How Readings Work

Barbara Pijan Lama - Jyotisha Readings

• MP3 = audio reading files

• PDF = charts, timelines, transit reports

• = delivered via internet download

• Jyotisha Reading Philosophy

• Costs andturn-around timefor Jyotisha readings?

• What information should I send you in order to get started On a reading?

  • Accurate birth time needed? Yes!

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• How to send the Payment?

• All-electronic delivery method :

  MP3 digital audio files containing the Jyotisha reading are presently available via download from dropbox.com

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• Ways to obtain your Time of Birth

• What if I Already have computer-generated Jyotisha charts ?

• Do you do psychic readings?

• Contemplative Preparation for a Jyotisha Reading

• Readings for New Baby ?

• Older children?

• Reasons that people ask for readings?

• Why do you need to know my questions?

• Composing your questions for the reading:

• Synchronicity

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• What calculations do you use for Jyotisha readings?

• What amount of detail for the written questionsis required?

• Examplesof detailed questions

• What is the format for the included follow-up question?

• Can I ask just one simple, superficial question?

• "A few simple questions"

• OK, I guess one simple question doesn't really happen in Jyotisha! What else can I do to get an answer to my burning question?

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• Counseling Dialogue vis-à-vis Jyotisha Analysis?

• Adult expectations for a Jyotisha consultation

• Asking questions, after the reading

• Sample Gem Recommendation Report

May all Beings be Happy.  

May all Beings be Free.

From every reading, a donation is given to: Tibetan Nuns Project(in Dharamshala, India)

Birth details required to construct your Jyotisha charts:

All charts require your:

1. name and Gender - whichever version of your name - maiden, married, self-chosen, religious name, etc. - is your favorite. This name is written on your chart.

2. birth date - western calendar birth-dates are easiest, but we can often convert from traditional calendar dates such as Nepali and Tibetan systems.

3. birth place -- city, state, country . Even remote locations such as Himalayan villages can be found properly if we work with alternate spellings.

4. birth time - ideally from birth certificate (Mothers are less reliable sources of birth time info -- since they tend to remember the onset of labor rather than birth. If you're a mom, you know why!)

5. To verify that your chart is correct, please provide a few important datessuch as your marriage (s), birth of children, etc.

6. How to send the Payment?

• Learn how to get your USA birth certificate: www.vitalrec.com/birth.html
• http://birthtime.info is a service offered by Jyotishi Dr. Heinz Krug that according to Dr. Krug "will calculate your time of birth to the second. Based on the dates of major life events. The results can be used in any horoscope or astrology chart."

120-minute long-distance reading

• via MP3 download

• marriage compatibility

• professional planning

• life reading

Includes

• beautiful hand calligraphed color radix (natal) chart

• printed vimshottari dasha and varga charts.

Barbara's audio readings can be found in homes and offices across the US, Europe and Asia. Very popular birthday gift.

Please provide a name with gender, birth date, place, and time along with some verifying dates (marriage, childbirth, etc.) plus your 10 most important questions.

How to send the Payment?

Gem Recommendation

• 12-18 pages, depending on the nativity

• Via email

• Sample Gem Recommendation Report

• delivered via email 

• PDF format

• includes PDF  Jyotisha nativity + Vimshottari Dasha timeline

Gift Certificate!

• Two-hour reading via digital audio file download from internet

• hand-calligraphed Vedic radix and navamsha chart

• delightful birthday and celebration gift!

How to send the Payment?

Jyotisha Reading Philosophy:

• Jyotisha readings should at every pointconfirm your personal intuition about yourself and your path.

• Reflective people should not hear any major surprises.

• Rather, astrology readings should specify the timing of major events and describe your inner terrain in detail.

• Ideally you will see that the inner terrain determines the outer terrain!

• Any divinationwhich sounds wrong probably is… Jyotisha Errors are most often, unfortunately, due to incorrect birth times.

• A personal referral remains the best way to choose a reputable astrologer, but books and public appearances are also good evidence of ability and tact.

• As always, follow your heart.

Q: "A few simple questions"

 What smaller price do you offer for answering just a few short questions?

A: Thanks very much for your compliments.

The readings that are listed on the payments page are the only reading packages that are available. I have found as a matter of practical experience that "a few simple questions" require just as much preparatory analysis as a long list of questions. Each nativity is unique, offering numerous paths of development that can produce the results that the querent is seeking. The amount of reflection upon the nativity required to familiarize myself with the general flow of the script does not vary according to the nature or the amount of the questions. It is always approximately the same.

The preparation time invested in evaluating the nativity is the same. Therefore, I offer only full readings.

The gem recommendation option is shorter and less expensive, but for that reason it does not permit questions.

Wishing you all best success in Jyotisha studies,

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Q: Old print-outs?

If I have older computer generated birth charts done,

does it reduce cost at all, or do you need to start over completely?

A: As a rule, each astrologer does their own calculations using their preferred formulas.So yes, it’s necessary to “start all over” because there’s no way to know which items have been used in the formula that generated your computer report.

Although the Jyotisha astronomical calculations are critically important, computation of planetary positions actually take very little time in these glorious computer days.

This is a big change from the old days, when the astrologer labored for hours to construct a chart by hand - and you can imagine the error rates! These days, 1% or less of the reading energy goes into making the calculations. 99% of the energy of the reading is in the interpretation.

Q: Costs and turn-around time ?

Internet download = MP3 digital audio files 

A: Instructions for payment by PayPal and current cost of services is listed = Jyotisha Services Payment

If you have additional questions, please email Barbara .

My reading schedule varies somewhat due to my family, research, and teaching duties. In general, unless I am traveling, the turn-around time is approximately six-eight weeks from the time your payment arrives.

Q: How much time does it take for you to complete the reading and ship ?

A: Typically, my turnaround time is 8-12 weeks, from PayPal payment date to ship date. Turnaround time varies by season, and fluctuates with my teaching schedule. Also, the USA winter holiday season =  a bit busier.   

Q: Getting started: what do you need?

A: Namaste,

After payment is made, please send me an email with the following info:

• birth TIME

• birth PLACE

• birth DATE

• gender

• 5-10 questions that you would like to have answered during the Jyotisha reading

• The birth data should come from a birth certificate, because we need a birth time accurate to the minute.

• Composing your questions for the reading:

  Most people have some important questions that they would like addressed during the reading. It may be an important relationship, career path issues, marriage and children, parents and authority, or something else.

  The reading naturally addresses all the major departments of life as we proceed through the Vimshottari Dasha timeline.

  It is also very helpful if you can write out several specific questions that are important for you to have answered in the reading.

  Unfortunately some folks believe that astrology (or any other method of divination) is some sort of guessing-game. These folks apparently expect that the astrologer should be able to intuit the person's real concerns from amongst the thousands of detailed patterns present in the Jyotisha nativity.

  In authentic Jyotisha practice, the astrologer can only hope to select the small number of patterns which are of personal interest to the querent, if the querent tells the astrologer what sort of information one seeks! The same is true for any divination.

   

Synchronicity

It is also true that "natural affinity" and "synchronicity" do have an effect. If I as the astrologer am not guided by your questions, but rather I am allowed to select the patterns which I personally find most intriguing, from amongst the thousands of patterns present in your nativity, then I could very well select some patterns which are of strong interest to you! However we will have much more targeted results if you will be kind enough to write some clear, well-thought-out, and important questions that help train my attention onto the information that you seek.

Questions which require a bit of background are great. For instance, someone recently asked about his medical career, whether he would pass an important licensing exam. This fellow needed to fill me in on his medical education, the type of exam etc.. We were able to find the relevant patterns efficiently (without any guessing!). Indeed the Jyotisha charts indicated he would pass but just barely, and on his third and final try. I was delighted to receive the querent's email confirmation that, despite serious anxiety and low confidence, he had finally passed the exam!

