Astamangala - A New Look at an Old Art

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All,

 

The following are my thoughts into my investigation of

the ancient practice and art of the Astamangala, but

from a new perspective, that of Western Astrology.

 

As many know, I am both a Western and Vedic

Astrologer, and as such, I have been very fortunate to

be able to sup from both cups of knowledge. Jyotish

has been very helpful to me in my Western Astrology

for example, not only in terms of refining my

predictive capacity, but also in terms of informing my

perspective along holistic analytical and counseling

lines. On the other hand, my Jyotish work has been

greatly augmented by making use of the tools afforded

me from and through my time in working with modern as

well as classical Western astrological models and

methods. After over 5 years of the most intense study

of the Vedic astrological method, and putting that

together with at least 6 years of similiar study of

Western astrological, I can say with certainty and

confidence that the two do not conflict in any way,

and indeed, compliment each other in many ways. In

future writings, I should like to share my

investigations into these matters with this fourm, as

I have in the more Western astrologically oriented

forums.

 

For now, please share with me my recent researches

into modern approaches at the Astamangala...

 

Hi All,

 

Several weeks back I posted both some thoughts on

group counselling,

and

an "experiment" in that I was using the language and

symbolism of

Astrology to inform my perspective as to what was

going in during the

time that the study group I'm involved in. I wanted to

see if Astrology

could be helpful in that process. Thus far, it

certainly appears to

capture the cheif concerns of the group.

 

In my researches into Vedic Astrology, there is a

practice or method

known as the Astamangala. This means "The auspicious

placement of eight

things" and was originated in South India, most

notably Kerala. The

principle treatise where this method is written upon

in-depth, is the

Prasna Marga. It was written about 5 centuries ago by

an unnamed

Brahmin

priest and astrologer.

 

The thinking that lies at the base of the Astamangala

is the idea that

a

Horary chart can be cast for an entire community,

instead of just for

oneself. This "community chart" can then be used to

inquire into major

issues of that community; for example, if the

community wanted to know

why they were having so many troubles with that year's

crops, they

could

have an astrologer perform this ceremony. The

Astamagala is both an

astrological inquest as well as series of religious

rituals designed to

get answers to the questions pertaining to the

community that had the

ceremony performed. It takes years of practice to

perfect this

ceremony,

and in India today there are astrologers who do

nothing but specialize

in this method. In fact, a proper Astamangala ceremony

is when an

entire

panel of astrologers are on hand to conduct the

various parts of the

ceremony. For more information on this practice,

please see, "The Stars

of India", by Peter Holt. He gives a very interesting

look into this

ancient art, from a Westerner's perspective.

 

Some years ago, while in my researches into Western

Horary Astrology, I

ran accross the work of Danish Astrologer Christian

Borup. He was

sharing with the world a method that he called the

Consultation Chart.

This is a form of a horary chart that is cast for the

moment a client

and astrologer get together for a consultation. The

resulting chart

will

highlight key themes in the conversation that should

be discussed, and

can even detail information such as the client's

mental state, what he

or she expects of the astrologer, whether the

astrologer will do a good

job and even if the meeting had any impact, or

meaning, for the client.

Borup said that he had been working with this method

for years, and

that

he had originally been turned on to the technique by

way of the

personal

astrologer of the Dalai Lama. According to him, if the

right conditions

are met, such a chart is so powerful that it can

replace the natal

chart

in terms of meaning. While Borup didn't want to go

that far as a

Western

astrologer, I think that the Dalai Lama's personal

astrologer may have

had something there, based on what I am seeing with my

researches into

the role of Astrology with respect to our study group.

 

 

Following Borup's lead, I decided to take a chance and

follow the

overall premise of the Astamangala - that is, to see

what Astrology

would have to say in our "inquest" - and adapted it to

Western

astrological methods. I took and borrowed from a

number of different

schools, classical horary, as well as more modern

holistic models, and

stood back to observe. The results, again thus far,

are signifcant.

 

Please allow me to give the data again, for those of

you who may not

have it:

 

Study Group

Nov 8, 2003

10AM

EST

Philadelphia, PA

Placidus Houses

Asc: 26 Sag 18/ MC: 18 Lib 39

 

My initial analysis of this chart and the rationale

behind it has been

discussed, and can be found in the forum archive by

conducting a search

under my name or "group counselling".

