David Bowie: the starman who fell to earth âThereâs a starman waiting in the sky, heâd like to come and meet us, but he thinks heâd blow our minds.â From the moment he first appeared as Ziggy Stardust, David Bowie was the beautiful alien we fell in love with. In one swoop he made extraterrestrial […]
Viparita Raja Yoga: going under to cross over
Viparita Raja Yoga: going under to cross over…Â At some point in our mathematical education, we learned that two negatives can make a positive. For example, if we multiply two negative numbers, the product is positive. Logically, it doesnât make sense, but mathematicians who know better say it does. Who are we to argue? The […]
Book release: STELLAR ASTROLOGY by Alan Annand
STELLAR ASTROLOGY by Alan Annand: applications of jyotish (Vedic astrology). This is a compilation of essays on techniques, in-depth celebrity profiles, and analysis of mundane events. A highly informative reference work intended for serious students of astrology, it is written in a clear and lively style by an astrologer experienced in both western and Vedic systems. Available in […]
The Yorkshire Ripper: a study in stellar forensics
Peter Sutcliffe, aka The Yorkshire Ripper, terrorized the north of England in and around the cities of Leeds and Manchester from 1975 until 1980. The case received sensational press coverage in its day and was both a burden and embarrassment for the British police services which, in the pre-computer era, had at one point dedicated […]
Vedic Astrology & Career Selection
Career Selection As an astrologer, if youâre capable of addressing the perennial issues of relationship and career, your own career success is assured. In ancient times, choosing a career was relatively simple, and in India at least it was laid out along the lines of the caste system. If you were a Brahmin, youâd be […]
The cliché of Mercury retrograde thinking
As an author I try to be mindful of clichés and avoid them like the plague. Clichés include phrases like: think outside the horoscope, kill two Geminis with one stone, take the Taurus by the horns, etc. Weâve seen these word-groups so many times theyâve become stock communications devices, comfortable crutches we can lean on […]
My Practice of Vedic Astrology
This article describing my consultation process first appeared under a slightly different title in the May 2014 edition of Jyotish Star. Thanks to Juliana Swanson for encouragement and guidance, and Christina Collins for publishing. Thanks also to my teachers, Hart DeFouw and his guru Mantrji, without whom I’d never have seen the light of the […]
Penis size and finger ratios
Judging penis size by comparing index & ring fingers:Â If your friends have ever questioned the value of your studying the esoteric arts, your moment of validation has arrived. Korean researchers have determined that, compared to the index finger, the longer the ring finger, the longer the penis. Several other scientific studies had previously already […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, part 2
23 September 2015 Swamiji talked about looking at a colored piece of cloth and being able to clearly determine whether itâs red or yellow or green. But with ourselves, self-recognition isnât so easy. Thereâs a gap between who we are and who we want to be. To apprehend the difference, we have to think about […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, part 1
In September 2005 I accompanied a group of jyotish students to Rishikesh, India. We stayed at the Dayananda ashram for a week and a half, attending nine days of classes with our teacher, Hart deFouw, on the subject of the nakshatras. While there, we were privileged to also receive a morning discourse on the subject […]