I much prefer to receive your written questions via email, but it's OK to send via snail mail if security is very important. All materials are completely confidential, of course. Please provide as much or as little detail as you like, but - again - more background is generally more helpful to me..

Divinations of all types give much better results when the querent has formed clear and complete questionsin one's mind.

The process of writing out questionsdefinitely helps establish psychic permission to receive clear, intuition-confirming answers.

Q: What amount of detail for the written questions is best for the Jyotisha reading?

A: As much written background as you can provide is helpful. A timeline is very helpful also. I am perfectly happy to read several pages of questions with background if you can find the time to write it!

Writing out the setting for the questions not only helps confirm the accuracy of birth time, but also sets a clear and detailed agenda for the reading.

Questions that *don't* work are very broad, dreamy, anxious, or poorly formulated.

E.g., "what can you tell me about my mother?" "Will I get rich?" "Will I be successful?" "Will I find true love?"

Oy. What is meant by "rich"? This highly relative and anxiety- charged term must be defined to be of any use. Same with "successful" and "love" - all in the eye of the beholder!

Examples of detailed questions

Better formulated questions provide background and specific expectations.

Here are some examples of questions I have received in the past, regarding "mother, rich, successful, and love".

Clearer questions will give a more accurately targeted answer!

Example: "Mother"

Too vague and general:

"Tell me about my mother."

Helpful amount of detail:

"My mother has been abusively critical toward me since childhood. She wore nice clothes, had beauty appointments, and took holidays while I worked to earn my college tuition. I raised my children without any support from her. She was always too busy to help me. She saved no money for retirement. Now that she is elderly, she expects me to pay her care expenses from my salary. I feel deeply resentful of her selfishness, but I wonder if we might experience some healing of this relationship now that she is old and weak. Should I agree to pay for her care? That would be a serious financial pinch. Will our relationship improve?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"My mother spends every weekend at her conservative church. She talks about the Bible, about love and charity, and how Jesus says to care for others. She works in a soup kitchen feeding meals to hungry strangers. A lot of people think my mom is a really good person. But at home, she is viciously critical of me and my sister. She has destroyed my marriages. She was so mean to my husbands that they left me. My last husband said I had to choose between him and my mom, and when I could not choose, he walked out.

Every visit with her ends in tears (mine). My sister has completely stopped talking to her but (especially now that I am divorced again) I would like to try to heal our mother-daughter relationship. My sister claims that mom has borderline personality disorder and she will always be like this: sweet and caring to strangers but nasty and hurtful to her own family.

According to the Jyotisha tradition, What do you see about my mother in my chart? Should I allow her back in my life? Or just give up because of her mental illness?"

Example: "Rich"

Too vague and general:

"Will I get rich?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"My parents were hard-scrabble Arizona ranchers who owned their land and cattle but very little else. As a child I dreamed of making it big: a 20-room mansion, the swimming pool, collector cars in the garage -- just like in the movies! I've been in real-estate sales for about ten years, and I currently earn about US_100K per year. I don't "feel" rich yet, but I think I could get there, when I start earning US_300K or more. What does my commission sales income look like for the next ten or twenty years? Is there anything I can do to speed up my earnings?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"I've been on disability for about 15 years. Before that I was an office worker. I do not communicate with my family members, but I do volunteer in a local animal shelter sometimes. I think every day about winning the lottery, and I pray to God every morning to please send me a winning ticket. None of that small stuff for me. I want the really big amazing multi-million dollar ticket. But I play scratchers too. I'm sure I deserve to win big.

 According to the Jyotisha tradition, Please tell me when I will win the PowerBall."

Example: "Love"

Too vague and general:

"Will I find love?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"I am hoping to get married soon. I am looking for my soul mate. This is the person who loves me completely for exactly who I am without any changes or compromise. I will know her when I see her. I will not accept anything less than perfection in a mate, and I know that my soul mate from God will also see me as a perfect man. She will be so beautiful like a fashion model with perfect skin, hair, obedient, and no more than 1.6 meters tall. When will I find my true love?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"I have been in a series of painful romantic relationships, and by now (my mid-thirties) I can see repeating patterns of low self-esteem and self-destruction (mine and partners). My current partnership is starting to get stressful and I want to get us both into therapy before I repeat the failures of the past. However my guy just won't commit to work on it. He says he's not doing anything wrong, he's just being himself, and if I don't like him I should just get out. It's the same old cycle - a guy who just won't deal with his feelings, and me the loser. Can I break out of this horrible cycle? Will I ever find true love?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"My parents are now in the process of arranging a suitable marriage for me, their only daughter. I feel like they have been waiting for this moment to somehow "prove" their value in our community, and now they are deeply involved in the negotiations -- to the point where they think of nothing else. It's so stressful for them and for me too. They email me every day. I feel like my parents are trying to "sell" me in order to gain approval in our community. I am not the girl that they are selling. I am not modest, obedient, religious, or traditional . I am independent, educated, modern, and I hate to cook! Also, they don't know about my boyfriend here ... he is from a different community. We have been together for about a year. We haven't talked about marriage (there would be some serious cultural problems with that) but we live together and we love each other. I love my parents deeply, and I don't want to shock them or hurt them, but I also love my boyfriend and I resent the whole process of being "retailed" in the marriage market.

According to the Jyotisha tradition, What should I do?

Example : "Successful"

Too vague and general:

"Will I be successful in life?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"I am a single mom with three kids in high school. After working part-time while the kids were little, I just recently got into a demanding full-time job that involves a lot of traveling. The kids are on their own some nights, and I'm tired, but I would love to break some sales records and move higher in this company. Will I be successful?"

Helpful amount of detail:

"I plan to sit for the (USA) Foreign Service Exam next year. I've heard it's tough.

According to the Jyotisha tradition, Will I be successful?"

More examples of better-formulated questions:

Super-generalized questions such as "will things change?" reflect fear of getting clear answers. Of course things will change - we don't need astrology to know that! The important question is, will things change according to my positive expectations? Or, is there negative energy, ignorance, fear, anxiety, or interference from well-meaning but manipulative Others that is fogging up one's view of one's own authentic path?

If there is too much anxiety surrounding the reading, specific and immediately useful, spiritually validating answers will be difficult to produce. Be sure to clear out "other people's opinions" before formulating your questions!

Too vague and general:

" ... My first question I have is about my business and my finances. Will they change any time soon? What will happen in my long term relationship I have? What will happen with owning or building a home? What will happen to my direct family if I experience changes in my life. They rely on me for everything!"

Suggestions for clarifying and specifying the inquiry:

If you have time to develop questions which are a bit more specific, the psychic intent that you invest in writing out specific questions will set the energy for clear and useful answers.

For example, you ask "will my business and finances change?"

Unfortunately his type of question is a bit too vague. Vague questions indicate high anxiety, and anxiety impedes the reading. Indeed, everything changes constantly.

More detail in the formulation of the question would be very helpful.

What is your business specialty, what are your goals and expectations for the business, and what if any obstacles do you foresee?

There are millions of details in the Jyotisha charts, so it helps tremendously for me to know a bit of detail. Then I can select the patterns that match your current situation.

What will happen in long-term relationship? is also very vague. It is simply the nature of life that everything is evolving and changing, all the time! Thousands of things will happen in your relationship, on spiritual emotional mental and physical levels.

What specifically would you like to know about? Perhaps prospects for marriage, or children, or property ownership? Or other specific developments that you would like to see materialize in the future?

You ask, What will happen with owning or building a home?

Similarly, please tell me what you would like to happen and what steps you are taking toward making your dreams manifest. Where and when and what costs and co-ownership and other details are quite important.

