The definition of Vedic Counselling given by David Frawley and Suhas Kshirsagar is “life guidance based upon the Vedic tradition of Self-knowledge and cosmic knowledge…..We can define Vedic counselling as dharmic guidance on right living, right action, right relationship and right awareness. Its basis is self-understanding and bringing us to a direct perception of the truth, not imposing a belief system, formula or set of preconceptions upon anyone.” (Kshirsagar, Frawley, 2016). 
 

In my view, it's a synthesis of Vedic astrology (Jyotish), Vedic philosophy generally, and western counselling and psychotherapy principles - including the understanding of the importance of the therapeutic ‘alliance’, or relationship, in determining the effectiveness of the work. Other counselling concepts, such as empathic listening and reflection, unconditional positive regard, mirroring, and working with different parts or sub-personalities within the psyche can also be used to great effect in this process.

 

Jyotish can literally shed the ‘light of God’ on our personality, character traits, the cycles of time we have already experienced in the past, why some were challenging and some easier, what future cycles of time are likely to bring and how the archetypal energies of the plants can ‘grasp’ or ‘seize’ us and influence us. It can plug us into a cosmic-level web of meaning and beauty and order that can render even the most brutal and painful experiences as spiritually meaningful and part of a karmic journey that extends far beyond this current life.

 

Reading a person’s birth chart is a great honour and privilege, and when it is read by an experienced astrologer, can bring deep insights into the inner working of the client’s mind, to a degree that can be astonishing and almost magical at times. This means the astrologer is in possession of deeply sensitive information about the client, and can have a profound influence on the them, a fact that needs to be honoured with great respect, care and sensitivity. 

 

Traditional Vedic horoscope readings can sometimes lean into the ‘fatalistic’ side of chart interpretation, i.e. “this is the way you are, and that’s that” - even if certain remedial measures are prescribed by those astrologers to remedy afflictions in the chart. Such a perspective can make the client feel boxed in and trapped in their struggles, and can minimise the envisioned potential for change. A grounding in western therapeutic principles can help the counsellor to maintain a level of unconditional acceptance and empathy when with the client, in order to avoid the harsh and unhelpful delivery of certain ‘truths’ about the client, while also actually creating the fertile ground for meaningful change in the client’s life.

 

Interestingly, western-style therapy can also become fatalistic, in a different way, by operating on an assumption that our childhood and early experience determines everything about our psyche and our adult life, with nothing else possible. This is the default perspective of most western therapeutic modalities, and is woefully shallow and inadequate. Even the ‘transpersonal’ western modalities don’t fully escape the clutches of this error. There is no disputing the fact that early childhood experience, and to a lesser degree all our experience in this life, can leave powerful imprints in our psyche and can result in changes to the way we think and feel about ourselves, others, and the outside world. 

 

The work of early psycho-analytic and psycho-dynamic pioneers, has shown that we have an unconscious, which contains a record of our previous experience, and using different analytic and therapeutic methods can bring these earlier experiences into consciousness and thereby resolve psychological problems that would otherwise be unsolvable. The problem starts when both therapist and client are in an agreement that this process of unconscious imprinting started at birth (or possibly in utero), and not before. When the sophistication of western therapy’s understanding of how the psyche develops through infancy and childhood, and other crucial ideas, is combined with the Vedic vision of how deep and complex we really are, we come to a more complete understanding. For a deeper understanding of how astrology can complement counselling, see my article on 'Planets, archetypes and sub-personalities'.

 

Jyotish and Vedic culture in general, and almost all the other eastern spiritual traditions, are clear that we have experienced innumerable ‘past lives’, due to the eternal and transmigrating nature of the soul. Therefore, we don’t come into this present life as ‘blank slates’; much of who we are has its origins in past lives, carried over in the subtle body (Shuksma Sharira) from past lives into our current physical body. This understanding is absolutely crucial, even if we don’t subscribe to the wider philosophical and cultural elements of Vedic culture, if we want to have a complete understanding of what healing really means, and entails. 

 

The Vedic (and Buddhist) perspective would be that we, as souls, or ‘Jivas’, have been born in so many different bodies, in different realms of existence, that we have had a huge number of different relationships and experiences with many other beings, and in doing so have accumulated a huge reservoir of ‘Sanchita karma’ – the totality of karmic imprints from all past lives. Therefore, if we take this perspective seriously, and understand its implications, we come to the realisation that many of our current life struggles – with ourselves and our behaviours and with important people in our lives, may well have their origins in actions we have taken in the deep past. You may also find 'The therapeutic power of astrology’ useful for exploring how Jyotish can help in navigating the more difficult experiences of life.

 

Contrary to what some may think, this isn’t a punitive or ‘victim-blaming’ position – it’s actually the most empowering position we could take, as it suggests everything we experience is coming to us in a divinely fair and lawful manner – if we change ourselves and our behaviour positively, our future experience will be improved, with no limits to the possibilities of improvement. In the words of Frawley and Kshirsagar – “The foundation for all Vedic counselling is that we must first assume responsibility for our own lives. Only when we assume responsibility for ourselves in life can we effectively change who we are and alter how we live in a harmonious manner” (Kshirsagar, Frawley, 2016).

 

Vedic counselling can include the established methods of healing from the West and the East, and integrates them into a powerful and effective system of self-understanding and personal development. As well as the Jyotish horoscope analysis itself, which includes ‘remedial measures’ to strengthen planetary weaknesses and afflictions, this process can also incorporate a Vedic analysis of the your Dosha balance (Vata-Pitta-Kapha), how to pursue an ethical life to establish basic peace of mind and ‘karmic hygiene’, how the four primary aims of Dharma, Artha, Karma and Moksha are best pursued in your life, and different Yogic methods of meditation, mantra, breath control and yoga-Asana. 

 

During sessions, if applicable, I am able to draw on my Psychosynthesis training and use its principles of sub-personality work, developing the Will and working with the ‘Love-Will balance’, mindfulness and body-based emotional release, as well as more standard therapeutic principles. Every practitioner’s experience and résumé will be unique - meaning what they offer to clients in this field of work will be a unique synthesis of their prior therapeutic and astrological experience, and as always, using your intuition and gut instinct will be of great help in locating their practitioner that is most suitable to you given your therapeutic needs.