Vaastu as science

Indian science has formulas to align a home with nature Called vaastu for short (vastu meaning "place of dwelling" in Sanskrit and shastra meaning science), it originates in the Vedas, which are ancient sacred Hindu scriptures. It's only recently being embraced by Westerners, who are finding that there is a connection between the spaces that they live in and their bodies, minds and souls.

Vastu has formulas for planning and constructing a home to align it with nature's five elements: sky, air, earth, fire and water.

Each element is associated with a particular direction: water in the northeast, fire in the southeast, earth in the southwest, air in the northwest and space in the centre.

Vastu principles are also based on the sun's influence, the wind's direction, the position of the moon, the earth's magnetic field and the influence of the cosmos on our planet.

Living the way we are in modern cities, there's not much scope to get land and make structural changes But you can change the use of rooms, furniture placement and if possible, re-do the interiors.

As you look over your décor, pause to consider this: Is the fireplace against the south wall? That's the fire quadrant and vastu advocates placing heavy objects in the south and west of your home to block the negative energy of the midday sun.

Among other general rules, the door to your home should be in the auspicious east or north, the kitchen in the southeast corner and the bed in the southwest corner of the house. (The southwest corner is the earth quadrant and is considered to have an anchoring effect.)

An east-facing kitchen gets the morning sun, which is filled with energy, while the orange rays at dusk filtering into the bedroom are conducive to rest.

Sleeping with one's head to the north is a no-no. According to vastu principles, the human body acts as a magnet with the head as its North Pole. If the head points north while sleeping, the North Poles of the body and Earth will repel each other, affecting the blood circulation and causing disturbed sleep and stress.
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Feng Shui

Feng Shui (pronounced "phung schwee" and meaning literally "wind water") is part of an ancient Chinese philosophy of nature. Feng shui is often identified as a form of geomancy, divination by geographic features, but it is mainly concerned with understanding the relationships between nature and ourselves so that we might live in harmony within our environment. Feng shui is related to the very sensible notion that living with rather than against nature benefits both humans and our environment. It is also related to the equally sensible notion that our lives are deeply affected by our physical and emotional environs. If we surround ourselves with symbols of death, contempt and indifference toward life and nature, with noise and various forms of ugliness, we will corrupt ourselves in the process. If we surround ourselves with beauty, gentleness, kindness, sympathy, music and various expressions of the sweetness of life, we ennoble ourselves as well as our environment. Alleged masters of feng shui, those who understand the five elements and the two energies such as chi and sha (hard energy, the opposite of chi), are supposed to be able to detect metaphysical energies and give directions for their optimal flow. Feng shui has become a kind of architectural acupuncture: wizards and magi insert themselves into buildings or landscapes and use their metaphysical sensors to detect the flow of good and bad "energy." These masters for hire declare where bathrooms should go, which way doorways should face, where mirrors should hang, which room needs green plants and which one needs red flowers, which direction the head of the bed should face, etc. They decide these things on the basis of their feel for the flow of chi, electromagnetic fields or whatever other form of energy the client will worry about. (If you and your lover are having trouble in the bedroom, call a feng shui master. You probably need to move a few things around to get the bedroom chi flowing properly. Only a person with special metaphysical sensors, however, can tell what really needs to be done.) www.saikiran.org

Palmistry

Palm Reading

Palmistry in India has a history going back thousands of years. There are more than one major system in use based on ancient writings. The most popular school is known as samudrika sastra, based on the writings of Samudra. A popular school in the south of India is sariraka sastra based on the writings of Kartikeya. This system is also known as skanda system. Followers of sariraka sastra claim that this system is the oldest and most authentic, and that samudrika sastra has been diluted and simplified from the original teachings. Sariraka sastra places great emphasis on the rekhas or the lines on the palm. Up to 153 are recognised. In addition, the life line, or the atma rekha or rohini, is read from the base of the palm moving upwards. Hindu Signs Signs on the hand play an important part in Hindu palmistry. Old treatises on palmistry discuss 23 different signs, only some of which are part of tradition Western palmistry. Yav At the base of the right thumb yav means a son, at the base of the left thumb yav means an adopted son, when found at the base of the fate line indicates loss of parents at an early age. Fish Wealth, prosperity and a comfortable life. Conch Money and fame. A rare mark. Trident A fortunate sign denoting wealth and fame. Lotus or Padma A rare sign with the same meaning as the trident with the added meaning of greatness. Reputed to be on the feet and hands of Lord Krishna or Sri Rama. Canopy Power, wealth and respect. Reputed to be on the feet of Lord Krishna. A rare mark. Circle A rare mark. On the Mount of the Sun this is an auspicious sign but found elsewhere it is not. On the mount of the Moon it indicates death by drowning. One indicates cleverness, two beauty, three luxury, four poverty, five wisdom, six intelligence, seven love of solitude, eight pverty, nine a king, ten a Government servant! Shell or Whorl Also called Shankha. These are found on the tips of the fingers. One shell indicates a king, two wealth, three spiritual power, four poverty, five wealth, six spirituality, seven poverty, eight wealth, nine spirituality, ten poverty. Flag Strength of character, renunciation and purity as well as wealth and success. Bow A rare mark found on the hands of royalty, millionaires and great people. Tree An indicator of success, especially if the branches shoot up. Temple Also known as Shivalaya. A mark of success and wealth in a high position of society. Triangle On the line of Life indicates acquiring a property. On a rascette indicates accession to wealth of others and honour. On the Great Triangle between the Line of Life and the Fate Line indicates military renown. Serpent Opposition from enemies. Sword Also known as Kuther Rekha. On the Mount of the Sun indicates troubles in life. Scales Wealth and prosperity. Moon and Sun Honour, respect and appreciation by others. Swastika Respect, wealth and fame. Diksha Rekha The line of Renunciation found under the Jupiter finger. Indicates intelligence, judgement, wealth, knowlede of the occult sciences and a half rekha indicates an unwillingness to work for material advancement. Hanwant or Kapi Rekha Triangles found on the upper end of the Line of Life, Fate Line, Head Line and Sun Line indicate a highly religious person wiht a clear vision of his deities. Ring of Saturn Encircles the base of the Saturn finger. Magic and occult powers. Other signs of good luck include the scissors, the arrow, the fishtail, the pitcher, the spearhead and the anklet. Other signs to look out for are the octagon, Star of Shiva, the signs of the planets, dagoba, cartwheel, lentils, necklace, sunrays, umbrella, double fish-tail, kite, seed, flower, garland, door, mountain and 8-cornered star. On women's hands, the appearance of the arrow, double square, scales, sword, lotus and 8-cornered star indicate prosperity and long life. Contrary to a common misconception, there is no instruction to read the left hand on women and the right hand on men. In Ancient India, matters concerning destiny were seen as affecting both men and women equally. The left hand was seen as representing who you are in this world and the right hand, who you will be in the next. How to find the Ascendant Count the number of vertical lines on the second and third phalanges of the Mercury finger on both hands. Multiply that figure by 13 and add 5. Divide by 12 and find out the remainder. This remainder is used to discover the sign of the Ascendant. The remainder is counted from Aries. 0 = Aries, 1 = Taurus etc. www.saikiran.org