Vedic Astrology: Vedic Astrology and Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Health

By Howard Beckman

Vedic Astrology and Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Health

In order to maintain a healthy mind we must realize the true realities of life. Therefore we must consider our spiritual nature to understand the subtleties of mind, intelligence and ego. Accordingly mental, emotional and spiritual health go together and, unless you have some knowledge in this regard, you cannot stop the onslaught of negative emotions brought on by ignorance and fear. We not only need to engage ourselves in some sort of fulfilling work to occupy our minds but need to understand why we fall victim to feelings of hate, envy, greed and avarice. These emotions only serve to destroy us intellectually, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. Why is there so much hate in the world, anyway?

In Germany and even in other countries, the resurgence of racism is alarming. Young men roam the streets, organized and unorganized, burning, looting, robbing, raping, pillaging. In Germany the cry from these men is to oust all foreigners, Jews and anyone else they deCDe to vent their fury upon. In Bosnia Herzegovina it is Serb against Muslim and Croat, as well as Croat against Muslim. In the Middle-East it is Jew against Muslim, as well as Muslim against Christian. In China's territories the hate is directed against Tibet, or any that will not "kowtow". In India it is Muslim versus Hindu. In Europe and the United States it's white hating black and, depending on time and circumstance, many different groups finding reason to hate each other.

Are we heading toward a time in the near future when we will destroy ourselves? It is seen that the greed of man is truly causing destruction to our very planet! The blood of the earth, oil, is being constantly pumped out to fuel man's passion for an energy source that not only is finite but, in the process, the by-products are polluting our oceans, rivers, skies and the very air we breathe. These and the by-products of other chemical production are polluting the world we live' in, irreparably at least that world that which we and many generations to come shall know. Besides hate, greed is the most blinding of emotions.

What events will transpire, resulting from the proliferation of nuclear weapons around the world, to further destroy our planet? Do not be so naive as to think that they are not now in the hands of those that would use them without consideration of the results. It has been predicted by astrologers for many, many years that there will be great, horrific happenings for the world before the turn of this century. The predictions range from nuclear war to earthquakes, tidal waves to volcanoes erupting around the globe. One thing is sure, whether the descriptions purported by Nostradamus, Sage Brghu or the many modem psychics and astrologers, there will be some difficult karma for the planet before the 1990's are over. Is it all predestined? Is there nothing that can be done about it?

Hate exists due to illusion. Men become frustrated in their attempts to rule nature and to enjoy the gratification of their physical senses. The illusion that I am the master of all I survey" permeates all societies today on the planet. As any happiness is always temporary and must be interspersed with varying amounts of distress, they turn on each other in frustration. They blame the other's very existence for causing their material maladies. then there is escalation of this illusion, fed by the false ego which tells them they are better than anyone else. Men are actually so arrogant as to believe that, by dint of their country of origin, race, or creed, they are superior to another. This is pure illusion.

The reality is that we are not English, French, Russian, Jew, Muslim, African, etc. These are bodily designations having nothing to do with who we really are. As an astrologer I examine a person's horoscope to see what karma they have brought with them to this birth in the present body. What pleasures will be enjoyed and what pains must be endured are told there. The very number of breaths we are allotted duties this life, thus determining our life span, is also told. You may today be English and, having grown up in "merrie old England", are quite attached to home and country When resuming after being away for some time, you feel a feeling of gladness to be back "home" and thus some sense of satisfaction. This very feeling is felt by all other peoples around the world, whether in India a, Sweden, Brazil, or Switzerland. Everyone identifies, to some degree, with their place of birth being somehow superior or special. Everyone is in this same illusion.

A human being is, in fact, capable of degrading himself so far that he is not even offered a chance at another human birth for the next "body". It can be that a person who lives "like a pig" in this life, misusing the great boon of human life which is meant to acquire knowledge, takes the body of a pig in the next life. Whatever the body, it is not really US. We are not the bodies we presently dwell in, nor any we have inhabited in past lives, nor any we may be born into in future lives. We are spiritual sparks, known as the soul, which is never born nor dies and can never be extinguished. WE are eternal - these bodies are not. They are given to allow us to fulfil our desires for sense gratification exclusively, or to allow us to act in ways that will enable us to gain knowledge of our true identities and duties as human beings. The culmination is to find out the solution for the real problems of birth, death, old age and disease. Nobody wants to become ill, grow old, or die but it is assured that we must.