 

Today's meeting was centered on the issue of

Codependency, which has

been braodly defined by those in the field to be a

situation where a

person bascially enables another to remain in a state

of

dysfunctionality; this is often the case with drug

addicts, alcoholics

and the like, but also can play itself in other ways

as well. We

discussed this from both the personal level, as well

as the societal

level, how the ways of our society influence in such a

manner that we

are participants in codependency on a group level. We

also went back to

our first two themes of of Alienation, personal and

social (the

collective) and Arrested Development (again personal

and social, or

collective).

 

The group's credo is to "change yourself to change the

world - dare to

struggle", and to do this we decided that the best way

to go about it

was to examine everything in terms of dialectics - the

theory of the

unity and struggle of opposites - to gain a greater

insight on those

things we have characterized as problems. So, in order

to gain a fuller

understanding of what was going both within us and

around us, we would

be required to examine what is going on inside and

then, what is going

on outside.

 

The key rule that we have in the study group is that

no one can "lurk"

-

that is, to say nothing during the meeting. Everyone

HAS to contribute,

and, as well, to contribute something from their own

personal life.

This

is done to get the person involved to see things and

contradictions in

their own development, as well as for the group to

gain a better

understanding of themselves as well. Further, the

group counseling

method is powerful in that, it can act as a measure to

critically

assess

each member of the group, while at the same time being

very helpful to

each member of the group. Therefore, the study group

is an excercise in

trusting others. Also, the purpose for the group

coming together was to

build family and community - to truly understand what

it means to be a

family and to truly understand what it means to be a

community.

 

With that said, we examined the aforementioned issues,

with a

particular

focus on codependency. After the clinical and social

definitions of the

phenomenon was explained, we went around the room to

get each member's

reflections on this issue. What happened was every

interesting.

 

Out of 11 people present, half reported circumstances

under which

codependency was strong in their early home

environment. With the

exception of myself, drug and/or alcohol abuse at the

center of it. In

my case, my dad was a compulsive gambler, and my Mom

was complicit in

it, even when she argued with him about "messing up

the money" for the

household. I say that because she seemed to get quiet

whenever he hit

for some money.

 

One of our members, a young lady, relayed the

experience of having to

deal with both her mother and her husband being

addicted to drugs and

alcohol. She saw how her mother not only enabled her

husband, but also,

how this woman herself enabled her mother's addiction

even though the

mother worked and often made more money than this

woman did.

 

The level of sharing this time around was on a much

deeper level, with

everyone reflecting their experiences on the many ways

that this and

other issues can manifest in the personal and social

levels. The degree

of understanding was truly eye-opening for all

concerned.

 

In addition to talking about these issues, we also

dealt with the issue

of Anger, which is something that is very strong in

our society in

general, and in my view, African Americans in

particular. Black men

especially have a very deep, siginificant concern in

this respect, that

manifests itself in many ways, most obviously, in

terms of

imprisonment,

murder, suicide and domestic abuse. I and several of

the men in the

group relayed our experience of our fathers in the

home, and how they

acted with respect to our mothers and everyone else in

the home. All of

us reported our fathers having extremely high levels

of anger and

violence, and one of our members reported being beaten

unconscious by

his dad on a regular basis. His dad worked in a very

difficult

environment, under racist conditions, and due to his

relative inability

to effect change in his work environment, his took it

out on his

family,

this man's son in particular. We talked a great deal

about these

concerns, and there was much introspection going on.

 

There is much to say about how the Astrology is

reflected in these

events. Please keep in mind the core elements of the

"foundation" chart

for the study group:

 

- Sun in Scorpio, Moon in Taurus (deep need for

control, stubborness,

power, reform)

 

- Moon in the 4th house (a vivid picture of the stated

purpose and

cheif

concern of the formation of the group; keep in mind,

the Moon in Taurus

need for stability)

 

- Mars, ruling the 4th, square Venus, ruler of the

10th, with Venus in

the 12th (the parental axis rulers under strong

tension; anger issues,

sexual issues, family "secrets" in both these regards)

 

- Saturn in Cancer in the 7th house and Rx (again

"father" concerns,

getting to the core of what it means to be in

relationship; an

outgrowth

of the keen 4th house concerns, as Saturn is disposed

of by the Moon)

 

- Chiron rising in the Asc, disposed by and opposed

Saturn (dealing

with

deep hurts, learning from the "wounds" that have been

inflicted; in

that

these planets fall in both the parental sign axis and

the relationship

house axis, again we see strong themes of both

intertwined here)

 

At the urging of one of the forum's members, I decided

to cast a chart

to see what would "be on the agenda" for today; I cast

it well after

the

meeting was over, because I did not want to "fudge"

anything.

