Jyotish Star of the Month

A Conversation with Ronnie Gale Dreyer

Christina Collins: Ronnie, thank you so much for taking time out from your hectic schedule to give us an interview at the Jyotish Star e-magazine! Let�s begin with your history, where did you get your start in Vedic Astrology?

Ronnie Gale Dreyer: I became interested in Astrology, which at the time meant Western Astrology, when I was a teenager. When I was 19 years old, my father, who was the Marketing Manager for Mc-Graw Hill Publishing Company brought home a wonderful coffee table book called The Compleat Astrologer by Julia and Derek Parker. The book got me hooked and it went on to become a world-wide best-seller. I continued to dabble in astrology throughout college, and when I went to Europe after college, I took classes in Amsterdam, where I did my first readings and taught my first classes. My interest in Vedic Astrology was simply an outgrowth of six years of immersing myself in Western Astrology, since I wanted to learn everything about every possible astrological system. In my book Vedic Astrology, the revised version of my first book Indian Astrology, I describe my 1976 bus trip to India (through Greece, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) with about 30 others who were going to India � all for different reasons. Some were Indians returning home (airplanes were very expensive back then), some were going to ashrams to do yoga or meditation retreats, some

were going to study music or yoga, and others were just going to travel to Goa or to the Himalayas. I did not really know exactly what I wanted to do when I began my journey, but during the trip I thought that while I had the opportunity wouldn't it be a great idea to find someone who could teach me Indian astrology. After all, unless you were in a community where there were others who were practicing Jyotish, there were really no learning materials available other than the books of the late Dr. B.V. Raman, and other Indian authors, and those were very difficult as a Westerner's first textbook. I decided to take full advantage of the opportunity, never knowing at the time that many others like James Braha, Hart De Fouw, and David Frawley, (whose books, like mine, were among the first written about Jyotisa for western audiences) were also doing the very same thing.

To make a long story short (since this is summarized in the introduction to my book), I inquired where to find a teacher and I was told to go to Benares (the holy city of Varanasi, or Kashi), since Benares Hindu University is one of the largest and most diverse learning centers in India. I went there, and went to the office to find out if there were any classes in Jyotisa or any professors who I could contact. While today they do have classes in that subject, in the autumn of 1976 they did not. They directed me, however, to Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, where Jyotisa was, and still is, taught. What happened after that constitutes one of the most fortuitous experiences in my life.

I inquired at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, and the late Dr. Muralil Sharma, foremost mathematics professor and a Jyotisa expert, volunteered to tutor me. When I asked him how much it would cost, he told me something I will never forget. He told me that because he was honored and humbled with knowledge from the Gods, it was his duty to give that knowledge to others, especially those like myself who had traveled so far in pursuit of it. Although I do make a living teaching, writing, and doing readings, I will never hesitate to pass that knowledge on for those who cannot afford it. I always feel that this is a good lesson about hoarding what you know because you are afraid others will use it or take credit for it. Knowledge is not like your bank account, it is to be spread around and given to others. As Dr. Sharma taught me, it is something that we have been blessed with and we need to pass those blessings on, or simply pay it forward.

Christina: Yes, I understand completely. Precisely why we started the Jyotish Star e-magazine! Tell us Ronnie, was that the only teacher you had there, in India?

Ronnie: I also found Pandit Deoki Nandan Shastri, who was an Astrologer who had a storefront in the bazaar. It was amazing watching people come to see him -- from showing charts of newborns, to asking about the timing of an event, to asking about a problem they were hoping would end. I took lessons from each Guru every day, and the knowledge was remarkable. I was able to observe Pandit Shastri�s clients, and even though I did not understand a word of Hindi, I was able to see through hand motions and facial expressions what he was saying. And after they left, and sometimes while they were there, he would explain to me in English what he told them. Dr. Sharma, on the other hand, taught me more about mathematical tables, and how to calculate many different types of charts by hand. One teacher gave me the theory and one gave me the practice. These experiences are among the greatest of my lifetime. Each teacher has since passed away, but with the miracle of the internet, I actually received an email from Pandit Shastri�s son, who came across my name on the internet, read my book, only to see his father�s name. What a joy to be in touch with him from time to time.

