The Synthesis of Western and Vedic Astrology – June-Aug 2024
–Twelve Consecutive Sundays-
9 June to 25 August 2024
This course consisting of twelve online lessons will present a functional and practical astrological methodology that draws on the best of Western and Vedic astrology. It’s primarily aimed at people with at least a basic working knowledge of Western astrology. We’ll be focusing on the purely geometric methods of Western astrology and the Jyotish approach to working with houses and planetary dignity and other more traditional rules of horoscopic astrology.
Although the intention is to teach an approach that draws on both astrological systems, they will for the most part in this course be treated as two distinct methodologies that complement each other when used side by side. We are not mixing methods willy-nilly or inventing any new rules and we honor each method’s own inherent logic and traditional usage.
Even so, there are vast spaces where Western and Vedic astrology are practically indistinguishable from each other. So much so that it is not unreasonable to state that they are essentially twin parts of the same astrological system, destined to be reunited. What is made explicit in one system is invariably implicit and also valid, in principle, in the other.
That said, what this course teaches is not abstract, speculative, academic or ideological. It’s all about how to practically apply astrology to understand people and the cyclic processes through which our lives unfurl in time. Even though a lot of information will be presented in a condensed way, the aim is to guide students to develop a sense of proportion in analyzing large amounts of information. We need to be capable of going into very final detail without losing sight of what is fundamental.
Part 1: Pure and Reliable Western Geometric Astrology (Lessons 1-4)
If there’s one thing Western astrology does well it’s the geometric techniques of astrology. Aspects and their application in the natal chart, transits, progressions, midpoints, synastry and composite charts, the graphic ephemeris, synodic cycles, minor aspects, harmonic charts, etc. The list goes on.
We’ll be touching on all these topics and methods and how they’re applied. But even simply using Aspects expertly will make you a good astrologer. There are some common misconceptions and poor practices in the way many people use the aspects of Western astrology; the most obvious example is the assumption that every square and opposition is in essence a problem of some kind. We’re going to look at how we structure and articulate interpretations in the astro-geometric-language.
A lot of the most useful astrology you can ever learn involves no consideration of the meanings of zodiac signs or houses. It’s pure geometry, symmetry and cycles.
Although there isn’t much focus on houses in this stage we’ll explore a geometry based house system and take a hint from Jyotish regarding how to treat aspects to the luminaries.
We’ll also devote some of this time to an exploration of certain principles of Synastry, or relationship astrology, using Western geometric methods.
The first stage of the course will attempt to inculcate a habit and capacity to look at charts through the prism of a purely geometric astrological paradigm. The result of this selective focus on geometric techniques is a very pure, clean and simple methodology which is extremely reliable and consistent, and, importantly, has many applications.
Part 2: First Steps into Jyotish (Lessons 5-9)
If there’s one thing Jyotish or Vedic astrology does really well it’s weaving together planets, signs and houses in a very sophisticated way. Some of these methods and principles of Jyotish will be familiar to Western astrologers, but Jyotish has a lot to teach common garden variety Western astrology about Houses and what they mean, and how to into interpret and use them- regardless of which house system you prefer. We’ll talk about House Systems.
Then there is the sidereal zodiac which is used by the vast majority of Indian astrologers. We’ll dive deeply into zodiacal symbolism and zodiacal planetary dignity using the Lahiri sidereal zodiac. Each one of the 12 possible ascendants involves far more than simply highlighting the attributes of the sign that happens to be rising, it results in all the planets having unique significance and status for a given ascendant before you’ve inserted them into their respective signs and houses. For example, for some ascendants Mars or Saturn are in fact the most benefic planets and for others a benefic planet like Jupiter can be problematic. It’s very nuanced.
This stage of the course is intended to give students of Western astrology a solid entry into the core techniques of Jyotish, and for some who are already familiar with the basics it may provide some fresh perspectives and inspiration.
Part 3: The Synthesis: A Working Methodology (Lesson 9-12)
In the final stage of this course we’ll devote some time to reviewing and building on the most important concepts and methods explored in the first two stages. We’ll look at many charts using Western and Vedic astrology side by side, and we’ll explore how chart analysis can be structured using this eclectic hybrid approach.
The last part of this course is a little more flexible and creative and will be guided in part by the feedback and requests from the group.
Schedule
- Every Sunday at 19:00 London Time (GMT +1) from 9 June to 25 August 2024, on Zoom.
- The duration of the live lessons will be approximately two hours. Sometimes we allow it to run a little longer.
Attendance and Recordings
- Lessons will be recorded and sent to all participants soon after the lesson.
- Attending the lessons on Zoom is recommended but if you can’t make it you will be able to stay in step with the recordings.
- Participants will get to keep the recordings for their personal use.
- Some parts of the recorded material may be used for future online publication or in other educational projects and products.
Fees
- There is no set fee! I will accept any donation. I ask only that if you register to attend the course you come with sincerity and a willingness to make an effort. Although any donation will be accepted, great or small, some contribution needs to be made.
- You can use the PayPal link below or send your donation via PayPal to sidereusacademy@gmail.com. If you would like to use another means to make your donation please get in touch.
