I have been participating in online casino gambling since its inception. It began right around the time that the Internet became a household fixture. Like all gamblers, I've had some great sessions that I'll remember for a long time. You know what I mean, the dealer is busting left and right, I'm drawing five-card 21s, and the stack of chips in front of me gets bigger and bigger.

But I've also had horrible sessions where the opposite happened and nothing went my way. It's all part of the game. It's a roller coaster ride that you better be prepared for mentally. The key to long-term success in online casino gambling is to try to smooth out the peaks and valleys in order to gain some consistency. Sometimes a betting system can really help out. Now a lot of know what all gamblers might say that he thinks systems are for amateurs. But you'd be doing yourself a huge disservice by engaging in online casino gambling without going in with some sort of game plan first. You see, online casino gambling differs from traditional gaming establishments in a very important way, many times they offer better odds or give you financial incentives just to draw you in as a player. As a gambler, you know that even the slightest variation in odds will affect basic playing strategies for games such as blackjack and Jacks or Better video poker.

Because so many of these gambling sites offer incentives you don't really need to put as much to come out ahead. Taking these factors into consideration means that for online casino gambling, you can chuck everything you thought you knew about blackjack, slots, roulette, poker, and craps out the window and adapt an entirely different game plan.

To develop a sound betting strategy you will need to consult credible reference materials. You can find excellent books and on the Internet that will benefit you greatly. The good news is there are enough math and computer wizards interested in blackjack and other games that we're in no danger of running out of strategy guides tailored to online casino gambling.

He sure to make sure whatever system you are looking at that they author, or creator of that system, it is an experienced gambler himself and has shown the system to be credible. What I've discovered is that many of these guys are making money from selling their systems rather than using their own advice to win at online casino gambling. That should give you some idea of how "valuable" their systems really are! Some people make all the money writing about things as opposed to actually doing them. These are the types of people you want to avoid.

But if you dig in and do some checking, you'll find that there are a few choice strategy guides out there that are quite effective at helping people earn a fairly steady income from online casino gambling. A great place to look for advice and resources are Internet forums where gamblers gather. Usually, at least one member of the forum has tested a particular strategy guide and would be more than happy to give you an honest review of the system. Once you find a winner, you will no doubt you much better about your chances for success in online casino gambling.

Legend has it that the term "jackpot" originated at a time when riverboats with casinos traversed the Mississippi river. Stories suggest that an unbeaten and skilled poker player named Jack Rodgers saved all his winnings in a big iron pot. This was secured at his favorite casino. Rodgers decalred that if anyone could beat him they would win all his wealth. As this decalartion spread, people started referring to the large prize as “Jack’s Pot.”

It is possible that this legendary wealth came to be known as jackpot through the years. The terminology is still used to refer to winning a large prize. Today "Jackpot" is a popular slot machine game. The game is always played via the Internet.

The game is fairly simple. The slot machine downloads three randomly selected numbers or characters. A player has to insert a specified token to start the game. The numbers spin in an automated pattern. The objective of playing casino jackpot is to get identical numbers in all three slots after a spin.

Casino jackpot is a common slot machine game in all casinos. A major reason for this is because the game is almost always designed to attract a player. The stakes in casino jackpot are very small. People have to purchase tokens of very minimal value. Since the monetary denomination is less, people in turn tend to spend a lot without realizing. The game is designed to allow people to have occasional wins.

There are people who are reputed to have won enormous sums of money at a casino jackpot game. The game is a window to the entire casino experience. Casino jackpot accustoms people to take risks, preparing them for the larger casino games. The game is known to be highly addictive. This is a direct result of the low stakes in trhe game. People are always willing to take another chance at casino jackpot just in case the next spin proves to be lucky.

Earlier form of music players required moving parts to read enclosed data on a tape or CD whereas MP3 players use solid state memory. An MP3 player is more of a data storage device with an embedded software application that enables users to transfer MP3 files to that player. MP3 players include some utilities to copy music from CD or websites and then organize them and create custom list of songs in the order you want to hear them. Such list of songs is called a “play list”.

The MP3 player is the combination of various technologies and its components are not only revolutionary but also prove to be a great consumer product. If you wish to store music as well allow the user to hear the songs played and for this the player first pulls the song from its memory, then decompresses the MP3 encoding, runs the decompressed bytes through a digital to analog converter and amplifies the analog signal allowing the song to be heard.