Otherwise we can only see generalities. If you can provide clearer details, I can then tell you what obstacles and timing issues, if any, are present in the Jyotisha charts.

What will happen to my family if I experience changes in my life?

Well, if you did not experience changes in your life you would not be breathing! Please let me know what sort of changes you are concerned with, and what your fears and hopes for specific future scenarios might be.

Also, if you can be a bit more detailed about your relationship to your family? Do you have young children, or dependent elders? Is their reliance financial, moral, emotional, etc?

Thanks for taking the time to assemble your reading questions. I know that writing out specific questions does take time, but the reward is a much better Jyotisha reading.

The Jyotisha reading is not about "fate" but rather about distinguishing y Our own authentic life path plan from the impositions and demands of other people -- including ancestor spirits, family members, co-workers, religious authorities, television advertising etc -- whose energy and image projections can get confused with one's own.

When things don't go As planned or hoped for, the usual reason is not the "heavy hand of fate", but rather the failure that can be predicted when one attempts to carry out someone else's projected expectations or fears (such as the unfinished business of a parent).

One signal that one is trying to live according to a false set of expectation is a fear of asking questions, and the presence of serious anxiety about "what will happen".

Indeed, our intuition - if uninterrupted by predatory if "well-meaning" external energy - will always give a very clear read-out of precisely what will happen along the spiritual path. In the intuitive world, there is no time and no space. Only spiritual certainty.

Jyotisha is a spiritual tool. The Jyotisha charts will confirm the unique contents of your personal plan, factoring out the interference patterns caused by other people projecting their images into your field of perception. Jyotisha information will never contradict your true intuition. (If it does, the birth info is incorrect.)

Please let me know what your expectations are in regard to your most important goals (home, family, business, relationship, etc), and I can then offer you the Jyotisha opinion on whether your present expectations are matched in the astral pattern, or whether some adjustment of expectations is warranted.

If you absolutely cannot provide questions, I do recommend a bit of light meditation on what sort of information you expect to receive and how you might beneficially use it.

This sort of psychic preparation is just good practice any time "secrets" are being revealed; it ensures your right to use the information as you see fit and prevents interference from superstition.

The readings are recorded in MP3 audio-file format= available for download

Readings include one free follow-up question, via email.

If you have more questions about reading details or Payment please feel free to email me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama

www.barbarapijan.com

Q: Do you offer Psychic readings?

A: I was trained at the Berkeley Psychic Institute (Berkeley, CA) and Asclepion Institute (San Rafael, CA) in the 1980's and 1990's. These organizations offer extensive practical education to gifted intuitives and hands-on healers.

I don't offer direct psychic readings. Yet, the training I received at BPI and Asclepion definitely informs my intuitive perceptions.

That training also provides much of the vocabularythat I use to describe the subconscious or barely-conscious patterns of psycho-emotional and psycho-spiritual activitythat I see in the Jyotisha charts.

Difference between Jyotisha Readings vs. Psychic (aura) Readings

Recommended Psychic Reader:

If you are seeking A highly qualified psychic reader, I recommend my good friend and Berkeley Psychic Institute master teacher:

• John Hansen -- (800) 891-2599

John has over 30 years of reading and teaching experience. He is pleasant, funny, non-reactive, sensible, and accurate. Importantly, John is a gender-neutral reader: he can validate equally for spirits in a male body (men) and spirits in a female body (women) -- and everyone in between : )

Q: New Baby Gift?

I would like to give a Jyotisha reading as a New Baby Gift.Do you offer readings for children?

A: Yes, but they are a bit different than Jyotisha readings for adults.

• I usually describe the unfolding of the child's Vimshottari dasha, which is the 120-year life script. I mention windows of timing for marriage, birth of their own children, etc. Then I walk through the personality characteristics of the radix and navamsha charts, plus overall career prognosis including the dashamsha.

• I am a mother myself, and I love children. Therefore I rarely say anything negative about the lives of children. New babies especially are so fresh and close to God - it seems psychically when reading a child's chart that the best possibilities will always manifest! (The psychic aura around an adult reading is often more realistic...)

• Unless the parent has specific health questions about their child, I usually presume that health is good. Normally I will mention patterns of weakness or strength such as sensitivity to sugar (Venus) or predictable period of health stress (periods of the sixth house lord). However I do so not to frighten, but to aid awareness. Ideally, the Jyotisha viewpoint will encourage the parent to seek confirmationand support from the child's physician, if special diligence seems advisable.

• Also I presume that each child will live a full life. If there is Jyotisha evidence of an abbreviated life time I do not mention it. (The only exception is if the child has a terminal medical diagnosis, and there is a special request on timing, from a loving parent.)

• Also, it bears repeating that the purpose of any divination including a Jyotisha reading is to *confirm* one's own intuition. Divinations contain positive directional information which should serve to strengthen one's confidence in the order of existence - not to peer into the mysterious uncontrollable "beyond". The "beyond" is very much "within".

• When parents have doubt on what they "should" do to protect their child, I am quick to counsel that their intuition already knows. The power of the parents own natural unconditional loveis much greater than any knowledge that can be obtained through a Jyotisha reading.

Having said that, a Jyotisha reading is a lovely gift which parents and children indeed cherish!

Q: Mainstream Jyotisha?

What calculation tools do you use for Jyotisha readings?

I've had readings in India from a pandit who designed his own dasha system and he claimed 100% accuracy.

A: I use a conventional set of Jyotisha tools:

• Lahiri ayanamsha

• Vimshottari dasha

• Parashari drishti

• radix, navamsha, saptamsha, and dashamsha varga

• for specific situations, I check other vargas (siblings = Dreshkhamsha; parents = Dwadashamsha, etc.)

Be cautious of grand-standing and showmanship in Jyotisha. Regarding the accuracy claim, my grandfather used to say, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

The goal of my Jyotisha readings is certainly to provide useful predictive information, but I wish to provide the information in a way that *confirms your own intuition*.

Your own intuition is always accurate.

Q: Why the Client Questions?

Why do you need to know my questions before you can do the reading?

Isn't my fate written in the stars?

A: If you decide you would like a reading from me, please advise the birth date, birth place, and birth time (ideally from the birth certificate).

Also please let me know your questions. The way my readings work, I ask for detailed questions with quite a bit of background. I find that writing out the questions for the reading focus provides good psychic grounding, and sets a clear intent for the client to receive useful information.

• For example, "what will happen with my career" is way too vague of a question.

• It's an okay question for your own personal divinations, which one may perform over and over again, but not specific enough for a diviner to compose a properly targetedanswer.

• A useful and directly matching answer requires a useful and specifically stated question.

• The vague question needs to be much more focused to provide me some concrete career details that help me know the level of answer you are seeking.

• It helps to give details like "I am an engineer or homemaker or astronaut or politician; I have such-and-such training and am at mid-point of my career; I have certain opportunities for advancement and travel; my spouse prefers certain options etc."

• This amount of background scenario allows me to comment on specific developments in the Jyotisha chart.

So if you would like a reading, please do write out a couple of questions that are important to you, with as much detail as you have time for. Some folks write 2 questions and some write 20, but the important part is to let me know what choices you are negotiating and what your leading values are.

If you have enjoyed Jyotisha (or Nadi) readings in India, you may have noticed a cultural tendency there to make bold predictions of name, fame, and glory (or catastrophic disaster) for every man and woman in the village. Also in India, the viewpoint of fixed destiny or an interpretive orientation toward victim-mind, presuming that events happen "to" people, is quite different from my own viewpoint.

I read Jyotisha script from the understanding that people are actively creating their own experiences by following a subconscious program. I do believe that this programming can be altered through force of consciousness.

But I also appreciate that it takes so much energy to alter the program script that most people are better off just letting the program run naturally.

