Nathan Naicker Vedic Astrology

 When it comes to the use of zodiacs in astrology, I don't take an exclusionary or separatist approach, because from working with both #zodiacs for several years now, I have come to believe that the popular "either/or" dichotomy is a false one.  As #astrologers, I offer that we would be better served in taking a solutions-based approach with the aim of better understanding, thereby developing or evolving how we use these tools.  This is an informal talk I gave to the Association for Young Astrologers on 15 April 2018, presenting some contextual thoughts and foundational ideas around the interplay and use of the #tropical and #sidereal zodiacs.  Full video on Spica Astrology YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/eVy5qTYaumg?si=kSausflwoshtjHIo

Vedic tradition holds that Shiva, ever in ecstatic union (yoga), transferred the scientific methods of yoga to seven royal sages, who then spread it. Over time, the methods mutated and became so diverse that no one could discern clearly a single path amidst the mess. Sage Pantañjali collated the methods, systematized them, and wrote them down with both literary erudition and depth of inner experience. His composition is called the Yoga Sutras, and the name of the system of yoga he established became known as Raja Yoga (The Royal Path to Union), in reference to the original royal sages who received such wisdom. Yoga comes from the Sanskrit root word yuj, meaning “to yoke”, “to gather”. That state wherein all the seemingly separate parts of ourselves are united or aligned, is Yoga. Yoga is also the name given to those methods and tools that help us achieve this. Sutra means “thread”. There are many meanings for this word. In Hindu tradition, the first four castes (Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, and...