Most astrologers, psychics, clairvoyants and other predictors agree that 2015 will be an improvement on 2014, at least within a few months. Dare we believe the promise of good things ahead! God alone knows what the future holds but that has never stopped man from trying to find out, perhaps out of curiosity or just to better prepare for it. Maybe we cannot stop a speeding train, but surely we can get off the tracks! Since time immemorial man has longed to read what's in the stars for him. Secretly many seek the help of every kind of fortune-teller---not just the idle, ignorant or unfortunate, but the very rich and the very powerful. Bankers, lawyers, politicians, CEOs of fortune 500 companies and celebrities from statesmen and presidents, to models and movie-stars, are found on the lists of psychics and astrologists. Of all the methods known to man, palmistry, card-reading and others the most reliable is Astrology. Most ancient and advanced cultures have studied the heavens for knowledge and guidance. It is almost a reflex action for man to look up to that vast and mysterious sky whenever he makes a wish or seeks a solution. We do it, so did our forefathers, from India to China, from Babylon to Egypt. Universal celebrations have been observed for the past weeks, as we watched the passing of one cycle and the birth of another. From Passover to Christmas, New Year's, Vaikuntha Ekadashi, the birth of the Holy Prophet Mohamed, the Armenian Christmas, the Coptic Christmas, most of which are of a religious nature. What is “Vaikuntha Ekadashi”? It is an auspicious day in the Hindu calendar, when the “gate of the Lord's inner sanctum is opened”. Temples all over India set up a door-like structure for the faithful to walk through. That day fell on December 31—Jan 1, a good omen if you are a Hindu. Let us adopt this good omen and chase rainbows in the New year. We just might catch one! Astrologists have concluded that there is a pattern set up in the heavens that connects us at birth: “for those who desire to see it”, contemplates Plato: ”and having seen it to find one in himself”. Jupiter and Saturn are in fire signs so look out for your health. So say the stars! Is Astrology a science? What makes it so compelling? Astrology is indeed an ancient science which predates both astronomy and psychology, but has been demoted to a pseudo-science by some skeptics who do not know enough. Practised in Babylon over 5000 years, it was the Egyptians who first used it to foretell the character of a person based on their date of birth. Star-charts have been discovered in Egypt as far back as 4300 BC. Egyptians raised Astrology to a highly sophisticated level, composed of mathematical proportions and ratios built into its great architecture, including the principles of “pi” and “phi”. It also developed the most intricate time-keeping and calendar science. In the night sky they sought advice and the night sky responded. Dante called it “the noblest of sciences.” How could your personality, life and destiny not be affected by the stars in the heavens at the time of your birth? Can we merge ancient wisdom with practical living? The knowledge of who you are according to the zodiac, is staggering. Psychologist Carl Jung believed that it represents “the summation of all the knowledge of antiquity”. From Egypt it spread to Greece and Rome where many of the learned men including two emperors were astrologers. The zodiac as a concept is still used by scientists. The earliest zodiac found in the first century BC is the “Denderra Zodiac which includes astronomical representations of the constellations, is still found at the ‘Musee Du Louvre' in Paris. There is compelling evidence that the 3 Wise Men (Magi) who visited Jesus at birth were astrologers from Persia. Christianity condemned the practice of Astrology, causing its disappearance, but as the Church grew in power, it adopted the practice and Astrology regained its popularity. St Thomas Aquinas believed the planets controlled everything. In India it never lost its appeal. More than a billion Indians take no important step in life unless the signs are propitious. No marriage is completed without horoscopes being drawn. Some cynics may scoff at it, but one of history's greatest scientists came to its defence, Sir Isaac Newton chided a fellow scientist: “I have studied the matter, Sir. You have not!” Astrology today is followed more widely than ever. By the late 1800s interest spread across Europe and the rest of the world caught the astrology-mania. England in particular, went wild after the prediction of the birth of Princess Margaret during the 1930s. Newspapers began publishing horoscope columns which were devoured by the readers. Now every newspaper worldwide includes your horoscope, which most of us read faithfully. Princess Margaret herself depended on astrological readings, so did Nancy and Ronald Reagan, so did Hitler and even Churchill, allowed the army to use an astrologist. Goethe consulted the stars so did Plato, Pasteur and even Albert Einstein who concurred: “it is a science in itself an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things and I am greatly indebted to it.” Some may look upon it lightheartedly, but then they may be missing what actually lies ahead in 2015.
“Three things cannot be hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth” Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta ( 563-483 BC)