• The Jyotisha scripts are somewhat generalized, and the language of Jyotisha is set in medieval India.

• Therefore, to give accurate readings for those of us living in the dizzying material diversity of the West, it essential for me to know which material lifestyle you and your family have chosen.

In India one may be able to judge 90% of a person's reality through their appearance. But because we live in the West, I will ask you to tell me some of your socio-economic and religious details so that I can frame the reading in terms that are meaningful to you.

Q:All you require for the reading is a birth date, place and time.

Is there anything else that would be required for a more precise reading?

For example details of my family, my gender etc etc.

I mean will all the people who were born at the same time and place have the same present and future as me?

This has always been a question in my mind because there are other people in my family who have the same birthday, and we all have different personalities.

A: Very good question, and one worth examining!

Jyotisha uses multiple varga (divisional) charts, and some of these charts will change every minute:

• The Nakshatra of navamsha lagna, a point I use intensively, also changes very quickly. Mere seconds of time difference will change the pada of the navamsha lagna's Nakshatra .

• The shasti-amsha(divisions of the 1/60th varga chart) changes every two minutes.

• Birth twins will normally have different Shastiamsha charts - and often other varga are different too.

• I have several cases of twins born only 2 minutes apart with different Dwadashamsha charts for parents, different Siddhamsha for intelligence and spiritual empowerment.

• If someone were standing by the birth with a stop-watch and could capture the moment of the first breath to a .25 minute level of accuracy, and the software was top-quality, we could get a very accurate set of Jyotisha charts.

Using the existing birth-time

• In reality, the best birth times are accurate only to the minute, and even hospital birth times are typically reported several minutes after the infant's first breath (even with a nurse wearing an accurate wristwatch, standing right there).

• Many birth times are estimated within 5-10 minutes, and some are very vague such as "about noon".

We do the best we can with the birth time as recorded by the family.

Rectification

• The process of rectifying a chart for an estimated or unknown birth time can take many hours. Most US Jyotishi charge $100/hr or higher to rectify an unknown birth time.

• Rectification involves a labor intensive, reducing and sorting process. The final birth time result is obtained by a process of elimination. It is mentally taxing to perform. However the results can be very gratifying to the Jyotisha when suddenly, with a correct time, the Vimshottari dasha timelords generate the expected results.

• In truth, rectification is best done by someone whom knows the native personally, because of the subtle observations involved. However it can be done by a series of not-this-not-that logical eliminations too.

Confirming a known time - accepting the birth certificate time

• Confirming a known time is fairly easy, given a few milestone dates like marriage, childbirth, important graduations, death of a spouse or parent, etc.

• As a general practice, I do not confirm the birth time unless the person has a marriage, childbirth, or death date to use.

• I really have to trust the birth certificate.

Other cultural background is helpful

Yes, thank you, knowing the gender and other relevant cultural background is also very helpful!

Close-in-time births in same locale are indeed similar lives

• It will be true that all the babies born on the same minute as you in the town of your birth, will have very similar life paths.

• Some of the details will vary such as marriage partners and careers, but their internal narratives(how they feel inside) will be much the same if birth is within a minute of each other and within a mile of each other on the same date.

• Nevertheless there are small differences which can have a big effect such as the Shastiamsha which can change several times during each minute depending on latitude.

Born on same date, years apart, very little commonality

• People born on the same date (like you and your relative) nee have little in common astrologically except the degree of the Sun.

Q:What all does the audio-file reading talk about ?

Is there a set of topics that you go over for every horoscope?

If so then, what are they ?

Can we decide what areas we would like to be emphasized for our horoscope ?

Or is this covered by the 5-10 questions we are allotted ?

A: House-based Structure of the Reading, Extra Structure from Your Questions

There is a set of topics which naturally structures the reading: the clockwise progress from house-1 to house-12. We look at the planets and signs of each of the twelve radix houses, plus the navamsha.

Vimshottari dasha + natural behavior of the planets = personal timeline

• The behaviors of the planets in house and sign (bhava and rashi) are then correlated to the life timeline on the Vimshottari Dasha.

• Once we understand the behavior of the planets in their unique locations at the time of your birth, then the Vimshottari Dasha helps predictmore precisely when and in what intensitythe planets will give theirfull fruit. The Vimshottari periods "trigger" the effects of the planets

Detailed questions

• I encourage folks to send me detailed questions with as much background as possible. In order to answer the questions properly, we do "talk through" the twelve radix houses anyway.

• When questions are provided, the questions are introduced at the beginning of the audio-file reading, and I will pay special attention to chart factors which will provide the effects that the person wants to know more about.

• Each of these areas are built-in to the Jyotisha chart, and I would briefly cover them in any case, but I will spend more timetalking about a particular area in the chart if the querent has told me that this area is especiallyimportant to them.

More details = better

• As always, more details are better; Specific questions are better. When people ask a broad, general question like, "tell me about my career" I really can't answer in great detail, because there are so many factors to choose from. I need more detail in the question, so I can give more detail in the answer.

• Specific queries might be, just as examples, "I just finished medical school and" or "I've been a housewife for 20 years and" or "I am a mid-career accountant and I am thinking of starting my own business and" or "I have the choice of working in my field in two different countries and".

• You get the idea. It helps me so much to know a bit of background because what one person means by "successful" or "comfortable" or "rich" is quite different from what someone else might mean.

• In truth, most people don't have measurable goals set for their life path; they are bumbling along, just hoping things will work out. Hah! One of my favorite broad unanswerable questions! I am often asked if a certain romantic relationship will "work out"! Similarly "tell me about my mother" or "tell me about my family" are so broad that these queries require much more detail!

Side benefits Of writing out the questions for a Jyotisha reading include the psychic groundingand reflective goal-settingthat comes with the writingprocess.

If you decide you would like a reading, please feel welcomed to write out as many detailed questions as you have time to write. Most people find that in the process of writing out their most important questions, that they are actually asking the same questions from several different points of view.

Q:

Regarding, the mode of payment, if I choose to pay by credit card. do I just need to do this through PayPal and then I am done, right ?

A:

Right! PayPal will send me an email confirming your payment, then we are ready to put your reading on the calendar. Typically my queue is long enough that a 60-day lead time is in place. As soon as your reading day arrives, I will start working with your birth place, birth date, birth time, and your detailed personal questions.

All the best, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

www.barbarapijan.com

Q:

Hello, From reading on your website, I get the impression that you do only recorded readings?

Do you do them in person or by phone as well?

A: Namaste, That's right, only recorded Jyotisha readings  via MP3 download 

This restriction is actually for psychic purposes. I find I do a much better reading when I can concentrate on the flow of the Jyotisha divination without interruption from the anxiety of the client.

Best wishes for your success, Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Q:Hello, I would like to ask: how does the "Two-hour Jyotisha readingvia MP3" work?

I mean - Do I call you and you read my chart for 2 hours or you do it alone and after I receive the MP3 via download? Thank you

A: Namaste, The second option is correct. The Jyotisha reading is not interactive. I do the reading in the studio, record the reading on MP3 audio file, and upload the file to a server from where the client may download to one's own computer.

One follow-up question, via email, is included in the reading price.

Best clients for the readings

• The Jyotisha readings are provided primarily for students of the vidya. Jyotisha readings are also suitable for those with some cultural familiarity with eastern philosophical values, such as folks who participate in eastern cultural religious practice or who have lived in Buddhist or Hindu society for some period of one's life. Those with a background in some type of dharma practice will find the concepts easier to digest.

• Jyotisha is quite different, in logical principle and in vocabulary, from western style astrology. Therefore a Jyotisha reading might not be suitable for a person who is more accustomed to the western tropical-astrology viewpoint. Jyotisha is primarily a predictive and evaluative art; it involves much less "personal psychology" than the western-style tradition.

