Shrankhla Holecek 00:00
Hello, I’m Shrankhla Holecek, the founder and CEO of Uma, an Ayurvedic beauty and wellness collection. This is the Uma Elements podcast. Each week I’ll be having a conversation with someone I greatly admire on the topics of Ayurveda, holistic healing, spiritual well -being, and alternative health.
Shrankhla Holecek 00:24
By sharing wisdom together, we will unlock a secret that as ancient as they are, Ayurveda and other ancient modalities are as modern and relevant today as ever. Today we are chatting with Bani Singh Chadha on the Uma Ayurveda podcast.
Shrankhla Holecek 00:44
Bani, a Vedic astrologer, is dedicated to enlightening audiences about the value of Vedic sciences, particularly Vedic astrology, as a means to gain self -awareness and comprehend our inherent nature.
Shrankhla Holecek 01:00
She works on re -establishing astrology as a science of planets and helping people comprehend the involvement of planets and the environment as a whole in human lives. Rather than using astrology purely for prediction, Bani guides individuals in understanding the energy of the planets, allowing personal growth and self -discovery to unfold.
Shrankhla Holecek 01:25
In this episode, we delve into an enlightening conversation with Bani as we seek a deeper understanding of Vedic astrology, discover the principles behind this ancient practice. Hey Bani, it’s such an absolute pleasure to finally have you on the podcast after months and years of talking about it, and of course after decades of having known you since boarding school. Welcome.
Bani Singh 01:51
Thank you so much, Shrankhla. I’m so excited to be here today. I mean, you’ve been dazzling all of us since our school days. You continue to do that even now. Also, I’m really excited to be part of the Uma family. Thank you for having me.
Shrankhla Holecek 02:04
So exciting to be chatting again. Bani, I will die right into it. You’re my favorite Vedic astrologer. I love how you use detailed explanations of science married with almost an art form of adjudicating all of that knowledge that planetary wisdom and astrology provides us and using that to navigate our life while continuing to exercise choice and free will.
Shrankhla Holecek 02:39
And with that, I want to lead into a very fundamental question. What are the origins of Vedic astrology?
Bani Singh 02:47
So Vedic astrology is a part of the Vedas. You know, the Vedas that we’ve been talking about knowledge that came down from the creator.
Bani Singh 02:57
And it’s basically the Vedas are an ancient system of knowledge, which even Ayurveda is a part. So Vedic astrology is just a modern name for what we call Jyotish. Jyotish coming from the word light. So basically Vedic astrology, Jyotish, this is a science that gives light.
Bani Singh 03:15
It casts light in our lives. It’s like, you know, if you go into a dark room, the light is not on, you don’t know where the bed is, you could pump into it. When the light comes on, you kind of know exactly which way to head.
Bani Singh 03:29
So Vedic astrology is based on the belief that the stars, the planets, they all have a powerful influence in our lives because we’re all one part in creation. We’re not living outside of it. So according to Hindu teachings, life is with honesty and, you know, living a life that’s very connected to nature, giving back to nature, serving nature, sacrificing just like nature sort of does for us.
Bani Singh 04:01
So the foundation of astrology of Jyotish is based on the fact that, you know, whatever we’re doing today, where we are today in our lives is just a part of our past action. So it presupposes that every being has a karmic trail coming from them, right?
Bani Singh 04:21
So our ancient rishis, our ancient seers, they developed this science out of compassion for us. They were just basically helping us decode why we are the way we are, you know, like kids ask very fundamental questions, you know, where did I come from?
Bani Singh 04:38
So that is the level of insight that they kind of give us with this science.
Shrankhla Holecek 04:44
I love that framing, both in terms of, you know, shining the light, as well as how all of life is interconnected. connected to the universe we operate into the relationships we have to the relationships with our elders.
Shrankhla Holecek 05:01
And of course, I think a lot of us believe today, more than ever, that we bear the fruit of our actions sooner or later. So it almost encourages us in a way to lead better lives. Moving on from that inception would love an overview of the scope of Vedic astrology.
Shrankhla Holecek 05:24
What are its central practices, the purposes, goals?
Bani Singh 05:29
So, I mean, the fact that we’re born already means that we have a past, because what incarnates is our ego. That’s what develops an attachment to things, right?
Bani Singh 05:41
What we call a hamriti. Now, Like I said, the Rishis developed this out of their compassion for us. They needed direction for people who are suffering just to know our place and existence and how to manage our lives and sort of to give a perspective.
Bani Singh 05:57
So that’s really the foundation, the very central principle of astrology, basically how to help us get out of any mess because look, we’re all not perfect. So we have this concept in our scriptures that talks about Shadrippu, which means our inner demons and there are six types of them.
