A CONVERSATION WITH ASTROLOGER ANDEW FOSS FOR JYOTISH STAR

A Conversation with Astrologer Andrew Foss By Charlotte Benson Interview Date: 1/20/12 Charlotte Benson: Hello Andrew! We feel so lucky to have a Vedic Astrologer of your calibre, one of Britain’s, Canada’s, and now America’s premier Vedic Astrologers to grant to us an interview for the Jyotish Star! Tell us, when did you find yourself interested in Vedic Astrology? Andrew Foss: I was always fascinated by the stars. At school I was the President of the Astronomy Association. After school I got a job at the Royal Greenwich Observatory and co-authored an article called “is there a 10th planet?'” which was published in and promoted on the front page of Nature, one of the most prestigious scientific journals. I had no idea about astrology -- but in 1980 I came across a book on Western astrology. Initially it seemed to work but I soon realised that that system, as presented in the books I had, was not effective for predictions. Just after that, I heard about Jyotish and something clicked. I was hooked for life. Charlotte: As you are originally from Great Britain, what brought you to Canada and then to the United States? Andrew: Ketu dasha took me to Canada, unplanned of course. To stay there I started studying and that is how I got an MSc and PhD in computing. I had always wanted to do it, of course. While teaching Jyotish, I met my wife-to-be and having married an American, moving to the USA was inevitable. She was living in Hawaii and I was starting Venus dasha, which indicates the South East (direction). As it happened, she moved to Virginia and I joined her there. Things happen but Jyotishis see the underlying intelligence working. Charlotte: What teachers and/or organizations inspired you, mentored you, or have been your strongest support along the way? Andrew: I started my formal training in Rishikesh with a Pandit in 1981 but even with years of subsequent wandering around India failed to locate someone I felt I wanted to study in depth with. Real Jyotish gurus are in very short supply, apparently. Then Pandit Sanjay Rath announced he was to teach the Jaimini Sutras. He comes from a lineage with at least 500 years unbroken tradition of experts in Jaimini and Parashara. He is the only one left with the knowledge. I knew it was a unique opportunity that I could not pass up and it has proved very beneficial. With Ketu in his 10th house, few people appreciate what he knows or have the patience to fathom it. One's guru is based on one's karma. It can be seen from the chart. If there is no connection in the chart, then you don't study with that teacher. Charlotte: What advice would you give that could be helpful for students of Vedic Astrology? Andrew: Jyotish is such a vast ocean and it is considered a secret. In part, it is so because it is hidden by the Brahmins who won't share except with genuine and worthy students. In part, is because one's heart and mind have to be clean enough to grasp the knowledge. Fortunately, the knowledge itself is purifying as I'm sure we all experience. I have learned many rare things but I know it is just a little. One can never become proud and think one is a great expert, or then one is totally lost. A Jyotishi is called Daivagya, a knower of the Divine. If we think we know, the Grahas will stop helping us. Humility attracts Divinity. Even humility is not easy to find but time and Shani Deva help. Charlotte: Please tell us a little bit about your own writing, do you have books, either that you have written, or that you recommend to help the aspiring student? Do you plan this for the future? Andrew: I have devoted most of my time to the software Shri Jyoti Star. I have always done it for my own research but many people have taken to using it and I have been kept busy trying to satisfy all their interests. Through that, I have seen many different approaches to astrology. I have written a book on the mantras of the planets. I have given the mantras and commented on each one. I have also written many articles, most of which have been published in the journal Gochara of the British Association for Vedic Astrology. I hope the book and these articles will be generally available in 2012. Charlotte: Do you have any conferences or educational events or webinars coming up? I know you have been a presenter at many ACVA international conferences and of course at BAVA which you co founded in Great Britain. Andrew: The next BAVA conference is April 26-30, 2012. It is themed 'The crisis of Materialism'. We are asking all the speakers, and we have a great line up, to focus on innovative and unusual topics. In the USA, during 2012, I will start a new group for learning the Jaimini Sutras, and perhaps the last group I will teach, as the course is so long. I am also mentoring students studying Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra. Additionally, I am planning to do a series of workshops based on using the Shri Jyoti Star software, as well as teaching some new techniques. (Editor's note: Please be sure to visit www.vedicsoftware.com for more information. You can also follow Andrew on Twitter (@ShriJyotiStar) and Facebook (Shri Jyoti Star) for announcements about software and courses.) Charlotte: Could you tell us a little bit about what got you initially interested in creating Vedic Astrology Software? We know that Shri Jyoti Star is the leading Vedic Astrology software in the World. Many of the top astrologers in the world use it in their practices. I know Christina Collins finds it particularly valuable as she is able to calculate BCE dates for her articles and research! Andrew: This year I hope to take Shri Jyoti Star to another level. I started on it almost as soon as I started learning and researching Jyotish in 1980 because I needed a really easy to use source for many Jyotish calculations. Even today, I keep developing it because of my own research and practice needs, as well as in response to the requests coming to me from all over the globe. I am particularly interested in research and being able to define all kinds of yogas and search for them in charts and over time it is extremely useful. Charlotte: Did you have an Indian influence, spiritual teacher, or mentor that attracted you to Jyotish? Andrew: I found out about Jyotish as soon as Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started talking about it. He is largely responsible for its popularity in the