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Jyotish Star of the Month

A Conversation with James Kelleher

By Christina Collins
Interview Date: 10/28/2012

Christina Collins: Hello James,

First of all, thank you for granting us an interview at the Jyotish Star! We have wanted to get together with you for some time, and we are so very happy that you had some time in your amazingly busy schedule to talk with us today!

Tell us, what brought you to the study and later the profession of Jyotish, or Vedic astrology? For example, how old were you when you began your studies? Were you at a young age, or did you come into it later in life?

James Kelleher: As with everything in my life, I entered Jyotish through the back door. I did not intend to be an astrologer. Nothing could have been further from my mind. First of all, I didn�t even know if it worked or if I believed in it. Like many people, I was brought up to believe that it was superstition. Then, after studying and practicing meditation for several years, I found out that my meditation teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, had an astrologer named M. K. Gandhi, from London. I knew that meditation was great and I trusted Maharishi, so I thought I would give Jyotish a try.

A friend of mine told me that Gandhi was visiting Sacramento every six weeks and doing readings so I booked a reading with him. I am not sure what I was expecting. Most of the reading went right over my head. It was not recorded so I really can�t remember most of it. What I do remember is that he accurately described a serious health problem I had been having. At that time in my life I was so sick that I couldn�t eat anything but buckwheat and broccoli. I weighed 110 lbs., was emaciated, had chronic

fatigue, and could no longer work. In spite of going to every doctor under the Sun, no one could diagnose the problem. I was wasting away slowly, and there was nothing I could do about it. and could no longer work. In spite of going to every doctor under the Sun, no one could diagnose the problem. I was wasting away slowly, and there was nothing I could do about it.

During that reading Gandhi said, �You have been going from doctor to doctor and nobody has been able to help you. That is because your problem is spiritual, not physical! This got my attention. He went on, �You should do the Rahu mantra in order to overcome this problem.� He taught me a method for writing the mantra, rather than chanting it. As soon as I began writing that mantra, my digestion improved. It was miraculous! The mantra had this palpable energy that literally filled my abdomen and made my digestion work. I spent 3 hours per day, sitting on my bed, writing the Rahu mantra, and my health improved dramatically.

But there was one little catch. When he first gave me the mantra it worked amazingly and continued to work for about 3 weeks. Then over the next three weeks the energy gradually declined. It was still working but its healing effect was less. Gandhi made regular visits to Sacramento at that time, coming about every 6 weeks. So I scheduled an appointment to see him during his next visit. Miraculously, after that session, the mantra started working again at full power. But again, by the time six weeks had elapsed it had diminished significantly. So I kept going back to see him every six weeks. I wasn�t sure how it was happening, but somehow it seemed that each time I saw him he was infusing the mantra with energy.

I had come across this phenomenon in my reading of esoteric books. When an initiate receives a mantra from a spiritual adept (Gandhi was said to be a great yogi.) it gets infused with his Shakti and this makes it work more powerfully. This was obviously happening to me and I was happy to return periodically to get my mantra �recharged�, so to speak.

After about a year of this, I invited Mr. Gandhi to come to Seattle. He agreed and I set up a bunch of readings for him there. During that visit, I acted as his assistant. I was driving him in the car one day, when out of the blue, he announced, �That Rahu mantra that I gave you is going to stop working.� I was very surprised at this statement. He said, �I have been propping you up for the past year. Some karmas you just have to go through and endure yourself. You need to stand on your own feet.�

After that visit I went home and immediately sat down and started writing the Rahu mantra, but the magic energy was missing. For the next six weeks, in spite of writing that mantra obsessively, there was no noticeable result. Over the next year, my health steadily declined until I was once again on a diet of buckwheat and broccoli. I lost weight again and became so fatigued that I could do nothing but stay in bed. I finally came to a point where I became convinced that I was dying. But this time I was at peace with it. I knew that Gandhi knew what was going on with me, so I didn't flail around looking for solutions. I just made my peace with God and accepted the condition of my body.