Christina: Oh, Ronnie, that is so special and fortunate!

Ronnie: Yes, and after returning to the west, I decided that I would continue to practice Jyotisa, along with Western Astrology, since that was my expertise. However, as I continued to draw up charts in both systems for everyone I knew as well as clients, eventually I leaned much more to Jyotisa, and once I wrote and published my first book Indian Astrology, more and more people specifically asked me to do their charts in that style.

I think the key to any subject is always knowing how much more there is to learn. I had the great opportunity of meeting so many westerners who became immersed in Jyotisa through the ACVA (American Council for Vedic Astrology) conferences starting in 1992, as well as so many imminent Indian Astrologers. I keep learning more and more through my colleagues, and I will continue to learn even more through my students. Even though it has been many years � sadly so � that I have been in India, I study with many Indian astrology masters through books, conversations, lectures, and merely by being in their company. Each year I have the pleasure of going to the ashram, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam in Saylorsburg, PA where Astrologer Rakesh Sharma arranges a 10 day conference. He always invites eminent Astrologers from India like Vinay Aditya, Dr. K. S. Charak, and Gayatri Devi Vasudev, and I learn so very much each year by being in their presence.

Christina: Yes, I absolutely agree! Once, many years ago, while speaking with Gayatri Devi Vasudev in her cottage at an ACVA (by then the American College for Vedic Astrology) conference in Sedona, AZ when I offhandedly mentioned that a relation of mine was really suffering during their Rahu Dasa time period. She said �don�t worry, there is no greater or more dramatic dasa change then going from Rahu to Jupiter! (I had just gone from Ketu to Venus myself).

Tell us Ronnie, are you primarily a consulting Astrologer, a scholar or writer, or a teacher � or all four? (or even more things?) Oh, and if you are open to the idea, would you mind sharing a bit of your own personal chart with our readers?

Ronnie: I consider myself first and foremost a student, since I feel that once we forget that we are constantly learning we will lose the ability to be objective and open to new ideas. Once we are attached to our own way of doing things, and do not compare notes with others, then we will lose our ability to guide and teach others. I always say that my students are my best teachers, and I will add that my colleagues are as well. I consider myself to be all of the above. I have my ruling planet, the Sun, in my ninth house in Aries, along with Mercury, and so I really value knowledge, both teaching and writing. But the Moon resides in my seventh house, so consulting and relating on a one to one basis with others is equally important.

And while we can learn theory from teachers and from books, it is really from our clients that we learn how Astrology comes alive. Most of the time, we see that nothing is what it seems on paper, and it is the uniqueness of each chart through which we learn how all the elements of Astrology combine.

Christina: Tell us, since you came from a publishing connected family, with your father working at one of the major publishing houses, were you naturally drawn to writing, or were your first writings Astrological?

Ronnie: I love writing and have always written stories, poems, articles, from the time I was a child, and I suppose I do not feel that my knowledge is solidified unless I can put it into words on paper. And I also love teaching, and will always do so. I love sharing my knowledge with others, and I love having others sharing their knowledge with me. I get inspired by my students all the time, and their questions and comments always force me to go deeper and to really look at the things that I say.

Today teaching online through webinars has become a wonderful tool because you can reach so many people over the globe at one time. While I had the unique and invaluable experience of learning from two teachers in India on a one-on-one basis, some people just do not have that opportunity because they live in a place where there are no Astrology classes. I think for those people the idea of webinars, or the ACVA online (American College for Vedic Astrology online) program where I teach others towards accreditation, provides an invaluable opportunity for long distance learning. Of course, if people can also travel to conferences that is really the ultimate way to not only learn in classes, but through exchanges at meal time, and after hours with fellow students and Astrologers.

Christina: What particular Jyotish Books (of course in additional to your own, which I own, and love) have you found most helpful for students of Vedic Astrology?

