Back in January of 2022, during the Venus retrograde in Capricorn, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Fiona Marques on The Vedic Astrology Podcast. We talked about pandemics and what it is like to be an astrologer that gives predictions. While both Jupiter and Venus are Brahmin planets that can make one an astrologer, it is Venus that is the planet that makes one a predictive astrologer, at least in Vedic Astrology. The Rishi Jaimini highlights Venus as the planet of “knowing prophecy” in his Upadesa Sutras. I found it interesting that I was invited to speak on this topic of predictions while Venus was retrograding over my own natal Venus in Capricorn.
I will link to the interview on Spotify below. Fiona wrote a lovely little intro about it here:
“Cast your mind back to the Solar Eclipse on 26 December 2019 – What goes on inside an Astrologer when they are making a prediction? And how can we get better at it?? It’s not often that you find an Astrologer who is public with their predictions AND one who is open and willing to share their self-reflection and learnings from the process. And this is what we have in today’s special guest, Predictive Astrologer and Teacher, Corey Dowds. In this episode, he selflessly shares his approach, tips, techniques, and understandings of predicting in Vedic Astrology. We examine a case study that you can follow along with us and consult the transcript for even more links and deeper research. We cover rashi aspects, financial astrology, pandemics, nakshatras, the bhava lagna and more. You can also learn from Corey at https://eye-of-the-veda-university.teachable.com/
Astrology itself is just one big system of omen reading. It is the greatest system of omen reading in that we can calculate the past and future with it, and it has a more objective quality than just cards and watching animals in nature. It can get more detailed than other systems like card reading. But sometimes we do not need to get so detailed, and so all jyotishis must be at least somewhat familiar with nimmita, the art of reading omens.
I have composed a short series of videos with examples of how I have read animal omens in life and during readings in order to answer questions. This is useful and fun and an enriching thing to know. We do not always have to stare at the chart, sometimes just looking up and observing nature will help do the trick.
Here is a link to a youtube video I recently made. I was at the post office and realized I had lost my wallet right when I was going to pay. I went all the way back home and it still wasnt in my room where I normally keep it. I looked everywhere and could not find it. It was getting stressful and I was starting to worry so I casted a chart to find the wallet.
This is the Horary/Prashna chart that I cast to see where my wallet is, and if I even will be able to find it.
One more thing I forgot to mention in the video : Mars and Ketu being with Venus, Ketu hides things very well, and this wallet just happened to be blending in with the dark metal frame of the bottom of the drivers side seat, a big part of why I didnt see it when I originally checked my car. Mars rules metals, and so the significator being connected to Mars and Ketu indicates that it was wedged in between dark colored metal and well hidden. And that was the case. I didnt realize this until after the fact, but thought that was a neat additional note.
A new scientific study has emerged about the relationship between the season one is born and one’s personality and temperament. Researchers at the Semmelweis University in Budapest studied 366 university students and did find that the season they were born in had a correlation to certain psychological traits.
The Huffington postarticle explains that the study found:
People born in summer were more likely to experience frequent mood swings as adults.
People born in the winter were less likely to develop irritable personalities.
People born in the spring were more likely to have “excessively positive” temperaments.
And people born in autumn were less likely to be depressive.
The article shared above does mention astrology, but I guess no one writing it was familiar with astrology itself. If so they would have easily seen the correlation between these findings and the natural signs of the zodiac that the sun crosses during each season. This research validates astrology immensely, as it is not likely given to chance that each seasonal birth would have a difference in psychology AND also that this difference would be the same difference that both western and eastern astrology has addressed as significant.
It is because the Huffington Post article did not clearly see or did not decide to mention this that I feel the duty, as an astrologer, to clearly point out that these traits are obviously connected to the seasons and therefore to astrology and astronomy.
Lets start with spring and go through the seasons as the zodiac naturally does.
SPRING: This is almost just common sense that someone would be more positive if born in spring, as everything was also being born alongside you. Nature is bursting forth at this time, the grass is starting to grow back, and it is natural from a psychological standpoint to see a more optimistic personality at this time. In jyotish, at this time we have the sun rising in Aries, which is all about rising to action, going on adventures, following ones ideas and inspirations, and Aries are confidant and naturally will be optimistic in a general sense (Though not every aries will be the same, check Jupiter for the optimism as well).
Taurus comes up after that which is also a sign that naturally sees the glass as half full. This is because taurus is ruled by Venus, the water element, the comforter, the nurse. Taurus sees the beauty and goodness in themselves and thus has a natural tendency to see beauty outwardly and thus has an advantage towards being positive in life. Taurus actually often times doesnt even notice when other people are sufferring, especially inwardly or emotionally. It is the sign of ones inherent self worth, but they must remember that not everyone else has come from as happy and as nourishing of a background as they may have come from, and this is where the negative stereotypes of a taurus come in, such as being selfish and stubborn. They must learn to give to others as selflessly as the cow gives her milk.