West along with his friend Baba Muktananda. I now fully understand that, like all the Vedic sciences, Jyotish has to be learnt from a guru. The texts are written such that they require someone to guide the understanding. The Jaimini Sutras, in particular, are deeply encrypted. For the last five years I have been studying the sutras with Pandit Sanjay Rath, who is perhaps the only living representative of the lineages founded by Swami Achutyananda 500 years ago in Puri, the seat of the Rig Veda. Swamiji's brilliance was such that he is thought of as the founder of the lineage but, of course, it goes much further back, perhaps to Jaimini and Parashara themselves. Sanjay is teaching Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra and anyone can join his class but to learn the Jaimini Upadesha Sutras, those interested should join a class offered by a Jaimini Scholar, the graduates of the five year course he just completed teaching. I will be taking a few serious students starting in 2012 (www.jaiminischolar.org ). Due to the length and depth of this training, such a course can only start very occasionally. Charlotte: That sounds just wonderful! In addition, what advice would you give to the beginner, just starting their studies in the Vedas, like Jyotish, Ayurveda and Vaastu? Andrew: If you really want to learn, find a guru. It is not everyone's destiny, but if you get a good teacher, all your problems are solved. It helps to study what a guru means traditionally so you know how to derive the most from the relationship. The personality is not the guru, the knowledge and the consciousness is the guru. Of course, one is not limited to only one teacher but any teacher will only teach depending on the commitment and attitude of the student. I have often heard it said that it is harder to find a good student than a good teacher. I have seen many genius scholars in India pass away with all their knowledge because they never found someone to give it to. Their children did not see any use in their knowledge. How terribly foolish. In not too many years, all that we see around us will be shaking and people will be looking again for real knowledge. Nothing is more valuable than a good Jyotishi, a good Vaidya (Ayurvedic physician) and a good Sthapati (Vedic architect). All of these require lifetimes of devoted practice and study and that fruit remains with one at death unlike all the stuff of the world. Charlotte: You were fortunate indeed in finding a guru, and your students now are fortunate to have you. Tell us, what did you do prior to becoming a Vedic Astrologer? Did you have a different educational path, or, have you always been on your current path, from a young age? Andrew: From an early age, I wanted to understand the laws of nature. Knowing nothing else, I decided to study Physics. While at Oxford doing Physics, I discovered yoga and meditation and after my degree, I gave my life to being a Yogi. It seemed the direct path to the knowledge I was seeking. Eventually I found Jyotish. Yoga as a spiritual science, and state of consciousness is the basis of Jyotish. I was surprised to find how many leading Yogis are interested in Jyotish. Perhaps because it is the Vedic Science most connected to Vedanta. Charlotte: Would you care to comment on being a vegetarian, or following an Ayurvedic diet? Isn’t your wife a healer as well? Andrew: Proper diet is essential. There are many sick people in our society and poor diet is one major cause. Jyotish teaches us a lot about what is healthy and unhealthy for an individual. Unfortunately, we are often not attracted to what is most healthy for us. That is where knowledge can help. Yes, my wife is a brilliant healer, she specialises in Acupuncture and nutrition. Charlotte: Would you like to tell us something more about the Astrology organizations you belong to and their related activities? You are currently the Co-Founder of BAVA (British Association for Vedic Astrology) and I know you served as an International speaker for both ACVA (American College for Vedic Astrology) and CVA (Council for Vedic Astrology). Andrew: Jyotish in the West has a relatively small community and I want to honour those who kept us all together for years under the umbrella of BAVA, ACVA, CVA and SJC. Especially the ACVA and BAVA conferences have been great meeting points. Now we seem to be in a different phase and there are many smaller centres of Jyotish activity and this is all good. My personal interest is academic level research and I am inviting anyone with this kind of experience to be in touch (andrew@vedicsoftware.com ). I already have a good list of PhDs and MDs who have deep interest in Jyotish and I hope we can develop some good work together over the next few years. John Ryder in Australia has set a fine example in this. Since meeting Rahu in Capricorn, transiting Jupiter has been in some kind of Sambandha (association) with Rahu ever since. This has, I believe, caused some fragmentation of our community, which totally depends on Jupiter, Guru's divine blessings. I hope that all the friends will join hands again to develop our knowledge and our collectivity. I want to thank you for this kind interview and the excellent work you are doing spreading the light. Andrew Foss' Biography: Andrew Foss has a PhD in Computing Science and is also an Oxford physics graduate with publications in Nature and other leading scientific journals. He is the author of the book High-Dimensional Data Mining. He enjoys a deep love of music, art and poetry and has more than 30 years experience studying and teaching the Vedic wisdom around the world. He is the Founding President of the British Association of Vedic Astrology, Editor of the BAVA Journal Gochara and is a Certified Jaimini Scholar. He was given the Jyotish Ratna for contributions to Jyotish. He has developed the unique, easy and powerful software Shri Jyoti Star that is has become the first choice amongst the leading Vedic Astrologers around the world. Andrew is married and lives with his family in Virginia, USA. Andrew Foss Contact Information: Web site: www.vedicsoftware.com Email: andrew@vedicsoftware.com Phone: 202-657-5432.

Interview by: Charlotte Benson, International Liaison and Jyotish Star Chief Correspondent Diplomate: AFA, NCGR, ISAR Executive Director, American College of Vedic Astrology, Inc. President, Arizona Society of Astrologers, Inc. www.charlottebenson.com 602 952-1525 Phoenix, AZ USA.