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Listen to clips from Linda Johnsen’s lectures at the Himalayan Institute on karma, free will, and President Barack Obama’s Vedic chart. Don't miss Linda Johnsen's articles Mapping Your Destiny, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, Surviving Death, and The Stories Stars Tell. Vedic Astrology InsightsThe Spiritual Sky The ancient seers used the constellations to teach their disciples spiritual lessons. For example, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the sage Vyasa told a series of delightful stories about Gopala, a young cow herder. The boy was threatened by a woman who offered him poisoned milk, by a dangerous snake, by a heavy cart which toppled down on him, by a wild horse, and by an evil king. These represent the circumpolar constellations: Cassiopeia in the Milky Way, Draco, Arthur’s Wagon (the Big Dipper), Pegasus, and Cepheus respectively.The divine child Gopala overcame them all. In Sanskrit gopala means “cow tender,” but it can also mean “lord of the stars.” Gopala represents the indomitable light of spirit which outshines the stars. In the Devi Mahatmya, the goddess Durga battles an evil demon named Mahisha who shapeshifts from water buffalo form into a lion, elephant, and a man. These represent Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. (The next time you look up at Scorpio, notice how much it looks like the head of an elephant with an upturned trunk, the brilliant red star Antares forming its eye.) In the early Vedic era the solstices and equinoxes occurred in these four constellations, which represent the wheel of time. In this myth Durga, the power of higher consciousness, destroys the binding power of karma which manifests through the cycles of time.In the yoga tradition the heavens are called chid akasa, “the spiritual sky,” because every star and constellation is imbued with spiritual significance. Chid akash also means “the sky of consciousness” or “inner space,” because everything that exists throughout the infinite expanse of the universe also exists within the sacred space of awareness. Fate or Free Will? Around 500 B.C.E. an Indian philosopher named Goshala taught that everything which happens in our lives is predetermined, so there is nothing we can do to change our destiny. He believed that since the future can be accurately predicted through astrology, precognitive dreams, and omens, future events must be inevitable. Once the atoms that make up the universe were set in motion, the way they collide to shape the universe—and our destiny—is fixed forever. His followers, called Ajivikas, accepted the total control of niyati, which means “fate.” Vedic and Buddhist yogis rejected this fatalistic view. They explained that through our actions we create our own future, which then reflects the results of our actions back to us. Consciousness keeps the future in flux: our conscious decisions in the present moment can drastically reshape the destiny we were born with. The great 20th century yoga master Swami Rama of the Himalayas, often explained, “You are the architect of your life and you decide your destiny.” Constructive thoughts, words, and actions can dramatically improve our prospects for the future. That’s why saints in India often recommend meditation, pilgrimage, chanting of mantras, and other yoga practices to dissolve “bad karma” and, ultimately, free us from the binding power of karma altogether. Summer 2009
Listen to clips from Linda Johnsen’s lectures at the Himalayan Institute on karma, free will, and President Barack Obama’s Vedic chart.
Don't miss Linda Johnsen's articles Mapping Your Destiny, Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, Surviving Death, and The Stories Stars Tell.
The ancient seers used the constellations to teach their disciples spiritual lessons. For example, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the sage Vyasa told a series of delightful stories about Gopala, a young cow herder. The boy was threatened by a woman who offered him poisoned milk, by a dangerous snake, by a heavy cart which toppled down on him, by a wild horse, and by an evil king. These represent the circumpolar constellations: Cassiopeia in the Milky Way, Draco, Arthur’s Wagon (the Big Dipper), Pegasus, and Cepheus respectively.
The divine child Gopala overcame them all. In Sanskrit gopala means “cow tender,” but it can also mean “lord of the stars.” Gopala represents the indomitable light of spirit which outshines the stars.
In the Devi Mahatmya, the goddess Durga battles an evil demon named Mahisha who shapeshifts from water buffalo form into a lion, elephant, and a man. These represent Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. (The next time you look up at Scorpio, notice how much it looks like the head of an elephant with an upturned trunk, the brilliant red star Antares forming its eye.) In the early Vedic era the solstices and equinoxes occurred in these four constellations, which represent the wheel of time. In this myth Durga, the power of higher consciousness, destroys the binding power of karma which manifests through the cycles of time.In the yoga tradition the heavens are called chid akasa, “the spiritual sky,” because every star and constellation is imbued with spiritual significance. Chid akash also means “the sky of consciousness” or “inner space,” because everything that exists throughout the infinite expanse of the universe also exists within the sacred space of awareness.
Around 500 B.C.E. an Indian philosopher named Goshala taught that everything which happens in our lives is predetermined, so there is nothing we can do to change our destiny. He believed that since the future can be accurately predicted through astrology, precognitive dreams, and omens, future events must be inevitable. Once the atoms that make up the universe were set in motion, the way they collide to shape the universe—and our destiny—is fixed forever. His followers, called Ajivikas, accepted the total control of niyati, which means “fate.”
Vedic and Buddhist yogis rejected this fatalistic view. They explained that through our actions we create our own future, which then reflects the results of our actions back to us. Consciousness keeps the future in flux: our conscious decisions in the present moment can drastically reshape the destiny we were born with.
The great 20th century yoga master Swami Rama of the Himalayas, often explained, “You are the architect of your life and you decide your destiny.” Constructive thoughts, words, and actions can dramatically improve our prospects for the future. That’s why saints in India often recommend meditation, pilgrimage, chanting of mantras, and other yoga practices to dissolve “bad karma” and, ultimately, free us from the binding power of karma altogether.
Summer 2009