Bani Singh 06:16
Shadrippu means six. So anger, jealousy, how to manage these things because many a times we’re our own worst enemies. So just helping us decode why we are the way we are. And like I said, its purpose is just an attempt to help us know ourselves because astrology encompasses so many different things, psychology, healing, prediction, spirituality, everyday affairs.
Bani Singh 06:46
Because what we’re basically saying is that everybody is bound by nature and formed by nature in their own way. No two people are the same. So look at the variety that we’re really talking about. The scope is that it just covers every aspect of human existence.
Bani Singh 07:03
That is the depth to which the science can go. It gives you tremendous insight into movement of planets. I mean, we can cast the horoscope of somebody born 2000 years ago. You have their daytime place of birth.
Bani Singh 07:17
We can cast a horoscope tell you exactly how they are emotionally, physically, what were times of stress in their lives. That is the scope. It covers every aspect of existence, even, you know, whether you will have luck investing in the stock market tomorrow.
Bani Singh 07:32
So it can answer any question.
Shrankhla Holecek 07:35
Makes a ton of sense. So, you know, I’m drawing a little bit of a parallel to IRV than my experience with it. in that there are some areas, even though Ayurveda applies to all facets of life, there are some areas, especially for people starting out, I have found it to have huge significance.
Shrankhla Holecek 07:56
For instance, in the stuff that traditional Western medicine doesn’t have ready answers for. So Ayurveda really shines, for instance, chronic and complex ailments like fatigue or symptoms of Lyme disease or skin ailments like eczema where people are not getting relief.
Shrankhla Holecek 08:15
Drawing a parallel to astrology there and finding the places that you’ve seen it shine the most or have the most amount of impact in a most profound way, what would that area be? Or those areas?
Bani Singh 08:32
One way when you talk about say alopathy or Ayurveda, I mean, in a sense, astrology faces the same issue because we have people who come to us for short term remedies and cures and solutions.
Bani Singh 08:46
Right? Some astrologers, they play into that, right, for whatever reasons. And look, if you have a headache, you’ll take an alopathy medicine in 30 minutes, you’re okay. That’s the reason why short term remedies are also sought after in both, you know, sciences.
Bani Singh 09:04
But that’s the thing. You’ve got to understand that long term is where you need to go. Holistic is where you need to go because that headache is going to come back, right? So in terms of where it really shines, is that say someone’s been having a medical problem that is undiagnosable.
Bani Singh 09:24
Now by seeing someone’s birth chart, you can, and if it’s a period connected to the nodes, the lunar nodes, there is no chance they’ll get a diagnosis. It’s as simple as that. You’ll have to tell them that maybe in three months you’ll have a better solution to that.
Bani Singh 09:38
But you’ll know what you’re dealing with. But many a times diagnostic confusion is something that we can even talk about. And medical astrology is a huge field by itself. Cancer, for instance, or any really traumatic diseases don’t happen overnight.
Bani Singh 09:52
The seeds of that have been sown in your karmic sort of baggage. When you were born, we can even tell you when this is likely to happen. Are you susceptible? We can guide you. So in terms of, I mean, giving a sense of what you’re susceptible to in terms of diseases, in terms of a weakness in your body, the scope of Jyotish, as I mentioned before, everything.
Shrankhla Holecek 10:17
It’s so fascinating to hear you say that because I think even on the genetic side, I think we are decoding some of these things. But you’re right. Cancer very often is determined at birth. you know, you kind of sometimes if you peek down into cells deep enough, you can sometimes see it in the DNA.
Shrankhla Holecek 10:38
So these things that seem mystical and magical at one blush are getting proven out as we get a better understanding of life and cells and everything. So it is a beautiful harmony and symphony of things working together.
Shrankhla Holecek 10:56
And I think it is about that leap of faith. Go ahead.
Bani Singh 11:00
You know, you talked about like a goal of astrology, like something I missed, you know, answering for you. And I can link that here is that again, if the goal is just to guide, it’s not fatalistic.
Bani Singh 11:13
It’s telling you or you see because we cast the horoscope of a person. At the time they were born, we see the exact position of planetary bodies and we, we, those planets are basically like executors of our past actions.
Bani Singh 11:30
So. We see the goal is really to get the best out of a person’s karmic potential. Okay, we all have XYZ karmic potential. Very easy to see that in a birth chart. But as an astrologer, we start out the best.
Bani Singh 11:47
We go through that chart, we study it, we see, hey, okay, this is something that can work very well for this person as opposed to this. So we guide them and sort of point them in that direction. Because what they’ve been pursuing for a long time is probably frustrating them, not working out for them.
Bani Singh 12:04
So our job is again, to shine light. And when you go to an astrologer, if an astrologer is, you know, is making you feel scared or terrifying you are saying, Oh, this is going to happen, that is going to happen, you know, you’re going to the wrong person.
