Insights & Inspiration
A Thoughtful Blog on Jyotish Practice
This article appeared in The CVA Journal â Spring/Summer 2009
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
 THE DISPARAGED 8TH HOUSE
The 8th house has earned the dubious reputation as the ugliest house in the Jyotish neighborhood. Itâs the one capable of wrecking the most damage, even death, and itâs hard to get m...
This interview appeared in Journal of Astrology - July/Aug 2010
Sri K.N. Rao, is widely considered to be one of the foremost Vedic astrologers in the world today. He is the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavanâs school of astrology in New Delhi, India, which is a two year course of study with about 12...
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
POPULAR HANUMAN
Hanuman, the celebrated monkey devotee of Ram in the epic story The Ramayana, is one of the most popular Hindu deities. There are arguably more temples and small roadside shrines to Hanuman than all of the other Hindu deities combined. You see them
...By K.N. RaoÂ
What we teach in the classes we run at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (astrology school in New Delhi, India) is a plain approach to predictions first based on the birth horoscope and mainly springing from the birth horoscope. The varga charts are referred to for confirmation not for the main p...
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
Itâs important to clearly understand the difference between the two primary systems of astrology in use today: the Vedic or sidereal, and the Western or tropical. Without this understanding itâs easy to think that one system is superior or inferior to the other and d
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
INDIAâS LIVING TRADITIONS â INTERESTING FACTS
Vedic astrology is the traditional astrology of India and is some 4000-5000 years old. This is no fly by night tradition! In fact, the remarkable thing is that itâs a living tradition. If youâve been studying Western astrol...
What are the effects of a retrograde exalted planets? What is Dasha Pravesh and how can it be used for greater predictive accuracy. Watch this video and find out.Â
When learning Vedic astrology, as with any discipline, itâs important to apply the principles you learn with many practical examples. This article presents a very useful and reliable chart interpretation method, involving the transits of Jupiter and Saturn, which you can immediately apply to any cha...

Have you ever considered following a star? Many ancient cultures relied on the stars to chart their destinies. Polynesian navigators discovered the Hawaiâian Islands more than 1500 years ago by primarily fol...
By Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
RAMA AS LIGHT
Over the years Iâve made it a practice to read the Ramayana by Tulsidas, also known as the Ramcharitmanas, which is an inspirational text about the life of Rama that was highly praised by Mahatma Gandhi, as the "best work on devotion." In the first chapte...
 Juliana Swanson for the Jyotish Star Newsletter: How did you become interested in Vedic astrology?
Vaughn Paul: My journey with Vedic astrology began with an unexpected phone call in May 1991. I was teaching at an elementary school in Seattle, Washington, living in a yoga ashram, and finishing off...
reprinted with permission from K.N. Rao & interviewer Maalok
originally published May 30, 2005 by sulekha
Sri K.N. Rao, is widely considered to be one of the foremost Vedic astrologers in the world today. He is the architect of a great astrological renaissance, and founder of the Bharatiya V
...Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.
There are several heated debates among Vedic astrologers, and one that hovers near the top of the heat index is, âWhich is the primary house of education?â Generally, north Indian astrologers attribute the 5th house, while south Indians give the 4th house. Iâve addressed this...
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.
PRACTICING ASTROLOGY: BEING AWARE OF MOTIVATIONS
Recently I was asked by a student about Doâs and Dontâs when giving an astrology reading. So, hereâs a few key ideas that come to mind in response:
The main point is to have the primary motive of being of service, helping t...
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
THE DHARMA HOUSES
The dharma houses 1, 5, 9 are the houses of meaning, purpose, and inspiration. They can be also considered âfire housesâ since they correspond to the fire signs Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. When we are living in harmony with the dharma houses in our char...
This article appeared in Zento Magazine, Spring 2004
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
Whatâs in a cloud? It may be a lot more than just fluff. Many cultures around the world, both ancient and modern, have believed in signs and omens as a source of valuable information about life. To the native Hawaiians, a...
By K.N. Rao
All that has been said here forms the background for the discussion of the horoscope of my Guruji, late Swami Paramananda Saraswati. He was like any true and genuine saint of India encouraging the study of astrology, not for any mercenary motives, but for the twin purpose of keeping ali...
This article appeared in Journal of Astrology â Winter 2004 issue
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
THE LIMITATIONS OF LEARNING ASTROLOGY
Learning astrology is usually a private hobby, or for some â a private obsession. Once youâve learned enough to realize that astrology is a sacred science that can give ...
A video class on KRS Channel about the fluctuations in career that happen under certain planetary influences.Â
This article appeared in Express Star Teller July 2007
Vaughn Paul Manley, M.A.Â
A successful psychic friend of mine in Hawaii once said to me:In dasha analysis the extra step of analyzing the past is often overlooked. We usually fall into the habit of analyzing the current or upcoming dasha in tota...

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