Astrology is a divine science. However one major drawback that it suffers is a lack of common standard and there is no uniformity when it comes to a number of factors. Listed below are some perennial problems or ever prevailing confusions with regard to astrology which don't perhaps look like getting resolved in the near future.
1) Lack of correct Ayanamsa:
Ayanamsa is defined as the angular distance between vedic first point and vernal equinox. The sidereal ecliptic of a celestial body is less than the tropical ecliptic longitude. But there was a point in time when the sidereal zodiac and tropical zodiac coincided which is taken as the starting point. Different years are taken in contention viz Lahiri (285 AD), Krishnamurthy (291 AD), Raman (397 AD), Yuktheshwar (499 AD), Vakya Siddhantha (522 AD) etc. The different Ayanamsa used results in different degrees of placements of planets causing trouble in reading horoscopes. For eg say Mercury is in 29 degrees 30 mins as per Lahiri Ayanamsa in Aries, but applying Raman Ayanamsa Mercury will end up being at 0 degrees 56 mins in Taurus.
Different Ayanamsas:
- Lahiri Chitra Paksha Ayanamsa
- Krishnamurthy Ayanamsa
- BV Raman Ayanamsa
- Yuktheshwar Ayanamsa
- Pushya Paksha Ayanamsa
- Fagan Ayanamsa
- Others (totally about 50 odd present)
2) No consensus on accurate birth time:
Sometimes natives don't have a birth time at all but even those who have it there are multiple reasons as to why it may not be correct. There are still views going on about whether birth time should be recorded as time of first breath, time of first cry, time of touching the earth, cutting of umbilical cord, time of break of placenta etc. Incorrect birth time can cause predictions to go awry.
Different Time of Births:
- Time of first breath
- Time of first cry
- Time of touching earth
- Time of cutting umbilical cord
- Time of break of placenta
- Others - time of forehead appearing, body part visible etc
3) Dasa Year Computation:
The Vimshottari Dasa system calculated based on Moon's longitude is a specific feature available in Vedic Astrology and most of the timing of events of life are matched with the running Dasa and sub periods. But there isn't a standard solution as to whether a Dasa year should be a solar year (365 point days) or a Savana Year (360 days) or based on a Lunar year (354 point days).
Different Dasa Years Used (Without decimals):
- Solar Year 365 days
- Savana Year 360 days
- Lunar Year 354 days
4) House Counting System:
Houses are of prominent importance when deciphering a chart. Which house planets are placed can give a very good insight about your course of life. But here too there are diverse views whether ascendant should start from where rasi starts which is whole sign, whether ascendant degree should be mid of first house or ascendant degree should indicate start of first house. Whole sign ascendant illustration: Ascendant Aries 29 degrees, Venus 2 degrees in Taurus and Mercury 27 degree in Aries. Venus will be counted as second house and Mercury as 1st house. Ascendant is middle of first house Illustration: Ascendant Aries 27 degrees, Venus 4 degrees Taurus and Mercury 10 degrees Aries. Here Venus will be counted as first house and Mercury as twelfth house. First house spans from 12 degree Aries to 12 degree Taurus and 27 degrees is mid point. Ascendant is start of first house Illustration: Ascendant Taurus 6 degrees, Venus 3 degrees Taurus and Mercury 1 degree Taurus. Both Venus and Mercury will be counted as 12th house. First house will roughly span from 6 degrees Taurus to 6 degrees Gemini.
Different House Systems:
- Whole sign Ascendant
- Ascendant should be middle of first house
- Ascendant should be start of first house
5) Aspects and Significator Usage:
There are some lingering confusions as to how much of aspect is really valid. Certain planets are said to have full and partial aspects. Also whether they influence a whole sign or just an extent of the house is also a point to ponder. And coming to the mysterious planets Rahu and Ketu, there are still doubts plaguing as to whether they aspect or not and even if they do tend to aspect, opinions are divided on which kind of aspects they possess. The significator or the karaka's role is also perceived differently as per various branches of astrology. For eg Mars is husband for females in one system whereas its Jupiter in another system. In some cases it is both Venus or both Jupiter.
Hence, with these kind of lurking issues prevalent in astrology it's safe to say predictions can never be cent percent accurate. There will always be a sense of vulnerability and the astrologer needs to consider a number of these factors before giving predictions. Being in the age of Kali Yuga, I doubt there will be a sure shot solution to any of the points and there are always going to be multiple views with or without logical reasoning as to which is correct. Perhaps these limitations are one reason as to why the field of occult is the way it actually is - extremely mysterious and always providing a scope for research and unraveling hidden treasures :).