Delivery time

• Occasionally when my Jyotisha reading queue gets quite long, there can be a rather long delay in delivery time for the reading package.

• Delays of 1-2 months from time of purchase are now common. My turnaround time tends to improve a bit during university holidays but it is always at least one month wait time.

Also, I can offer a gift certificate by mail or email if you would like to purchase a reading for a friend as a gift for delivery at a later time.

Wishing you best success in Jyotisha studies,

Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Q: Is the reading package cheaper if I make my own Jyotisha charts ?

Dear Barbara

Namaste !! I am an amateur in Vedic Astrology and really really impressed by your website. And this is my bible.

I live in India and was wondering as to how to go about a reading for me. I don't need any birth charts ( I happen to own a Jyotish software).

 I need is the following:

1) Life predictions 2) Marriage and my future. 3) Children

Actually all of these are so related.....if I said know about the future that would be good enough. ...I am not sure how much would this package cost. ...

Warm regards - from India

A: Namaste,

Thanks for your note. I am always happy to know that students of Jyotisha like myself are receiving benefit from the materials at www.barbarapijan.com

Procedure for reading payments is listed at Jyotisha services payment

The reading package always contains these items:

• digital audio files of the Jyotisha reading delivered in quick-spoken Midwestern USA English. 

• Radix, navamsha, and 16 varga charts

• Vimshottari Dasha for 120 years

• A brief list of planetary yogas present in the nativity

  Because there are numerous methods for calculating the nativity, it is important to coordinate my calculations with my interpretation; therefore I always as a matter of course include charts and Vimshottari Dasha printouts (or PDF's) with every reading.

• Removing a particular document  such as a varga chart or a Vimshottari dasha timeline, does not alter the price of the reading.

In pre-computer days, certainly, the astrologer's time was so much consumed with making calculations that the majority value of an astrological chart was the labor involved in astronomical computation.

In addition, if one was raised with a culturally superstitious view of astrology, where the hand-written documents (chart diagrams, magical number squares etc.) are treated like talismans, it might be easy to believe that the document medium itself has some mystical-power value.

However, these days, anyone with access to the internet can generate free Jyotisha charts. IMO the Jyotisha documents themselves, available to create and re-create at the push of a button, have no value at all except as temporary containers of timeless Wisdom.

The value lies in the power of the interpretation to generate life-changing insight. 

But I can't afford your prices!

If my reading prices seem out of reach, take that as a signal that that your spirit does not want my reading. Your spirit wants you to do your own work!

• In truth, one can usually generate a much more powerful level of insight about oneself, by doing one's own Jyotisha research into one's own family, friends, and work-mates. That research into the lives of others is what clears up the mirror for one to see oneself.

• I strongly encourage anyone who has the sustained interest to study Jyotisha through free materials on the internet or inexpensive books where available. (India is definitely the best place to find Jyotisha books! although there are several good shops in the USA as well, including the "vedic" section  of Astrology Center of America)

• Free or low-cost software is easy to obtain. Rather than buy expensive readings from abroad or suffer the ponderous mystifications of traditional village Jyotishi, I recommend to try to figure out one's own predictions.

Ownership - make Jyotisha belong to You

Despite the background I bring to each reading, it remains true that my own interpretive opinion is much less authoritative than the conclusions you can draw for yourself, using your own intelligent reasoning and intuition.

If you can't afford my readings, accept that your spirit wants you to own your own learning process.Do your own research, figure out where your prosperity blocks are, and take ownership of your nativity. By removing the blocks (Jyotisha points out karma very clearly) you will soon be able to afford the readings. (Although ironically, by that point of self-knowledge, you probably won't need an outside opinion)

• If you are struggling with a point of scriptural interpretation and you have made a sincere effort to apply a principle of Jyotisha without conclusive results, please do send me an email with a clear description of your interpretive dilemma. (Not just "when will I be married" or "when will I be wealthy".

• These questions indicate immaturity and lack of application in study. I will answer questions such as specific passages in scripture or interpretation of a varga)

• As soon as I have time (or as soon as I figure it out myself!) I will try to answer a sincere scholarly question on the web so that other students can also gain value from the interpretive perspective of the answer.

However if you would like to request a reading, my lead time is approximately 30 days from the time of payment to the time of delivery for the reading.

Wishing you the best success in your Jyotisha studies!

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

" One Simple Question"

Q: Hello Barbara,

I just need to you to answer one simple question. I wanted to check with you that if I have just one general question should I deposit $ for the answer of that question? Please let me know, and I'll pay through your website. Thanks,

A : Namaste,

• Jyotisha gem recommendations = brief (8-10 pages in a fixed report format) and provided via email.

• Jyotisha readings = comprehensive, 2+ hours in length, and provided via audio MP3 download 

• For clients who have already completed the 2-hour comprehensive preliminary reading with me, individual follow-up questions and an Annual update readingare available.

For clients who have already completed the 2-hour comprehensive reading and who, after listening carefully to their reading, realize that they have a follow-up question which requires some additional analysis, that follow-up question for those who have completed the 2-hour reading is delivered via email.

• Costs and instructions 

Please note that a follow-up question is available only AFTER a complete Jyotisha reading. I am unable to answer "one simple question" in the Jyotisha format.

• While it is quite possible to approach a "simple question" using other methods of divination such as a tarot cards, I Ching, throwing "mo" dice, reading tea leaves, the flight patterns of birds, or a clairvoyant reading -- in Jyotisha, a "simple question" is a bit of an Oxymoron.

• Jyotisha is a complex system which yields detailed answers, and therefore the notion of a "simple question" will unfortunately result in a "simplistic" answer. Again, other forms of divination may be more appropriate to the nature of your question.

For purpose of addressing a single question, if you are in USA, I can recommend the intuitive reader Mr. John Hanson. John is a master teacher at the Berkeley Psychic Institute, and he has more than 30 years experience in clairvoyant reading. Mr. Hanson offers consultations by telephone in USA.

Q: Reply to another question re: Jyotisha answers for "only one simple question".

A : Namaste,

Naturally, there is no such thing as "one simple question" in Jyotisha. Everything in life, seen through the kaleidoscope lens of Jyotisha, is interconnected.

• Each nativity presents within several broad karmic themes, within which parameters all action and reaction occurs.

• It is necessary to study the nativity for some hours in order to discover a reasonable prediction.

• Thus Jyotisha divination cannot be accomplished in such a quick way as, for example, pendulum-swing, dowsing, water-gazing, dice-throwing, tea-leaf-reading, or Tarot-card insights.

  In my practice, individual follow-up questions are available subsequent a full reading.

• Due to the complexity of Jyotisha readings, individual questions can only be answered aftera complete review of the full nativity.

• As divination systems go, Jyotisha is relatively complex, and it is not realistic to expect an accurate answer from a quick scan of the nativity. It really does take several hours of reading time to understand a individual Jyotisha nativity.

  Yet, it's a common experience for all of us that the anxiety and frustration surrounding what seems like "one simple question" can gain great mental power. The power of "one simple question" increases to the point where it can dominate one's entire field of consciousness.

  It's easy for us narcissistic humans to fall into the rationalization-anxiety trap, wherein it seem like there is just one simple obstacle standing between oneself and Complete Success .

  So how to address the self-referential anxiety of a Burning Question?

  SELF-EMPOWER:

  (1) Take positive steps. Build your own future on the basis of unshakable faith

  As Edgar Cayce often said, "Mind is the builder". To reduce victim-mind anxiety and replace the fear of external forces with true confidence , I recommend working through the Positive Visualization steps described in these and similar books:

  • "The Magic of Believing" (1948, Claude Bristol)

  • "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind" (1966, Joseph Murphy).