There are different stuffs or components but these could vary as the basic parts of a typical MP3 player. This includes data port, memory, microprocessor, digital signal processor, display, playback controls, audio port, amplifier and power supply.

The player is plugged into the port of your computer or a parallel port to transfer data. Port based players transfer data much faster than those using the parallel port. Memory types include internal flash memory, compact flash cards, smart media cards, memory stick and internal micro drive.

Except the last one, all the above mentioned players are of solid state memory and the advantage of solid state memory is that there are no moving parts that mean better reliability and music without any skips. Mp3 players also contain tiny hard disk drives that could store 10 to 150times more than flash memory devices.

The microprocessor is the brain of any player and monitors user input through the playback controls and displays information about the current song on the LCD panel and then sends directions to the chip that informs exactly how the audio is processed. It pulls the song data from memory and apply any special effects and streams to the amplifier. It runs a decompression algorithm that compresses MP3 files and then turns back the bytes into sound waves.

The amplifier also boosts the strength of the signal and then sends it to the audio port whereby you can attach the pair of headphones. Most of the MP3 players are powered by battery.

An electronic keyboard is a keyboard instrument that uses electricity to amplify the sound. Electronics keyboards are mostly used in musical instruments such as synthesizers, pianos and electric organs.

Electric organs are one the earliest instruments which used an electronic keyboard. They used oscillators and frequency dividers along with a network of filters to produce desirable sound in waveforms.

Keyboards reached a major milestone with the development of the synthesizer in the 1960s. Now, various advanced types of synthesizers using electronic keyboards are available in market.

Many instruments which have electronic keyboards are equipped with Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI). This helps in the diversified use of the electronics keyboard. Some keyboards are not attached to any instrument, but are only MIDI controllers.

Electronic keyboards make it easy to create music. Most of these keyboards can also be connected to a computer for performing multimedia activities. However, you may require certain software to ensure that your electronic keyboard is compatible with your computer.

Electronics keyboards are available in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, colors and price ranges. There are several web sites which sell them online. The electronic keyboard industry has been growing at a rapid pace over the last couple of decades. New technological innovations ensure that the old models get obsolete quite quickly in this market.

There are several companies which sell only secondhand electronic keyboards, but with a warranty. If you try hard, there is every possibility that you can get a good deal. However, if you can afford a new one, that is the best option. And do not forget that with advent of Chinese electronic equipment in the market, an electronic keyboard has become an affordable item for most people.

The Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Long known as the original home of country music, it is a historical landmark and a huge part of what is so special about country music. What an exciting time it is to visit the Ryman Auditorium, the former site of the weekly musical event known as the Grand Ole Opry!

Completely renovated ten years ago, the Ryman Auditorium is a walk down memory lane for many baby boomers, a good number of whom can remember early telecasts of country singers performing in the late 1960's and early 1970's. Indeed, many country singers got their professional start at "The Ryman" as the Auditorium is more familiarly called. Originally built as a church in a semi-circle shape, the seats are actually the former pews - benches made of beautiful wood. The near-perfect accoustics that are present in the auditorium are thought of to be perhaps the best in our country, although an argument has been made for the Mormon Tabernacle's grand space as well.

Because of the wonderful sound at the Ryman and the guaranteed sold-out audiences, who were excited to hear their favorite music performed live on stage, country artists from all over the country were determined to be booked there on as many Saturday nights as their schedules would allow. What a Saturday night it would be! After having been on line for often over an hour in sometimes sweltering heat or shivering cold, concertgoers would swarm in to the auditorium. Many people would be carrying their dinners, and they'd quickly grab a seat. A good number of musicians reported being able to smell fried chicken and other delicacies waft up on the stage as they played and sang. For hours, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Minnie Pearl, Patsy Cline and many, many others would perform to the always-packed house.

The Grand Ole Opry, at this site from 1943-1974, has now moved to Opryland, right outside of Nashville. Ryman Auditorium, for years dormant, is now the site of a wonderful and interesting museum. Visitors there pay a nominal entrance fee and are shown a short video presented by Trisha Yearwood. Afterwards, visitors are encouraged to view the many interesting pieces of the era that are on display. (How exciting to see one of Minnie Pearl's hats, with the price tag still attached!) Many visitors, both young and old, also take to the stage and grab an available guitar, an exciting picture opportunity!

The Auditorium is still used for smaller-scale concerts, shows and entertainment. It is very easy for a visitor to sense what is so special about this historic place.Visit Nashville's Ryman Auditorium! It's a piece of our country's history and will be responsible for your own wonderful memories too...