Ronnie: There are so many invaluable books available that were not available to those of us who began their studies a few decades ago. I think any basic beginning book is a great place to start, as well as the many conference recordings that you can find through ACVA, CVA, BAVA, UAC, etc. If you are a westerner, it is probably a good idea to start with a book by someone who is aware that he or she is writing for someone with basic or little knowledge. Among the many authors who have written basic books are James Braha, Dr. K.S. Charak, Hart de Fouw, David Frawley, William R. Levacy, Linda Johnsen, James Kelleher, Nalini (Tom Hopke), Joni Patry, Komilla Sutton, Ernst Wilhelm, and myself.

After that there are many books that are geared towards a particular subject like Yogas (B.V. Raman, Dr. Charak, Ernst Wilhelm), or Ashtakavarga (Vinay Aditya) or Muhurta (B.V. Raman, Ernst Wilhelm) Nakshatras (Dennis Harness, Kenneth Johnson, Bepin Behari), the Ascendant (Sam Geppi), etc. Please excuse me if I left someone out, but there are just too many of value to mention. Of course, once you are comfortable with modern astrologers explaining the classics, you really have to read the classics themselves. This is primarily why I am studying Sanskrit---so that I can do my own translations. I would recommend Brhajjataka by Varahamihira, Saravali by Kalyana Varma, and Phaladipika by Mantreswara, among many others.

Those are the ones that I learned from. And of course Brhat Samhita is the classic text for any type of astrology other than Natal astrology. That book by Varahamihira is full of information about transits, eclipses, naksatras, as well as omens, gemstones, and too many other subjects to mention. Some may note that I do not mention Brhat Parasara Hora Sastra, and that is mostly because while there is wonderful information, many people including myself, doubt that this book was written all in the same era, nor was it written by one person. So while I think it certainly contains fabulous information, the others I mention are in my humble opinion more cohesive as actual texts.

It is always good to become a member of one of the organizations so that you can read newsletters, and there are still some very good Jyotisa magazines that are available. And of course Jyotish Star is a fabulous monthly newsletter.

Christina: Well, thank you so much -- that�s quite a high compliment from someone of your caliber! We are just starting out at the Jyotish Star, this is our second year of publication � and our subscribing readership has been increasing at an explosive rate! I attribute much of this due to the fine generosity of people like yourself, who are willing to grant us interviews and great Astrological articles each month! Thank you again for your time Ronnie!!

Speaking of writing, could you please tell us a little bit about your own Astrology book(s), and are there more in the planning? I know you are also considering, if not already in the process of beginning your own book publishing company, isn�t that in your family background (Jyotish DNA J) too? Would you tell us something about that?

Ronnie: After writing several books about both Western and Vedic Astrology as well as articles, and chapters in books, I shopped around a book proposal that I had worked on for quite a few years, that was not about Jyotisa per se, but incorporated many aspects of it as well as information about Nimitta (omens). Since I wanted to get an advance on that book, as I had with Healing Signs, which was published in 2000, I shopped it around and it was rejected, since unfortunately the publishing industry has changed, and healthy advances, unless you are a best-selling author, are a thing of the past.

On the good side, it is so much easier to self-publish and market your own books, both print and e-books, and that is going to be the direction I will probably take. I am happy to say that my books are still in print, and they have been translated into other languages (see bio). I have started to write a book on Yogas, which is a subject that I am passionate about, and have done a lot of research on. I think that yogas are the key to chart interpretation, since they are both subtle as well as overt, and when in doubt as to how a planet works, we check the yogas.

I am also revising my book Venus, a Western Astrology book, and reissuing it in time for UAC 2012, (United Astrology Conference) since the theme of UAC is �Venus on the Rise.� I am also writing a book on the Cycle of Venus which strictly has to do with Venus transits and its unique cycle, as well as its position as Morning and Evening Star, and the historical events that coincide with those cycles.

Additionally, I am co-founder of Words and Things Press, a publishing company which will publish my book Venus, as well as a revised edition of The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy, written by the late Jim Lewis and Kenneth Irving.

Christina: Wonderful! So many gifted astrological writers will now have an effortless venue for publishing their work! Good for you! Congratulations on that! Tell me, for those that would like to meet you in person, and listen to you speak � do you have any conferences or live events coming up?