Bani Singh 12:18
Because the job of astrology is again, to shine light to give you light to give you hope to point you in a direction that, you know, karmically is better for you. It really bring out the best in your potential.
Shrankhla Holecek 12:33
And something that was on your Instagram comes to mind. So I’m going to go a little bit off script here. But, Bani, you talked about a kite flying in the wind, and within a certain scope, having free will.
Shrankhla Holecek 12:51
So with astrology, I love the concept of the, you know, the notion of free will still existing. And I think that is the balance that you are guiding us towards when you talk about shining a light and allowing us choice with that light in perspective.
Shrankhla Holecek 13:11
Can you touch on the concept of free will within, you know, sort of the karmic balance and the parameters of a horoscope and Vedic astrology?
Bani Singh 13:21
So I mean, when it comes to free will versus paid that debate goes on and off.
Bani Singh 13:27
But, you know, free will, free will is a large, I mean, again, astrology is not fatalistic. It is a guide. And there are so many instances where you will find in a horoscope, there are combinations for this and this, but you can overcome that negativity.
Bani Singh 13:48
That is the amazing part because free will is where you are sort of, you choose to act a certain way when something is coming at you. So how you react to a situation in your life is your free will in that very moment.
Bani Singh 14:05
And that free will, that reaction is what is going to make your fate going forward. That makes your karma for, you know, future. So free will is as important as fate. I mean, fate, it’s like, if I tell you, Shrankhla, let’s not undo this podcast.
Bani Singh 14:22
You can’t, you can’t even change what you did in the last hour. So once something is done, you are going to get some sort of reaction to that. There is cause and there is effect. But what you do today can sow the seeds for a better tomorrow. It’s as simple as that.
Shrankhla Holecek 14:39
Totally. And thank you for underscoring that because almost as you said that, it is like you have, let’s say, genetic predispositions to ABC. And knowing that can help you chart the course to try and avoid a full blown presentation of XYZ, which is already cost in some ways.
Shrankhla Holecek 15:06
But making certain choices and exercising free will can help you maybe avoid certain dire circumstances. And in my mind, astrology is essentially making you aware so you can make better choices.
Bani Singh 15:22
Yes, because you know, it’s not just about, say, getting a birth chart reading and then forgetting about it, but understanding it for yourself.
Bani Singh 15:31
You know, understanding this universe for yourself. I mean, you’ve got to center, you’ve got to connect with nature. You’ve got to understand that nature can come back at you as well. Look at COVID. Look at what we dealt with.
Bani Singh 15:44
I mean, in a sense, nobody could do anything. Right. So you’ve got to respect nature. You’ve got to respect the fact that it is a part of us. We are not, we’re always taking from nature. Right. Nature is always giving the sun doesn’t come every day and say, hey, send, you know, send us a monthly check.
Bani Singh 16:01
I come up every morning, you know, for people who are skeptics and, you know, or don’t believe in it. I mean, look at the sun. It comes up every morning. One very simple thing I teach to all my students is again, gratitude to the sun as the source of creation.
Bani Singh 16:17
In fact, Jyotish or astrology is another name of the sun because what does the sun do? It shines light on us every single day. Just think what would our lives be without the sun? I mean, it’s, you know, it’s the fuel that starts our morning.
Bani Singh 16:31
Yeah. There would be nothing. So do any of us really say thank you to the sun? I mean, it’s a good, it’s a very good practice for health, for wealth, for just a healthy body to get up every morning, go straight to your window and do a thank you for coming up, son. I’m really grateful.
Shrankhla Holecek 16:51
You know, I also like that it sets your day up with a sense of mindfulness, gratitude and connectivity. You know, just as you were saying that I’m like, yes, that’s a pretty profound thing to acknowledge first thing in the morning.
Shrankhla Holecek 17:05
And that should set the stage for a pretty positive day, just, you know, sort of taking in that acknowledgement that yes, the sun does do us a great service every day, day after day. So I do love that.
Bani Singh 17:22
And doesn’t really ask for anything in return. It’s just giving his light regardless of whether we appreciate it or not. Because look, we’re all coming from the same five elements, everything in creation, right?
Bani Singh 17:33
Air, water, earth, fire, the air element. Each planet is connected to these elements. The air element, Saturn, which gives us the ability to connect water element, the moon, Venus, ability to sort of just go with the flow, right?
Bani Singh 17:49
Move forward, leave the past behind. The earth element that grounds us. I mean, we are a piece of electrical equipment at the end of the day and we need grounding, right? That’s why, for instance, walking barefoot on grass is a great practice in grounding, right?