Karaoke originated in Japan over twenty years ago as not only a form of entertainment, but a form of therapy as well. Karaoke consists of taking the vocals from a song and playing the song with the words displayed on a television screen, which is then sung by a member of the audience with a microphone. The music and words are stored on special compact discs known as CD+G’s and many include graphics and pictures along with the words. Karaoke had become quite popular in bars across Japan and in fact, there are specialized Karaoke Bars where Karaoke is the main focus. In Japanese culture, it is considered one of the few ways that an individual can stand out on display with the focus on himself and show his own voice without being looked down upon as crass or arrogant. In this way, Karaoke was good therapy for Japanese people who felt bound by their society from self-expression. Though it is an outlet for individualism in Japan, it is almost always attended by groups of people and you will usually find large groups of friends and family attending together.

Karaoke made it to the United States and has since been taking it by storm. You can find Karaoke in bars all across the country and home Karaoke systems are even available for purchase to enjoy the fun of Karaoke in your own home. Most bars even have a regular Karaoke night due to it’s extreme popularity. Karaoke D/J’s often have large collections of songs to choose from and it is great fun to watch someone sing and receive the applause whether they were good at it or not.

A few years ago it seemed that Karaoke was on its way out, a passing trend, but to the contrary, it has in fact grown more popular and widespread and now it seems as though Karaoke is here to stay.

How can the popularity of Karaoke be explained? Perhaps you remember, as a child, standing in front of the mirror with your mother’s hairbrush, turned upside down and used as a microphone, while you sang at the top of your lungs and pretended to be a rock star. You didn’t want to get up and sing in front of your whole school, you’d be ridiculed if you weren’t good at it and it would follow you through the rest of your school career! So, this rock-star desire remains latent, until suddenly, you’re in a room full of people, they’re all singing badly and you can do it so much better than they can! (So you think!) Not only that, there are alcoholic beverages on hand to loosen up your inhibitions and then, suddenly, you go for it! You’re singing a song! People are clapping! You’re hooked! Finally, your dreams are realized and maybe you’re not famous, but for a minute you felt like it.

So it seems as though Karaoke really is therapeutic, if in a different way than in the Japanese society sense of the outlet. Perhaps we all need an outlet for expression and a chance to fulfill the dreams of our youth. And even if we don’t, it’s still a good time on a Saturday night.

Conventional Christian Theology promulgates the doctrine that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, leaves us with a renewable and everlasting gift in the form of the Eucharist, the actual body of Christ (God). A gift to be renewed and given to mankind over and over during the 'Liturgy' of the Mass.

The word 'liturgy' (Leitourgia) stems from the Greek, literally meaning a publically witnessed action. It merits pause to consider the reason that Christ may have instituted this most indelible and everlasting gift, the giving of his very body, as the pinnacle communal act which now serves as the focal point of the Catholic Church (and to some extent, most Orthodox and Protestant Churches.)

Christ, via the Eucharist, chose to appeal specifically to one of the human senses, that of Taste, and uses primarily this human element as the liturgical centerpiece to the Mass.

Although the other senses of touch, hearing, smell and sight may be tangentially involved in the Catholic Celebration, it is nonetheless curious that this singular human sense is the one which Christ predominantly embraces as a special vehicle for communing with mankind.

Ostensibly, he chose the very distinct channel of Taste and Consumption by which to serve as that conduit for infusing his actual persona and spirit into the human body. He could possibly have selected as easily an alternative ritual, appealing to the any of the other senses, to institute this new sacrament to his disciples, at some other venue other than the Last Supper.

Consider the sense of touch. Christ could have readily chose and instituted, as example, the clasping of hands or of hugging a certain way and then stating to all "The Lord's Love Touches All..Do this in memory of me." An act which would then become the liturgy and focal point of the Mass, rather than the act of eating Bread and Wine.

Likewise, he could have as easily produced a certain sound by ringing a small bell before the disciples, appealing to their sense of hearing, and thereby likewise insituting a new sacrament that would bind all together at a similar form of repeated liturgical celebration. He could have augmented this act by uttering some other directive such as "Do this in memory of me... for all to 'Hear' the truth..."

He could have even perhaps chosen the olfactory sense of smell, and the communal act of possibly smelling a fresh rose or fragrant spices from a shared gold vial and saying "The Goodness of the Lord is Sweet.. do this in memory of me" as that supernatural act that would forever bind mankind to his spirit.

