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Jyotish Star of the Month |
By Vachaspati Christina Collins |
Christina: Well thank you too for your contributions to the magazine. Would you tell us about your beginnings, how astrology came into your life and became your dharma? Charlotte: Well, I got my start in Astrology 5 lifetimes ago, according to every Jyotishi I met with in India! Every one of them stared at my chart in utter disbelief, and made the same unlikely assessment � that I was/am a professional astrologer, in spite of my gender, and my culture. In this current life time, I was encouraged, by my father, to look up into the sky. That was the gateway activity into Astrology - searching the sky for the orbiting Sputnik satellite -- and seeing the constellations beyond. I was fortunate enough to have the support and encouragement of my husbands during my decades of full-time studying, and practicing Astrology. Christina: What system of astrology did you initially learn? Did your own horoscope show this dharma, or life purpose?
Christina: How did you encounter Jyotish or Vedic astrology and began adding that into your practice? Charlotte: Meeting Dr. Dennis Harness at the 2nd International Vedic Astrology conference, in San Rafael, in 1994 changed my life instantly! I reconverted to Jyotish immediately. It has been the highlight of my life, really, to be associated with Dr. Harness� work to bring Jyotisha to the West. Being a servant of Jyotish is my joy! Christina: You have such a lovely spiritual name�Jyoti Devi (Angel of Light) � did you receive that name in India? Who bestowed it upon you? Charlotte: Yes, that name was given to me by Dr. Harness, Vamadeva Shastri, and Chakrapani. I am not a scholar, but I am a great servant! Christina: Yes, we all see that angelic aspect of you, dear Charlotte! What are some of the other indicators in your chart that led to you becoming a Jyotishi working in the highest limb of the Vedas)? Charlotte: Probably having Sun, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter in Pisces, in my 10th house had something to do with it! Also a bright Moon in the 5th house helps a lot with my consulting practice. Thank Heavens I somehow created the option of being a professional metaphysician as a career � it certainly optimizes those otherwise vague Pisces placements. Christina: Yes, I can certainly identify with Pisces placements and an activated 10th house myself. It truly is a gift to have any placement in a moksha sign, let alone four planets! Bravo you!
Charlotte: Well � we�ll have to see. However, as a symbol of accomplishment awarded by the only College for Vedic Astrology in America, that in itself gives credibility to not only my personal work, but to the field of Jyotish in America. Christina: Have you won other awards in the past? Charlotte: Yes, I have � but those planets in Pisces, opposed by Saturn, prevent me from citing them! Christina: Very modest, and true to your Jyoti Devi name! (we plan to run your bio with this piece and people can always read you many accomplishments and titles granted from India too! Who is most likely to contact you for an astrological consultation? Charlotte: An educated, relatively affluent, professional person. Since almost all of my clients have come to me through a personal referral, I tend to meet clusters of people from distinct cultures. I mean that attorneys will refer colleagues, then groups of physicians find me, or chains of teachers. Lately, I seem to be popular with younger transplanted Indian professionals, who like my Western take on their prospects as seen through their charts. Christina: You recently taught a class on Western Predictive Techniques for Jyotishis at the SVAC (Sedona Vedic Astrology Conference) in Sedona, Arizona. Many people told me they enjoyed it very much, would you like to mention a few of the basic principles you covered in your talk? Charlotte: The effects of the outer planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are so important and powerful, I was asked to explain their use. I have to give credit to those 3 planets � they really add instant clarity to the predictive aspect of my practice. So in a nutshell: Uranus is the planet of abrupt personal revolution, independence, and re-invention on a major scale in a person�s life � usually on about a 21-year cycle. Neptune signals periods, or conditions, of confusion, creativity, suffering, and spiritual development. Neptune�s cycles are long, and subtle but profound periods of morphing into a new level of understanding one�s inner world. Pluto�s activation leads to awareness of use and abuse of power. Pluto periods enforce self-mastery because one encounters one�s own shadow issues under its influence. Neptune and Pluto cycles are usually the most intense between the years of 38 � 42, for most recent generations. Christina: Thank you for that, I understand that shortly the audio recordings of the lectures at the conference will become available, so people can get the MP3 and learn more about this in depth. I know you have a busy astrological consulting practice (and I do appreciate you taking the time out to converse with me today), would you tell us what seems to be on the minds of the public when they consult with you? Is it more likely business, relationships, health or a combination of all? What seems to be the trend, and what are some more reasons to engage the services of an astrologer of your caliber and expertise? Charlotte: To be candid, my clients� questions are almost always about money and love. Those are the essential, eternal issues. An astrological �general practitioner� is how I would characterize myself. I believe that I can adequately diagnose physical/mental/ spiritual health issues. I have a background in languages, geography, history and philosophy. I�ve read most of the important source material of many religions, classical mythologies, and cultures, and literary classics. But I feel that my greatest area of expertise is in identifying best career options, for younger clients, and in professional development, for more �established� clients. Of course this astrological career coaching is directly tied to financial outcomes. I mean that this business/career/professional advice is obviously linked with improving my client�s income. In the past few years, I�m happy to report that many of my clients are now looking at ways to maximize their positions, through plotting the planets. This is in contrast to the many years of experiencing clients coming to me as a last resort, because of some financial or personal disaster. And comparing charts (not exactly the same as �matching� charts) is a perennial part of my practice. Both women and men bring me birth dates of possible mates. They want to save their time, effort, and emotions by getting a comparison based on their planets. The best reason for anyone to visit a qualified astrologer, is for them to get the most objective view of their current surroundings and options � that of the universal vantage point of The Heavens! In my consulting practice, I do my very best to justify the time and effort that my Jyotish gurus have invested in me. I�d just like to thank all of them here. I would like to use this opportunity to express appreciation to my brilliant teachers: Dr. Dennis Harness, James Braha, Gayatri Devi Vasudev, Chakrapani Ullal, Christina Collins, Vamadeva Shastri, Juliana Swanson, Komilla Sutton, James Kelleher, Dr. Bill Levacy, Nalini Kanta Das � Kenneth Johnson, and Linda Johnsen. Thank you! Christina: Yes, we really all contribute to each other�s knowledge. I appreciate very much the time you gave me with your take on the outer planets. Again, thank you Charlotte for a wonderful interview about your recent honor. We at the Jyotish Star applaud you for your contributions to the Science of Jyotish and your well-deserved Jyotish Navaratna award and title!
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