Happy Summertime

Happy summertime! Summer solstice occurred June 21, 2015 in the Northern Hemisphere, ushering in the second half of the solar year, known in the Vedic tradition as the Dakshinayana, Path of the Ancestors. It’s the waning half of the year, which is known as the “Nighttime of the Gods,” in which the Sun follows its southern course until the next solstice on December 21, when the Sun will appear to stop three days before moving northward again. Continue reading

Happy Lunar New Year!

Happy Lunar New Year! In the Vedic tradition of astrology, there are many different calendars and systems of reckoning time (kaala chakra). One of the most commonly used methods to determine the New Year is based on the astro-chart for the New Moon in Pisces, which occurs around the Spring Equinox every year, this year on March 22, 2012, at 10:37:05 AM in Washington, DC.  This chart is known as the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada. For anyone wanting to know more about the New Year chart, astrologer Steve Stuckey has written an outstanding article published by both Jyotish Star and Saptarishis Astrology.[i]

Samvatsara is a Sanskrit term for “year.” In the Vedic system, there are 60 samvatsaras. The South Indian calculations for the samvatsaras are different from those in North India, and there are also two different ways of ordering the years, but most astrologers today use Sage Varahamahira’s method. Continue reading