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Knowledge Center

Welcome to American Institute of Vedic Studies's Knowledge Center presenting articles on Yoga, Ayurveda, Mantra, Meditation and Vedanta by Dr David Frawley a.k.a. Acharya Vamadeva Shastri, Yogini Shambhavi and other associated scholars.

Latest Articles

Embodied Mind and Transcendent Consciousness

American Institute of Vedic Studies
American Institute of Vedic Studies
Embodied Mind and Transcendent Consciousness
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We human beings are embodied creatures defined by our birth in a particular physical body as indicating our real identity and the focus of our lives. Our minds are not only located in the body but ruled by an entire set of bodily needs, imperatives, appearances and actions and their daily functions. Our physical body is our personal image, starting with our face and form and the clothes we put around the body. We see ourselves as a bodily intelligence operating through the brain, senses and motor organs. This is the basis of our survival, development and happiness in life.   Obviously caring for the body, both at physical and social levels, is an important task, the most immediate and demanding necessity that we have to deal with in our lives and with our minds on a moment by moment level. Protecting, preserving and promoting our bodily needs is the

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January 11, 2023 No Comments

Kali as the Yuga Shakti: the Power to Create a New World Age

By Yogini Shambhavi   As the great power of time, Kali’s Shakti creates the different Yugas or world ages that humanity passes through during the long cycles of cosmic evolution. Kali is the Goddess of eternity watching over all our temporal changes and facilitating those which promote our inner growth. More specifically, Kali is the Yuga Shakti or the power of time that takes humanity from one world age to another. She works to sustain the spiritual energy of the planet through both the ages of light and darkness.   The awakening to the Divine Mother and the Great Goddess that is occurring today at a global level is, yogically speaking, an awakening to the energy of Kali. The Mother Goddess as the dark, mysterious and transcendent Devi holds the key to the real power and presence of the universe in all her manifestations. Kali is once more entering into

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January 5, 2023 No Comments

Comparison and the Incomparable Self

Your inner Self (Atman) and true nature cannot be compared to anything. It has no name, form or action, no shape, size or color. It is beyond all elements and qualities of nature. It is beyond body and mind, time and appearance altogether. It dwells within everything yet is not limited to anything. At most we can compare it to space and light. Your inner Self is what it is, which is the Being of all. The Self ever abides in its own fullness, peace and ananda. That Self is what you really are, not what you think you are or what others think you are, which are just the shadows of the mind. With such a power and awareness within us, why would we seek anything externally, try to get something from other people, or make them subordinate to us?   The Danger of Comparison Whenever we compare ourselves

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January 2, 2023 No Comments

Shiva Ayurveda – The Yogic Power of Healing and Transformation

Most Ayurvedic practitioners look upon Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as the deity of Ayurveda and ideal doctor. Certainly that is an important tradition worthy of following based on profound Puranic stories and symbolism. Yet in the Rigveda, the oldest Vedic text, and Shruti or book of mantric vision of the Rishis, the primary doctor and healer is Rudra, the main Vedic name for Shiva. Rudra is lauded in the Rigveda as the supreme doctor  (bhishaktamam tva bhishajam shrinomi). In the famous Rudram chant of the Yajurveda, in which the mantra Namah Shivaya first occurs, Rudra is the personification of the healing ritual (Yajna) that grants wellbeing and longevity (Ayu), freedom from disease and death.   Rudra and Agni Vedic Rudra is connected with Agni who purifies body and mind and removes toxins and poisons, specifically his form as Agni Pavaka, Agni the purifier. This means we can

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December 29, 2022 No Comments

Winter Solstice, Galactic Center and New Time of Troubles

I have been writing for some years about 2020 as indicating the beginning of a “New Time of Troubles” for humanity, dangerous from 2020-2028, but continuing long beyond that. This relates astronomically to the Winter Solstice point transiting the Galactic Center in the constellation of Sagittarius. It is difficult to determine exactly owing to large gas clouds around the Galactic Center, and as it is slowly moving its effects may last for decades. 2020-2021 marked the transit of Ketu, the South Node of the Moon or Tail of the Serpent, one of the two eclipse points, over this same region of the Galactic Center, which is located in the Vedic Lunar Constellation or Nakshatra of Mula ruled by Ketu, and relates to the cosmic force of Nirriti, indicating danger, conflict, destruction, and yet the promise of transformation and new birth. Such challenging influences will remain for some time.   THE

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December 21, 2022 No Comments