Ronnie: Because I am will be entering my second year as an M.A. student at New York�s Columbia University this fall, I have been unable to do the type of lecturing and conference going that I used to. I just taught a live webinar on eclipses, and will continue to do webinars, and some lectures in New York City throughout the summer. I always speak at the New York City NCGR Education Conference in November and I will be speaking at UAC 2012 in New Orleans. I will be lecturing on Eclipses and the Venus Transit 2012 for the East-West Track as well as Naksatras for Women on the History of Astrology track. For those who wish to be informed of any upcoming events, if you go to my website www.ronniedreyer.com, you can sign up for my newsletter, which I try to send out at least once a month.

Christina: I know you have a BA in English and Theater and are now working on your Masters � would you like to share something more detailed about that?

Ronnie: One of the most exciting things that happened to me in the last few years was my decision to fulfill a dream I have had for many years, which is to get my M.A. When I began to write my book on Yogas, I realized that I just could not bear to once again look up meanings or descriptions from translations of Jyotisa texts. The primary text I learned from in India was Phaladipika, (also sometimes spelled Phala Deepika) and I have three different translations, which each disagree with each other to some extent. I realized as well that while so many of us have great knowledge and technique as well as years of experience doing readings, many of us do not know the devanagari script, so that we cannot read the original texts, and even worse, we do not understand the Sanskrit language and so much of what we learn is through secondary material.

Of course, learning a classical language is extremely difficult, and in fact when I was in India years ago, my Jyotisa teacher began to teach me Sanskrit. At the time, I found that learning Astrology and Sanskrit at the same time was just too challenging, and so I dropped Sanskrit. Though I always wanted to learn it methodically over the years, my professional and personal life always seemed to move in another direction. However, I finally realized that I just could not write another book about Jyotisa unless I could read the Sanskrit texts for myself. I decided to finally study Sanskrit and devote as much time as I needed to so that I would be somewhat comfortable reading the Devanagari script and translating the slokas. I toyed with private instruction, but I knew that in order to be disciplined, and do assignments, and study a certain number of hours in the week, I needed to go to school. At the same time, I decided that if I could get my Masters in South Asian studies or in Sanskrit itself, it would be a dream come true.

Because my life is in the New York City area, the only school that offered Sanskrit classes was Columbia University. However in order to qualify for the M.A. program, I had to have at least two years of Sanskrit under my belt, since it is the third year that counts at the graduate level. In September 2008, I took Beginning Sanskrit through the School of Continuing Studies, and after taking Beginning and Intermediate Sanskrit, I applied and was accepted to the Graduate School at Columbia. I just completed my first year as a graduate student and my third year of Sanskrit. In addition, I am studying Hindi as well as South Asian history courses. If all goes according to plan, I will be able to get my M.A. in 2012 after I finish my Master�s thesis, which hopefully will be finished in the summer of 2012. The M.A. degree will be granted by the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies and my specialization will be Sanskrit. But the most exciting part of studying Sanskrit, in addition to being able to read the Devanagari script and to understand the meaning of so many of the Astrological terms we use, is the fact that through independent course work with my Sanskrit professor, we are translating texts that have never been translated before and re-translating passages that already have been. I am especially interested in Jyotisa for Women and some of the classical descriptions of the Moon�s naksatras for women and men, which were distinguished from one another. Not everyone who teaches Sanskrit or Indian studies is interested in Jyotisa, but there is an acceptance of it as a valid field of study, since it has been part of the sastric, or scientific, tradition, for as long as India has existed.

Christina: Just curious to know if your dasa changed in any way, to more support your finally realizing your dream of a Masters degree in Sanskrit?

Ronnie: Astrologically speaking when I started school in September 2008 I was in my Mercury Sun Dasa, and both my Mercury and Sun are in my ninth house. The transiting Jupiter in Taurus, will be transiting my natal Jupiter in Taurus in June 2012, around the time that I will be finishing my Master�s Thesis and getting my M.A. For the entire time I was in Benares, learning Astrology and some Sanskrit, the transiting Jupiter in Taurus was retrograding and going direct over my own Jupiter in Taurus as well.

Christina: Perfect! Anytime you would like to write an article for the beginning Sanskrit student � we welcome it here at the Jyotish Star! Thank you again for such a wonderful, informative interview. I am sure our readers will be delighted.

