Jyotish or vedic or Hindu astrology, is a traditional system of astrology that originated in ancient India. Jyotish is a part of six Vedang and has the ultimate goal to comprehend the wisdom of the universe and reach a spiritual goal. The term "Jyotish" translates to "science of light," referring to the celestial bodies that illuminate our understanding of life and destiny.
Vedic astrology uses the sidereal zodiac, which is based on the fixed positions of constellations in the sky, as opposed to the tropical zodiac used in Western astrology, which is aligned with the Earth's seasons. This results in a shift of approximately 24 degrees between the two systems, affecting how planets and signs are interpreted.
According to vedic astrology planets bear different types of energies. They move through the space, interact with each other and doing so create the universe. Depending on how they go through zodiac signs and with which forces interact they put impact on every moment of life.
Karma is a fundamental concept for Jyotish, reflecting the principle of cause and effect of individuals actions. Derived from the Sanskrit word "kri," which means "to do," karma essentially implies that every action has a corresponding reaction, either in this life or in a future life. At the moment of birth the planets stand in the position, that reflects karma a person gained. This could be somehow compared to a computer game, when one chooses a character, and this character is equipped with some skills, but needs to move on, improve them and finish the quest. To understand what skills we got and what is our quest, we calculate a horoscope or natal chart.
Vedic horoscope in not one sign, that describes a person. It is a chart calculated on basis of precise time of birth, date and place. It is a map of the heavens at the time of birth, divided into twelve houses and featuring the positions of the planets and the zodiac signs. Each house represents different aspects of life, such as career, marriage, wealth, and health. Altogether they shows what karma we gained in what areas of our life and how it could manifest itself, our strong and weak sides, how we operate in the world.
Unique to Jyotish is the range of predictive techniques, that are used to highlight what karma would be manifesting at what period of one''s life, what questions and aspects of life would be of most importance at specific timeframe and how one can manage that. Knowing this could help to navigate through tough periods and fully enjoy brights ones.
But the ultimate goal of Joytish is not to predict anything. It aims to bring knowledge of spiritual path and laws of universe into light, to deeply know oneself and live in harmony with rules of material life.