Gemini is the first dual sign we come to, and all the dual signs are a mix of positive and negative, so they likely wont fit into these stereotyped boxes as easily. But as Gemini is the positive, action oriented sign of Mercury, these types can typically be a bit too clever, and get themselves in to trouble in these ways, when they really should be more careful and focus on doing just what they really care about, and not a million other things. In a sense this can be similar to being “excessively positive”, in that the gemini thinks it is winning the game of life but often this is just an idea in their mind, and is not the reality.
Summer: Summer officially begins at the moment that the sign of Cancer begins. Cancer is the sign of the emotions, and the moon, which relates to how we feel, and our feminine emotional nature. Cancer is related to the 6th chakra or the spiritual eye center (ajna), in the pituitary gland between the eyebrows. Cancer is often portrayed as a very moody and fickle sign, as the moon is always changing and adapting…this is just what the researchers found.
Leo is the next sign of summer, which is all about maintaining the kingdom. Leo is not a fun sign like many people think, it is a sign of doing ones dharma and protecting the kingdom, and these people are always striving to maintain a consistency or a high ideal in life. Ideals are great to have but are rarely achievable 24/7 on earth at least, and the Leo must face this and contend with this as best he can. Not every Leo will be able to handle it well. Depending on the other planetary placements these people can be very hot headed, get angered easily, and can just blow up on people because they have the audacity, the sense of entitlement as they feel like the Sun, the king. This probably counts as mood swings.
Virgo, like Gemini is a dual sign, and so is not as one sided, and these people arent as likely as Cancer to have mood swings. Virgo seems to embody more of the autumn qualities that were mentioned. But Virgo is the sign of a young girl, and is said to rule temper tantrums, like how young girls and boys can be. Virgo has a hard time accepting the realities of good and evil in life, and can be frustrated easily.
Autumn: Autumn begins the moment that Libra starts, the fall equinox. Libra is the sign where the sun falls, but where Saturn gets exalted. Saturn is the planet that fights off depression, and helps us deal with the harshness of life. Thus there is an obvious natural correlation to this time of year, and how people fight depression. Also this is opposite of springtime, where everything is turning within or dying, and so we can see how this logically would create a temperament that is opposite of the overly optimistic spring baby. This is a baby that is likely going to be ready to turn within or to harden itself off from the outer situations more readily. Libra is a sign that when strong enables detachment and even-mindedness, which helps fight depression.
Scorpio is a brahmin sign ruled by mars, and is all about the spiritual battle, and the inner fight to realize God. This sign is well known to make one a master of their demons or a slave to them, but we can naturally see that these people will deal with darkness and depression from day one, and so this makes sense that they may be able to deal with it better than another group.
Sagittarius is another dual sign, and is therefore mixed. It is ruled by jupiter and is stereotypically considered to be too optimistic. This does not fit as well with the research, but as I mentioned, none of the dual signs should be expected to fit into these broad generalizations, as that would contradict astrology. Also these signs are right before the changeover of a season, and so they naturally will have qualities of both and not be as one-sided.
Winter: Winter begins at the moment the sun enters capricorn and begins moving north. Capricorn gets generalized into the researchers category so easily. It is the sign of enduring, and if this sign is strong it can make one stoic. These types of people wont complain, and can endure much suffering, and just keep going. They are practical, and tend to look out for the dangerous things before they occur and thus avoid them. They are grounded and cautious. They are ruled by Saturn, the servant of the zodiac, so they are “down to earth” in this sense and generally do not act like pretentious kings or queens (unless they have other sun and moon things going on) who will get upset when things dont go their way. Capricorn is used to things not going its way since it was born in freezing winter time when everything is dead or hibernating, and limited food was available….It had to wait around for spring to show up. Naturally these people are more grounded and dont expect things to come to them immediately in life, making them less likely to have an irritable or demanding personality.
Aquarius is the next sign of winter, and though it is a bit more airy and not as grounded, it is still ruled by Saturn and so Aquarians are usually more down to earth and agreeable people to interact with as well, when compared to the other signs. Aquarius is the sign of groups and society, so innately they see the value of the individual in society and are more into seeing everyone equally or as a group. This may have to do with why they would not have as much of an irritable personality as someone opposite, such as a Leo, who will naturally be more self-involved. However, Aquarius and Capricorn can also give depression when not strong enough, and I imagine that this group was the group that suffered the most depression when analyzed by the researchers.
Finally we come to Pisces, the last dual sign, and naturally not as clear cut as the others. As the dual signs are mixed, we can see a mixture of characteristics in the pisces. They are usually agreeable people to get along with, and are not usually irritable, so they fit some of the winter-born concepts…yet they also somewhat fit with the spring concept of being overly optimistic, as the ruling planet of pisces is the planet of optimism, Jupiter. This contradictory factor actually makes the most sense for this sign, because pisces is the last sign and thus has some of the qualities of all the previous signs. In western astrology they say that pisces can embrace contradictory ideas most seamlessly, and this matches with what I have seen before.