I was living at home with my mom at that time because I couldn�t work. One day I heard the phone ring and my mother came to get me, she said, �It�s Mr. Gandhi. He wants to speak to you.� Somehow, I got myself up and answered the phone. Gandhi said, �I am in New Orleans giving a lecture at the AFA World Astrology Conference. Can you come down here and help me?� Taken aback, I said �Uhhh�. Sure! Why not! Uhhh�.I�ll be there tomorrow!� As I hung up the phone, I thought, �Help him? How am I going to help him? I can hardly get out of bed! Nevertheless, I booked a flight and flew to New Orleans.

When I arrived in New Orleans, I took a bus from the airport. It let me off 4 blocks from Gandhi�s hotel. I had not told him when I would arrive and I was feeling pretty worried about how I was going to carry my suitcase for the 4 blocks to his hotel in my depleted condition. As I got off the bus, in the middle of that crowded street, I felt a hand on my arm. It was Gandhi. �I came to get you�, he said. Then he picked up my suit case and said, �Come with me�.

When we arrived at the hotel, we went up to Gandhi�s room. He had me sit down and then launched into a long description about what was going to happen to me in the future. �You will study astrology, practice astrology, travel all over the world, etc., etc. I couldn�t believe what I was hearing. In fact. I didn�t believe it. I quietly stored it away in the �this guy is yanking my chain� department. But I was willing to cut Mr. Gandhi lots of slack because he had been so accurate previously. So as far as I was concerned, he was allowed to run on with any nonsense he wanted. Then he said, �I have to meet someone here in my room in about 30 minutes. You can go for a walk and come back in an hour.� �I said, I am too fatigued, I can�t walk.� He said, �Eat something first.� �He had prepared an Indian meal of rice and Dahl previously using a hot plate that he had brought in his suit case. �I said, �I can only eat Buckwheat and broccoli� Gandhi said, �just eat this rice and Dahl and go for a walk. Your health will be okay now.�

And that was the end of my health problem! From that moment onward, without the need for any mantra, my digestion began to work, and my health improved.

During that conference, I did not �help� Mr. Gandhi. In fact, he simply told me to go to various lectures on astrology and gave me my first astrology lesson in Jyotish. After the conference he invited me to come to London and be his assistant. I agreed and spent the next 5 years in that role. He had what was possibly the busiest astrology office in the world. He saw clients from about 9 am until 9 pm 7 days a week. I was the guy that calculated all of the horoscopes by hand. I calculated charts, did errands, drove him to and from work in his car, and at the end of the day I slept on a foam pad on the floor of the office; It was total immersion.

Interspersed with the time spent running his astrology office, he sent me to India where I studied both Jyotish and Jainism for about a year, all on his dime.

After a couple of years in London, he started letting me do readings for the overflow clients. But I still had no aspirations whatsoever to become a professional astrologer. I really felt that I was only there to help him in any way possible and that the idea of me being an astrologer was totally and absolutely ridiculous. Yet, over time, I slowly built up a small clientele of my own there in London.

Christina: What did you study or do before Astrology came along?

James: I taught TM for about 5 years and before that I was a full time Musician. I had a 7 piece rock n roll band and played 6 nights a week in the Clubs and bars in Seattle. We also spent a good deal of time on the road in the Northwest and even Alaska. Later, while I was teaching TM, I gave guitar lessons at three different music stores in the Seattle area and played for weddings in a band on the weekends. It seems like another lifetime now. I haven�t played the guitar in a long time.

Christina: We know that you are not only a consulting Vedic Astrologer, but that you are also a teacher and have written several books, could you tell us a little about that?

