Astrology and Mankind

American Heritage Dictionary defines Astrology as the study of the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs. Planetary observation is the basis of Astrology. The practice of astrology was prevalent in the ancient times as well. History of Astrology is an important part of civilization and goes back to the early days of the human race. Some of the well-known civilizations of the world used this field extensively. For example, the ancient Chinese civilization, the Egyptian civilization, the ancient Indian civilization, etc all practiced astrology at some point or the other. Arabs too practiced Astrology before the advent of Islam. Arabs were quite advanced in the field of Astronomy.

The ancient Babylonians were probably the first to use Astrology. The Babylonians were the first to name the days of the week after the Sun, Moon, and planets. They were also the first to set out the twelve houses of the horoscope. Baghdad and Damascus were known as centers of Astrology and Astronomy in olden times. Egypt contributed a lot towards the development of Astrology. It is thought that some of the astrological signs of the zodiac originated in Egypt.

Greek astronomer Ptolemy was the first ever person to write a book on Astrology. He codified the sun sign astrology that we know today. Ptolemy tried to predict the positions of celestial bodies relative to each other and the earth through knowledge of their orbital motions. During his time, astrology was a part of astronomy. Later, astronomy became an exact science and Astrology remained a part of Theology.

Chinese astrology stresses on the five elements, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Even the zodiac signs used by them are also different from other forms of astrology.

India has a rich history of Astrology. Astrology was practiced even in the Vedic times in India. Astrology is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga. Ancient Hindu Scriptures too give a lot of importance to the various aspects of planetary motions and its effects on humans. Astrology is still studied and practiced by many in India. It is regarded as vital in Indian culture. It is used to make decisions about marriage, starting of new businesses, and moving into a new house etc. The Hindus believe that human fortune or misfortune in life is due to karma, and karma is believed to be influenced by the movements of the planets. Among the Hindus, Brahmins are considered to be the best authorities on astrology. The astrologers in India claim that it is a scientific method to predict the future. They still club this field of study within the parameters of Hinduism. Hindus almost unanimously believe in astrological predictions. In fact, religious Hindus cannot imagine life without Astrology. More and more Indians have started to build their houses according to the principles of Vastu Shashtra. This ancient Indian tradition is also governed by astrological implications. Hindus believe that the overall prosperity and benefits of the occupants is dependant on the Vastu principles while building the house. Indian Astrologers claim that they can prove that astrological predictions are indeed scientific.

Horoscope is a part of Astrology. Reading the horoscope daily has become a trend even in the developed countries of the West. The Western mind has always put everything subject to scrutiny and they tend to rely solely on scientific facts. But that is not preventing the western people from being obsessed with their horoscopes. Suddenly, the western world has woken up to the possibility of knowing and improving their future with the use of astrology. More and more westerners have started to believe in the possibility of getting affected by the powerful planets and stars. Western scholars have included the subject of astrology in their research. Astrology was never scrutinized and researched ever before the way it has been done over the last few years. In this regard, the Indian astrologers should come forward and show the world the power that astrology holds.

Maturity Effects of Planets and Houses

What makes Vedic Astrology superior to other Divination systems, including Western Astrology, is its level of accuracy and precision in prediction. Predictive methods are based on very complex calculations and there are numerous methods which will pinpoint timing down to the exact minute. However there is a simple method which gives remarkable results and should
be taken into account when seeing a chart.

Planets and houses are said to give their maturity effects at certain ages in a person's life. The planets are more significant in this regard.

When a planet matures at a certain age, the full potential of the planet will be able to manifest at that time. Whatever a planet promises in the chart, will be clearly visible in a person's life at that age.

This is a very important method of prediction and can often work like magic.

In some cases just knowing a person's age without having access to their chart can give you a strong idea of what they are experiencing in life and how that planet corresponding to their age actually functions in their chart.

The maturity planet will show its intrinsic nature as well as the results of its chart placement. The intensity of its effects will last until the next planet matures.

AGE WHEN PLANETS GIVE THEIR FULL EFFECTS

Jupiter Matures at 15 - 20 years of age (peak 16)
Sun Matures at 22 years of age
Moon Matures at 24 years of age
Venus Matures 25 - 27 years of age (peak 25)
Mars Matures at 28 - 31 years of age (peak 28)
Mercury Matures at 32 - 35 years of age (peak 32)
Saturn Matures at 36 - 39 years of age (peak 36)
Rahu Matures at 42 - 47 years of age (peak 42)
Ketu Matures at 48 - 54 years of age (peak 48)


Jupiter's maturity age (15th birthday) 16th year, will often give some special opportunities, wealth, or higher learning (Jupiter's natural significations) and whatever else it indicates in the chart.