In conclusion, I notice that the four cardinal signs, which set the seasons, are the signs which most strongly exhibit these personality traits discovered in Hungary. This fits as the other signs occur at times that are more in the middle or end of a season and the beginning of a new one, and likely are more mixed. The cardinal signs exhibit these qualities the most. The fixed signs carry the traits a bit less, and the dual signs carry them the least, and do not fit as easily into the seasonal stereotypes, and this matches jyotish perfectly as these are the most mixed signs in the zodiac.
A diagram of the Yugas as outlined in the introduction of Yukteswar’s book, The Holy Science. They are the same as the Greek ages of Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold, and proceed in an ascending and descending pattern, so that both Kali Yugas are consecutive, and both Satya Yugas are as well.
“Astrology is too vast both mathematically and philosophically, to be rightly grasped except by men of profound understanding. If ignoramuses misread the heavens, and see there a scrawl instead of a script, that is to be expected in this imperfect world. One should not dismiss the wisdom with the ‘wise’. ” – Sri Yukteswar
Astrology is one of the oldest sciences known to man. When we look at the ancient cultures all over the globe, we see that Astronomy and Astrology had a prominent role to play in regulating society and daily life. And the more we learn about some of these ancient cultures, the more we realize how refined and scientifically developed many of them were.
The Rishis, or Seers, of ancient India described a grand cosmic cycle (24,000 years approx.) with 4 eons called “yugas”. This is the same as the Greek concept of the Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold Ages. The Iron, Bronze, Silver, and Gold Ages correspond to the Kali, Dwapara, Treta, and Satya Yugas. The same situation is described in both Greek and Indian traditions, with humanity being very enlightened and happy in the Golden Age, and then slowly falling from that peak down to the materialism and ignorance of the Iron Age. The cycle then goes back in an ascending order to the Bronze Age, then to the Silver Age, and finally another Golden Age occurs. The Vedic Seers describe the Kali yuga as the darkest age when ignorance and suffering are in full swing. During this approximately 1,200 year period the Earth is furthest from the galactic center and so the average human consciousness is somewhat dimmed. This occurred around 500 AD and continued into 1700 AD, when the Dwapara yuga began to ascend for 2,400 years, bringing in more intellectual capabilities for mankind and technological developments to improve the quality of life on earth. The closer we get to the center of the galaxy, the more intelligent the average human becomes, and therefore society advances as a whole. In the Treta yuga, or the Silver Age, humanity is said to be advanced, civilized and life is more enjoyable. It will start in 4100 AD and run for 3,600 years. Then comes the Satya yuga, or the Golden Age, which will go for 4,800 years, and humanity will be at its peak of civilization. Astrology itself is really more of a Treta and Satya yuga science.
By researching into the Iron Age we can see that things were pretty bad during medieval times, with the average person living only to their 30s and the massive losses caused by the plagues. That was Kali yuga. This is now Dwapara yuga, the electrical age, and life is getting better. We are learning to use electricity and make our lives easier as a result. Still not ideal though, and so Astrology is in the same state. It is not until the higher ages of Silver and Gold, Treta and Satya Yugas, that Astrology is fully appreciated and understood by the entire population. We can see evidence of this when we research cultures such as Egypt, that experienced what seemed to be a “Golden Age”, and we find astrological markers and symbolism throughout the period.
This is why it is an exciting time, because as our society is advancing, more people will begin to be open to Astrology and other ancient arts, and with more research and practice by these same people, Astrology itself will begin to flower back into the vast art and science that it truly is. With the rise of computers it has become far easier for calculations to be made, making astrological calculations more open to the publics participation. This has been an immense help that the Dwapara Yuga has brought about.
Because much of the methodical and scientific side of Astrology has been lost during the dark age of Kali Yuga, much of the astrology we are familiar with is diluted and not very accurate. In some cases, the scriptures are unclear, or perhaps mistranslated, and many Astrologers have not bothered to verify the authenticity of techniques they use. To blindly use techniques without verifying their accuracy is no different from going to a church and blindly believing what a preacher may tell you without thinking for yourself about the matter. Its surprising to think astrologers have been that way, but these are the residues of the darkness of Kali Yuga.
As time goes on and we advance more into the Bronze Age of Dwapara Yuga, the whole planet will become gradually more intelligent and all the arts and sciences will grow, with Astrology being no exception. Astrologers will not only use intuition, but will have a logical and methodical approach that can be replicated over and over, which is the way Astrology was meant to be practiced. This logical framework will also improve our intuition, because it will give a solid and accurate foundation for our subconscious mind to work with and make the intuitive side of the mind more reliable.
As we progress more and more as a civilization, the world will become more globalized and unified; and the lost knowledge of ancient cultures will be pieced back together like a jigsaw puzzle. Already the greatest sign of an ascending Bronze Age and a more unified world culture is the birth of the internet and other electronic devices. It allows people of all walks of life to share knowledge and relate in ways that just would not have seemed possible a century ago.
That is what makes me so excited to be studying and practicing Astrology, to be typing away on this site, and to be sharing this wonderful thing that the world is rediscovering.
