I never made it past a cursory study of Western astrology. It was, apparently, too complex for me to synthesize and seemed to focus on personality.

In 1991 I was excited to hear of the TM movement's announcement of its Maharishi Jyotish course, a seven-part instructional course clarifying and reviving the knowledge of this branch of the Vedas and designed to make one into a Vedic astrologer. My positive experience with TM made for great anticipation and trust with regard to the information that would be revealed.

Shortly thereafter, I took Blocks 1 (basic terms, underlying astronomy, and calculating one's rising sign and degree) and 2 (calculating planetary positions in one's chart, further planetary details, beginning interpretation). Upon seeing my family's charts using this system, it was immediately clear that Vedic astrology showed promise, as each rising sign and those planets associated with each 1st house accurately represented the personalities and qualities of each family member. At that time, every concept seemed new and magical compared with my vague knowledge of Western astrology: Sanskrit terms; significations of planets, houses, signs; lordship/moolatrikona signs; dashas; Rahu and Ketu; the sidereal zodiac; calculating the rising sign and the astronomy behind it; calculating planetary positions; nakshatras; brightness of moon; exaltation/debilitation; planetary relationships; planetary states; combustion; aspects; interpretation; and more. And the study guides were quite clear and excellent—especially the underlying mathematics.

But...almost as soon as I completed Blocks I and II, the movement decided not to continue to offer the course as structured. The price of each block (consisting of a couple of weekends in class with home study in between) went from $600 to $3,000. Shortly thereafter, it was decided the course would be offered only overseas. A seven-block course in Spain, for instance, one of the last of which I received notice, was to be had for $14,000-plus. At some point it was declared that it would take a Westerner at least 12 years to become competent at Jyotish, so there was no point continuing with the block system. [A quick check online seems to indicate degrees may now be offered under the auspices of the TM movement in India.]

In any case, there were, well...problems. This system was getting pretty complex, and it didn't seem to be exact in practice. A reading from a Maharishi Jyotish–approved jyotishi told me nothing of value. The only specific thing I remember from that reading was a prediction I would move south within one year, which I immediately knew had no chance of happening.

The jyotishi also recommended I strengthen Sun, Mars, and Saturn. I went with the best gemstone for Mars (red coral)—the only gemstone I could afford. (Maharishi Jyotish, striving to revive and clarify classical Vedic astrology, says that certain planets are malefic by nature—primarily Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu—and that the way to improve this situation is to strengthen them.)

From the time I donned the gemstone, my income and financial situation deteriorated into a black hole. After more than a year of heading toward a zero bank balance (I was down to $50), one day I accidentally broke the gemstone’s chain and didn't bother to put the stone back on, somehow feeling that was the correct thing to do. (Somewhere in this time frame I had also put cat's eye under the head of my bed, not knowing it strengthens Ketu—which includes poverty and suffering—but eventually removed that also.) Within two weeks, work began flowing back in and life began returning toward financial normalcy.

At this point, I believed in the merits of Vedic astrology (certainly that gemstones have an effect!), but couldn't explain what was happening.

It wasn't until 2001, when I was referred to David Hawthorne (www.astroview.com), an expert in Systems’ Approach Vedic astrology as developed by Prof. V. K. Choudhry (www.yournetastrologer.com), that contradictions were resolved and problems began to get solved. One of these was the selling of some family land—a venture entangled in problems—resulting in enough money to improve our living situation.

Systems’ Approach has several key differences from Maharishi Jyotish (see Introduction). One difference, pertaining to my story, is that planets are "functionally" malefic—dependent upon an individual's rising sign—not malefic by nature (except for Rahu and Ketu, see Basics). Strengthening a malefic planet (such as Mars, in a Scorpio chart) gives increased malefic results. In addition, one needs to begin wearing a remedy such as a gemstone at a favorable (auspicious) time when planets are in the strongest available positions, because the inception of an action has a chart in itself, being the "birth" of an event; this was not done in my Maharishi Jyotish reading.

While these ideas will be explored on other pages, this is a very brief snapshot of the events that led me along this path. For me, Systems’ Approach is an example—in the field of astrology—of “best belief system I’ve encountered.”