Awakening Self: This month's Newsletter by Connie Habash

This Month's Article:

"The Four Aims"
by Amber Flynn

This month's guest author and astrologer, Amber Flynn, shares with us a practical teaching from Jyotish - Vedic Astrology. The Four Aims offer practical wisdom for all our lives, and especially to those of us on the spiritual path. ~ Connie

The ancient culture of India has given us several systems of knowledge, the largest of which are the "Vedas." Veda literally translates as "knowledge." Within these books is the Vedanga. It contains six auxiliary disciplines for the understanding of the Vedas. One of the six limbs of Vedanga is the Astrology of India called, "Jyotish," also known as Vedic Astrology.

Jyotish literally translates as the "science of light." It is the study of "the light" that is present in the planets and the stars at the time of your birth. The Upanishads, which constitutes the core knowledge of the Vedanta, contains both the teachings of Yoga and Jyotish.

Why learn Astrology?

As a Yoga student it would be helpful for you to understand your Astrological Chart. Your chart will help you to have more knowledge of the Vedas and the deeper spiritual teachings that Yoga originated from.

Both Yoga and Astrology have their own way of revealing to you how unique you are. Yoga shows you through the Asanas (physical postures) how tight and tense, or free and open you are in your physical body.

Astrology reveals your individuality through your chart; which is derived by the date, time and exact place you were born. Your chart can show how aware or unaware you may be in different areas of your life.

For example, your career or work choices may have been easy for you (like forward bending poses in your Yoga practice). But relationships and health issues may be confusing and difficult (like handstands in your yoga practice). Similar to Yoga, you will need to "practice" in these areas and work more diligently to accept and understand the work that needs to be done.

Each time a soul reincarnates, consciousness is brought into that lifetime. By observing the placement and continual movement of the celestial bodies at the time of your birth, Jyotish can help you to understand how to develop a life that will fulfill your greatest spiritual potential.

Western Astrology versus Vedic Astrology (Jyotish)

Many people are not familiar with Jyotish, or even Western Astrology. Often, the only thing that comes to mind when you hear the word "astrology" is the brief horoscope you read in the daily paper (which is not even a tip of the iceberg). Astrology is a sophisticated science and can be a profound guide for life when you understand its depth and intricacy. Jyotish in particular is tremendously helpful for anyone on the path of spiritual growth.

Let's look at how Western and Vedic Astrology differ. The main difference (there are many) between Western and Vedic Astrology is that they use different zodiacal systems. Western Astrology uses a Tropical Zodiac; a system based on the changing of the seasons and our yearly calendar. Vedic Astrology uses a Sidereal Zodiac; a system based on the earth's primary relationship to the galaxy and where the planets are located in our solar system. (Please note: It is my opinion that you can get an accurate reading using either system. The accuracy of any reading depends on the clarity and intuition of the astrologer rather than the system. I use both systems in my practice.)

However, my experience with Vedic Astrology is that it offers a deeper, more spiritual perspective of how the astrological chart is understood and interpreted. For example, in Vedic astrology there exists more then one astrological chart the astrologer can read from. These charts are called the Vargas. The Vargas are divisional or sub-charts and further divide your natal chart into 16 unique charts. For example, the Navamsa, or the 9th divisional chart is used very widely by Vedic Astrologers and is focused mainly on understanding your spiritual growth or dharma (purpose.) The Chaturtamsha, or 4th divisional chart is used to understand your inner life, home, and your mother. These charts are not available in the western system.

The Four Aims

The "Purusarthas" or the "Four Aims of Life" are found in Jyotish. It is one of its greatest teachings. Purusha means "human being" and Artha means "goal or objective." The concept of Purusarthas is that a successful human life is one that achieves a specific objective as it is revealed in the Astrological Chart.

In every person's chart there are 12 individual sections, which are called Bhavas or Houses. Each of these sections correlates to a very specific aim in life. Knowing what the Four Aims in Life are, and then connecting them to your Astrological Chart will help you to understand where your greatest challenges are and also reveal your greatest talents and strengths.

