The Institute launched its fall season to a full house in late September. Mantra, Yantra, and Tantra, this autumn's first Vedic Vidya Institute seminar, was presented by Hart deFouw in a lively and informative three-day format, accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation. Hart has been immersed in the Vedic tradition for so long that the information rolls off his tongue as if he has been teaching these subjects for many a lifetime. Sharing with us his great love and respect for mantra, yantra and tantra, as well as its sacredness, he wove the three subjects together much as a weaver weaves diverse threads into a cloth. Thanks go to Hart deFouw for donating his time and all proceeds to Vedic Vidya Institute from this over-subscribed seminar.

Sanskrit remains as popular as ever at the Institute. This year's third Sanskrit Foundation Course began in early October. Steven Highburger once again teaches this popular class; no doubt, he will train the students well. Continuing Sanskrit courses led by Penny Farrow, ably assisted by Brilla Hall, also resumed.

Early in October, the Institute held a horoscope rectification seminar for intermediate students of Jyotish. Led by Steven Highburger, the over-subscribed seminar reinforced and organized many principles, adding new gems along the way. Due to the popularity of this seminar, the Institute will schedule a repeat performance by Highburger in January of 2008. Register early!

This two-day weekend seminar on Jyotisha explores the combinations in a horoscope that promote or obstruct the ability to have children. As every human being will face the life altering experience of bearing or not bearing children, understanding these indicators is vital for aspiring jyotishis. Focusing on carefully cultivating judgment by using a powerful pro forma, this seminar includes class practicum and ample step by step chart examples.

Every human being will be compelled to look the biological imperative to procreate square in the face during his or her lifetime. For the majority of people, children will be a natural and unquestioned part of their experience of life, but there will be those who remain childless. This may be due to a "conscious" decision or to other circumstances such as the heartbreak of infertility. As these trajectories are driven by the unseen force of karma, every aspiring jyotishi needs to skillfully address this life altering issue.

This seminar will give you insights into the combinations in horoscopes that promote or obstruct the ability to have children.

The weekend will feature:

A powerful pro forma for cultivating judgment as to whether there will be children or not

Presentation of ample step by step chart examples

Class practicum and discussion to hone your abilities

Case studies on advising those unable to have children

Instructor: Penny Farrow
Dates: Saturday and Sunday November 10th & 11th, 2007
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost:$150 due by October 26th ($175 thereafter)

More info...

Everyone who has tried their hand at Jyotisha knows that an accurate birth time is more likely to give an accurate result. But how do you know if the time is correct? When is it useful, or even necessary, to change the birth time? What if the given birth time has an Ascendant that falls right at the beginning or the end of a Rashi, which is a common occurrence, how do we determine which chart to use? Moreover, once we have established an Ascendant how do we narrow down the field in order to utilize time sensitive techniques of prediction and interpretation? Come join us for a weekend of step-by-step, no-nonsense instruction in how to get to a correct birth time through the organization and application of time-tested techniques!
This is an advanced seminar, which is only open to students who have completed the Intermediate Jyotisha course with Hart deFouw. This seminar requires a background in Yoga, Bhava, Dasha and Amsha analysis.

In this course you will learn:

Insightful techniques for determining which Ascendant a person really has

How to use Amshas for both wide range and precision time rectification

How Dashas are a core component of rectification

How to tailor your Jyotisha software to expedite and support your rectifying skills

How to collect the correct information you need to rectify a chart

Instructor: Steven Highburger
Dates: Two day seminar Saturday & Sunday January 19 & 20, 2008
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Cost: $150 payable by January 4, 2008 ($175 thereafter)

More Info...

There is a new and rapidly growing movement called Positive Psychology. Simply put, it studies what is going right with a person rather than what is going wrong! In addition, the emphasis in Positive Psychology is shifting from studying what causes happiness to the study of what happiness itself causes, namely, more happiness.

The prevailing paradigm of our Western society is that external factors have the greatest impact on our happiness. Better houses, newer cars, finer beds, cooler cell phones seemingly carry the day for most. However, researchers found that the level of happiness deep within our brains quickly adapts to external circumstances and returns to an innate "set point" based on genetics. In fact, our innate happiness quotient accounts for 50% of our tendency towards happiness or gloominess. Externals like age, appearance, or winning lotteries have just a small effect—in the order of 10%—on sustaining happiness. Positive Psychology researchers dub features like a new house "conditions of life."

All said and done, an interesting and rather simple formula sums up results of research in the budding field of Positive Psychology: H = S(50%) + C(10%) + V(40%). One's level of happiness (H) depends on the innate set point (S) plus external conditions of life (C) plus voluntary activities (V). Turns out the inherent set point plus conditions of life account for 60% of happiness, leaving a substantial 40% for voluntary activities, which can have riveting effects when discretionary actions are geared towards building a person's strengths instead of focusing on flaws.

Researchers found the most effective happiness-inducing voluntary activities (the variable 40% solution) were those that call on character traits such as kindness, humility, perseverance, gratitude, charity and curiosity. To induce greater happiness bring on kindness, humility, gratitude, charity. And above all, keep your eyes wide open like a child's. Solutions are simple: volunteer at a food bank, help the blind cross the street, feed a lost puppy, wonder if there is gold at the end of the rainbow—the possibilities are endless. Surprisingly though, researchers also found the pursuit of mundane pleasures, the 10% solution, did not produce anywhere near the same magnitude of results in the pursuit of happiness.

A person's "set point" is, of course, set at birth according to the research. What we can intelligently bring to bear on our happiness are the 10% contributed by "conditions of life" and the 40% contributed by other variables in the group of "voluntary activities."

Once again, Vedic tradition continues to anticipate the findings of much modern psychology, including Positive Psychology. Indeed, some 5,000 years ago Yoga, Vedanta, and their kin told of the importance of choice in action. Every action, declared the yogis of old elegantly, brings on a legacy of punya (the benefits of virtue) or papa (the obstructions of vice). According to precise Vedic tradition, ultimately both punya and papa, the heritage of our choices in life, affect our state of contentment, our happiness. And what does punya entail? It invokes actions inspired by kindness, humility, gratitude and similar noble human traits; papa, in turn, hinges on opposite qualities. As to the "set point," Vedic tradition asserts we are born with a predisposition, a destiny, our karma. Karma can include our predisposition to happiness or gloom. A life well lived lies in the balance of punya, papa and karma.

It is heartening that there is a branch of psychology that is starting to think about the most effective ways to enhance our most precious and sacred human potential. Perhaps with the advent of Positive Psychology, ancient Eastern thought and modern Western thought are finding yet more common ground.