespective of the length of the
constellation.
Nakshatra need not be a single star like
Aldebaran53
(Rohini), but may contain a cluster of stars. Shatabhisha literally said to be
a cluster of 100 stars, but even Aquarius (Kumbh) does not seem to have that
many visible stars. Some clusters of Nakshatras extend in adjacent Moon Signs
render mixed results. Star Lords change with birth star and their duration
depletes with transition of Moon termed as Postnatal Balance (Garbha Shista
Dasha), that proportionally differ with total period of Star Lord. Error of 5
minutes can make a difference of 6 -25 days. Ascendant is much important than
Moon Sign or Birth Star. Longitude time correction is applied to obtain the
right Ascendant. Some astrologers overcorrect time of birth by a process called
birth-time rectification, charge dearly.
Nadi Astrology constitutes a collection
of pre-calculated horoscopes kept as the ancestral asset by some families in
Tamil Nadu. They search the leaf inscriptions and narrate the future
events. Biographical study handed down by the Great Saint Agastya,
written on palm leaves, more than 4000 years ago. In course of time, birth star
related names got partly replaced by a choice of alphabetical or a different
name, results the loss of their co-relationship. This resulted in an
unsuccessful search disappointing the future seekers, those who are thus missed
out in Nadi collection thus commented as inexistent!
Astrologer can predict the outcome of a
question just by observing the changes in the environment by is called Sakuna
& Nimitta Sastras or Astrology of omens. The amazing thing about Sakuna
Shastra is that the person who wants to know the future need not have any
knowledge of Astrology and planets. He can simply observe the changes around
him at that moment and know what is coming to his way. ‘Nimitta’ concerns only
the ‘planetary energy flux’ at a particular moment.
The Kerala method of delineation of
horoscopes uses ‘cowries’ (sea shells) is highly valued for its accuracy. A set
of 108 cowries indicating the total Navamash count used in Arudhaa for
prediction/determination along with some special cowries, stones or gems used
to indicate 9 planets, Lagna etc. displayed in the Raashi Chakra (zodiac) in
the Raashi Palak (Astrologer' s board). A handful of cowries are taken and the
multiples of 12 kept away and reminder accounted for finding the
"Aruuda". Sometimes, the Aruuda is derived from the numerical
value of either an oral statement or the combination value of the Query time.
Mayan Calendar Predictions:
Mayan calendar
was used by most cultures in pre-Columbian Central America, developed further
by Mayan civilization. They basically follow the cycle of Venus that is visible
either at sunrise or sunset. It is a system of three interlacing calendars and
almanacs. Their calendrer of 19 zodiac signs, in 13 cycles encompassed the next
Great cycle of 5125 years. The end of their calendar on December 21, 2012, misinterpreted
it as Dooms Day; flooded internet with alarmist information that even NASA was
compelled to publish an information page about why the world would not end on
December 21, 2012. An American disaster film 2012 was released in 2009. There
were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date. Apocalyptic
rumours and doomsday preparations have preoccupied people on seemingly every
continent. Panic had been bolstered by theories that
might charitably be deemed as "science." Under this scenario, the Earth would not
survive a rare galactic alignment that would subject it to the powers of not
only the sun but also Sagittarius A — a massive black hole in the heart of the
Milky Way. In a related scheme, the planet's magnetic poles will reverse —
possibly as a result of the alignment.
Medieval Astrology:
Doctors often carried around special
almanacs (or calendars) containing star charts to check the positions of the stars
before making a diagnosis. The medieval Muslims relied upon knowledge of the
constellations for guidance in their journeys. ‘Kitab al Anwa' calendar showed
the rising and setting of constellations and specified the time for planting,
fertilising and harvesting; for making jams, medical syrups and perfumes.
Western Astrology:
The Egyptians refined the Babylonian
system of astrology and the Greeks shaped it into its modern form,
adding names of heroes to the constellations. But, the Romans renamed them
with the Latin names we use today. Sun sign has emphasis to the date of
birth, and became popular in the western countries. They follow Tropical
astrology the calculation of the Sun passing through the 1st degree of Aries is
marked by the spring equinox or March 21st, 20 days in advance to
actual transit. Zodiac starts with Aries (the Ram) the first sign that
extent from 0° to 30°.Each sign can be divided into three 10° sectors termed as
three cusps now a days in place of Decans used by Egyptians. Unlike the zodiac signs in
astrology, the astronomical constellations vary widely in size. As NASA
recently incorporated Ophiuchus into the zodiac sign chart, between Scorpio and
Sagittarius, render a rearrangement in the sun sign. NASA incorporates a 13th Constellation and
most of the western people live with a wrong horoscope. Now everything you ever
knew about the western horoscope has changed. This problem arose by designating
of sun signs based upon its length across the zodiac; that has put everyone who
follows this type of astrology in panic.