The Ancient Yoga of the Sun

For the Winter Solstice December 21, which marks the rebirth of the Sun and Agni What if the most powerful force for energizing all Yoga practices were as obvious and visible as the Sun? The fact is that it is. The Sun, properly understood not merely as an outer but as an inner energy source, reflects the supreme light of Yoga both in our own hearts and in the world of nature around us.   If we look at traditional and ancient cultures from throughout world, we discover a strong awareness of the Sun as a spiritual force, and as great symbol and a secret doorway to a higher reality. We note extensive religious, spiritual, yogic, astrological and shamanic traditions that revere the Sun and also seek to understand the wisdom and grace behind its outer form, intuiting through the Sun the supreme force behind all existence. The Sun is

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December 19, 2022 No Comments

Yoga as Samadhi

Yoga is defined as Samadhi in the Yoga Sutras. Yet few Yoga practitioners know what Samadhi is or how to approach it. But without understanding Samadhi one cannot understand Yoga in the true sense of the term. Samadhi is complete coherence and composure of mind, the mind fully united with the power of seeing, so that it loses its separate nature and merges into pure consciousness and bliss. Samadhi is the highest aspect of Yoga practice as complete meditative absorption that takes us beyond body and mind, birth and death. Samadhi in Yoga Sutras   Yoga Sutras defines Yoga as Samadhi. Yoga as Chitta Vritti Nirodha or control of the mind (YS I.2)  is a definition of Samadhi. Its ultimate result of Tada Drashtu Svarupe avasthanam or then the Seer (Purusha) abides in its own Self-nature (YS I.3), is a definition of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the highest Samadhi.   Every section

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December 18, 2022 No Comments

Yoga and Ayurveda Practices to Protect our Nervous Systems in the High Tech Era

         Today we are spending large amounts of time daily in front of computer screens, cell phones, other electrical items or an electrified urban environment. In the process we are exposing ourselves to powerful artificial electrical energies on many levels. This is a necessity in the information technology era. But it has potential physical and psychological side-effects we should carefully consider.        How do we compensate for these high tech electrical energies that can disturb our nervous systems as well as our mind and emotions? Here Yoga and Ayurveda have much to offer. Ayurveda helps us through right care of the body and appropriate daily life style, balancing our doshas, improving vitality and immunity. Yoga helps us calm the mind by relaxing the body, deepening the prana, turning the senses within, and promoting meditation, silence and transcendence.        A few simple practices below.

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December 15, 2022 No Comments

Yoga Nidra according to Adi Shankara

Yoga Nidra is a popular topic today but seldom taken to the depth that it is presented with in the Vedantic teachings. Here we will examine it according to the views of the great teacher, Shankara.   Adi Shankara or Shankaracharya is the most lauded exponent of Advaita or non-dualistic Vedanta. Most Advaita taught looks back to his influence, including the teachings of Ramana Maharshi. Yet Shankara wrote on all aspects of Yoga starting with his focus in Jnana or Knowledge, but also Bhakti or Devotion, Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga in various stotras and shorter works, as well as in his longer commentaries.   Shankara discusses the key factors in Yoga of the nature of Atman, Purusha, Brahman and Ishvara, along with states of Samadhi as Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa in detail. He examines the Yamas and Niyamas for purifying the mind, and all the main aspects of Yoga practice,

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December 10, 2022 No Comments

Why Sri Krishna is the Avatar of Yoga

Sri Krishna is the only human guru and incarnation of Vishnu called Yogavatara or the Avatar of Yoga, and Yogeshvara or the Lord of Yoga. The Bhagavad Gita remains the most important and foundational Yoga Shastra or definitive Yoga text. To understand Yoga one must understand Sri Krishna, his life, teachings and the Bhagavad Gita. Otherwise one has only touched the surface of the profound yogic science of consciousness. The Gita is the essence of the Upanishads, which in turn are the essence of the Vedas. As such, the Gita is the key teaching of the Vedic Sanatana Dharma. It remains the most accessible Vedic text both in language and context. Sri Krishna is the ultimate Yoga guru as the master of all the Yoga branches and the great teacher of Vedic knowledge on all levels.   The Yoga Sutras a greater systematization than the Gita but less detail and

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December 3, 2022 No Comments