 

Jan 31, 2004

10AM EST

Philadelphia, PA

Placidus Houses

Asc: 16 Aries 57/ MC: 9 Cap 12

 

This chart shows in vivid fashion the nature of

today's meeting: Mars

is

rising in Aries in the 1st house, ruling the Asc

(anger issues);

Mercury

tightly conjuncts Chiron in the 10th (talking about

learning from

wounds

and hurts, particularly as it relates to father);

Saturn in Cancer Rx

right at the 4th house cusp, ruling the MC (another

echo of today's

discussion) and the Moon in Gemini in the 2nd house

(thinking and

talking about feelings; self-worth considerations

running high; putting

all of these things "out there" for display). Finally,

note the

applying

conjunction of the Sun to Neptune - another claer echo

of the

drug/alcohol, and with the Sun ruling the 5th house,

gambling

addictions. Comparing this to the "foundation" chart,

Neptune tightly

squares the Sun-Moon axis.

 

This meeting was chaired by its first lady, and we

have another lady

that will take the chair for our next meeting,

scheduled in another two

weeks.

 

I appreciate any and all comments the forum may have.

 

Salaam,

Mu

 

The Role of Astrology in the Group Counseling

Experience Mu'Min Bey

Jan 19, 2004 19:15 PST

 

Hello All,

 

I've been wanting to sahre this for some time now.

 

On Nov 8, 2003 at 10AM, EST, I, along with about 9

others, formed a

study group at the behest of several people, who

wanted to explore a

number of issues commonly characterized as "personal

problems" but at a

deeper level, exploring their political, social and

spiritual causes and

implications. Four major themes we chose to examine

are as follows:

 

Alineation

Arrested Development

Codependency

Individualism

 

The credo of the group is "Change yourself to change

the world: dare to

struggle". We decided that the best way to approach

the afore-mentioned

issues was in terms of Dialectics - examining the

contradictions

inherent in all Life on the planet; to apply this

method internally, on

each and every one of us, and then to apply that same

method to the

problems and conditions as they exist in the outer

world.

 

This level of understanding is not unique at all to

the Astrological

Counseling Experience; the astrologer shares the

horoscope with the

client; the client gets a reflection of him/herself

via the astrologer,

and the horoscope is the midpoint between the two, the

objective tool

that is used in the process of examining these

dialetical dynamics, that

really exist in the client him/herself.

 

Very often, however, such things take place within the

one-on-one

consultation. This experience opened my eyes to the

possibilities of the

group counseling experience.

 

The group format was desired for several reasons;

aside from the

interest and demand coming from many quarters, the

group

counseling/study/investigation concept was chosen

because of the

inherent nature of the power of group, in this case

for the better, on

the individual.

 

Among the group there are several credentialed

counselors, with many

years of experience, every one of them; and all of

them have stated that

the one-on-one method has its limitations,

particularly when it comes to

getting rid of the "BS" some clients/participants make

foist on the

counselor in one-on-one situations. Within the group

dynamic, the group

acts as a sort of check-and-balance on itself,

supporting all, but ready

and willing to bring back into line anyone who steps

out of it. The

group dynamic was also important, because it

demonstrated and reinforced

the particular lessons, stated and non-stated, that

needed to be

examined, learned and applied within the group

counseling experience.

 

While it is well known that I am an Astrologer to all

in the group, this

date was NOT selected by me, nor was it selected by

anyone else, along

astrological lines; in that sense then, the resulting

horoscope case for

the formation date of this Study Group is all the more

significant.

 

Astrology, over the past century here in the West, has

almost with

exception, centered and focused on the Astrology of

the Individual,

certainly a key concern; but unless a major event

occurs, like the 2000

Elections, or the Sep 11 Terror Attacks, we Astroogers

aren't bothered,

or asked, about the role of Astrology on a more

communal level. Again, I

am most grateful for having shared in this experience,

which is ongoing,

for it again gives me another perspective in the way

that Astrology

could be useful as a tool of gaining insight into

oneself, as well as

one's world.

 

The Horoscope...

 

I am using the Western system, Tropical Zodiac.

 

The Sun/Moon blend here, that of Scorpio/Taurus,

suggests a stubborn

obstinency; a strong potential for resistance or

reform. In that this

group was formed on the day of a Lunar Eclipse, the

Taurus-Scorpio axis

is even more highly charged than the usual Full Moon

there would

suggest. Sexual themes should be strong, and suggest a

thorough "airing

out", along with larger relationship dynamics.