James: My two books are really part 1 and part 2 of a book called Path of Light. When I decided to write a book I wanted to simply write the best book that I could possibly write. One that I would like to read. I look at Jyotish as a Goddess, and the act of writing a book as a type of worship. I just found it very hard to crank out a 200 page trade book; not that there is anything wrong with that kind of book. But, I wanted to do one thing in my life that I really gave my best effort. So I pulled out all the stops and wrote a 1,000 page book (in two volumes).

It took me 10 years to write. When it came to the Nakshatra section, for example, I went to India, bought all of the Puranas, and then spent the next 3 years going through all the myths and stories related to the Nakshatra deities. Later I made a trip to Udaipur, India and hired a master artist to illustrate each of the nakshatras in full color in the traditional style of Rajasthan. I just didn�t spare any time or expense in writing that book.

Christina: What a perfect holiday present (or even a present for ourselves!) Are they available for sale on your website?

James: Yes. As a gift, Book 1 works well for astrology students as well as non astrologers, because it takes an in-depth look into the signs, nakshatras, houses, and planets, and doesn�t require a lot of technical understanding of the mechanics of astrology. It is meant as a reference book for all the symbolism. Book 2 is all about the mechanics of chart interpretation so it is more exclusively for the student of Jyotish. Here�s a link to the books on my website for those who are interested. http://www.jameskelleher.com/storefront/category.php?ID=1

Christina: Thank you, that�s great! What about your classes?

James: I do webinar classes now. I think webinars are great because you can put all of the charts up on the screen in both North and South Indian styles and students from all over the world can access the class. I have done a whole series of classes that are recorded and are on my website. Students can purchase and download the recorded classes and it is virtually the same as being at the live class. I have done a number of advanced courses on the Divisional charts, Vimshottari Dasha, Relationships, Medical Astrology, Financial astrology, and the Nakshatras. I have also done Courses on Nimitta (omens) and Swara (predictions using the breath), two incredibly important tools for prediction that are frequently overlooked by most students.

But the courses that are my favorites are the "How to Give a Reading" courses. These are for beginning and intermediate students. My approach in these (as well as the advanced courses) is very "hands on" and practice oriented. It is very common for students to take class after class in very advanced and esoteric aspects of Jyotish and then still not really feel comfortable with actually giving a reading. They are so overwhelmed by all of the techniques and theories that their heads are literally swimming in a roiling ocean of astrology.

Christina: Great! Would you please tell us the link to find out more?

James: Of course, here's a link to all my classes on my website. http://www.jameskelleher.com/storefront/category.php?ID=2&gp;=class

Christina: What is your basic approach when you teach classes, both in person and the virtual online webinars?

James: My approach is to teach what I know. I know how to give a reading and make Jyotish work. That�s how I learned; through the pores of my skin, working in a busy astrology office. So I am not concerned teaching my students to be scholars of Jyotish, although I respect those who have that aspiration. I am focused, rather, on teaching students to actually translate the complex elements of Jyotish into something that is meaningful for a real client in the real world. The �How to Give a Reading� series is aimed at just that. It shows the student what to do first, what to do second, how to organize the reading, and how to integrate all the conflicting factors of chart analysis into an artful rendering of the person�s life.

Christina: This is wonderful! Just to make it easy for everyone, would you please give us the link for that?

James: Of course, here�s the link to the How to Give a Reading class on my website. http://www.jameskelleher.com/storefront/product.php?CustomerID=36&ProductID;=34&gp;=class

Christina: Did you have a mentor or spiritual teacher or path along the way?

James: Yes, M.K. Gandhi was not only my Jyotish Guru, but also my spiritual teacher. He was a self realized soul and a spiritual adept. He passed away in 1987. Since that time, I have spent a good deal of time with Swami Sivanandamurty, a great saint from India, who also happens to be a fantastic astrologer. I�m not sure why, but it seems that my primary spiritual teachers have also been astrologers.

Christina: Are there any other Astrologer�s in your family?

James: No. My father was a lawyer and my mother taught high school English.