Sun's maturity age (21st birthday) 22nd year, will bring out the person's underlying tendencies to the fore, and if well placed is an important time for professional advancement, along with whatever else Sun indicates in the chart.

Moon's maturity age (23rd birthday) 24th year, will show some psychological maturity. Whatever else the Moon indicates in the chart will come to the fore.

From one's 24th birthday (25th year) Venus will mature. As a natural significator of love a person will generally expect some romance even marriage in their life, if supported by the main horoscope. Venus will also give the effects of its chart placement.

Mars maturity age (27th birthday) 28th year, will see a person developing more initiative and independence in their life. Mars will also give the effects of its chart placement.

Mercury's maturity age (31st birthday) 32nd year, will see more intellectual development and important communication activities taking place. Mercury will also give the effects of its chart placement.

Saturn's maturity age (35th birthday) 36th year, can usher in important changes. A person may experience some form of upheaval or find more security and stability in their life. Whatever a person has been working hard towards in the house that Saturn occupies, will give its full results at this age.

Rahu's maturity age (41st birthday ) 42nd year, can make one more focused on the opportunities for growth that Rahu signifies in the chart.

Ketu's maturity age (47th birthday) 48th year, is an important time for introspection and reflection on how one has developed up till now in their lives. It can be an important spiritual turning point.

If a planet is afflicted in a chart, when it reaches maturity the full negative potential of that planet will be able to manifest.

As an example, if Saturn were badly placed in the 4th house of a horoscope, at the age of 36 a person will have some kind of emotional crisis or difficulties with property matters. Saturn is sure to show its more negative inherent traits such as obstacles, delays, miserliness, over attachment and poverty. If this Saturn were also ruler of the 5th and 6th house it will show obstructions in love affairs, creativity, children (5th house) and problems with debts, enemies and health (6th house).

On the other hand if Saturn is a strong benefic or yogakaraka then one may see a sudden rise in fortune at the age of 36.

MATURITY AGE OF HOUSES

Houses are said to mature at certain times in a person's life also. If a person has a particularly strong or weak house it will show its effect quite obviously during the period of its duration, alongside other more important predictive factors.

9th House Maturity Age (1-24 yrs)
10th House Maturity Age (25 - 26 yrs)
11th House Maturity Age (27 -28 yrs)
12th House Maturity Age (29 - 30 yrs)
1st House Maturity Age (31 - 33 yrs)
2nd House Maturity Age (34 - 36 yrs)
3rd House Maturity Age (37 - 39 yrs)
4th House Maturity Age (40 - 45 yrs)
5th House Maturity Age (46 - 51 yrs)
6th House Maturity Age (52 - 57 yrs)
7th House Maturity Age (58 - 65 yrs)
8th House Maturity Age (66 yrs onwards)

Up to 24 years of age when the 9th house is giving effects, a person will be very much at the mercy of their fortune or misfortune, depending on the strength of the 9th house in the chart. This is a timr when a person develops
their main outlook and approach to life , and finds their destined path or general life direction.

From one's 24th birthday to 26 years of age, one's career often becomes an important point of focus, and trying to attain professional recognition.

From one's 26th birthday to 28 years of age, social opportunities may manifest, along with focusing on one's ability for wealth and profits and trying to achieve major ambitions and long term goals.

From one's 28th birthday to 30 years of age, a person may have to deal with issues of loss, long distance travel may be important, along with spiritual awakening and seeking a greater meaning to existence.

From one's 30th birthday to 33 years of age, a person may be trying to formulate their self identity and become more independent.

From one's 33rd birthday to 36 years of age, a person may be focused on earning money, development of speech and acquiring knowledge.

From one's 36th birthday to 39 years of age, a person may be fostering their independence and initiative, and learning to handle communication in a more effective manner. New creative skills may be taken up at this time.

From one's 39th birthday to 45 years of age, a person may be concerned more about inner stability and settling down in a permanent home.

From one's 45th birthday to 51 years of age, new creative activities may spring up, along with concentration on one's children and their lives.

From one's 51st birthday to 57 years of age, a person may have to focus more on their health and whatever else their 6th house indicates in the chart.

By one's 57th birthday to 65 years of age, a person has learnt to deal with relationships in a certain way.

From one's 65th birthday onwards a person has to confront issues about death and the mysteries of life.

