The unifying purpose of all the Vedic sciences is self-realization, to break free from the illusion of physical existence and become aware of our true nature as a spiritual being. With the help of Ayurveda, we are able to maintain a properly functioning vehicle for the spiritual process. Yoga gives us the practices to align our body & mind with spirit. Jyotish gives us the blueprint and timing for what is happening in our life, and why.
The first mention of Jyotish comes from the Rig Veda (the oldest text on the planet), in a section called “Vedanga Jyotisha” describing the correct timing for rituals & ceremonies, yet each of the 3 primary Vedic sciences (Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish) operate under shared principles. These principles are described in the philosophies of Vedanta & Samkhya, which reflect ideas that emerged from the study of the Upanishads.
We can usually trace an outcome to an action, then the action to a thought(s) or idea(s) that lead up to it, but tracing thoughts or ideas to their source/origin is where people often get lost. Samkhya philosophy gives a roadmap for the entire process of manifestation. According to the ancient seers & sages, “karma” is the source of thought patterns (called samskaras), and many of those tendencies are imprinted on your mind at the moment of birth. Your astrological birth chart is a blueprint & schedule of your karma ripening in time.
What is karma?
The word karma is used improperly in modern day society. Karma relates to actions and the results those actions create in the future, but it’s much deeper than that. For example, we are born at a certain day at a certain time in a certain location from the sperm and egg of two individuals that have taken actions in their lifetime that resulted with a baby. We’re born as the byproduct of their actions, history and genetics. That’s our karma at birth. We also create karma every moment of every day because we’re taking action in the world and those actions are creating future outcomes. Karma isn’t “bad” or “good”, just like gravity isn’t “bad” when you fall over and hurt yourself or “good” when your body stays on earth instead of flying into outer space, it’s just the natural order of things – a universal law – something that we call “dharma”.
What is dharma?
The word dharma doesn’t have a perfect translation in English, but it refers to truth, cosmic order, and the way things are supposed to be in nature. When someone is asking about your dharma, they’re asking about what you’re uniquely designed to contribute to the world or accomplish in your life. But ALL universal laws are an example of dharma because they represent the way things are supposed to be. Space, gravity, electromagnetism, planets & moons orbiting the solar system, and everything that was “discovered” rather than “invented” is an example dharma.