Bani Singh 18:05
Especially when you’re feeling very stuck in your life and nothing’s really moving forward. You’re feeling like you’re being pulled down, grounding, respecting the earth element, you know? The fire element is what gets us going every morning, excitement, energy, all the inspiration we have, creative and physical in our lives.
Bani Singh 18:24
So, like I said, I mean, astrology is a science, covers everything and it can give you answers to not just what’s happening right now, why is something happening? You know, why is this happening to me is best answered in astrology. Astrology,
Shrankhla Holecek 18:44
that makes sense. And, Bani, you were just talking about the planets and I know the science of astrology does take all of that into consideration. So, Adil up for you to talk to us just a little bit about the science of astrology, how planets and, you know, moon satellites impact our life and our being.
Bani Singh 19:05
So, you know, planets are basically, when we sort of bring it down, they’re points of light in a really big energy network, okay, and that energy network is very closely connected. very intricately connected, right?
Bani Singh 19:24
And astrology starts with understanding that, look, we’ve got, we’ve done X amount of past action and that is coming from various lifetimes. And in this particular lifetime, I’ve got a small portion of it that I have to deal with.
Bani Singh 19:40
And what we call destiny, what we call fate. Now, the time you were born, if anyone were to run out, take a picture of the sky at that very minute, that becomes your birth chart. The moment a child takes its first breath independent of its mother.
Bani Singh 19:58
That is the time that we cast, that is the right time to cast a horoscope. And from that, we sort of get a sense, okay, these are the nine planets, they’re placed here. And we see the placement of the moon because the moon is extremely important.
Bani Singh 20:15
Because, you know, there is a lot of talk of, say, you know, a healthy mind produces a healthy body and all of that. That’s very true because if you have a healthy mind, that’s how you’ll have a healthy body.
Bani Singh 20:28
You can’t have an unhealthy mind. You think you’ll have a healthy body. So just like Ayurveda has rules, you should eat at this time and don’t have water between your meals and things like that. There are recommendations that sort of deal with every planet in astrology.
Bani Singh 20:47
So each planet has a certain color associated with it. It has a certain day of the week. Now, many people think that the first day of the week is actually Monday. It’s no, it’s Sunday. Sunday is the first day because it starts with the sun.
Bani Singh 21:05
The entire, even if we talk of the electromagnetic spectrum or the concept of Vibhya that we have, there are nine things there. We have seven colors there and the first is the sun. The first day of the week is the sun because obviously everything starts from there.
Bani Singh 21:23
So that’s why Sunday is actually a great day to do some planning in your life. To actually set the ball for the following week because the energy of the sun is obviously the most and you should cash in on the energy of the sun.
Bani Singh 21:36
It’s a great day to spend time in nature, plan, focus, as opposed to Monday, which is a day of the moon. So we take into account the moon’s position and say, if you tell me what your moon sign is, I’ll be able to, and the lunar mansion, I’ll be able to tell you exactly who you are and what are going to be some challenges in your life.
Bani Singh 21:57
It’s that simple. It’s that precise. It’s that infallible.
Shrankhla Holecek 22:01
I love it. And Bani, you’re touching on something that I want to ask you about more formally, which is, with all this wisdom, how do you teach and consult people on astrology?
Shrankhla Holecek 22:17
You know, what’s the process when someone first comes to you?
Bani Singh 22:23
When i started as a teacher of astrology and that is really left to myself. I would only teach because I genuinely believe that sharing this knowledge with people, like it changed my life, I believe it can change lives.
Bani Singh 22:44
I think it has that much value, it has that much power. I left to myself, I would just reveal this knowledge that I’ve acquired, whatever little I’ve acquired, so that people can do it themselves. Once you understand something, you have a much better chance of finding your own way through it in a very holistic fashion because you know yourself the best.
Bani Singh 23:05
And what astrology is really telling you is forget about everyone else, shine that torchlight on yourself, figure out who you are because you know the trend, I mean, generally we all like to blame everyone else for anything that’s happening in our lives.
Bani Singh 23:21
But astrology is saying, hey, everything happening in your life is because of you. So first start with yourself. Understand yourself, improve yourself. So I would much rather equip people to sort of take charge of their lives.
Bani Singh 23:37
Of course I do consultations, you know, I find that, you know, just telling someone that okay, you’re, you’ve literally got three months more of this in your life and things are going to get better. When you see the light that that brings in their life, that the hope that it gives them, it really gives you joy that you can help someone.
Bani Singh 23:58
So, of course, one does consult and it’s a very serious thing you’re looking at someone’s karmic baggage, and we take it very, very seriously, Shankla. It’s a very big deal. We follow a lot of rules and regulations for us, not just any reading.