Ronnie Gale Dreyer Biography

Ronnie Gale Dreyer is an internationally known astrological consultant, lecturer, and teacher based in New York City. A practitioner of both Jyotisa and Western astrology, as well as a longtime student of numerous metaphysical systems, she is a pioneer in bringing Vedic astrology to the attention of, and making it accessible to, Western audiences. Ronnie has clients and students throughout the world, ranging from the ordinary to the extraordinary, with teachers, politicians, salesmen, doctors, bookkeepers, sports figures, professors, and movie stars among their professions.

Ronnie is the author of Healing Signs: The Astrological Guide to Wholeness and Well-Being (Doubleday Broadway and a selection of the OneSpirit Book Club), Vedic Astrology: A Guide to the Fundamentals of Jyotish (Redwheel/Weiser), Your Sun and Moon Guide to Love and Life (Andrews McMeel), Venus: The Evolution of the Goddess and Her Planet (Harper San Francisco), and Indian Astrology (Aquarian Press). She has served as editor or contributor to numerous anthologies including Under One Sky (Seven Paws Press), Astrology for Women: Roles and Relationships (Llewellyn Publications), The Body: An Encyclopedia of Archetypal Symbolism (Jung Foundation), Llewellyn's Sun and Moon Sign Books (Llewellyn Publications), Hindu Astrology Lessons (Groundswell Press), What's Your Diet Sign (McGraw-Hill) and several others. Her books have been translated into Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Czech, Hungarian, Bulgarian, and have appeared under Indian imprints.

Ronnie has written gift books, columns, articles and book reviews for Mountain Astrologer, Nylon, American Astrology, Horoscope Guide, NCGR memberletter, Geocosmic Journal, Astrological Association of Great Britain Journal, The Ingress, ISAR International Astrologer, www.stariq.com, www.astroved.com and numerous other astrological journals and newsletters. She has written for the New York Daily News horoscope column, and has been mentioned or quoted in articles in New York Newsday, New York Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, India Times, and www.belief.net.

Ronnie lectures extensively for astrology groups, conducts webinars, ongoing courses and workshops in Jyotisa, and has been on the faculty of conferences and spoken for groups throughout the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, and Australia. She has taught or lectured at East West Books, Barnes and Noble, New York Theosophical Society, New York Open Center, and Learning Annex. For the past seven years, she has been an instructor for ACVA Online College.

Ronnie holds a Bachelor of Arts in English / Theater Arts from the University of New Mexico, and studied Jyotisa and Sanskrit with a professor at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University in Benares, India. She has been studying Sanskrit at Columbia University for the past three years, and is currently pursuing her M.A. in South Asian Languages and Culture with a specialization in Sanskrit. Ronnie hopes to complete her Master�s thesis and receive her degree in the summer of 2012.

Over the years, Ronnie also has served as manuscript reader, editorial consultant, and proofreader of new age and self-help books for several major publishing companies. She is co-founder of Words and Things Press, whose initial print and ebook publication is a revised edition of The Psychology of Astro*Carto*Graphy by the late Jim Lewis and Kenneth Irving, which will appear this summer. In the 1980s, Ronnie co-founded Astro-Services, one of the first astrological computer services in the Netherlands where she lived for 13 years, and where she taught her first class, did her first professional reading, and distributed Astro*Carto*Graphy maps.

Ronnie was the corresponding secretary of the Association for Astrological Networking (AFAN) from 1992-1998, and its presiding officer from 1999-2003. She is currently the editor of NCGR's memberletter, and served on the AFAN Newsletter committee. In 1994, she received the Jyotish Kovid award from the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences for "promoting the cause of astrology through writings and lectures" and AFAN presented her with its Jim Lewis Community Service Award at UAC in 1998. Ronnie is the proud recipient of the 2002 Marion D. March Regulus Award for Community Service, which she received at UAC 2002 in Orlando Florida. She holds the NCGR Level IV certificate (C.A. PAA-NCGR).

Websites: www.ronniedreyer.com � www.wordsandthings.com
Phone: 212-799-9187 Email: [email protected]