Astrology a Road Map of Our Life by Dr. Roopa Vohra

Article by Dr. Roopa Vohra

Astrology is an organized, transcendental body of knowledge which offers each of us a deeper glimpse into who we really are, where we have been, where we are going and how to direct our energies properly so that we can improve and work with our actual personality. Each person has a role to play in life, a particular path to follow, lessons to learn and a certain proportion of karma (debts & gains) to be experienced in this lifetime. Astrology is a system for delineating this information in a clear and concise manner and helps to light the way towards this deep understanding. With this knowledge, we deepen our understanding on all planes of existence, including the physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and material spheres. Ultimately, we learn to function in a smoother more rhythmic pattern which corresponds to the larger universal flow. Astrology helps to reveal our true purpose and direction in life and gives us a choice to integrate this knowledge and then direct our actions accordingly.

The purpose of Astrology is to avoid problems before they arise or safeguard mankind by taking precautionary/preventive measures. The aphorism, “Pull weeds early” describes a major purpose of astrology. Another quote states, “If you want to get rid of a snake, get rid of it when it is really small”. In fact, Patanjali, who wrote the “Yoga Sutras”, stated that it was important to know how to “avoid the danger which has not yet come”. A good astrologer uses the tools of Astrology to forecast the times to promote events in one’s life or to pull back, recognizing the indications that point to some obvious serious risk. Therefore, Astrology is a guide only and not God.  A good astrologer certainly knows as to how the divine plan works but he has not been given the power to erase and rewrite that plan for anyone based on his/her desires. All he can do is to make the individual aware of the plan or the future and show the ways to overcome the negative time periods using the law of nature. As is said ‘Being forewarned is being forearmed, and half the battle is won’….. Similarly an astrologer can help to fix the flat tyre but cannot give new car nor can he change the road conditions but he can definitely guide on what path to take to save oneself from pot holes.

Astrology is meant to be empowering and used to reveal out possibilities and trends or a suitable time for different things, not something that will happen no matter what.  Astrology is not fortune-telling and even if it is used for prediction, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it would predict an inevitable fate or just tell us what’s going to happen so that we can sit back and brace ourselves for the ride. A well-known  western astrologer Dane Rudhyar once said, that “astrology ought not to be considered as a means for the gratification of an idle curiosity as to possible future events … Astrology, if properly understood and applied, can bring order to the usual chaos of human life, individual & collective.”

Astrology is unquestionably a healing science. It is a guide to self-discovery and self-attunement to the cosmos. Astrology provides answers to these timeless questions: Who are we? What are we here for? What is our potential? Why am I acting this way? How can I grow to be a more balanced individual?  Since Astrology assumes the law of karma which states that a human being more or less lives and works within certain parameters created by actions performed in prior lifetimes, it can shine light on many events in life which seem meaningless. In this way, Astrology is a comforting science which explains that perhaps things happen for a reason. Astrology provides cosmic clues as to why we’re attracted to, repelled by or indifferent to those we meet. It helps us take personality clashes less to heart, and show potential red flags to watch out for. Some connections are sparked by friction, and astrology helps us take the long view, and see them as challenges that cause us both to grow. With the help of Astrology, we can see our take off point as well as our destination. Astrology can install hope, increase will power and guide towards better future. It can direct the course of life from frustration to fantasy and from hopelessness to hope.

Every Soul chooses to be born at a certain time and place and our astrological chart reflects the original Soul’s intention for coming into this world. The great psychologist, Carl Jung, believed that the time of birth was not a coincidence, but was a mysterious synchronicity that reveals a great deal. He used astrology in his work with clients, and found that it worked……so what may seem unimportant – the birth date, time and place, is actually a profound tool; an ‘oracle’ and what may look like a mystery to many of us, is not a mystery to the astrologer who can read the meaning contained in the chart and suggests methods to make the most positive use of our planetary energies and effectively deal with the challenges presented by our chart.

Astrology helps mankind mainly in two ways. One by helping identify the strengths and abilities we have and can capitalize on. The Second by helping us identify the ways we create our own problems and cause unhappiness for ourselves and those around us. Traditionally planets are held responsible for our happiness or unhappiness, but they only point out the ways we have been causing our self-fulfillment or self-defeat. And, if self-defeating behaviors are causing problems for us, we can use the chart as a guide to face them honestly and directly. If we do so, we can tackle those problem areas and ultimately realize the most positive potential of placement of every planet in our charts. Once we can identify a pattern of self-defeating behavior, the chart can lead to an understanding of exactly what is behind it and how to correct it. Our astrological chart is a priceless tool for gaining perspective on the self, for finding the roots of conflict and self-defeat within us. By discovering the sources of self-defeat in our chart, we will be able to free the life affirming parts to work more openly…… and by accepting all parts of ourselves and allowing them a positive expression, we can definitely become a healthy, fully integrated person.