The Four Aims are:

1. Dharma: your purpose or duty. This aim refers to what best fits your individual ability that comes from your early childhood conditioning, family and social responsibilities.

2. Artha: wealth and acquisition of valued objects. A person may have the intention to uphold his duty but without money or resources to do it he cannot fulfill his duty or dharma.

3. Kama: the fulfillment of desires and emotional and sensory happiness in life. Desires are often fulfilled through others. By sharing our desires with others we can feel a sense of our purpose being fulfilled.

4. Moksha: liberation or freedom. This aim is connected to our spiritual growth, which includes transcendence and recognizing the ephemeral (time) trap that life holds. All things pass with time, and our ultimate freedom lies in learning how to let go. Moksha means absence of delusion. Delusion is caused by attachment. This aim will help you to learn about detachment, self control, and surrender.

The idea behind these Four Aims is simple. First, you must understand your duties in life (Dharma). Then you must acquire the wealth or income you need (Artha) in order to fulfill that duty. Then you can enjoy life and fulfill your desires with others and experience sensual pleasure (Kama). If those first three aims are fulfilled, then liberation (Moksha) and letting go of life will be easy. If any of these four aims are left unaccomplished then it will be difficult to experience Moksha, or freedom from life.

Many years ago, the family you were born into determined your dharma or purpose. If you were born into a cobbler's family you were expected to fulfill the family duty of being a cobbler. The challenge these days is that your duty (dharma) is not necessarily determined by your family. So how can you figure out what your purpose is, your Dharma? How will you acquire the wealth (Artha) to fulfill your desire? And how and with whom will you fulfill your desires (Kama), so that you can be free (Moksha)? Let's look further.

In a Vedic Chart, the houses that are connected to each Aim of life are listed here:

Dharma: 1st house, 5th house and the 9th house.
Artha: 2nd house, 6th house and the 10th house.
Kama: 3rd house, 7th house and the 11th house.
Moksha: 4th house, 8th house and the 12th house.

Eclipses & The Four Aims of Life

Every year, we experience an astrological event called an Eclipse Cycle. Eclipses are shadow cycles and we receive on average 3-4 eclipses every year. Eclipses can show you where the most change will occur at any given time in your chart. These can be very "destabilizing" cycles, but will ultimately help you to clarify, as well as detoxify, certain areas of your life.

All four aims or life goals are equally important for living a well-rounded and complete life. But as a chart will indicate (because every person's chart is different), some of the Four Aims are more important than others, and can influence us profoundly within an eclipse cycle.

Eclipses are important with the Four Aims of life because if you know where the eclipse is happening you can be more aware of what specific Aim you will need to focus on. If you are experiencing an Eclipse cycle in a Dharma house you will need to open your mind and stabilize what your purpose or duty is in life as it pertains to that particular house. If an eclipse is in an Artha house, then you will need to stabilize your ability to accumulate resources and wealth. If in a Kama house then stabilizing your desires is important. In a Moksha house, clarifying and stabilizing liberation and freedom are important.

Knowing what is happening is as important as knowing where it is happening. That is the beauty of the Astrological system. Having your chart interpreted by a professional astrologer can help you determine which of the Four Aims are currently most important for you and where the upcoming eclipse cycles will be activating your individual chart. Then you can work on stabilizing yourself during any rocky or difficult time.

The Four Aims are perhaps one of the deepest wisdom teachings in the Vedas. So whether or not you decide to utilize the tools of Astrology, the Four Aims, or Purusarthas, is a practical and very profound guideline for anyone interested in living a more fulfilling life.

Amber Flynn is an Astrologer and Spiritual Counselor with over 25 years of experience in Western and Vedic Astrology. She is also a former Hatha Yoga teacher. You can check out her services at her website: http://www.amberflynn.com