Discussion:
Most of the interpretations get derailed
by astronomical variations including the shift in the Rahu Ketu Serpent Axis. Computers
often give false reports on Mangalik dosh without studying planetary
combinations. Many traditional astrologers lack sufficient knowledge in
astronomy land up in contradictions. The impact is grave e when the Birth
Chart of Sree Rama been commented as Astronomical Impossibility. Valmiki
in Ramayana ततश्च द्वादशे
मासे चैत्रे नावमिके तिथौ …….ग्रहेषु कर्कटे लग्ने वाक्पताविन्दुना सह | (tatascha
dwadase mase chitre navamike thithe,…graheshu karkate lagne vakpatavinduna
saha)
Kausalya gave birth to Rama in the month
of Chaitra on a day with Punarvasu and Navami, when five planets were exalted
and Jupiter and the Moon were in Karkataka Lagna. Horoscopy was not in regular
practice in those days. Vedavyasa in his Adhyatma Ramayana assumed the Sun to
be exalted in Aries that triggered the confusion that the birth chart is an
astronomical impossibility Astronomical Impossibility. In the work
Champuramayana of King Bhoja the birth of Rama is described thus:
उच्चस्थे
ग्रहपञ्चके सुरगुरौ सेन्दौ नवम्यां तिथौ ,लग्ने कर्कटके
पुनर्वसुयुते मेषं गते पूषणि |
In this the tradition is followed
meticulously. There is an assertion that the Sun is in Mesha. Moon completes an
orbit two days before the Sun migrate one Sign of 30° in one Month. Punarvasu
and Navami in Month of Aries is impossible. Author refers two conditions to
justify Valmiki. Firstly, a Rajayoga as per Saravali postulates that when the
Sun is aspiring for exaltation, in a trine (9th), the Moon is in its own sign
identical with the ascendant with Jupiter, a king is born. Supposition that
Punarvasu extends beyond 26°
in Vedic times is an uncertainty. Some Scholars assumed Sun in Pisces instead
of Aries in the Chart fixing Sun at 27° to settle punarvasu-navami conflict, reduces the number of
exalted planets to four. Exalted Venus and Sun conjoined in a house is
not a rare phenomenon. Sun is the planet of power, authority and career, and
Venus is the planet of relationship. These people have situation in their life
whether they want to choose career or relationship (Dilemma to accept either
spouse or country),depending on the sign which planet is strong they get result.
This reason for these people they may separate or get away from their partner,
justifies that his Sun was in Pisces (Meena). What I feel is that Valmiki
though stated that five planets been Exalted, had not mentioned anything about
Sun, but been misinterpreted as its tenancy in Mesha, like what went wrong with
Mayan Calendar recently. What the fifth Exaltation refers to Mutual
Cancellation of Depilated Rahu and Ketu in the Horoscope rendering Neecha
Bhanga Raja Yoga. Moon in Cancer is never exalted. Moon is Moderate as per the
angular differences with Sun.
Power of any planet is assessed by
Astavarga principle, taking Seven Lusterous Planets into consideration. A set
of eight tables consists of 12 Houses and 7 planets i.e. 84 squares prepared by
putting dots (Bindus) and zeroes and adding them together, which is known
as Sarvashtakvarga. Powers of Houses including Ascendant are considered.
Houses 6, 8,12 being undesirable houses should have fewer points. (Not
landing with more cards in donkey game or a Golf score) Another important thing
is that which all planets within Serpent Axis. Ownership and Tenancy of Planet
as well as effective period are equally important. Devoid these considerations
a Horoscope are simply superficial. Predictions regardless of age often
appear in generalized horoscopes, with a plain excuse that imply to ancestor or
descendant is the greatest joke in astrology.
With insight in astrology and
numerology, I can suggest remedies in day to day life.
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