1) Lack of correct Ayanamsa:
Ayanamsa is defined as the angular distance between vedic first point and vernal equinox. The sidereal ecliptic of a celestial body is less than the tropical ecliptic longitude. But there was a point in time when the sidereal zodiac and tropical zodiac coincided which is taken as the starting point. Different years are taken in contention viz Lahiri (285 AD), Krishnamurthy (291 AD), Raman (397 AD), Yuktheshwar (499 AD), Vakya Siddhantha (522 AD) etc. The different Ayanamsa used results in different degrees of placements of planets causing trouble in reading horoscopes. For eg say Mercury is in 29 degrees 30 mins as per Lahiri Ayanamsa in Aries, but applying Raman Ayanamsa Mercury will end up being at 0 degrees 56 mins in Taurus.
Different Ayanamsas:
- Lahiri Chitra Paksha Ayanamsa
- Krishnamurthy Ayanamsa
- BV Raman Ayanamsa
- Yuktheshwar Ayanamsa
- Pushya Paksha Ayanamsa
- Fagan Ayanamsa
- Others (totally about 50 odd present)
2) No consensus on accurate birth time:
Sometimes natives don't have a birth time at all but even those who have it there are multiple reasons as to why it may not be correct. There are still views going on about whether birth time should be recorded as time of first breath, time of first cry, time of touching the earth, cutting of umbilical cord, time of break of placenta etc. Incorrect birth time can cause predictions to go awry.
Different Time of Births:
- Time of first breath
- Time of first cry
- Time of touching earth
- Time of cutting umbilical cord
- Time of break of placenta
- Others - time of forehead appearing, body part visible etc
3) Dasa Year Computation:
The Vimshottari Dasa system calculated based on Moon's longitude is a specific feature available in Vedic Astrology and most of the timing of events of life are matched with the running Dasa and sub periods. But there isn't a standard solution as to whether a Dasa year should be a solar year (365 point days) or a Savana Year (360 days) or based on a Lunar year (354 point days).
Different Dasa Years Used (Without decimals):
- Solar Year 365 days
- Savana Year 360 days
- Lunar Year 354 days
4) House Counting System:
Houses are of prominent importance when deciphering a chart. Which house planets are placed can give a very good insight about your course of life. But here too there are diverse views whether ascendant should start from where rasi starts which is whole sign, whether ascendant degree should be mid of first house or ascendant degree should indicate start of first house. Whole sign ascendant illustration: Ascendant Aries 29 degrees, Venus 2 degrees in Taurus and Mercury 27 degree in Aries. Venus will be counted as second house and Mercury as 1st house. Ascendant is middle of first house Illustration: Ascendant Aries 27 degrees, Venus 4 degrees Taurus and Mercury 10 degrees Aries. Here Venus will be counted as first house and Mercury as twelfth house. First house spans from 12 degree Aries to 12 degree Taurus and 27 degrees is mid point. Ascendant is start of first house Illustration: Ascendant Taurus 6 degrees, Venus 3 degrees Taurus and Mercury 1 degree Taurus. Both Venus and Mercury will be counted as 12th house. First house will roughly span from 6 degrees Taurus to 6 degrees Gemini.
Different House Systems:
- Whole sign Ascendant
- Ascendant should be middle of first house
- Ascendant should be start of first house
5) Aspects and Significator Usage:
There are some lingering confusions as to how much of aspect is really valid. Certain planets are said to have full and partial aspects. Also whether they influence a whole sign or just an extent of the house is also a point to ponder. And coming to the mysterious planets Rahu and Ketu, there are still doubts plaguing as to whether they aspect or not and even if they do tend to aspect, opinions are divided on which kind of aspects they possess. The significator or the karaka's role is also perceived differently as per various branches of astrology. For eg Mars is husband for females in one system whereas its Jupiter in another system. In some cases it is both Venus or both Jupiter.
Hence, with these kind of lurking issues prevalent in astrology it's safe to say predictions can never be cent percent accurate. There will always be a sense of vulnerability and the astrologer needs to consider a number of these factors before giving predictions. Being in the age of Kali Yuga, I doubt there will be a sure shot solution to any of the points and there are always going to be multiple views with or without logical reasoning as to which is correct. Perhaps these limitations are one reason as to why the field of occult is the way it actually is - extremely mysterious and always providing a scope for research and unraveling hidden treasures :).
2 comments:
Very sensible observations. I raised the same issues too. What's your own conclusion for now...
Hi Abhishek, thanks for your comments. I use the following:
Ayanamsa:
I take something slightly off from Lahiri which has yielded better results for me. However there is always a point of contention in this.
Birth Time:
I generally ensure that Pranapada Lagna falls Trine to Navamsa Lagna and also D108 Lagna falls in odd or even signs for male and female respectively.
Dasa Year:
I take the Solar Year of 365.25 days.
House Counting:
I majorly use the whole sign house counting system as I've found that to be working better.
Aspect and Significator:
I use Rahu and Ketu as having 3,11 aspect which is widely used in south. Regarding significations I really don't have a clear view yet.
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