So is there a force to combat this great power of illusion that causes men to hate each other to the point of wanting to enslave or annihilate? Is there a way to soften the blow of this karma that is predestined to cause malefic happenings to befall us? There is - LOVE is the answer. Only love can destroy hatred. Only knowledge can destroy ignorance and illusion. If the leaders of our societies will not listen and heed this call to sanity before it is too late, then we must do all we can on our own. Awareness of our true spiritual identity will dispel the illusions we live in due to identification solely with our bodies. Why must men always wish to control with unlimited power? It is unfullfilable lust and greed to possess more than is necessary, to control others and what they may temporarily possess that causes hatred.

Without a spiritual renaissance we are hurtling to our destruction. Even in this men are so arrogant as to believe that the religion of THEIR country is the only true one, that only the name THEY utter is the true way of addressing the supreme. You and I have but one, or, at most, a few names we are called by. But is this true also of God, the Supreme?! If God is omnipotent than God is also unlimited. God takes so many forms and is worshiped in so many ways throughout the world. therefore being omnipotent and unlimited, the source of all that is, God can have unlimited names, unlimited potencies, unlimited forms. God is seen by some as Allah, Jehovah, Krishna, Rama, or Buddha. God is seen by some in the majesty of nature's beauty in rivers, mountains, rainbows, or in the "fury of providence" in earthquakes or other natural disturbances, even described in insurance company clauses as "acts of God". Hate, war, destruction of our environment and the lives of our fellow man due to ignorance are not "acts of God". These are the results of the desires of those most firmly enmeshed in the illusion that they are their bodies, the desire to enjoy sense gratification and a false sense of superiority, based on their particular bodily designation.

What of the mental depression that seems to plague so many people, almost, if not completely, robbing them of good quality of life? Did you know that in the West as much as 68% of women, and 42% of men, find themselves dealing with mental depression at some point in their lives? What causes depression and how can it be dealt with? Most people are able to continue with their duties in life and learn to bear this feeling without having it completely take them over, yet a percentage find it absolutely necessary to seek some form of help, from counseling to actually being institutionalized. Why do we get depressed for seemingly nothing special sometimes? Of course we all have to deal with sadness and disappointments in life, but open depression occurs without any particular circumstance being the sole catalyst, just a general feeling of unhappiness and unfulfilment, leading, in extreme cases, to utter hopelessness and, sometimes, suiCDe. In today's modern world depression is becoming more and more of a problem for many people, especially in the Western world, where so-called scientifically advanced civilization is centered. What is so wrong with the way we live that mental health seems to be deteriorating in so many of us?

The United States and Western Europe have the most burgeoning mental health businesses in the world. Virtually tens of thousands of people, seemingly successful in their lives, are regularly visiting psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts and similar practitioners. Furthermore this is in countries that have the highest standards of living in the world. As a matter of fact those that have the highest instances of depression have no lack in the necessities of life. However, if you go to countries in Asia, even to economically deprived places within India etc. you find that people are not so troubled mentally and clinical depression, neurosis and psychosis are relatively rare. Why in the places where the greatest strides have been made scientifically are there the greatest amount of mental health problems?

The reason is the difference in philosophical outlooks on life in the world. In the West we are an almost fatalistic society, putting all our concentration on success in this life materially. Death and what occurs during and after this transition is rarely spoken of. Most people don't want to think about it, let alone make some effort to lean how to prepare while they are alive in these bodies. Nevertheless, no matter how much money and possessions you accumulate, how many friends and lovers you have, or how dose knit your family, city, or country, there is always a nagging feeling of "is this all there is to life?". I know so many people around the world that, although extremely prosperous materially, are also extremely unsatisfied. Most of us have our ideas of what it would take to make us happy in life and generally it centers on financial independence or wealth-building and relationships, yet, once achieved; there's an almost immediate letdown. We thought we would experience some form of bliss from the attainment of material goals and then find out it is short-lived. So what is the missing link the key to being able to gain happiness in life It lies in understanding our true nature as spirit and making spiritual, as well as material advancement, while we are here. We cannot neglect either or we cannot attain any lasting satisfaction There must be a balance of physical, mental and spiritual health. We must ask ourselves questions like "who am I, really?" "who is God?" What is the goal of human life?" "where have I come from and where am I going after this life"?

With spiritual recognition there comes hopefulness, rather than hopelessness. We are born into these bodies carrying our karma from previous incarnations with us. When we die, or leave this body, that is all we will take with us. All of our possessions and relationships, based on bodily identification will be finished at the time of death. Therefore it is useless to make plans to stay here forever. Although Westerners don't like to discuss this, no one can deny that he or she will grow old and die. We must find out how to gain knowledge of the soul and what is our true desire above and beyond our bodily identifications. Fear is born of ignorance and it is said that knowledge is the torchlight which dispels the darkness of ignorance. Because in India and many other Eastern countries there is at least some understanding of karma and reincarnation, or transmigration of the soul, there is much less mental sickness among the populace. People understand that this life is not the end and that only self-realization can bring happiness and peace of mind. We must give greater concentration to that which is our eternal position in life, not just concentrating on things based on our bodies, which are temporary.