Psychological Immunity and How to Measure it

American Institute of Vedic Studies
American Institute of Vedic Studies
Psychological Immunity and How to Measure it
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We all know the importance of physical immunity. This is our ability to resist disease, ward off pathogens, endure the dualities of heat and cold and seasonal changes, have physical strength and stamina, slow down the aging process and heal our bodies from within relative to injuries or chronic diseases. It is indicated by positive health and wellness. But what is psychological immunity? It is similarly the ability of the mind to resist disease, ward off emotional toxins, endure the dualities of gain and loss, joy and sorrow, attraction and repulsion. It means to have enduring mental strength and stamina, slowing down the aging process for the mind and memory, steady concentration and balanced emotions, without agitation and sorrow. It is indicated by a positive attitude in life, fearlessness, contentment, Self-awareness and creativity.   Just as physical pathogens like bacteria and viruses abound in the external world, so mental pathogens,

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October 10, 2022 No Comments

Shravana: The Vedic Yoga of Listening

There is an inner state of listening, called Shravana in Vedanta, where the mind is silent, receptive and non-reactive, allowing it to access a higher level of communication and learning. This meditative of listening called Shravana holds an inner space in which the real meaning of anything said can be revealed. It is an attentive and discerning listening with a mind free of opinions, prejudices and attachments, removing the dense veil of our programmed responses. Shravana is the basis of true learning and communication on all levels, in which the truth of any statement is revealed, not just outer words. It is the basis of higher education, which is not merely learning words, ideas or numbers but contacting the essence of the cosmic reality within and around us. Yet few people know how to enter into this profound state of listening, or even know of its existence or value. It

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October 6, 2022 No Comments

The Meaning of Durga

No country in the world demonstrates such enduring reverence for the Great Mother Goddess, as does India. The Goddess is celebrated in every form, aspect and quality, through music, art, ritual, mantra and meditation. She is honored in women, the Earth, nature and the transcendent beyond all expression. Her worship is full of splendor, delight, mystery and wonder. The Goddess is Shakti, meaning power, the resort of all transformative energy and cataclysmic force that mere human logic cannot comprehend. She possesses martial and regal forms that all must bow down before in awe. During the Navaratri – India’s famous festival of the Goddess celebrated not only in the autumn but also in the spring– she is worshipped as Durga, the supreme Shakti, holding all majesty, wisdom and grace. Durga is the Mother of the universe from who comes forth the creation, sustenance and dissolution of all beings and all worlds.

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September 29, 2022 No Comments

Who is Goddess Durga and why we celebrate Navratras

The following article is by Yogini Shambhavi Devi Ma Durga is the protective form of Shakti, burning up all ignorance, as her fiery nature energises our highest motivation. The Devi-Mahatmya (Greatness of the Goddess) glorifies the Mother Goddess as the embodiment of the Earth, in which she sustains, nurtures and cares for all living beings. In her transcendent state, she is the blissful Queen of the Universe who rules over all existence with majesty and grace. “Durga” in Sanskrit means difficulty, a fort, a place that is hard to conquer, yet also indicates the means of overcoming all difficulties and gaining all difficult attainments. Durga is Durgatinashini, “the one who eliminates all difficulties and suffering.” She steers the ship of our minds through the troubled waters of samsara, the illusory world of maya, helping us cross the ocean of ignorance. Durga as the sublime Mother Goddess shields her devotees from

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September 26, 2022 No Comments

The Great Goddess and World Mother (Mahadevi) in Vedic Astrology

By Yogini Shambhavi Mahadevi, the Great Goddess, has many names and forms in Jyotish, the Vedic astrological science of light. These range from her overall cosmic influence to specific associations with planets, signs, Nakshatras and phases of the Moon. In Hindu thought, the Goddess is the Mother of the Universe from whom the origin, sustenance and dissolution of everything arises. She governs over the whole of time, as past, present and future, and all of space. As the Supreme Mother, the Goddess cannot be limited to a single planet, sign or astrological indication. Her influences occurs on many levels and in many dimensions, coloring all the forces of the universe, which are manifestations of her Supreme Shakti. She possesses all the forms of the feminine nature, as well as all the forces and creativity of life and light. She is also formless, extending to the original matrix of time and

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September 22, 2022 No Comments

How Narendra Modi is invoking old civilisational spirit to build new, aspirational India

New India can be a new light for humanity, not just at political or economic levels, but also at a civilisational level extending to a universal vision says Dr David Frawley in his latest article at FirstPost India India is not only a great nation today as the world’s largest democracy encompassing one-sixth of humanity, it is also a diverse and vibrant culture and a profound civilisation that has endured since the dawn of history spreading the deepest wisdom to the world. Yet India/Bharat was never stagnant even under foreign rule and has brought great spiritual teachings, gurus, yogis and rishis to every generation. Today a New India is arising to renew and share that vast civilisational legacy, not just as an imitation of the other countries or cultures of the world. India’s Independence in 1947 held the opportunity for India as a nation and its dharmic civilisation to once

