In this episode of “5 Minutes”, Dr. Robert Svoboda explores how best to use astrology, or Jyotish.

Let us begin with the reality that in Vedanga Jyotisha, which is the Vedic version of Indian astrology, nobody was out trying to make predictions about individual people’s lives. The whole point of Vedanga Jyotisha was to find good times during which to perform Vedic sacrifices, yag or yajna. So, from its beginning, Jyotish was about understanding the qualities of time and taking, making best advantage of those qualities of time. Now, in the kind of Jyotisha that we practice today, this is also an important factor.

We call it muhurtha. But lots of people when they think of Jyotisha, especially in India, they think of horoscopes, kundalis, and they think of the hand. And they think of it applying only to themselves. So how best to use astrology? Number one, don’t focus all the time on yourself. As my astrology guru, Mr. Mantri, always said when you’re studying Jyotish, never look at your own horoscope. Look at someone else’s horoscope. Make someone else miserable. Because if you look at your own horoscope, you’re gonna find lots of things to make you miserable about don’t do that that is not a good way to use astrology.

Being objective is a very good way to do that so start out not focusing on yourself. Not focusing on other people’s horoscopes, but focusing on understanding the qualities of time and doing your best, to start identifying with your own, in your own reality. What happens when a certain nakshatra is, is going on in the sky? How does this affect you? What happens when a certain planet is in a certain Constellation, which in your own horoscope, yes, you can look at it for this purpose, is when it is activating a certain house in your horoscope.

Don’t immediately go to prediction. Yes, it is a useful thing. Yes, predictive astrology is what Jyotish does very well. But don’t go there immediately. First, get an idea, get to know your panchanga. Panchanga means your ephemeris. So you understand the moments when different things are happening and why they’re happening then, why they have been put into the panchanga, how you can understand the qualities of time. And once you start looking at horoscopes, especially your own, remember always, always, always, always, always, Things are not totally fated, which everybody in India believes.

They will hand you their horoscope and say, Tell me what’s gonna happen. You can’t always do that and it is absolutely not the case with the people in the West, especially the so called New Age people, who believe that nothing is fated and all you have to do is want something to happen enough and it will happen. No. Both of these extremes are extreme.

The reality is And this is a worthwhile thing to understand that Jyotish can help you to predict what things really are fated in your life, what things really, you’re going to have a lot more, leeway in, in deciding on, and what things you have less leeway but you can add to the leeway if you work hard in the direction of doing so first get into that kind of thing. And next, always, always, only ask questions. Only look at a horoscope, yours or anyone else’s if you have serious questions, don’t do it randomly, don’t do it casually.

This is a tool that is meant for you to be serious, focused, and have a genuine request to have the environment or nature or providence or whatever you want to call it collaborate with you to assist you to move forward in a positive way.