Bani Singh 24:14
And it comes with a lot of responsibilities for us there are certain days we don’t do it. So there is a core of contact associated with it so it’s a lot like you know counseling and the process is you’re just shining light again you’re you’re helping to end someone suffering give them hope help explain to them why you know that shop that they’ve been trying to open for five years just doesn’t take off and that they should do something else.
Bani Singh 24:44
And explain to them that maybe the next six months is not a good period to start something new. If you waited just another eight months, you’ll have far more easy success. I mean the point is why put your boat out in a storm.
Bani Singh 24:59
It’s better to wait it out till the tide is more in your favor. So that’s the kind of guidance that astrology traditionally because look it’s it’s a spiritual science. But today, yes, it’s become a little more commercial because to be honest, if you know you go to astrology and it says the astrology turns around says you’ve got to be a better person, and you know shine the light on yourself.
Bani Singh 25:21
Most people will say, okay, you know, I’m not going to pay for. But it’s about getting aware of the fact that what you are doing today, the motivation behind each action of yours is going to make your tomorrow, it’s going to decide the success, the prosperity that you’re going to have because were you able to choose your parents?
Bani Singh 25:44
Did you sort of choose that I’m going to have this person as my father or mother? These types of relationships come with the most amount of karma in your life, things that you can’t change in your life.
Bani Singh 25:55
And when you are conscious and you are reacting in a more positive way to all the suffering that you’re going through or the bad periods that you’re experiencing, it sets you up for a much better tomorrow.
Bani Singh 26:08
So stoically going through negative situations is really the way forward. So again, that comes back to free will. That is where your free will, I think free will is far more important. because you’re making and setting yourself up for a much better tomorrow.
Shrankhla Holecek 26:25
Yeah, yeah, makes total sense. Bunny, I would love for you, if it is all right, to share maybe some positive experiences from your own life or from consultations with clients in how having this light of astrology and you know, following the positives from that knowledge have helped shape someone’s life or experiences for the better.
Bani Singh 26:54
So, you know, at least in India, when a child is born, in most homes they cast a horoscope, right? Yes, they cast a horoscope and they will visit their family astrologer. And just like, you know, when Krishna was born, Garg Rishi was consulted about what the name Krishna is, Krishna’s parents went.
Bani Singh 27:17
So, in the same way that practice has continued in most homes in India where we consult everyone has a family, most people have a family astrologer and that’s how sort of, you know, they get a sense of what are the weaknesses in this child’s life and where we should give more attention and things like that.
Bani Singh 27:35
But my experience with astrology obviously, from a very personal space, has been the most profound thing in my life because I could go back to any year and I found an explanation for everything that happened.
Bani Singh 27:51
There was a reference to everything that’s happened in my life. I just had to look at my horoscope, sass out that year, see how the planets were aligned and there, the light was screaming, was leaving bright.
Bani Singh 28:04
So, it explained everything. It helped me make sense and it’s just only been positive for me because it’s not something I look at for prediction in terms of what is going to happen tomorrow. It’s just, this is the science tells you that, but I think it has more value in giving you guidance, giving you a very holistic approach.
Bani Singh 28:26
Some of the practices that I started doing many years ago have started now sort of, I can see those results in my own life.
Shrankhla Holecek 28:35
Can you share?
Bani Singh 28:37
Light health wise, giving water to the sun every morning has brought positivity that I never had because you know when you give water to the sun every morning, the sun’s light is actually white light, right?
Bani Singh 28:54
And when it hits a sheet of water, you know, if you face the sun, pour some water in a vessel, the light of the sun, when it hits that medium, that sheet of water, it kind of dissipates into that big, you know, that electromagnetic spectrum, the seven colors of the rainbow and your body actually absorbs those colors.
Bani Singh 29:16
It’s a very natural way of doing color therapy. And your body is something that craves color because every part of or every organ in your body is a different color. So it’s craving that color. So it’s such an easy hack every morning to just get some help your health, your vitality, and get some positivity in your life because the sun is really the center of everything.
Bani Singh 29:40
It rules things like, you know, it signifies your power, your position, your authority, your relationship with your father, your bone structure, your eyesight. There are so many things that the sun represents in a birth chart.
Bani Singh 29:54
So I have found that bringing a lot of positivity in my life. Every practice, I mean, whatever I do recommend is something, or at least most of those things are very tried and tested in my own life because I have been doing this a long time.
Bani Singh 30:09
I’ve been studying it a long time now. I mean, it’s been, I mean, since I was in my early, say, 20s, I’ve been studying astrology. And it’s only kind of made sense of every situation in my life. I’ve had very positive experiences from all of my students.
Bani Singh 30:27
Each of them has left the course, always saying that, you know, today we’re so much more aware of the thought behind the action. Because, you know, action is not something that just happens randomly.