 

We see corroboration of the potential for sexual and

relationship

concerns, in the Venus-Mars square. With Venus in the

12th, ruling the

5th, we get the sense of it being important but these

themes will be

difficult to draw them out of people; lots of family

"secrets" are in

the offing, and indeed, we have already dealt with the

instance of one

of the members of the group having to come to grips

with his sexual

molestion (being a victim of it) as child, at the

hands of an uncle -

and then he turning around and doing it to both his

nieces and nephews.

Note that Mars rules the 4th - the early homelife, and

is placed in

Pisces.

 

The Sun is in the 11th house of groups, and this is, a

study group. In

Scorpio, it suggests deep themes of self-analysis, as

well as that of

others. The Full Moon's "forte'" is about "awareness",

after-all; and

Neptune's square to this axis, heightens even more,

the need for

awareness and to a degree, psychoanalysis.

 

Sagittarius rises, with its ruler Jupiter in Virgo

(critical analysis of

Self and the World) in the 9th! Its square to Pluto in

the 12th and

opposition to Mars in the 2nd only further empowers it

(the study group)

on its goal of critique in terms of Self and the

World, to plumb these

depths very deeply, with a view in mind of a grand

change of Perspective

(Pluto).

 

Mercury is also in Scorpio - is also square to Uranus,

in its own Sign.

On of the goals of this group, is to, in the words of

one of the fouding

members, "to think with precision"; in other words, to

resist the urge

to parrot cliches and slogans, but rather seriously

consider the issues

and problems at hand first through examining oneslef

and then, by

examining whatever phenomena is under consideration.

Note that this

square takes place in Succedent Houses, denoting

"values", and indeed,

that is what we are doing, and have done, over the

past two months now.

 

Two other key measurements stand out in this group

study chart.

 

Saturn is in Cancer and placed in the 7th house, Rx.

Classically, in

terms of Horary, this is not considered a favorable

placement; it

denotes the astrologer, or in this case, the organizer

of the group, as

being ill-equipped or ill-prepared for what the group

requires in terms

of growth, development and acheivement of the stated

goal. I course, I

don't quite see in this way; instead, I see this in

terms of the group,

and particularly the organizer (who happens to have

Saturn in this very

sign and is undergoing his second Saturn Return!-his

Sun is in

Sagittarius to boot) being challenged to help the grow

grow towards

those ends stated by the group. Indeed, there have

been times where the

group has veered "off course" and this man has had to

come back in and

"refocus" the discussion, so that we stay on track. In

fact, I call him

"The Refocuser", LOL.

 

Saturn in the 7th Rx, in the sign of the Family,

Cancer, also speaks

loud and long to the innermost desires of many in the

group and that is

to speak to familial relationships, which of course,

includes romantic

and sexual ties. There has been much discussion along

these lines

already, with much more in-depth plumbing of these

depths in the times

ahead. Saturn's Rx symbolism, is time-tested in terms

of its

representation of the "weakened" father-principle, and

again this

dynamic has played itself out in the group, with

several people coming

forward to bring their skeletons out of the closet in

this regard.

 

Finally, Chiron rises in the Asc, in Capricorn, the

sign of the Father;

it opposes Saturn in the 7th! The sense of "wounding"

in these terms, is

considerable, indeed.

 

Here are the stated issues that each individual wanted

to deal with:

 

-Dealing with the role of religious institutions in

the community

-Effectively communicating the "ideas of change" to

those "outside of

the loop"

-The restoration of cultural cohesion and overcoming

the absence of

values

-The role of the family, its function and purpose in

these times

-Feeling like an outsider, being alienated

-Male and Female Relationships

-Examining Self-Hatred and Self-Image in the Black

Community

-How to share the experience we all took part in the

study group, with

others

-The failure of social work professionals to affect

change with their

skills; also, to stem the rate of "burnout" among

their number, in the

Black Community

 

These have been themes or "symptoms" I should say, and

the four major

themse we have examined in light of these symptoms.

Again, the chart for

the group, in terms of capturing the symbolism, comes

shining through.

 

The group is roughly half male, half female, an

all-Black setting, with

people coming from many diverse professions and

disciplines.

 

This past Saturday, I was the interim Chairman. On our

next meeting, two

weeks from now, we will have our first female

Chairwoman. It will be

interesting to see what will happen at that time,

since up to this

point, it has been the men primarily who have been

opening up and airing

out their stuff.

 

It will also be very interesting to see what happens

when transiting

Jupiter squares the Asc and transiting Saturn squares

the MC.

 

Comments, are invited...

 

Salaam,

Mu

 

 

=====

Mu'Min M. Bey

Western and Vedic Astrologer

Priority Email: jedimu11

AOL IM Screen Name: JediMu

267-467-5158

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