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September 19, 2022 No Comments

Articles on Ayurveda

Vedic Counseling and Karmic Counseling

Karmic Responsibility: Taking Control of Your Life The first thing Vedic counseling teaches us is that our lives are a product of our own actions or karma. Who we are and what we experience, both individually and collectively, is the result of forces that we have set in motion and are ultimately responsible for.  We

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September 9, 2022 No Comments

Ayurvedic Astrology

All great ancient civilizations centered their cultures on profound systems of astronomy and astrology, connecting conditions and events on the Earth to cosmic influences deriving from the stars. Whether it is India or China, Egypt or Babylonia, or the Mayas and Incas of America, we find in each case an astrological foundation for their spiritual

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August 17, 2022 No Comments

Why the practice of Yoga should begin with Ayurveda

Following Ayurveda along with Yoga  helps us gain complete harmony and balance in body and mind so that we can discover our true Self that is one with all. Most people today practice Yoga, particularly asana and pranayama, for health benefits as the primary factor, extending at times to mantra, mindfulness and meditation to improve

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June 20, 2022 No Comments

Ayurvedic Implications of Yoga Sutras of Patanjali

We will explore the extensive relationship and vast interconnections between Yoga and Ayurveda, focusing on the Yoga Sutras. This examination extends to important issues of Yoga sadhana, Yoga therapy and Ayurvedic healing. Yoga, Ayurveda and related Vedic disciplines have more connections than usually acknowledged, particularly in the West. We cannot understand one of these systems

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June 13, 2022 No Comments

Karma, DNA of Our Soul

By Dr David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) Karma, meaning action, is a Vedic term for explaining the reincarnating soul’s evolution from life to life. Karma is portrayed as the effect of our individual actions, extending from past lives to present and future lives. It is often regarded as a force of determination, like fate or

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May 15, 2022 No Comments

Ayurvedic Astrology: Hinduism Today

Ayurvedic Astrology: Hinduism Today   With the Covid-19 era focusing humanity on wellness more than ever before, we present the special Vedic branch of medical astrology and the astrology of healing. By Vamadeva Shastri, first published in Hinduism Today Magazine   Seeking knowledge: OUR HUMAN LIVES ARE GOVERNED BY the same cosmic forces that rule

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April 1, 2022 No Comments

Articles on Yoga

Shiva Ayurveda – The Yogic Power of Healing and Transformation

Most Ayurvedic practitioners look upon Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as the deity of Ayurveda and ideal doctor. Certainly that is an important tradition worthy of following based on profound Puranic stories and symbolism. Yet in the Rigveda, the oldest Vedic text, and Shruti or book of mantric vision of the Rishis, the

Read the full article »
December 29, 2022 No Comments

The Ancient Yoga of the Sun

For the Winter Solstice December 21, which marks the rebirth of the Sun and Agni What if the most powerful force for energizing all Yoga practices were as obvious and visible as the Sun? The fact is that it is. The Sun, properly understood not merely as an outer but as an inner energy source,

Read the full article »
December 19, 2022 No Comments

Yoga as Samadhi

Yoga is defined as Samadhi in the Yoga Sutras. Yet few Yoga practitioners know what Samadhi is or how to approach it. But without understanding Samadhi one cannot understand Yoga in the true sense of the term. Samadhi is complete coherence and composure of mind, the mind fully united with the power of seeing, so

Read the full article »
December 18, 2022 No Comments

Yoga Nidra according to Adi Shankara

Yoga Nidra is a popular topic today but seldom taken to the depth that it is presented with in the Vedantic teachings. Here we will examine it according to the views of the great teacher, Shankara.   Adi Shankara or Shankaracharya is the most lauded exponent of Advaita or non-dualistic Vedanta. Most Advaita taught looks

Read the full article »
December 10, 2022 No Comments

Why Sri Krishna is the Avatar of Yoga

Sri Krishna is the only human guru and incarnation of Vishnu called Yogavatara or the Avatar of Yoga, and Yogeshvara or the Lord of Yoga. The Bhagavad Gita remains the most important and foundational Yoga Shastra or definitive Yoga text. To understand Yoga one must understand Sri Krishna, his life, teachings and the Bhagavad Gita.