  (2) To Alleviate immediate anxiety, try doing some Quick divinations.

  (3) Talk sense to the Ego

  Ultimately, every single thing that happens in one's life is completely within control of the partnership between oneself and the Divine Intelligence. Don't let the other-blaming ego-mind mislead you. Every single moment of every single day is the product of this core creative relationship.

  Let it be based on personal accountability , positive expectations , and Trust.

  Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Thanks for your note. Gem recommendations are intended to answer only one type of question:

• which ratna are suitable for the nativity, and when (according to the Vimshottari dasha) should suitable ratna be applied?

Because gem readings are narrow in scope, they are also low in price.

The full reading packages, which involve 2+ hours of analysis and presentation, are designed to interpret the nativity and make some predictions using the vimshottari dasha timeline and transit tables. The scope of a full reading creates enough context to allow me to answer 5-10 of the native's present time questions. Naturally, there is neither time nor sufficient context for questions in a gem reading.

Best wishes, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Hello Ms. Pijan Lama:

Thank you for your site, it's wonderfully informative.

Do you do readings for people who are somewhat experienced with Vedic astrology? I have had many astrological readings and am compiling a library on the subject. I understand most of what is on your site except for some of the abbreviations (eg D-1). Also I am familiar with the western names of signs. I understand a lot but if you speak in technical terms, it will help me to have a guide for the key terms.

What is your turnaround time after an order for a chart is placed?

Thanks very much for your compliments on the Jyotisha materials at www.barbarapijan.com I'm always happy to know that students of Jyotisha are finding the articles and case studies to be useful.

D-1 is the first varga, I.e., the kundali or natal chart. The other main Parashari varga charts are D-2 through D-60, with D-9 navamsha being most heavily used.

It's great that you're assembling a library of Jyotisha books. Clients and website readers often ask me for book recommendations, and except for the absolute classics I rarely know what to tell them. (I prefer the case-study method to book-reading myself.) If you have time to tell me, I'd love to know: Of the Jyotisha books you've collected, what are your top five? Top ten?

I am an American from Chicago originally (now in Portland, Oregon) so most of what I say in the readings would be intelligible to American English speakers. If I use Jyotisha terminology, I explain what it means and if there is an English translation for the Sanskrit, I try to explain in English. Certain Sanskrit words just don't have direct English translations, but mainly the reasoning of Jyotisha is pretty straightforward to explain.

As you probably know quite well (if you're assembling a library!) Jyotisha is very different from western style astrology. The houses mean different things, the planets cast different aspects, and the Vimshottari dasha is not related to western progressions at all. Sometimes a knowledge of tropical astrology can be more of an obstacle than a help! But in general if a person can tell me their level of familiarity with the Jyotisha vocabulary, I pitch the explanations to the person's background. (My day job is teaching college, so I'm used to explaining things.)

My turnaround time is about 12 weeks right now, maybe longer. Currently there are over 20 readings 'in the queue'. Normally I can offer about 1 readings or less each week (mainly because I'm teaching other classes) and thus the wait can be pretty long. Most people are happy with their readings when they do get the audio files but right now my readings are only available to folks who can be patient!

Thanks so much for your note. It sounds like you might enjoy having a face-to-face reading with a Jyotishi in your local area. The readings that I offer are definitely at remote, and purposefully so.

You raise some important points about styles of Jyotisha practice. Thanks for asking a good question! Here is my current viewpoint:

Practice model = counseling dialogue

• Some Jyotishi are very gifted face-to-face counselors who are skilled at handling the anxious and self-justifying interruptions of the client, and who encourage dialogue as a means of gaining knowledge.

• The therapeutic counseling model is quite common in western-style, tropical astrological practice. In the West, astrological advising seems to have followed the modern "talk therapy" model, that is itself grounded in the older traditions of rabbinical and pastoral counseling. Some western Jyotishi choose to follow this model also. (For example, see the credentials of astrologer Dennis Harness.)

• Perhaps there is such a counselor-Jyotishi in your area.

Practice model = clairsentient reading

• Other practitioners of Jyotisha (like myself) need a more protected psychic field of perception in order to deliver an accurate reading.

• It is a liability of my own clairsentient sensitivity that I cannot deliver an accurate Jyotisha reading if the flow of interpretation is interrupted by outside noise.

• I have to deliver readings in a very quiet psychic space.

Practice model = objective analysis

• Given the required quiet environment, my interpretive style is highly analytical. My delivery is targeted to sincere students of the vidya, who are in process of gaining their own proficiency in Jyotisha. I presume, when performing a reading, that the client wishes to acquire knowledge the rules of Jyotisha as a step toward one's own self-awareness.

• Students of the vidya are typically more interested in testing the scriptural mandates of classical Jyotisha against their own life experience and the direct experience of those known to them (such as a husband or wife); as well as the predictions which may emerge after the rules have been successfully tested against past experience. They are less interested in 'dialogue' - probably due to the assumption that the rules are rather fixed, and there is no need to "negotiate" for self-acceptance. Things are what they are; the benefit of Jyotisha is clarity of perception toward "what is" which reduces reactivity and opens compassion toward others.

• The readings that I offer are primarily a service to students who wish to receive a detailed analysis of the application of Jyotisha principles. Of course it is fascinating to read the application of these principles to one's own nativity, and a correct analysis can serve as a lifetime guide. The analysis is compassionately worded but the goal is spiritual confirmation with material accuracy, not "therapy" in the modern sense.

Time and cost

• Inevitably, the working Jyotishi must consider cost of service. Unfortunately, having Ketu in bhava-8, I am unlikely to win the lottery, and having Ketu "the sieve" involved with Shukra in nearly every varga, I am indeed unlikely to retain any sort of wealth! Plus, I tithe to the nuns. Therefore, I will probably always need to charge a market value for readings.

• The analysis model at current pricing permits a two-hour reading which covers most of the basics of the nativity plus time for 5-10 questions. If I were to offer an *initial* dialogued counseling package in addition to the analysis, the cost of a reading would double or triple, due to the time involved.

• However, please note that after the initial reading with me, clients are most welcome to pay for "additional questions" as follow-on discussion to the reading - and many clients do indeed choose this option.

Your present needs

Since you are seeking a "dialogue" it might be beneficial to find a reputable counseling astrologer in your area. It might also suit your purpose to visit a psychologist, or a trained pastoral counselor, or just talk with a trusted friend!

Wishing you good luck and happiness,

A : Namaste,

Thanks very much for your compliments.

I'm sorry to hear about your disappointing experiences in Jyotisha consultation.

It sounds like one of the difficulties may arise from the expectation that Jyotishi are mystical mind-readers who can clairseniently apprehend what you are really asking for, without the client needing to mention it. Of course this is a rather childlike expectation. Still, you are not alone in the superstitious beliefthat anyone outside oneself can know more about you than you! People do the same thing with physicians, dentists, psychologist, even the tax attorney ... the client can walk into the consulting office without having prepared any questions, hoping that their professional adviser will somehow secretly "know" what is on their mind : )

Just like the licensed professions, Jyotisha practice requires is a set of complex calculations and rules which will yield answers to specific questions . You as the adult consumer should be prepared to ask the Jyotishi to answer those specific questions which are important for you, and to receive answers which are closely related to your specific questions.

Then, if you wish to pay a Jyotishi to give you a professional answer to a query, you canbe confident in your adult expectation of what sort of information you will get for your money.

• At the level of professional consulting, the advice one seeks from a Jyotishi is not much different from the advice one might seek from an attorney, a physician, or a financial counselor. All of these professionals are trained interpret the rules of their profession and to answer questions consistent with those rules.

My recommendation is for students to learn to interpret one's own Jyotisha nativityso that one does not have to depend on the viewpoint of an outside astrologer.