Bani Singh 30:40
You first have a desire, then you think about how to do it, and then you finally act, right? So if I want a pair of shoes, I first desire it. And then I go about thinking how or when, where should I go and buy it?
Bani Singh 30:52
And then I finally act on it. So understanding that desire, our desires are actually the real problem. If we desire things that are more wholesome, we have more, just more positive lives. So clients, you know, coming back and saying things like, you know, or in consultations, I haven’t been able to get a job for a few months now.
Bani Singh 31:12
I’ve really been struggling simple remedies. that can really help them. And those are very specific to every birth chart. Because again, like I said, the karma of every person is unique. Every birth is sacred.
Bani Singh 31:25
It comes with its own karmic baggage. So I once gave this kind of very simple remedy within two weeks. They did have two job offers that they got to choose from. So there are many positive. I mean, that’s just one way, but I look at sort of really bringing a lifelong practice into my students and clients.
Bani Singh 31:45
That’s what I like to do because it’s the same thing. You’re dealing with a disease in your life. You can’t just take medication for three months. I mean, it’ll come back, right? Consistent effort, consistent practice.
Bani Singh 31:58
Like for instance, when we talk of mental illness, in a birth chart, if you have a moon that’s associated to the nodes, you are someone who is likely to face a lot more fears, phobias, a lot more complex is then maybe the next person who doesn’t.
Bani Singh 32:15
Now just knowing that, like for instance with you know Rahu, a moon and Rahu conjunction, that person will never stop thinking. Their mind will always be open, you know, and they’ll be like, oh god we can’t switch off.
Bani Singh 32:27
A simple remedy like a daily practice of breath work, pranayam. I mean it’s something so simple because Rahu is connected to the air element and when you have anxiety and when you are restless, you’ve got the first thing everyone will tell you is get your breath in check.
Bani Singh 32:46
Now if you have this in your combination in your natal chart, you will have this problem pretty much on and off in your life. Now either you get to it, spend 15 minutes a day doing it and make your life more positive and overcome it and you can overcome it by your daily action.
Bani Singh 33:04
There is nothing you cannot overcome. You just need the right guidance and you need consistent effort. It’s like going on a diet. You can’t do it for three months and then you know go back to your eating ways.
Bani Singh 33:15
You’ve got to live a different life.
Shrankhla Holecek 33:17
Makes a ton of sense. Bani, I’m going to ask you a question that I know you’re not going to like because it is generic as opposed to astrology being precise and related to birth charts.
Shrankhla Holecek 33:32
But can you share some practices that might work for a wide cross -section of people across a few common issues that we all face? What are the other things that we can do in our daily life that will perhaps help our karmic load in way of managing our professional life?
Shrankhla Holecek 33:58
I know that slices across various things but to garner more success, to have better relationships with our colleagues, to feel more successful and accomplished at work, to have more focus. Anything come to mind in terms of practices we could all try and do or one practice we could all try and do?
Bani Singh 34:19
You know, giving, I mean, when we talk of success, actually success is not measured by anything outside as you’re there. I mean, success is in a peace. If you’re peaceful, you’re successful today. That would be my, you know, sort of one big takeaway really from Jyotish.
Bani Singh 34:38
And the thing is that if you’re at peace and peace is something that again has to be really worked on, you’re comfortable within yourself. You’re not sort of, you’re just more invested in your own growth and being a better version of yourself.
Bani Singh 34:55
For that, there are practices ranging from, I mean, you look, we have seven planets plus the two nodes, right? And with the planet, you have a particular, you know, like Ayurveda is based on three doshas.
Bani Singh 35:12
Right. And the aim of Ayurveda then is to see that they are balanced. Like, for instance, one way to really balance a lot of things is to have the Indian gooseberry, anvula, you know, it’s like a power drug first thing in the morning.
Bani Singh 35:26
But similarly in astrology, we will say things like, you know, with Saturn, and that is in my humble opinion, the most important planet, the most important energy, because that’s a planet that stays in a sign for the most amount of time, two and a half years.
Bani Singh 35:44
That’s why it can really do its work on you. So if you, and again, like I said, you know, if I know somebody’s moon sign, I just need to know that and I will tell them where their Saturn is. And I do this, you know, randomly, you know, someone will come to me, they know I’m an astrologer, I teach astrology.
Bani Singh 36:02
Hey, you know, we’re having this problem. I’ll just ask what’s your moon sign. And they’ll say this, I’ll put it in place there. I’ll tell them something. Like, why don’t you go and serve, spend a Saturday doing some service to the elderly.
Bani Singh 36:15
Do that consecutively for a couple of months and see how this problem will go away. You know, so just by knowing the position of Saturn in somebody’s chart, because what Saturn does is it’s in many ways a planet of tough love.
