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Gambler's Dharma |
| by Simon Chokoisky Dharma means the right path or your rightful purpose. A gambler’s dharma, narrowly defined, means that for a period of time- a month, year, or even a lifetime- a person’s rightful purpose involves speculation. A wider definition, however, tells us that anyone who risks their safety and comfort to be themselves, to share their purpose with the world, is a type of gambler. The universe leaves clues; it’s up to us to decipher what they mean. Over the past three years I have spent thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars testing techniques in the real-world laboratory of sports. That means making a prediction on a game and putting your money where your mouth is to prove your confidence in the prediction. How many astrologers have you heard say, “you will have a child next year, and I will give you $1,000 if I’m wrong”? I write this having wagered a thousand dollars on three baseball games today- small change for professional sports investors, but not small change for me. All three teams won, and my investment was repaid. But more important than my little triumphs is the fact that Jyotisha works. Yes, it is a spiritual science, but it has lasted into the modern era not because of its metaphysics- but its physics- that is, astrology’s ability to give us clues to the outcome of space-time events. How do you know when you’re giving a mantra, or advising clients to move to a certain location based on their chart, that you’re doling out good advice? It is because you yourself, or your teachers, or their teachers have tested the techniques you use and proved them in the real world. One of my pet peeves is hearing scientists say “Astrology is a hoax. It is pure nonsense; superstition garbed in science.” The fact is, astrology works- as proven by skeptic scientists themselves- scientists who set out to disprove astrology and ended up finding evidence for the opposite. These scientists include noted French statistician Michel Gauquelin who coined the term “the Mars effect” to describe the statistical significance of champion athletes having Mars near the lagna or 10th house. These include Dr. Suzel Fuzeau-Braesch, who removed the human element out and studied dogs, demonstrating that planets have statistically predictable effects on their personalities. And while these researchers studied athletes and puppies, my field has been observing the outcomes of sporting events, including one on one matchups, and more recently, horse races and other multiple-competitor events. For example, Saturn within two and a half degrees of the first house cusp spells doom for the favorite team, while Saturn on the seventh cusp does the same for the underdog. The universe leaves clues; it’s up to us to decipher what they mean. The techniques I’ve come up with are outlined in my latest book Gambler’s Dharma, as well as silly stories, some profound anecdotes, and a bunch of personal history detailing how I came up with it all. Oh, and I also include links to my results. Never trust a scientist who doesn’t publish their results. *
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