Read the full article »
December 3, 2022 No Comments

The Meaning of Durga

No country in the world demonstrates such enduring reverence for the Great Mother Goddess, as does India. The Goddess is celebrated in every form, aspect and quality, through music, art, ritual, mantra and meditation. She is honored in women, the Earth, nature and the transcendent beyond all expression. Her worship is full of splendor, delight,

Read the full article »
September 29, 2022 No Comments

Shakti Sadhana and Divine Grace

Shakti Sadhana by Yogini Shambhavi   All of our lives should be a Shakti Sadhana, a cultivation of the Yoga Shakti on all levels outwardly and inwardly. For this we are always supported by Mother Nature who is the very embodiment of Shakti for us. Shakti sadhana is not about making efforts to fulfill our

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September 5, 2022 No Comments

Vedic Light and Tantric Energy Yogas

  By Acharya David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri) Tantra and Veda: One Tradition   A number of writers and teachers, particularly in Western academia, have tried to divide the two great traditions of India of Veda and Tantra as different or even contrary. Some Yoga teachers have uncritically taken up this view as well. Vedic

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August 25, 2022 No Comments

Ananda: What is its True Meaning?

Ananda is one of the key terms of Yoga and Vedanta, and like many of these often misunderstood. Ananda is translated as bliss, though it has no real equivalent in the English language. Bliss is a helpful approximation but can be misleading.   Ananda is composed of the prefix ‘aa’ indicating a superlative level, and

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August 12, 2022 No Comments

Exploring the Inner Cosmology of Consciousness

  The inner cosmos has its own structure as does the outer cosmos. Each reflects the other. In fact, one could say that the inner cosmos creates the outer cosmos.   The cosmos is not something that exists outside of us extending into vast regions of space beyond our comprehension. The cosmos also dwells within

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July 28, 2022 No Comments

Articles on Meditation & the Mind

Meditation in Yoga and Ayurveda

Meditation is the key practice of traditional Yoga and the prime factor behind an authentic Ayurvedic lifestyle. Mantra is its foundation. Meditation goes to the root of our consciousness and prana, connecting us to our higher Self and aligning us with the healing forces of the Self-aware universe. If we don’t meditate daily we lose

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December 9, 2021 No Comments

Mantra, Concentration and Meditation

  Concentration and Meditation   To reach the meditative state, concentration is required first. A scattered, distracted, and inattentive mind cannot truly meditate, even if one sits silently for long periods of time. As the Yoga Sutras teach us, one must first develop the one-pointed mind (ekagra chitta) in order to reach state in which

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September 30, 2021 1 Comment

Transforming Emotions through Pranayama and Meditation

Which aspects of our nature are emotions rooted in and how can we best understand them? Emotions are most connected to Prana in yogic thought and have their roots in pranamaya kosha, the Pranic sheath that mediates between body and mind.   Emotions are based in instincts, notably hunger, thirst, survival and reproduction, which are

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December 7, 2020 No Comments

Yoga and Ayurveda View of the Mind: Audio

American Institute of Vedic Studies
American Institute of Vedic Studies
Yoga and Ayurveda View of the Mind: Audio
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Yoga and Ayurveda View of the Mind Audio In modern medicine brain, mind and consciousness are equated, with the mind regarded as only a function of the brain, and consciousness merely a function of the mind.  Mind and consciousness are reduced to brain chemistry, as if there were no real intelligence or real person there.

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March 28, 2020 No Comments

Articles on Jyotish (Vedic Astrology)

Ayurvedic Astrology

All great ancient civilizations centered their cultures on profound systems of astronomy and astrology, connecting conditions and events on the Earth to cosmic influences deriving from the stars. Whether it is India or China, Egypt or Babylonia, or the Mayas and Incas of America, we find in each case an astrological foundation for their spiritual

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August 17, 2022 No Comments

Lord Vishnu and Vedic Astrology

Vishnu is the primary Devata for the Sun in Vedic thought, notably in the form of Surya-Narayana.  Narayana is the cosmic form of Vishnu who rules over the entire universe. The mantra – OM Namo Narayanaya! – is a mantra of sadhus and connects us with the supreme Consciousness. It can be used to draw

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April 15, 2021 No Comments

Lord Shiva in Vedic Astrology

Lord Shiva has a central yet complex role in Vedic astrology, associated with a number of planetary energies, though he has specific planetary associations. We will explore these from my years of research in Vedic texts and Shaivite Yoga.   Shiva and the Sun and Moon   Shiva’s connections to the Sun are powerful and

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March 15, 2021 No Comments

The Milky Way and the Cosmic Soma

An indepth study of the Vedic Understanding of the Milky Way and the Zodiac Soma and the Orientation of the Zodiac The key to the meaning of the signs of the zodiac should be evident from the orientation of the zodiac itself. The most dramatic factor in stellar observation for any person is the Milky

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March 1, 2020 No Comments

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