Can Vedic Astrology predict the future? (Explained!)
For thousands of years, people have been looking for life’s answers in the movements of the sun, moon, and stars. Vedic astrology, the traditional Hindu system of astrology, is one of the oldest. But can Vedic astrology predict the future?
The purpose of Vedic astrology is not to predict the future and foretell a person what exactly will happen in their life. Instead, Vedic astrology is based on the concept of karma. Its purpose, therefore, is to guide a person towards leading a life that is more aligned with the effects that have manifested as a result of karma accumulated from previous lifetimes.
You must read this article if you have ever wondered if Vedic astrology can predict the future.
We explain in detail why Vedic astrology is not meant to be a tool for making predictions but for living our best lives.
Here is why.
Planetary influences are a result of karma
Vedic astrology rests on the belief in karma and reincarnation. According to Hindu tradition, when a person dies, the soul and the subconscious leave the body.
The subconscious carries a person’s physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual blueprint and stores its memories, experiences, knowledge, emotions, and accumulated karma.
It works like an equation of cause and effect; the actions made in previous lifetimes resonate in the present lifetime, determining the conditions in which a person is born.
The birth chart of a person reflects this accumulated karma.
When an astrologer reads a birth chart, it reflects how this past karma has come into fruition.
It reflects the potentiality that lies in these seeds from the past; it is, however, not a reflection of exactly how life will happen to this person.
Vedic astrology is meant to be a guiding tool
What Vedic astrology provides us is a map to help us navigate the challenges that arise in the course of our lives.
Rather than predicting the future, it is meant to be used as a guiding tool to enable us to make more empowered decisions.
Vedic astrology brings more awareness into our lives. It helps us stay aligned with the energy and shifts happening in the universe.
In this way, it can help us make better decisions when things start going wrong in our lives.
The course of life is not something that is fixed
What we think of as destiny is simply accumulated karma.
During our lives, we are presented with the effects of this karma in terms of the hardships we face or the opportunities we are presented with.
While some of this karma might appear to be fixed, we still have the choice to respond to it and make choices that serve our best interest.
For instance, if an astrologer predicts that we are to experience a health challenge, and it comes into being, we can choose how to deal with it and be more mindful of taking care of our health.
There is no giving up of control with astrology; we are free to make choices at every point that determine which direction we want our lives to take.
There is free will
The moment we decide to take action, we influence the outcome. When we do something with the right intent, at the right time, with the correct code of conduct, we create the causes for success.
This is true for all aspects of life, whether work, relationships, health, or money.
If we go along with our lives with a fatalist attitude, we will be forever tied to our past karma, precisely because we are not doing anything to change it.
On the other hand, if we decide to actively pursue what we desire, we can use our free will to choose which direction we want to take.
The choice rests with us at all times.
It is possible that sometimes actions do not directly correspond to results.
But that is a chance we should be prepared to take if we wish to achieve our desired goals.
Good deeds mitigate negative karma
Vedic astrology gives a report card of karma from previous lifetimes.
An astrologer can identify these negative influences in a person’s birth chart as negative yogas.
We have an option to mitigate the result of these negative yogas by doing good deeds.
As per the Hindu belief system, negative results from past deeds can only be mitigated in the present by doing good deeds.
Positive karma can help us change our lives for the better. In fact, it is postulated to be the only way for karma correction.
Any interpretation is subjective
Vedic astrology is an interpretation of the movement of celestial objects, essentially astronomy. Any interpretation is subjective and prone to human error.
Also, Vedic astrology is deeply complex, nuanced, and in-depth; it can be extremely challenging to take into account all the different elements that make up a person’s birth chart while predicting the future.
It can take years for an astrologer to develop the skills and the intuition to read and interpret birth charts.
Spiritual integrity is an essential characteristic of a good astrologer, which, in modern times, is not that easily found as astrology has become a commercial activity.
Therefore, it is highly likely for an astrologer to miss specific birth chart details, which is why predictions are not foolproof.
Also, according to Hindu beliefs, if God wants to conceal something, an astrologer will not be able to read a birth chart and make that prediction.
Predictions can be self-fulfilling prophecies
It is a commonly seen and well-researched phenomenon that when something is predicted or expected, it invariably comes true simply because of the belief and anticipation that it will.
This is because the person subconsciously starts acting in ways that will fulfill the belief.
Hence, the consequences that we create are often a manifestation of our beliefs.
Predictions made through birth charts, when they come true, could very well be because of the power of expectations.
If we grow up hearing that we will have a terrible marriage or be a failure at work, in all likelihood, we will act according to that script.
Interestingly, it has also been seen that those who did not know of their horoscopes beforehand failed to match the predictions.
Predictions can be subjective validations
Subjective validation is a form of cognitive bias.
This bias suggests that people tend to believe that a certain statement or information is correct if it has any personal relevance to them.
So, two events could be coincidental and unrelated, but because of subjective validation, a person would perceive these events to be related.
When a future event is predicted using Vedic astrology but is purely coincidental that it happened, a person will likely attribute it to the correctness of the prediction.
How we react determines future karma
When we encounter difficult situations in our lives, we are free to choose our response to them.
Our karma is created by our thoughts, words, and actions. How we react to any situation in thought, word, and action determines future situations.
This creation of future karma through our responses is what destiny actually is.
According to Hindu teachings, the purpose of human life is spiritual growth.
What Vedic astrology does to aid this journey is that it helps us understand our nature and the obstacles that we might face in our spiritual development to reach the final goal of enlightenment.
By studying the birth chart, we can come to understand what energies are affecting us and how we can best respond to situations and circumstances to create karma that will lead to better future conditions and spiritual growth.
Astrology is a shorter version of therapy
Astrology was meant to talk about the elements of an individual’s psyche – things such as purpose, potentials, and self-actualization. It can give quick answers to underlying patterns and symptoms.
In effect, astrology is not meant for fortune-telling but as a mirror to see the self.
When an astrologer describes our unpleasant behavior traits, it is easier for us to accept them than if told by someone we know.
If we look at it pragmatically, fate is actually a set of circumstances that determine our attitude, personality development, and choices.
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Conclusion
Uncertainty can be uncomfortable for many of us.
Astrology gives us a sense of control during unpredictability and makes us feel connected to something bigger and more powerful than ourselves.
Using astrology to calm our existential angst can help us, but not at the cost of reason and empowered action.
Can you predict your future using astrology? In this video, Sadhguru, founder of Isha Foundation, explains the pitfalls of trying to find out what will happen tomorrow.
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