Christina: That�s interesting, and gives another hint on why your writings appear so organized, intelligent and succinct. Please tell us about your current practice, why are the majority of people consulting with you these days?

James: Like a lot of astrologers, I have clients all over the world and they come from various backgrounds. However, my practice, up until last April, was in the Silicon Valley for the past 20 years. So I suppose I have more than the average amount of business clients, simply due to where I lived. I also have a large clientele in New York. I started going there about 20 years ago and spending one week doing lots of readings. Now about 20 percent of my clients are from that area.

Christina: Based on the current position of the planets -- do you have any advice for our readers on how to maintain their mental and physical health? Or advise about success and prosperity? Do you use remedies like recommending mantras and gemstones?

James: Well, I think going for a walk is one of the best remedial measures. Astrology is based on the elements. Remedial measures, at the core, are based on bringing us into better harmony with the elements. The best way I know to accomplish that is to simply go for a walk out in nature. It settles the mind, causes your metabolism to regulate itself, and in the process exposes you to the earth, air, water and sunshine. You come back refreshed and if you do it regularly it makes you healthy and improves your digestion.

Now if you want to chant a planetary mantra or do an affirmation while you walk, all the better. But I am a �two feet on the ground� sort of astrologer, so my vote for best remedial technique is for walking.

This comes from my own experience however. Besides advising me to write the Rahu mantra, Gandhiji also told me to go for a walk every day. The walks got longer and longer and now (age 60) in the Summer time, I do long backpacking trips, sometimes up to 60 miles long.

But obviously, I have had great results with Mantras as well, as many of my clients have.

Christina: What Sage and perfect advice! Everyone reading this will benefit from this simple, yet profound advice! Do you have a favorite anecdote and outcome associated with recommending a mantra to a person based upon their Jyotish chart?

James: I have lots of them, but my favorite story happened many years ago when I was living in Seattle in the late 80�s. One of my clients called me up and said that she had been laid off from Boeing. She was really upset. Apparently the whole department had been laid off due to budget cuts. She asked if there was anything she could do about it. I suggested that she chant the Venus Mantra based on what was going on in her chart. Now this lady was a neophyte when it came to all things Hindu. Chanting strange sounding Sanskrit mantras was pretty much on the edge of her comfort zone if you know what I mean. So I told her to just do the mantra 108 times per day instead of giving her a more serious dose. The mantras that I was initiated into by my guru are bija mantras, so they are short. So 108 mantras only takes about 5 minutes of chanting per day. In any case, I set a Muhurtha for beginning the mantra and gave her instructions in how to chant the mantra properly. Three days after starting she called me on the phone. She said, �I just received a call from my boss. He said they decided to lay off everyone in the entire department, except for me!� It only goes to show that when it comes to mantras, it is the quality of the person�s intention, rather than quantity of mantras that counts.

Christina: People seem to be suffering more due to the position of the Nodes of the Moon as they have transited through debilitation. What is your opinion on the upcoming change as they leave debilitation in Taurus/Scorpio and move to Libra/Aries?.

James: When the Nodes change signs, Rahu will go to Libra and it will conjunct Saturn. It will stay in conjunction with Saturn for all of 2013. This conjunction is the subject of a two hour slide-show presentation that I did called 2012 and the Rahu Saturn Conjunction. It is available on my website.

Christina: Excellent!

James: Anyway, I did some research on this conjunction based on the prodding of Swami Sivanandamurty. He asked me to help him put on the World Conference on Mundane astrology in Vishakhapatnam, India in October, 2010. We invited astrologers from all over India and all over the World to give their views of the various astrological factors that would influence the world in the next decade. My topic was the Saturn Rahu conjunction.

Basically, I looked at the past 200 years and simply listed the events that took place every eleven years when this conjunction occurred. What I found was pretty amazing. The Rahu/Saturn conjunction corresponded to some of the most important events in history, including the assassinations of Abraham Lincoln, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther king, the first nuclear bomb, a flood in china that killed more than a million people, and consolidation of power by the Nazis in Germany under Hitler. In recent

years, the last two conjunctions were present at the time of the first war in Iraq under George Bush the first, and the second war in Iraq under George Bush the second. So I guess you could say that I have more than inkling that 2013 will be a year to remember.