Human beings are motivated by both nature and the will. Nature for its part is ruled by the planets, while the will is free – but unless it makes the effort to resist, it will be swept along by nature and become a part of destiny. Knowledge of astrology gives the wise person the power to modify or annul the effects of the planets….it empowers encourages and opens the mind to use it to its highest potential. With its understanding we can develop abilities to see life as an initiation and sacred journey no matter what the circumstances are….it helps to understand life’s path with greater clarity and compassion….it makes what could be complex, simple and what could be overwhelming, acceptable. Understanding the power of the planets and one’s own ability to offset that power by our own will can change our destiny and bring evolution of the spirit. Therefore, the knowledge of astrology promotes the elevation of consciousness of human beings as it goes deep into the origins of the mind. Instead, it’s saying to ourselves and to the universe that something will happen, believing it, and putting our entire will behind it. I believe that we can surely have this level of conviction when our will is in harmony with God’s will, or our karmic destiny.

Paracelsus, one of the world’s greatest astrologers, also remarked, quoting the ancients: “The stars incline; they do not compel” (Astra inclinant non necessistant). He meant that while planetary influences create the groundwork and basis for action in any set of circumstances, there is still the element of free will in us all. We have become masters of our own destiny to the degree to which we are no longer subject to the mechanical influences of the conditioned world. We can use the techniques and insights of astrology to make sense of our connection with each other, with the universe at large, and with our own inner selves.

With knowledge of astrology we can make us aware of how everything in life is full of hidden meanings and how everything is on some level connected with everything else and thus has an important place in life’s wholeness. In astrology man is never a separate lonely being in the universe: everyone has her or his own meaningful task and a place in a larger whole to create and un-create thoughts and actions to build one’s own destiny ….. Astrology is a kind of road map we can use to enlighten our own paths in that larger whole. … its knowledge and understanding makes our journey through our own world of possibilities a meaningful adventure. Since we cannot change something until we are aware of it as such Astrology helps us become aware of ourselves – both our strengths and weaknesses, or our positive and negative karma. At the deepest level, all major events in our lives are governed by our karma, the product of what we have been in the (sometimes distant) past. Karmas are given to us in order to create the conditions necessary for us to wake up from the “sleep of ages” and to achieve self-realization. Since the universe reflects the energies of the cosmic mind, so do our lives too. Astrology is thus a timed map to the expression of these energies and a tool for awareness to modify our destiny.

Therefore we can say that astrology is a key to ourselves… essentially a blueprint for how to achieve our soul’s optimal growth in this life…. the astrological chart paints a picture of our inner world that can help us understand our needs, desires and motivations more deeply. It also answers the question of “Why are we here?” What are the specific tasks we need to undertake to fulfill our unique destiny & what lessons are we here to learn, what are the challenges that we need to embrace that will allow us to feel like our life has purpose and meaning? A complete understanding of this blueprint helps us realize our own basic nature and demonstrate ways to harmonize our life with the cosmic energy….. we can tap the creative potential of cosmic energy as the destiny unfolds, and transform our dreams into reality by  unlocking our hidden potential; realigning our life strategies; making right choices; spotting new possibilities; facing tough times gracefully; managing time effectively and transforming our relationships.

Astrology actually helps us to realize that only we are the creators and masters of our lives and not the destiny. It inspires to find clues about raising our awareness to dance along with the cosmic design. It helps us to capitalize upon the self-potential and inspire ourselves to meet the forthcoming challenges of life with new vigor and determination. It illustrates that it is imperative to identify with the real self and make intelligent move with its help to deal successfully with different phases, ups and downs, of life. It opens our windows to our inner self, other people and into their worlds and to the common world… ….In one sense astrology takes  us  back to  our roots,  yet without  forgetting  the  significance of the present and empowers us to live in present only by deeper acceptance of our selves.

About Author: Roopa Vohra (Ph.D. in psychology from Delhi University) is a Consultant Psychologist, Social worker, Herbalist and above all a Healer. She is studying Astrology since 2000 and keeps special ability to go deep into it. She integrates Astrology with Psychological and Ayurvedic principles. Her personal passion is to empower people to come out of usual chaos of their lives. She has authored many research papers, book chapters and books in various fields of psychology, health, women and disabilities. She is editor of a research journal entitled ‘Disabilities and Impairments’ running successfully for the last 22 years. She is a General Secretary of NGO ‘Heritage Foundation’ whose main motto is to connect, empower and rediscover people.