All great ancient civilizations centered their cultures around profound systems of astronomy and astrology, linking earthly conditions and events to cosmic influences from the stars. Whether in India, China, Egypt, Babylon, or among the Mayans and Incas of the Americas, we find an astrological foundation for their spiritual cultures.
Astrology and its measurement of sacred time formed the basis of their calendars, aiming to organize human life according to celestial forces more certain than personal desires and calculations. The ancient cultures of Europe, like the Greeks, Romans, Celts, and Germans, also had detailed systems of astrology, as did all communities recognizing the sacred nature of the universe.
Similarly, all traditional medicine systems, whether from the East or West, possess corresponding forms of astrology that were part of their theory and practice. Traditional Chinese medicine uses Chinese astrology, while Ayurveda in India relies on Vedic astrology. Traditional European medicine, dating back to the Greeks, also included Western astrological traditions as part of their pagan practices.
The connection between healing and astrology, or the practice of medical astrology, is one of civilization’s deepest and most enduring pursuits. This practice is as ancient as all great cultures and their astrological rituals aiming to keep human life in harmony with the cosmos. For centuries, we have looked to the stars and heavens for guidance, grace, and healing energy, seeking to understand human existence from a deeper perspective where we can touch the eternal and infinite.
Vedic Astrology and Ayurveda
Vedic astrology, also known as Vedanga Jyotish, is the traditional Indian system for reading stars, planets, and the movement of time. Originally, it was called Vedanga Jyotish, meaning the study of light (Jyoti) as a part of the Vedas (Vedanga). Another name for it is Jyotirveda, which translates to the Veda or “science of light.” On the other hand, Ayurveda, meaning the “science of life,” is the corresponding Vedic system of natural body and mind healing. Both Vedic astrology and Ayurveda are living branches of an ancient sacred science from a time when humanity had a stronger intuitive connection to the universe. Unlike their Western counterparts, these systems have maintained unbroken continuity despite challenges. Today, they are experiencing a renaissance as people turn inward for wisdom and guidance.
Vedic astrology is an extraordinary tool for prediction and guidance. There are many wonderful stories about Vedic astrologers identifying specific events in a person’s life with astonishing precision. Additionally, Vedic astrologers can convey profound wisdom about a person’s life purpose, karma, and spiritual path.
Similarly, Ayurveda is a comprehensive tool for physical and psychological well-being, optimal health, energy, and vitality. Numerous examples exist of Ayurvedic doctors making significant life changes through simple dietary or lifestyle adjustments, special herbs, or internal cleansings that can rejuvenate individuals and address persistent health issues.
These two Vedic systems converge in Vedic healing astrology or Ayurvedic astrology. Ayurvedic astrology shows how to optimize both our health and destiny, our vitality and karma, allowing us to realize our greatest potential in life, aligning our earthly existence with celestial forces that promote consciousness.
Ayurvedic astrology teaches us how to heal through the stars, integrating cosmic energies into our lives, enabling us to once again touch the universal light and prana.
Ayurveda and Vedic Astrology
Ayurveda, also known as “the mother of all healing,” encompasses all forms of care, including diet, herbs, massage, surgery, psychology, and yoga. It embraces everything that promotes health, well-being, and happiness, both internally and externally. Ayurveda explores the qualities and effects of not only foods, medicines, and behaviors but also climates, weather, and the stars (astrology).
Ayurveda offers an integrated system for diagnosing and treating the body and mind. First, it reveals our individual constitution based on the three doshas or biological humors: Vata (air), Pitta (fire), and Kapha (water), and the influence of this constitution by various factors from genetics to environment and emotions. Next, it describes various treatment measures to help us achieve optimal health and vitality, from dietary adjustments to complex herbs and special purification procedures. Ayurveda aims not only to heal and prevent diseases but also to promote regeneration and longevity. Beyond ordinary healthcare, it offers special methods for attaining higher levels of vitality and consciousness – a spiritual Ayurveda that is part of yoga practice.
Vedic astrology has a similar scope to Ayurveda, encompassing all aspects of astrology, including natal chart readings (natal astrology), mundane astrology (astrological effects on society), astrological timing and predictions (muhurta), and answering questions (prashna). Additionally, Vedic astrology includes various forms of divination, such as palmistry and numerology, and has its own forms of astronomy and meteorology, reflecting both karma and the forces of nature.
As a form of natal astrology and chart reading, Vedic astrology helps us understand our personal lives in areas like health, wealth, relationships, career, and spirituality. Like Ayurveda, it offers a wide range of treatment measures, including the use of colors, gemstones, rituals, mantras, and deity worship to promote well-being and fulfillment. These measures are called Jyotish-Chikitsa, the therapies of light or astrology.
Ayurvedic Astrology
Vedic astrology and Ayurveda have significant overlap. Vedic astrology integrates a medical system based on Ayurveda, while Ayurveda includes a system for timing and treating diseases based on Vedic astrology. This combined use of Ayurveda and Vedic astrology can be simply referred to as “Ayurvedic astrology.”
Ayurvedic astrology is the medical branch of Vedic astrology for body and mind, adding the Ayurvedic view of health and healing. It uses the language of Ayurveda to understand planetary effects on the body and mind in relation to health, diseases, and longevity. Ayurvedic astrology also employs Vedic astrology as a tool for Ayurvedic analysis, diagnosis, and treatment, showing how planetary factors can cause diseases and how balancing them can aid in treatment significantly.
Ayurvedic astrology combines these two great disciplines, using Vedic astrology to trace influences of time and karma, and Ayurveda to relate these to our state of Prana or vital energy. Combining these disciplines enables us to treat or understand nearly anything.
Vedic astrology considers determining physical and mental health the foundation of any astrological analysis. Regardless of other indications in a natal chart – whether career, wealth, relationships, or spirituality – they cannot bear fruit if a person has significant physical or mental deficiencies. Traditionally, assessing health and well-being was the first factor evaluated by a good astrologer, not merely determining a person’s likely lifespan but part of a general assessment of their vitality and energy to exploit opportunities shown by the natal chart. In this respect, medical or Ayurvedic astrology is often the first step in any astrological analysis.
Ayurvedic astrology isn’t just a physically-based medical astrology; it reflects Ayurveda’s psychological and spiritual dimensions. It concerns our well-being at all levels, dependent on our connection to the Soul, true self, or inner Atman. Ayurvedic astrology aims to heal body, mind, and soul using the universe’s tools, the most important being the light of stars and planets. It broadens Ayurveda’s scope to its maximum reach.
Article written by Dr David Frawley.