Christina: Yikes! And I must say I concur, it won�t be a �flat liner� type of year. On another topic, what advice would you give our readers who are Jyotish students who are beginning to practice Jyotish in the West

James: I think one of the most important things for a student is to be honest with yourself. Don�t over estimate what you can do with astrology. Keep it real. Also, �less is more� when it comes to giving a reading. If you try to juggle too many complicated techniques, your astrology can get too �technical�. Remember, Jyotish is, at its heart, an intuitive science. It is meant to be a vehicle for channeling the astrologer�s intuition. There is way too much emphasis placed on magic techniques these days. But obsessively chasing after magic techniques only leaves the astrologer�s mind frazzled. At some point, he has to settle in to a set of techniques that are easy to use and that have become so familiar that he doesn�t need to think much about them. At that point, intuition fuses with technique and real Jyotish emerges. There is nothing wrong with learning new techniques, but �less is more�.

Christina: Perfect advice! Thank you so much James, for such a wonderful and insightful interview! I have enjoyed this thoroughly, and I am equally sure that our readers will be thrilled! I encourage everyone experienced and brand new to astrology to consider the works of James Kelleher as a perfect holiday gift!

James Kelleher Biography:

James Kelleher has been a full-time Vedic astrologer since 1980. He was introduced to Vedic astrology in 1975 by M. K. Gandhi, a world-renowned Vedic astrologer and spiritual adept. Gandhi gave Jim his first astrology reading in which he predicted that Jim would become an astrologer, and encouraged him to begin reading about the subject. Gandhi offered to train Jim in the Vedic system of Jyotish, and invited him to become his personal assistant.

After studying astrology in India, Jim worked as a professional astrologer in London for five years, assisting Gandhi with his diverse international clientele. In 1984 he returned to the United States and quickly became

one of the country's leading Vedic astrologers. He is the cofounder of the American Council of Vedic Astrology and the American College of Vedic Astrology. He has been awarded the titles of Jyotish Kovid and Jyotish Vachaspati by the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences. Jim maintains a busy private practice in Nevada City, California. He also gives regular webinar classes in Jyotish.

Contact Information:

Website: www.jameskelleher.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 530-265-4529

Christina Collins Biography:

Christina Collins, Jyotish Visharada, CVA, Jyotish Kovid, ICAS and CVA, Jyotish Vachaspati, ICAS and Jyotish Medha Pragya, ICAS is a third generation Astrologer specializing in the Vedic system. She received her honorary titles from the late Dr. B.V. Raman, former President of the ICAS (Indian Council for Astrological Sciences) in New Delhi and Bangalore, India, from CVA (Council for Vedic Astrology, USA) and from the ICAS in Bangalore 2012.

From1997 to 2012, she was the first and sole American woman to be honored by the highly held title of Jyotish Vachaspati (Jyotish - the light bearer and Vachaspati - the one who speaks the truth and whose predictions come true. (In Sanskrit, Vac

= speech and Brihaspati is a name of Jupiter the planet of wisdom and truth. Her most recent honor from India, the Jyotish Medha Pragya title, means that consciousness has merged with Jyotish.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American College for Vedic Astrology (ACVA online), and was former Editor of the ACVA News. President of Celestial Resource (The Timing Coach) she serves corporate and private clients from students to celebrities. For the Jyotish Star you can reach her in Boulder CO at [email protected]:

Christina's Consultation Contact information:

Christina Collins, J.K., J.V.
Editor in Chief The Jyotish Star
Lafayette, (Boulder County) CO, USA
web site: http://www.christinacollinsastrology.com
email: [email protected]
phone: 303-665-9996



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