Hello Sunny,

Rahu... includes witchcraft, so it does not surprise me that she once showed an interest in studying witchcraft (perhaps this should be encouraged).

I have a question. Would a Vedic application, such as the one you are using here, recommend studying witchcraft to this young woman in her current state, that is, struggling with long term substance addictions? Or are you pre-supposing recovery first? How would witchcraft support her recovery?

Christina

Hi Christina

I could not agree more!

At present, I find it difficult to accept the thought that Neptune alone would be a sole substance abuse addiction indicator. Rather, the traditional corruption factors would have to first play their role.

I found some results of a research project about alcoholism
http://www.astrodatabank.com/AS/ASAlcoholism3.htm

Best regards
Ren?

Christina wrote:
I have a question. Would a Vedic application, such as the one you are using here, recommend studying witchcraft to this young woman in her current state, that is, struggling with long term substance addictions? Or are you pre-supposing recovery first? How would witchcraft support her recovery?

Christina

A Vedic application would most definitely not recommend studying witchcraft - it would tell her to go to a temple of Rahu instead, and become a dedicant. With a birth chart like hers, traditional Hindu parents might have pointed her in the direction of a temple of Rahu while she was still a child.

Traditional Vedic beliefs view witchcraft as evil. Period. The system excludes modern developments. Traditional Vedic astrology never uses the outer planets, for example. As a Vedic astrologer, I don't use the outer planets when I work within a Vedic framework. But I do look at the original delineations with an eye toward modern times.

As a neopagan and a westener, I have reinterpreted the Vedic myths in the context of my own experience. If the girl once indicated an interest in witchcraft, neopagan witchcraft would most likely be the variety available to her in this place and time. It is a religion, made up of various traditions - Wicca, Feri, Discordian, Druid, Satanism, to name a few. Wicca contains further subdivisions of various traditions - Gardnerian, Eclectic, Dianic, etc. It also includes believers in reconstructed religions, Asatru, Hellenic, Kemetic, etc. She would explore what interested her, and hopefully not gravitate toward a darker path like Satanism, which tends to be misunderstood even by other pagans, and also tends to attract a neo-nazi contingent that are rejected by Satanists who view themselves as light-bringers.

Neo-pagan witchcraft would not support her recovery. There is no connection between a religion and de-tox. Exploring neo-pagan witchcraft is a positive manifestation of Rahu, but it would not sidetrack her from participating in its most negative manifestation, which are drugs and poisons. However, it would give her some other place to focus her energy within the context of Rahu's associations, since her chart's energy is not well-rounded, but very focused in one area. This was what I had in mind with my original post.

I was trying to figure out the reasoning of these two consecutive sentences and the turning to the modern/traditional dispute.

There was no turning to a dispute. There is a difference between a dispute an an observation. In fact in the guidelines for this forum such disputes are not welcome. It is the Traditional (&Ancient) Techniques Forum. It takes two to make a dispute. If anyone feels the urge to rally round the modern flag whenever Neptune or any other deeply held modern conviction is chastised, it should be taken elsewhere.

Sentence 1 contrasts reputation as a character trait [modern astrology] with reputation as the native's honors, dignities (in terms of office) or actions [traditional astrology] of sentence 2. It struck me as sloppy and nonsensical, so I went back to the basics with the dictionary definition of reputation.

Well the above strikes me the same way as do the apparent compulsion to mount one's charger and to defend the planet that means anything the modern astrologer wants it to mean. And that definition is taken from the Mountain Astrologer Magazine, holy writ for moderns. This is not the place for venting one's feelings In the future if the pot shots at modern astrology hurt one's feelings, start a thread on another forum and vent over there.

From Please read Before Posting to this Forum

Along the same lines, I do not believe this is an appropriate place for, ?which one is better traditional or modern? debates.

And this is exactly what you're doing.

Tom

Hi Sunny,

Thank you for clarifying Vedic astrology's position in rejecting witchcraft, as I am barely familiar with either.

Christina