ન જાણ્યું જાનકીનાથે સવારે શું થવાનું છે

Meaning of the heading (a line from a poem) is, even Ram could not know what was going to happen next morning. 

Topic of this post is something I loved to learn and play with (and still do). I tried to talk about it few times (many posts had 'background' that I hoped to use), but failed. Now, with previous post as background, I guess I can finally get to it. If you are wondering what could warrant such hesitation - let me straight away introduce the subject. Its ज्योतिष (Astrology). 

I had heard amateurish (enthusiastic, basic level) mention of it since childhood - which grah is in whose home, when he is happy / irritated / strong / weak, who are friends, enemies, their nature and what not. i.e. they were familiar identities. They were part of life just like hundreds of other Pauranic and historical characters who had made themselves familiar through all the stories around them. All these was fine but there was some discomfort as well - that of faladesh (forecasts). Okay, there was no real reason for that discomfort - If despite me growing up in a culture where many people preferred worshipping Sakar Gods, where I got fully familiar and comfortable with all the historical as well as Puranic characters and their mutual interactions, if no one from same culture ever bothered that I didn't show interest in worshipping rituals, or asked if Nirakar variety interests me or that if at least I had considered Nirgun Idea, and similarly, if I never found other's preferences my business, why should faladesh bother me? It was for those who believe in it, believe in it, right? still, I felt I should argue against forecasting and forecasts. but how to argue against something you haven't studied?

So, one morning, I said, I will study Jyotish so that when someone tells me its because of xyz why such and such thing happened, I can speak in language they understand and express my arguments against faladesh. Started with making tables with basic entities, relationships, characteristics etc etc and then it was reading some tutorials, various forums, some blogs, articles, multiple viewpoints, learning few things, unlearning many others every day and my own kundli to experiment my latest level of skill each day-end. Why I had started studying in no way interfered with how I studied - this learning had become a pure 'play' for me the moment I started. btw, one of the first things I 'saw' in my kundli was it had favourable indications for me learning astrology and I was so happy, and soon I see I could die in coming months and that was scary.. 

But forecasts apart, before I reach there, I had to learn basics about chart preparation (yes, software makes it for you these days, but you need to know what it means). I think it was first time I understood my own calendar, rather understood what a calendar is. My appreciation of it and disappointment at we not making use of it for no good reason have already found place in some of my earlier posts.

Back to forecasting, actually, that was immensely useful too from the very beginning - a highly non social person, who was also adamant on not working, it kept me connected to few people who had volunteered to be my test subjects. and then, a single - yet spectacular (well, for the person concerned at least) and exact prediction coming true against all odds - took control out of my hands - now I had a group with lot of faith in my forecasting skills irrespective of what I wanted them to believe.

As I learned to look at kundli in newer ways, interpretation of same kundli often changed drastically every six months to a year, but for long enough, I could hold on to my initial view that all these was, at best, good entertainment. and that you could get accepted as good astrologer if you are good with language and psychology. Also, I never tried to gain in-depth/ detailed/classically accepted level of forecasting abilities by considering all levels of looking at chart or learning all rules/yogs. I slowly settled at Kundli reading based on kind of what I 'feel' when it look at it, rather than trying to be accurate or detailed as per rules.

I didn't realise when my understanding changed by how much, but the way I look at Jyotish today is something completely different from anything I might have imagined in early 2009 while deciding to learn it. Today, I see it as something that primarily serves the learner - i.e. if I want benefits out of it, best way to do is to learn, not find a Jyotishi. Its a bit like, if I want to swim, I need to learn swimming, finding someone who knows swimming may not be of much help. okay, he can rescue me or teach swimming, but not much beyond it.

So, what it does to the learner (as I see it)? If I try to think of shortest possible answer, it would be, it leaves no option but to take responsibility of own life experience. And, it doesn't stop just there, it also helps with strategies to excel at your responsibility. (Now, Nature always have multiple ways to achieve anything. so by no means, I am suggesting learning Jyotish is the only way to get these benefits - what I am saying is, this is what a learner can get out of it. and isnt it nice to learn few core things again and again in very different ways?).

How?

ok, I realise answering this 'How?' right here may make this post unduly lengthy and it may not be the best thing to start writing about it when reader is already in mood to glance at length of the remaining text. and I guess, its this feeling why I have got stuck at this point for more than a week now. So, let me try to answer it in next post.