More important than this is "action" in the present life. Action shapes destiny. Our work in this lifetime not only creates karma for future lifetimes but shapes the present destiny shown by the astrological horoscope. Action, or activities, is them fore the deCDing factor, in determining how this lifetime will actually turn out. Proper action can greatly lessen the effects of "negative" karma, resulting from activities performed in ignorance in a previous life and it can also increase "positive" karma, earned through activities performed in knowledge, or goodness, in a previous incarnation.

Accordingly astrology is meant to make us think about our true spiritual nature and what our "real" activities should be, for the true goal of human life is spiritual knowledge, leading to transcendence of the material stratosphere. What is the point of repeating birth after birth, only to become immersed in materialism time and time again If I must give up everything I've worked so hard for in this life at the time of death, then my work in acquiring material things is obviously not the goat Any sane person can understand that at the time of death, everything in relation to the present body is finished. We cannot take anything of this world with us Therefore, it should lead us on a quest to discover transcendence, or our spiritual nature, for this is eternal. What activities will lead to discovering the truth of life and of true self? In other words what activities will guide you on the path of self realization? If material activities only produce that which is impermanent and we are actually eternal living beings, there must be activities that will produce results of a permanent nature. Results that can go to the next life at the time of death.

The real message and usefulness of the holy science of astrology is to cause an awareness of and interest in spiritual contemplation. It is of the utmost importance in life that we begin to discover our true selves and our true nature of happiness and love. How to do so? The Vedas give so many ways of advancing on the path, as do the higher precepts of all religions. Begin by asking the most important questions of life. The real problems of material life are birth, death, old age and disease. Is there a way to solve these problems? Most assuredly there is and it is our birthright to know these answers. Think about it, seek out a lecture or attend a seminar on Vedic astrology. This will put you on a path from which you'll never want to stray. The path to perfect physical, mental and spiritual health. We must learn to balance and three to live a complete, happy and satisfying life.

The science of vedic astrology is a great tool for helping us to understand ourselves as spiritual entities who have taken these bodies due to our own previous actions. Whatever one does, good or bad, creates karma. Good actions will allow one to take a desirable body and be granted material pleasures. This can mean rebirth in a "well-to-do" or religious family, on this planet or in promotion to planets beyond this universe where the conditions are far more "Heavenly" than we experience here on earth Harmful actions will ensure a more miserable birth in the next life. From horoscopes we can tell so much about ourselves and therefore make proper decisions in life to make advancement, not only to ensure material happiness but to gain some degree of spiritual happiness, building and advancing in spiritual consciousness from birth to birth Only then can we successfully deal with depression and its debilitating effects on human life.

To gain spiritual happiness, or spiritual knowledge, requires a bona-fide teacher, or "guru", as they are often termed, that is sufficiently advanced to be able to impart spiritual knowledge to others. Such teachers are not easily found so, whatever your beliefs or particular inclinations in philosophy and religion, give these more importance in your life Seek answers from a higher source. In countries where simple living and high thinking are prevalent there is a more pervasive atmosphere of satisfaction in life Think about it, then do something about it. We are "piloting our own planes" in this lifetime. If you seek truth, you will find it. Your action shapes your destiny, so it's up to you. By adopting such an attitude of mind and by associating with more spiritually inclined companions you will have a greater chance of finding answers and meeting those from whom you can learn. Question everything to be sure you are not being "milked" by the unscrupulous. The best test is that no true teacher is out to make a substantial material gain from students, for to do so would only create bad karma for the teacher.

So what will be the outcome? Will love win out over hate and make the earth a paradise, as some believes Unfortunately, the answer is no. It is not possible to change those that are hell bent on their own destruction, as well as the destruction of our planet, to achieve their selfish aims. But those of us that do have the spark of love within our hearts can fan that spark into a flame and, eventually, into a raging inferno. We can combat the hatred in the world by spreading as much love to all we can. It is the most powerful force, capable of changing the face of the world. We cannot get rid of the hatred that permeates those in ignorance completely but we can greatly reduce its influence by spreading love and good-wit/ toward all we are able. In this way we have the chance of changing enough of the world and the consciousness of people to make a difference. How to start? Try to smile. Wish good on those around you, as well as yourself. Feel good about what you do and say, for we all know truth and right from wrong within our hearts. You will find yourself happy, healthy and wet/-adjusted in all spheres of life Go in peace, or as they say in Hawaii.... "Aloha".

Excerpt from "An Introduction to Vedic Astrology" by Howard Beckman