The Manson Family murders in the Summer of â69 seared a hole in the American psyche. The Family was a cult of hippie nihilists led by Charles Manson, a frustrated singer-songwriter on the fringe of the LA music industry. In what was to become one of the first acts of social-class terrorism to date, Manson […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 3
24 September 2005 Another beautiful day at the Dayananda ashram in Rishikesh, and Swami Brahmavidyananda is explaining some basic principles of Vedanta⦠Thinking covers a broad spectrum, he tells us. Just as there are shades of grey between black and white, so thinking can vary in its quality. Certain objects give us pleasure. Therefore, we […]
Vedanta in Rishikesh, day 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 […]
The Mathematics of Yogas, part 2: Parivartana
Parivartana Yoga Parivartana Yoga is formed when two planets simultaneously occupy a sign ruled by the other, eg, with Saturn in Cancer and the Moon in Capricorn, or Mars in Leo with the Sun in Scorpio, and so on. The two houses thus occupied and ruled become the focus of a symbiotic relationship rich for […]
Muhammad Ali: noble warrior
âIâd like to be remembered as a man who won the heavyweight title three times, who was humorous, and who treated everyone right,â Ali wrote before his death. âAs a man who never looked down on those who looked up to him. As a man who tried to unite humankind through faith and love.â For […]
Keith Richards & Jimmy Page: mutually in tune
What do Keith Richards and Jimmy Page have in common? Theyâre both British-born and 72 years old. Both are renowned guitarists steeped in the blues, founding members of world-class rock bands. Both are songwriters and innovators â Richards in 5-string open tuning, Page in technical virtuosity. Both are avid readers â Richards of WW2 history, […]
Bernie Sanders: not-for-sale maverick
Bernie Sanders: not-for-sale maverick Billionaires and astrologers dislike Bernie Sanders for very different reasons. The very rich consider him a threat to redistribute Americaâs wealth into the hands of the 99%. Astrologers regard him as an enigma because his birth time is unknown, spoiling their prospects for predicting his political future. Astro-databankâs brief biography on […]
David Bowie: the starman who fell to earth
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 […]
The Ashley Madison affair: Venus & Mars are not al
In 1975 Paul McCartney sang, âA good friend of mine follows the stars: Venus and Mars are alright tonight.â But as of this week when a hacker group made public the customer database for the Ashley Madison website, Venus and Mars are not alright. In fact, theyâve been up all night fighting⦠For those who […]