Bani Singh 36:30
So say, you know, things that are very easy suddenly become complicated in Saturn periods. And this is something that never goes wrong. It will always happen. That is a time of great growth in your life, but people get very scared.
Bani Singh 36:45
There’s nothing to be scared. This is a time where you will be put through the wringer, but you will come out a much better version. So obstacles, struggles, a lot of things, just, you know, simple things getting very complicated is really, you know, it’s the most common thing that happens.
Bani Singh 37:06
So by telling someone that, hey, give back Saturn is a planet of common man, you know, like the labor class, people who toil from morning to night, they get paid very little, they do such hard work, help them out, do some service to them.
Bani Singh 37:25
Saturn is a very lonely planet in the sense that it’s the furthest in the solar system, right, in the ones that we consider. It’s isolated. Now, who are the people in society who are isolated, you know, the elderly at home?
Bani Singh 37:39
You spend five minutes with them. In India, we have grandparents in the house. We’ll, you know, come back after a long day at work and probably say hi and move on, maybe not even do that. But to actually spend some quality time with them is one great way to fix this, this problem of a lot of obstacles and growth in your life.
Bani Singh 38:00
To give back when it comes to health, a very, very good remedy is again giving water to the sun, showing gratitude to the sun every morning. waking up very early on a Sunday morning and doing your Surya Namaskar in yoga.
Bani Singh 38:16
The practice of Surya Namaskar or what we call the sun’s salutations is an excellent remedy for health and vitality related issues. When we talk of emotional and mental issues, it’s the moon. So, Shankla, the movement of the moon and as you know, the movement of the tides are always in perfect sync with each other.
Bani Singh 38:38
So, you know, if the tides can follow the movement of the moon, obviously the moon affects us because we are 70% water at the very base of it all. We are our entire water system in our body is the moon and the moon affects each of us and I would say our emotional health, our emotional well -being, the way we react to situations is all the moon.
Bani Singh 39:08
So, the first thing with the moon is if it’s your water system in your body, then hydrate as much as possible. If you have a slightly weaker moon in your birth chart, that’s the first thing you should start doing.
Bani Singh 39:20
Now, moon represents every mother figure in your life. Just do something positive for them. That’s the easiest remedy for the moon. The metal of the moon is silver. I’ve seen very positive results with just, you know, drinking water from a silver vessel.
Bani Singh 39:39
You know, if you keep it overnight and drink that water, it really helps balance a lot of emotional things. Besides, I mean, it’s a well -known fact that for the moon, meditation, you know, mantra chanting, these things work very, very well because what is the moon just needs?
Bani Singh 39:56
Moon is like, you know, the monkey mind. We need to sort of bring it to center. So, meditation, pranayama, breath work, these are all great things and just doing more positive things for mother figures in your life.
Bani Singh 40:12
That’s a very easy remedy for the moon. Now, Jupiter is an interesting planet because it’s the giver of wealth and prosperity and luck in your life. And here we all want that, right? Sure. You all want that abundance.
Bani Singh 40:23
Jupiter is abundance. It is expansion. It is growth. But above all, Jupiter is the giver of wisdom, knowledge. So a very simple thing is, Jupiter’s day is Thursday, like moon’s day is Monday. Jupiter’s day is Thursday.
Bani Singh 40:40
Just teach someone else a skill. Donate your time in teaching someone a skill. Teaching children, helping someone gain an education, contributing financially there is a very good way to help your own Jupiter.
Bani Singh 40:55
Venus. Venus is the planet of sex, of the spouse in a chart. And it’s the feminine. So again, a very simple remedy is respect women. Easy remedy. Help, lift, each other up and you’ll find in many homes women are each other’s greatest enemies.
Bani Singh 41:14
Stop that you’re spoiling your own Venus and Venus is the giver of comfort and luxury in your life. The more you respect everyone you will have a better chance at the rest of these you know the more material angles that come with these with these planets.
Bani Singh 41:30
Venus is is the spouse right. So respecting your spouse respecting that relationship these are all things you know basic every planet has a relationship associated with it when we talk of Mars for instance it’s the sibling doing something positive for your sibling so each planet like that has a metal has some kind of donation you can do with it you know with Venus you can donate clothes someone’s getting married they don’t they can’t afford to sort of buy something or wedding dress or something helping contribute in that for things you can do you know just really getting out there and and spreading that love spreading that help helping anyone indeed being of service is a is a just a remedy for every planet with the moon it’s the mother figure with the sun it’s doing something positive for your father so these relationships and doing positive things for them will help.
