Vedic Astrology:

It is an incredible science and very well suited to the use of computers. This is because there are an amazing array of tools available in Vedic astrology which in the past hardly any astrologer could avail simultaneously, because of the complicated mathematical calculations involved.Mostly astrologers would specialse in a few techniques they knew well. Now at the click of a mouse (Lord Ganesha's carrier!) an astrologer can access the results of all these calculations in a matter of seconds. It doesn't mean, however, that the computer replaces the astrologer, because you still need an astrologer to work out the eventual synthesis of all the results and their impact on each other. But simply having those calculations at your finger tips in an instant is an immense benefit. In addition there is of course now a very large body of original and modern astrological literature that has come out in the English language, and there are also many conferences both globally and locally where astrologers can learn from each other. This has actually made vedic astrology the new superscience of the modern age. As usual the actual reality is pretty much the exact opposite of whatever the scientists try to palm you off with. They love to say that theirs is real science and that astrology is pseudo science. In fact nothing could be further from the truth. In reality astrology is not only the real science but it is in fact the original science and has long, and will long outlast the trivial speculations and many 'maybe's' of todays pathetic scientists, who are only good at one thing - ruining the world and making a perfect heaven into a perfect hell!

THE DEBATE ABOUT ASTROLOGY AND FREE WILL

There is a long standing debate, even amongst astrologers - about the extent to which a person can change his destiny and exercise free will. A lot of nonsense is written about the subject. So for the interest of the philosophical amongst you, I will give it my 10 cents!

The idea that you can somehow (by spiritual effort and appeasing various gods -  - with offerings and mantras with material motive )  change your future as revealed in your chart is somewhat wishful thinking! It would mean that any spiritual person, saint, or even avatar would then have a totally wrong chart! Wheras in fact the actual reality is that no-one (I ever met) had a wrong chart, including the greatest saints who ever lived. This is simply because the chart is an actual photograph of your future. It is not itself responsible for that future - it simply knows in advance what you will do and how you will execrcise your free will and how much your previous karma will affect you. It knows all these things before you do them. If you are destined to become a great spiritualist or perform many good deeds and thereby become somewhat karma free - the chart already knows this and how that will translate into the realities of your life. Thus everyone, including great avatars, have astrological charts which correctly predict their lives. So do you!!! You chart is going to tell you what is going to happen, and I think there is absolutely nothing on God's earth you can do to change it! So you might as well learn to live with it and prepare for it. It's certainly better to know what's gonna happen. If you're destined for a fall you can wear bubble wrap!! I do think you can modify the outcome in degree but not in essence - that is you can make something less severe. By the way, surrender and devotion to God is always the best solution. God/Goddess can minimise the adverse effects. 

The big however is that whatever you do now will very much change the life and chart you are going to get in your next incarnation. So you had better get working on good and transcendental deeds fast - otherwsie your next life and chart are gonna be undesirable. Better still. Go back to the spiritual world and don't have a next material life at all.

Praying to the planets and various gods to protect you from your karma is a bit like giving the executioner gifts and praise so he will cut your head of nicely with one blow and not slowly! Better go direct to the king for a pardon. Prabhupada did say that Krishna will minimise the adverse affects of previous karma and Krishna Himself says this in Bhagavad Gita when he says "He carries what you lack and preserves what you have".