The reason that I have published a number of articles and sample charts is so that students can use these examples as educational resources. I hope that you can teach yourself to interpret your own nativity so that you don't lose money paying for predictions that are not useful for you!

It is important to be educated in Jyotisha conceptsbefore one consults an outside astrologer. It is similar to visiting the medical doctor - one should have some knowledge of the physical body before discussing it with a medical adviser! Try reading the classic Jyotisha scriptures and utilizing the various Jyotisha websites that are available on the internet in order toempower yourself.

And most of all, please avoid superstitions which claim that the power of the planets resides outside oneself. The power of the planets exists only within oneself, and it is completely within one's own ability to direct this destiny.

... it is important to mention that I do not make use of concepts such as curses, magical potions, amulets, or other superstitious customs. I do often recommend flawless gemstones since I find gems to be effective when properly applied. However, the main remedy which I typically recommend for planetary ills is seva, selfless service to those less fortunate.

Q: Hello, I have perused your website, and would like to explore the possibility of having a reading done.

My only question/concern is that the time of my exact birth is uncertain as the papers were lost. In other words, I have a window, but would like to know if it is possible to have a full jyotish reading done (and if it is worth it) with this information in context.

Previously, my parents said it was 5:30 a.m., but are not exactly sure. Probably you could rewind an hour ahead or back. Is it worthwhile to have a reading done with this (slightly ambiguous information)?

Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you. Best Wishes,

Thanks for your note. Unfortunately, as you point out, the Jyotisha reading really isn't going to be very accurate given the uncertainty regarding your birthtime.

The Vimshottari dasha timing has a start-point that is derived from the exact degree of the Moon at the time of birth; definitely this degree is in question if you are talking about a possible 2-hour range of birth time!

• If you can find an astrologer to do a rectification for you and if that Jyotishi can give you a confident result, then I'd be happy to undertake a reading for you.

• (I am not currently doing them as rectifications take many hours of evaluation work for both the client and the Jyotishi)

• In records of rural births the time is often missing or only vaguely remembered.  There are many village astrologers in India who give entire readings based only on the general position of the Moon on the native's birth day mainly based on the pada of the lunar nakshatra . These readings can be very accurate in regard to emotional issues, which are frankly the main substance of the karma that is facing folk who live out their lives in emotionally intense drama of a village existence.

• Those astrologers tend to know the clients' entire extended family as well as the typical lifestyle of the client's caste, marriage possibilities etc. Therefore the range of predictive possibilities in those traditional settings is actually very manageable and the reading may be quite accurate in context.

For us in the (Rahu-ized) modern world, an individual may rise to great heights or sink to unfathomable lows from one's original social position at birth; multiple marriages are no longer exceptional; and there will also likely be several crafts or professions practiced along with way.

It is true that measuring the angles of graha from Chandra lagna and evaluation of the traditional karakas will take you a long way in understanding the person's psychology. However for most of us, an accurate time of birth to the minute is really necessary for worldly predictions such as career on the basis on the lord of the 10th navamsha.

Wishing you best success in your Jyotisha studies,

Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Q: Dear Barbara, Could I have the reading and then ask my five to ten questions, after the reading?

The requested 5-10 questions are intended to structure the Jyotisha reading, so that the client receives answers to their most important questions. The client's questions do not limit the reading, but rather shape and direct it.

During the reading, I continue to mention predictions that arise through a step-wise inspection of the radix and navamsha (along with other vargas as needed), a review of the Vimshottari Dasha, and an evaluation of the impact of current transits (related to the current planetary bhukti lord).

Most people appreciate a reading that is targeted to their near-term concerns. Near-term concerns can certainly be spiritual and mental as well as emotional and material. And near-term can mean "from now until death". (Esp. for those of us getting older!)

I find that detailed questions are very helpful in making sure that the reading is useful to the client. Some clients may have anxiety about the potential revelations of a reading. A superstitious thinker may expect some shocking and unexpected information will emerge. Of course that never happens -- Jyotisha like all divinatory methods simply confirms the native's own intuition and brings a small amount of subconsciously held knowledge into the conscious light.

A Jyotisha reading should be a cooperative consulting exchange between two adults. The adult client says to me, the Jyotishi: "here are my concerns, you are professionally trained, what answers can you provide to me, from the knowledge you have gained in your training?"

Jyotisha practice requires engaged intuition (as do surgery, midwifery, parenting, marital diplomacy, etc) but Jyotisha is not a "magical" process that provides sudden and miraculous new information.

Jyotisha really is a database system and it has to be queried intelligently. Guiding questions from the client are a great asset to a successful reading. Naturally, the Jyotishi can follow a standard set of questions according to the progress of the twelve houses (how is the health? how is the career? how is the meditation practice? etc.) and that is the default review for any reading.

I can certainly walk through the default review process, and that may prove quite useful as a general update on your life circumstances. If after the general update is finished, you would prefer to ask the 5-10 questions, each "follow-up" question would be available as an "additional question" via email.

From my practice point of view, I do permit clients to request a reading first with no guiding questions and ask the additional questions at one's leisure, if the client is comfortable with paying separately for each additional question.

• I do have some clients that ask a new question each month or so; they simply go to the PayPal page on my website and press the "additional question" button.

• Typically these clients are evaluating a series of prospective spouses (India) or a batch of eligible employees (USA) or examining different education-to-career paths (worldwide). For them, multiple additional questions is suitable and they find the additional payments to be reasonably priced.

Again, you're more than welcome to save your questions for after the reading -- but do be aware that it is considerably more expensive that way! (... because it takes me much more time).

Dear Barabara Pijan,

I saw on your website that you do not have a phone—I think that is brilliant. I also do not have a phone here, but of course, being in the Himalayas—it is much easier to be without one. I think it is beautiful that you are able to carry out your depth of Jyotish and path in the US. ...

... I live in the Himalayas (in an ashram), high up in the mountains outside of Uttarkashi .... Recently, we have been able to access the internet (!) and recently I came across your beautiful website. You have done a remarkable job.

We live a very inward life here, and occasionally I have deep and profound experiences of consciousness which relate to the field of jyotish. The whole cosmic display of everything in life is so beautifully expressed in the simple yet unbelievably profound graha, Nakshatra , rashi and bhavas.

I am interested in getting a reading from you, but as a monk in the Himalaya I am not getting a salary—all of our needs are taken care of by donations. Do you offer a discount for those like us? ..., I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for offering so much knowledge and insights on the net that you have so beautifully compiled and integrated for us all.

All bliss from up here in the mountains,

K.P.

Namaste K.P.

Thanks so much for your kind email. It sounds like you are living a wonderful and peaceful life there in the Himalaya. I too have lived in the Himalaya (insolu-khumbu Nepal near the Tibet border) and I still do visit occasionally for family events.

Thanks very much for your compliments on the Jyotisha materials at www.barbarapijan.com I am always happy to know that students of the vidya find the materials to be

It might not surprise you to learn that I receive dozens of emails each week asking for Jyotisha guidance. I am able to offer approximately one paid reading per week. With family responsibilities and my university teaching job, that is unfortunately the limit of my service these days!

Unfortunately free or discounted readings are not available from me (there is a psychic reason for that too!) However in the future I do hope to be able to refer indigent enquiries to some senior Jyotisha students. I know that there are many sincere and deserving aspirants who would benefit immediately from access to the Jyotisha perspective, and I would like to facilitate that access... perhaps some day that will be possible.

At the moment, there are several students (not mine; they have various teachers) who have told me via email that they might be feeling strong enough in their Jyotisha skills to start doing Seva readings via email. As soon as these senior studentsadvise me of their availability for the Seva, I willannouncethe happy news.