Shrankhla Holecek 42:29
how profound and how enlightening I also love that it’s so wholesome thank you for sharing that Bani I know we’ve taken up a lot of your time but there’s just one burning question that I think all of us have on our minds which is um I love how you set up by saying that um ayurvedic I apologize that Vedic astrology is very personalized just like Ayurveda and you know you look at your personal dosha makeup you look at your personal chart I know western astrology as we look at it sometimes is more blanket statements about about a sun sign So what would you say are some of the similarities and key differences between astrology as we sometimes see it in the West versus Vedic astrology or Jyotish?
Bani Singh 43:22
Well, they’re very different in the sense that Vedic astrology deals with Siddhish astrology. Right? You know, we have the four cardinal points in seasons. You have the Sama solstice, which is coming up now, 21st June.
Bani Singh 43:36
And you know, on the 1st March, which is the spring. You have the winter solstice and the autumn one, right? 21st March, according to Western astrology, sun goes into Aries. Right? Sun signs work on tropical zodiac because that goes by seasons, not by what’s really happening up in the sky, not by the stars.
Bani Singh 43:57
And Vedic astrology is basically based on actual movement of what’s happening about actual movement of celestial bodies in the sky. It’s not seasonal movement. There’s a whole difference, right? We base everything on as above, so below, which means what’s happening up there has a direct relationship with what’s going to happen to us.
Bani Singh 44:23
What is happening up there will affect what is going on here in our lives. So remember, the birth chart is a snapshot of the sky at the time you were born. It’s not seasonal, right? So that is Vedic astrology.
Bani Singh 44:37
That’s more moon -based, right? Because Christmas, for instance, is always 25th December, but our major festivals in India, for instance, will change. We’ll go a few weeks up in there because we literally time it to the exact position.
Bani Singh 44:54
That is the very same way your birthday, like the day you are born, is not, every year is not the same day. Your Vedic birthday is different from your actual… Interesting. And that is something that people get so wrong because it’s your Vedic birthday that’s far more important, especially when you’re…
Bani Singh 45:15
You know, it’s a good day always to give back, karmically. It has solid, solid power to help you through a lot of obstacles in your life. And it’ll always be maybe a week after or a week before, every year it’ll change.
Bani Singh 45:30
And it is based on the exact position of the moon at the time of your birth, not the sun. Because the sun changes a sign every one month, the moon changes a sign every two and a half days. Obviously, this is going to be far more precise.
Bani Singh 45:45
And nature is so… I mean, it’s so generous that every month we have one particular day that kind of represents our own nakshatra or what we call our personal lunar mansion according to the day we were born.
Bani Singh 46:02
And when we do more popular things on that day, it goes a long way in reducing our karmic baggage. And nature gives us that day, okay, this is one day a month I’m giving you to rectify a lot or to fix some things in your life.
Bani Singh 46:17
And unfortunately, most people don’t know and they can’t cash in on this opportunity. So what’s more important every year is your Vedic birthday because that is the exact position the stars were aligned when you were born.
Shrankhla Holecek 46:33
How cool. Wow, Bani, I can’t wait for my own follow -up session with you to sort of dig into some of these things. I can think of a lot of planets that might be slightly pissed off with me and that I should, you know, put in my good work towards.
Shrankhla Holecek 46:53
But speaking of good work, I know you have touched so many lives and so many people will not just enjoy having listened to this and. being illuminated about the world of Vedic astrology, but also take away so much actionable, tactical insight from this.
Shrankhla Holecek 47:14
So definitely more to follow from me for our audiences in terms of how we can help them parse some of these things, figure out issues with the moon, where things were. But I know I’ve taken up a ton of your time.
Shrankhla Holecek 47:31
So thank you so much. It’s terribly gracious of you to be here. And I can’t wait for more to come.
Bani Singh 47:39
Thank you so much. Thank you so much, Shrankhla. Just as I end, I’ll just say that birth chart is really going to teach you self -awareness, because I think what we don’t realize is that thoughtless actions can lead to a lot more baggage than we can even understand.
Shrankhla Holecek 47:57
And the bill that we’ve got to be very careful about, paying is the bill of karma. And that’s where we should exercise a lot of caution. So very simply, just don’t do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Bani Singh 48:10
That’s the universal law. And I think those are important things to keep in mind as we navigate our lives.
Shrankhla Holecek 48:19
Sage advice to live by. Thank you, Bani. And I look forward to chatting more, sharing more wisdom about Vedic astrology, courtesy of you.
Shrankhla Holecek 48:30
So thanks again, and I’ll talk to you soon.
Bani Singh 48:33
Thank you. Thank you for having me.
Shrankhla Holecek 48:35
You can learn more about astrology with Bani by following her on Instagram at Bani Singh Chadha. That is B -A -N -I -S -I -N -G -H -C -H -A -D -H -A.
Shrankhla Holecek 48:54
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Shrankhla Holecek 49:12
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