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Jyotish Vashista

2014 Goes to William R. Levacy, Ph.D.

by Christina Collins

With great pleasure the Jyotish Star e-magazine for this Year, 2014, awards the Jyotish Vashista to William (Bill) R. Levacy, Ph.D. and recognizes him as a true Saptarishi of the West.

The Saptarishi�s were seven great sages who originally incarnated in the east, thousands of years ago to bring Vedic knowledge to the world. Sapta means seven. Just as the seventh divisional chart or varga is called the Saptamsa or the 7th division. Of course, Rishi means sage or holy one.

The seven sages were credited with cognizing the Vedas � the books of knowledge of Hinduism. Some texts state that Vedic knowledge was �revealed� to them by Brahma, the Creator.

There are different ancient texts that name the original 7 rishis (or Saptarishis) � the earliest (according to Wikipedia): Vashista, Bharadvaja, Jamadagni, Gautama, Atri, Visvamitra, and Agastya, followed by Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.6 with a slightly different list: Gautama, Bharadvaja, Visvamitra, Jamadagni, Vashista, Kasyapa, and Atri. Many think that there were more than seven of these rishis. As they passed from the earth plane, they predicted that they would come back in 3000 or more years, and that at that time, they would reincarnate in the West.

Bill also holds the titles, Jyotish Kovid, Jyotish Vachaspati, Jyotish Navaratna, Jyotish Medha Pragya and Jyotisha Mahasagara. And now, the 2014 Jyotish Vashista.

Bill has written numerous books on Vedic astrology. Beneath a Vedic Sky, Beneath a Vedic Sun, and the beautifully illustrated Vedic Astrology Simply Put. He currently is preparing his next text for publication Beneath a Vedic Moon.

Bill Levacy holds a BA in Literature, a Masters in the Science of Creative Intelligence, and another Master's in Education with a specialization in e-Learning. He also holds a Ph.D. in education. Bill spent many years as a management consultant for the aerospace industry. Bill has had a very busy Vedic Astrology practice since 1983 with clients from around the world.

Along with several physicists and computer scientists, Bill has developed computer systems which enhance the interpretive abilities of astrologers, such as Vedic Panchangas, Vedic interpretation reports and more. Bill has appeared on television, most recently in an Astrology Special on The Learning Channel (TLC) in the US, Europe and Asia. He teaches work-shops on Vedic Astrology around the US, Europe and India and is President of the American College of Vedic Astrology� (ACVA). www.acvaonline.org the first and oldest Vedic astrology organization in the west.

In 2013, Bill received his Ph.D. in Education from Capella University. In 2013 he also won additional awards for his dissertation on human performance improvement - including a large cash prize when he won 2^nd Place for Distinguished Dissertation of the Year from the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI)

We are honored at the Jyotish Star to present to him the Jyotisha Vashista.
Christina Collins, Publisher and Editor
The Jyotish Star

William R. Levacy Biography

William R. (Bill) Levacy, Ph.D. holds a B.A. in English, a Master�s in the Science of Creative Intelligence, and a Master�s degree in Education, with a specialization in eLearning. Bill also has a Ph.D. in Education from Capella University with a specialization in Human Performance Improvement (HPI). Bill�s dissertation is entitled, �Asian Indian Perspectives: Cultural Competencies Needed to Work Effectively with Americans on Intercultural Project Teams.� Bill was the 2^nd place recipient of the 2013 Dissertation of the Year Award, a world-wide university competition sponsored by the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). Bill has been a

member of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) since 1996

Bill was a corporate business consultant in the aerospace industry for 27 years and has extensive training and experience as a management systems specialist. Bill holds a Six Sigma Green Belt in business process improvement and applies the principles of lean manufacturing and operational excellence to all phases of his practice, both Jyotish and business related.

As President of the American College of Vedic Astrology� (ACVA) Bill is the director of development of online educational programs. Bill is the lead instructional designer of the new ACVA Certified Vedic Astrology Coach� (VAC) program which combines Vedic astrology with the principles and practices of Life Coaching

Bill has been a meditator since 1970, a TM instructor since 1972 and worked for several years in Europe on the international staff of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Bill has been a practitioner of Vedic astrology since 1983 having thousands of clients world-wide. Working with Aerospace engineers, Bill co-developed a Vedic panchanga (planetary almanac) which he provides monthly to �Modern Astrology� magazine, edited by Gayatri Devi Vasudev, daughter of Dr. B.V. Raman, India�s greatest modern day astrologer. Bill is one of the few Western recipients of the Jyotish Kovid, Jyotish Vachaspati, and the Jyotish Medha Pragya awards from the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences (ICAS). In addition, Bill was given the Jyotish Navaratna Award by ACVA and received the 2012 Jyotisha Mahasagara award from the Raman and Rajeshwari Research Foundation.

Bill has lectured internationally, was featured on TV on The Learning Channel (TLC), has conducted numerous TV and radio interviews, written many articles on Jyotish for international astrology magazines, and is the author of three bestselling books on Vedic astrology, �Beneath a Vedic Sky,�, �Beneath a Vedic Sun,� and �Vedic Astrology Simply Put.� Bill is currently working on a book about Vedic astrology and relationships entitled, �Beneath a Vedic Moon.�

Bill lives in Southern California and can be reached at [email protected]... You can visit his website at www.vedicastrologer.com or find out more about the educational offerings at ACVA at www.acvaonline.org



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