Isolated Expedition

Imagine an expedition to the Antarctic in 1914. There is no GPS, no world-reaching radio, and no satellite phone. Brutal conditions, rationed food, tight living quarters. Sounds pretty bleak. Now imagine that something goes horribly wrong. As days turn into weeks the rationed food is exhausted. As weeks turn into months hope is all that is left. When hope diminishes, all that is left is the will to live.

Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 voyage turned into a disaster just before he and his crew of twenty-eight could reach Antarctica. Their ship The Endurance was held up by ice for ten months and then crushed by it's frozen, unforgiving force, and that is just the beginning of this two-years long journey. It is amazing what he and his crew endure over this time period just to survive.

This is an excerpt from a diary kept by crewman Thomas Orde-Lees that recounts a very cold and desperate time some six months after the men abandoned the crumpled, mangled wreckage of their ship on three lifeboats.

"As the water splashed into the boats it froze instantly forming thick incrustations of ice on the inside of the boat and over all the gear freezing up the sail as stiff as a piece of corrugated iron. Fortunately the water which ran into the bottom of the boat did not freeze at once so that by frequent bailing we were able to keep pace with it and prevent the accumulation of ice along the keels, where, had it once formed, it would have been next to impossible to eradicate it on account of the cargo.

Much sleet covered us, and what with this and the sea spray we were all more or less wet through and our outer clothing was frozen stiff. Our time was largely occupied in picking the ice off each other's backs. It would be a lie to say that we were at all happy under these circumstances but now and again we made a feeble effort to assume a cheerful, hopeful air in spite of ourselves. We were being sorely tried, indeed, though."

For more on this event and to learn about a documentary film based on this event visit:
film-documentary.com/the-endurance.html

Koyaanisqatsi a nonverbal film by Godfrey Reggio and Ron Fricke

Koyaanisqatsi is a nonverbal film, directed by Godfrey Reggio, and completed in 1982. Koyaanisqatsi contains no actors, no dialogue and has no script. Images from around the world are set to a moving score from composer Philip Glass.

In the movie Koyaanisqatsi director Godfrey Reggio tries to show the imbalance between man and nature. Shots showing the destruction of mankind are coupled and set against images of nature's beauty and force. The images are very moving and provoke many thoughts in viewers. The musical score of Philip Glass is unconventional, as his scores often are, and yet it is a good balance to the images.

The images are shot by Ron Fricke who later went on to make the movie Baraka. Baraka has a similar theme to Koyaanisqatsi, but a slightly more spiritual theme. It was shot using 70mm, which gives a warmer and cleaner feel than Koyaanisqatsi. Koyaanisqatsi was shot between 1975 and 1982. Some of its scenes are stock footage, such as explosions and space rocket launches. 
Koyaanisqatsi has its own page at www.spiritofbaraka.com/koyaanis.aspx with all of the details of the film and images of most of the scenes.

In 2003 Koyaanisqatsi was re-released after ownership disputes were settled. The re-mastered DVD image greatly improved the quality but bizarrely lost its original aspect ratio.

Koyaanisqatsi has gone on to be an underground cult movie, and often studied by film students looking to explore a deeper side of the film world.

A small genre of films has been spawned by Koyaanisqatsi. Baraka, as mentioned above has become the most popular. Other movies in the genre include Chronos: also by Ron Fricke, Powaqqatsi: the sequel to Koyaanisqatsi, Microcosmos: about insects, Naqoyqatsi: the less popular final part of the Qatsi trilogy: Winged Migration: about birds, Samsara: the Sequel to Baraka, Dogora: about the young people of Cambodia.

All of these movies where originally created to by viewed in theatres, where one gets the maximum effect. Larger and clearer televisions, as well as home cinema systems have allowed all of these movies to be enjoyed at home.

The Shawshank Redemption, a Stephen King movie

The Shawshank Redemption is consistently voted as one of the best movies of all time. Originally a story in a Stephen King book, the Different Seasons, known as Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, the story was adapted and the movie created. The movie was directed and the screenplay written by Frank Darabont. The movie was his first major production. Interestingly Stephen King has written two stories about prisons, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, which happen to be the first two movies that Frank Darabont directed.

The story is a cruel one, in which Andy Dufresne, an educated and kind man is wrongly convicted of his wife's murder. During his time in prison he befriends several people, who are criminals, whereas Andy is not. His life is changed forever, as he deals with the troubles of incarceration.

Stephen King's excellent character portrayal is not limited to his horror stories, and the characters in this story are some of his best. One could even believe this was based on a true story, but it is not, King has confirmed. The story is upsetting, puzzling and warming, and the movies popularity confirms people association with the story. I think it will always be a classic.