Until then, I do hope that the examples and discussions posted on www.barbarapijan.com may be of some service for those who are trying to make sense of one's own Jyotisha timeline.

I welcome suggestions from readers. Please let me know via email if there are particularly topics that you might like to see written on the website. While I am not able to address these suggestions immediately, I do keep such development suggestions in mind and hope that I can continue to publish answers to common questions. (Gochara Shani-Kanya is currently oppressing my 6/12 Chandra-Budha axis. )

While Shanaiscarya does provide a helpful disciplinary structure in the reflective (Chandra) and articulatory (Budha) mind, He also ruthlessly controls the allocation of Time. I wish (Chandra) that I had more time and material resources, but it's Shani's job right now to make sure that I don't!

Wishing you best success and happiness in all of your spiritual studies,

Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

Q:

Dear Barbara Pijan,

Thanks for a terrific website, just brimming with wonderful information.

I might like to purchase a reading from you as a gift for one of my family members, but I'm not sure he understands why people ask for astrology readings. (

He's a young engineer, very practical fellow).

How would you explain the reasons that people ask for readings? Thanks.

.... In answer to the question of why folks request Jyotisha readings, I'd say from thirty years experience that it runs the gamut. Some people have a broad, general interest in understanding their Vimshottari dasha timeline and its predictive capabilities.

• However most clients have specific issues with children, marriage, finance, career, health, etc.

• One might be running for political office; another is contemplating surgery; a third is facing a high-stakes professional exam.

• Graduate school, fertility, aging parents, tax problems, medical diagnosis, corporate mergers, extramarital affairs, spiritual retreats, childhood sexual abuse, major inheritance, buying a house, nervous breakdowns, entertainment careers, religious crisis, conflict with religious teachers, - oy, you name it!

In practice, there isn't too much difference between the reading for the person with the pressing material issues vs. the readings for the folks with the general psycho-spiritual curiosity. The answers to the big questions emerge from the character of the planets in the houses. The answers to the small questions emerge from the character of the planets in the houses. So, most of the value of the reading is in simply having a map of the incarnation - the Jyotisha nativity - and giving oneself permission to use the map.

• If the person can read one's own map, fantastic. Other map styles which work just as well include looking into the mirror of self in meditation, reading the details of the hand palms, or repeated divinations in any of the great mystical traditions.

• If one has the cultural taste to request a Jyotishi to read the Jyotisha map and give a viewpoint on what it all means, I can do that in about 2 hours on audio MP3.

• Most folks say that the Jyotisha readings are extremely valuable to them, and they express great appreciation for the serenity gained in knowing that there is a map, that there is a plan, and that it unfolds according to personal intention. Many folks request update readings over a period of years (often, every 2 years or at the onset of a major new Vimshottari period.

• As an American, I lack the fatalism sometimes present in the viewpoint of traditional Jyotishi; folks seem to appreciate that too!

Hope this answer is helpful. Sincerely, BPL

Q:

Books? More Detailed Explanation of Practice + Process?

... with your wealth of knowledge, it is obvious that you could write many interesting, comprehensive Jyotisha books that would put a lot of the efforts currently out there to shame.

I have purchased a few books and downloaded a few from scribd, yet I always come back to your outstanding website.

You don't just say "what is" but "why it is"; very much in the vein of the late, great Behari (but with less esoteric emphasis).

As I'm sure you know as an educator, that approach is highly conducive to learning such a complex science.

....do you ever see yourself writing books?

... Also, you have a lot of very useful celebrity profiles on your website, but mostly dealing with specific life issues.

All extremely illuminating!

However, do you ever see yourself doing a complete analysis of a chart, from first look to what eventually delivers on the indications in the chart and what doesn't and why based on the dashas, divisional charts and transits?

Essentially, the process the you use when someone orders a chart reading from you. Is it systematic (bhava by bhava, graha by graha) or do you analyze only what jumps out at you, or little of both?

I am [searching for instructions regarding] an effective approach to reading a chart, because you seem to glean a great deal with your technique.

I know you are a very busy woman, at least your profile suggest as much. But if you can find the time, I would greatly appreciate a little direction and/or at the very least some hope that you may be publishing or uploading to your website a breakdown of how you do what you do. ...

I am only a year into Jyotisha (previously I studied western astrology), but I have learned more from your website than anything or anyone else. ... any aid that I can get in preparing for that possible future is greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much for your lovely compliment son the site and its educational valuefor you.

Yes I would be delighted to write some booksas time allows; these would probably bee-booksthat I could correct quickly, unless I was lucky enough to find an excellent sharp-eyed editor. Like any teacher and parent, I struggle to create the time to write. Yet, as family responsibilities settle and perhaps my teaching schedule could be reduced, then yes, writing books become a happy possibility.

Before starting on such a big project, I would probably conduct a "needs assessment "to solicit feedback from regular readers like yourself. I'd want to ask for the same type of guiding information you've provided above: what questions does a beginner have? And in what order? After formally collecting requests and making a plan for what to present and in what order, I'll probably do a second survey to find out more detailed needs. For example, once the preliminary knowledge base in in place, what intermediate questions arise? How much of the practice is counseling and how much is predictive? Etc. Then, spirits willing, I'll set to it.

I am presently enjoying a 10 year mahadasha of L-10 Chandra in Ari Bhava, which indicates direct clinical service of hands-on problem-solving (or problem validation!) via client readings and classroom teaching. This Chandra is not suited for romantic sorts of writing, but it is quite good for logical argumentation (step-wise reasoning) and clinical descriptions.

For me - as for anyone - bhukti periods of L-3 and L-5 can produce effective messaging (3) and creative performance via writing (5). Since my uchcha Budha occupies the house of meditations and dreams (12) Budha periods are very nice for writing about astral and clandestine realities. (In fact, two academic theses in religious studies and one in linguistics were written in Budha periods.)

Thanks again for your compliments and request for books or e-books in Jyotisha. I'll see what kind of time schedule Lord Shani is willing to grant. If the lords of 1, 3, 5 and in this case 9-12 (Jyotisha Vidya) are willing, I'd be happy to try to support worldwide Jyotisha education with books to supplement the website.

Wishing you best success in Jyotisha Studies,

Sincerely, Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha

What is the format for the included follow-up question ?

Q: Can you tell me what sort of follow-up question is permitted?

Perhaps upon listening the reading when you say something, I would want to verify that what I understand is what you mean - in simple terms, to map what is said to what is meant.

If in order to clarify my understanding of the reading, I need to ask something on the reading itself - no new question - will that be included in the reading or will constitute "follow up question" and will be charged separately ?

Yes, that is what the follow-up question is for: to clarify any terminology or assertion that was made in the reading. Additional questions which are paid separately are those which have new content. One question regarding the existing content from the reading can certainly be asked and answered, sometimes immediately after the client receives the reading and sometimes years later : )

What I can't do in follow-up however is enter into a teaching discourse, explaining the principles of Jyotisha. Also I can't answer very vague or poorly formulated questions such as "what can you tell me about my mother?" or "will I find happiness?".

The follow-up question has to be sensible, related to the reading, and have some material denotation - not completely abstract or philosophical. (Of course I love to engage in philosophical discussions but Lord Shani ensures that Time limits these considerably!)

I appreciate that many clients who request readings are sincere students of Jyotisha and their questions are part of their own development as future teachers - that is a good thing, and I am willing to direct those questions to textual sources or suggest a path for study.

But again my time is limited, being a mom and a university instructor. So the questions, as well as the answers, have to refer to the actual content of the reading. If I mention an interpretive principle feel free to ask about the principle, and if I mention a prediction feel free to ask about the prediction, but always stay with the existing content.

Hope that answers your question!

Wishing you best success in Jyotisha studies,

Sincerely,

Barbara Pijan Lama, Jyotisha