The Indian calendar is lunar based, unlike the Gregorian calendar. The observances during each month are usually spiritual or religious based and rooted in deep tradition. Today marks the beginning of weeks of Pitru Paksha (Pitt-true Puck-shuh), or Shraadh, which is a time dedicated to honoring our ancestors. It’s a time of remembrance and of […]
Happy Shivaratri!
One night of each year in the Indian calendar is dedicated to worship of Lord Shiva. It is celebrated in the Indian month of Magha. Vedic astrologers and astronomers look at the phase of the Moon at sunrise to mark auspicious holidays. Given that the phase of the Moon can change during the day, we […]
What’s Your Sign?
So many people have been asking about the news stories about the changing of their Sun signs and the “new” 13th sign of the zodiac. A quick internet search on this topic reveals hundreds of thousands of articles. What to believe? The story originated with an article by Professor Professor Parke Kunkle, a Board of […]
Go Fly a Kite Today!
The saying “Go fly a kite!” takes on a literal meaning every January 14 in India. This date marks the holiday of Makar Sankranti, as it is called in the state of Maharashtra. Makar means Capricorn. The reason for the celebration is the entry of the Sun into the sign of Capricorn in Vedic Astrology. […]
Eclipsing Our Minds
Much has been said about the upcoming eclipse. This is the first time in almost four hundred years that an eclipse has coincided with the solstice. People deem this to be particularly significant. In Vedic astrology and astronomy, each eclipse is given attention. Eclipses occur when either or both the nodes, Rahu (the North node) or […]
Starting the New Year Off Right
Happy New Year! Today marks the first day of the Indian new year. Yesterday was the festival of Diwali (dee-vaah-lee) or Deepavali (deep-uh-vaah-lee) – the festival of lights. Deepa means light and avali means a continuous line. Diwali celebrates the return of Lord Rama back home after a 14 year period of exile. The residents […]
What Do We See in a Vedic Astrology Chart?
Accordingly to Vedic mythology, thousands of years ago, astrologers prepared a compilation (a samhita) of all the horoscopes of everyone who would ever be born and each individual’s future births as well. The Gods became angry at how this information was being used and cursed astrologers to always disagree. It seems to hold true to […]
Timing is Everything
The Byrds sang, “To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn …There is a season Turn, Turn, Turn…And a time to every purpose, under Heaven…A time to plant, a time to reap…” We have all experienced various phases in our life from childhood to education to illness…relationships…career ups and downs, family situations, etc. We plant seeds for […]
Farewell to the Big O!
On November 20, people all over the world were saddened to hear about the impending loss of an old friend. Someone whom they had gotten to know over the last 25 years was going to be moving to another realm. It garnered much media attention as there were not only emotions, but also millions of […]
Happy Maha Shivaratri!
One night of each year in the Indian calendar is dedicated to worship of Lord Shiva. Shiva has many names: Nataraj, Mahadeva, Mahesh, Rudra, Ugra, Ardra, Maheshwara, Shambho, Shankara, and the list goes on. Each name describes a specific quality of the lord’s multi-faceted being. Shiva is “Mahadeva” – the great lord. On this auspicious […]