When released at the theatre The Shawshank Redemption did not achieve great success, despite the great buzz already generated by the Hollywood industry due to the great story. This was in part due to great competition at the time, and also the fact that the story is about a prison, which put many movie goers off. However, after the release to DVD the Shawshank Redemption sold in huge quantities making it a firm favorite.

The other stories from the Different Seasons book are:

• The Body - which became the movie, Stand by me
• The Apt Pupil - which also became a movie called The Apt Pupil
• The Club - which has yet to make it to the big screen

I would recommend the book to anyone who is a fan, as it is a great collection of stories. The Shawshank Redemption is a very popular story, whether read in a book or watched as a film.

Stallone Filming New Boxing Movie

The next biggest boxing film, a new Rocky sequel, is set to be released in December 2006 or early 2007. Written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, Rocky VI, also called Rocky Balboa, has primarily been filmed throughout Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, in December 2005, the production team for the new boxing movie set out to Las Vegas for a series of fight scenes, which were filmed over a four day period. A call for extras was placed on sylvesterstallone.com, as well as at beinamovie.com. Fans traveled far and near for their opportunity to spend several days with the cast and crew, obtain autographs and to have the chance to say "I was there." The film has been closely followed by local news stations based in Philadelphia, which is noted on Stallone's official website. 

The latest boxing saga for the one-time prize fighter, Rocky Balboa, played by Stallone, is said to parallel the comeback story of boxing legend, George Foreman. According to a statement printed on BeInAMovie.com, Stallone said that he wanted to tell Foreman's comeback story. 

In the newest boxing release from the Rocky series, Balboa is now a restaurant owner grieving over the loss of his wife, Adrian. After deciding to return to the ring for local fights, Balboa is confronted with the opportunity to fight the reigning heavyweight champion. This act garners major boxing media attention, as does any major bout that Balboa has faced, and so is the story of Rocky VI.

While focusing on the story of boxing, the films from the Rocky series are geared more toward not giving up and staying in the fight, whether you win or lose. Fans who have followed the films since their inception will recall Balboa, a struggling boxer, never turned away from a challenge. It is the story of preserverance that has not only kept the boxing career of Balboa going, but also the desire to do what he loves.

Rocky VI, also called Rocky Balboa, is currently defined as being in post-production. While it's exact release date is not yet confirmed, industry experts believe it to be in late 2006 or early 2007 as previously noted. Some believe the film is slated for a Christmas Day 2006 release, but only time will tell. After a long hiatus from filming the world of boxing, Rocky makes yet another visit to the big screen with a crowd of eager fans anxiously awaiting the next storyline in one of the most anticipated boxing sequels ever made.

Mallika Sherawat - Marriage Failure, Career Successful

Mallika Sherawat is considered to be a youth icon in the Indian film industry. She has tremendous popularity as far as her looks are concerned. But acting is something which is not the first criterion to be a good female actor in India. They are mainly in the movies for ornamental purposes- to attract young people who form the major chunk of cinema-goers. 

Mallika Sherawat hails from Rohtak, India. She was an air-hostess initially. Many people do not know that she was married to a pilot but the marriage did not work out and they separated. Mallika Sherawat then tried her hand in show business and she achieved overnight success with her film Murder. Her success is mainly attributed to her bold scenes which are not usually seen in Indian movies. After some of her initial movies most of the films have proven to be below average. Even her much talked about film 'Myth' with Jacky Chan has fallen flat. If Mallika has to stay in the film industry she will have to give quality to cinema.

For Mallika Sherawat success and money comes easy which will be a dream for many people. This is probably the reason why her parents who were against her defiant attitude regarding her show of skin, later reconciled with her and are reportedly living with her.

Mallika Sherawat's success has initiated a new era in Indian film industry. Actors who used to shy from showing their skin have now shed their hesitation and now competing with Mallika Sherawat. Celina Jaitly, Neha Dhupia, Esha Deol and many more like them are examples of such actors who have adopted the formula of Mallika Sherawat to make it to the top in Bollywood. 

Many people feel that Mallika Sherawat is arrogant and egotist. She loves to talk about herself and her success. According to her, half the Indian population is mad about her. During an interview, she even challenged a senior news anchor of a reputed news channel that he likes her. Mallika probably has a very physical perspective of the people in general and that is how she has learned to exploit the desires of sexually deprived Indian men.

Mallika Sherawat has made name and money very easily... (relatively) just with her hot looks. Not everybody is gifted with such an attractive body. Quick success is something which is difficult to achieve and even more difficult to maintain. Let's see in future how she manages to continue to be a successful star of Bollywood.