However, ultimately, he chose taste and food as that binding factor to be the focal point and quintessent expression of the Catholic liturgy, an act which would be re-enacted for all time during the mass.

In his infinate wisdom, however, Christ chose this specific human sense by which mankind is intrinsically bound, via the communal act of human consumption; nutrition to sustain the Soul as well as Body, "Take and eat this all of you, for this is my Body."

The following article about beliefs is just an expression of my thoughts. It is certainly not definitive.

In my opinion, we live our life on the basis of beliefs. We, literally live in a huge belief system. So seamlessly integrated (into our world) are some beliefs that most people assume that they are natural and accepted them without questioning.

The very act of reading this article is belief-based, because the very construct that is formed in your head now is conceptual & of the thinking mind. Perhaps, what really is does not just exist as concepts, but also exists in the NOW as experience. Although one is able to describe or conceptualize a truth, the conceptualization is itself a thought.

Beliefs can be very powerful, especially when the majority of the population buys into it. Sometime a certain belief when set in motion, causes catalytic reactions, triggering the formation of yet other beliefs. Gradually, layers upon layers of beliefs mire directness and truth. So thickly laden with beliefs and far removed from the original spontaneity that life becomes unnecessarily complex and ritualized.

Major beliefs operating in our world are:

Identification of self with physical body.

When in actual fact, we are much more than that. This belief can be very difficult to un-ravel. And it takes many series of self-discovery to realize our true nature. The entire scope of this belief is beyond what can be expressed within this article. So I will leave it as that.

War.

War is borne out of beliefs that justify aggression to others that is participated by large groups. War itself is a belief, because nature and animals do not engage in it. Only humans do it, because it was conceived in the human mind, and it isn't natural or essential to human conditions. Military is an offshoot borne from War

Money buys happiness.

A belief that most thought of as true is that money gives one happiness. Happiness does not need money to fulfill, one merely made oneself believe so! The concept of Money set in motion the belief in status, status breeds competition, competition breeds the rat race, rat race cause one to slog a life time working and eventually few remembered the original purpose of life was for joy and fulfillment.

Status.

A person’s worth that is dictated by factors such as financial abundance and rank. This one creates much suffering in very hierarchical societies. This one is closely related to ‘money buys happiness.’

Perfectionism.

It is a most prevalent belief in our civilization. Everywhere in this world of ours, perfectionism is regarded as good while imperfection is bad. Everybody wants everybody else to be perfect. Is Perfection really an absolute value? I think not.

In my opinion, it is relative and is borne of human conception. Perfection is an idea. Things are the way they are. Perfection and imperfection are attached values.

Many people decry the use of stereotypes, yet I find them useful, especially when you can back them up by reality; that is to say actual observations. Although this is probably the more prudent way to deal with ones observations we all must understand that due to political correctness and the living of a lie making any comments concerning stereotypes in public can lead to negative social problems.

Some less that politically correct folks laugh at all the political correctness out there. I am one of them; it is just some silly human social conditioning, which prevents integrity and truth in societies and human civilizations, as Stereotypes generally do have some relation to reality.

For instance many people have observed that most Asians have issues with their driving of automobiles. A friend and I were hit by a Chinese Driver last night in Atlantic City, NJ, he was with 4 friends in a Honda Car and smashed into us. He said he was; "Oh so sorry! I did not see you?" Well, I did have to consider the stereotypes of Asian Drivers? Only for a second, but nevertheless it does have some bit of truth to it ehy? (the ehy was for the Canadian readers). We were driving a Red Magna and how on Earth could you miss that right in front of you.

Many believe that there is significant money to be made in the control, restriction and regulation of information. Some have said; He Who Controls the Information Controls the World. Indeed they may both be correct. We have all heard the saying; He Who Controls the Media Controls the Minds of the People. That is true enough for sure.

Can someone get rich by controlling the flow of information? Perhaps they can and many already have. There are many techniques for this, however, limiting flow of information, also limits ones growth, even being first to market in a specific sub-sector. Thus those who have set up information portals and websites, which restrict information of some type stand a lot to gain from it.

Of course the information must be superior in perceived quality other wise the information source will be passed by others with a quantity balanced approach to quality. I say perceived because I do not believe wearing a tie and suit in a photo, sporting a PhD or even writing a book makes someone an expert.

Have you ever been in a political or social debate with someone and they said to you; history tells us that if we do this then that will happen? Have you ever considered that maybe their knowledge of history is incorrect because the books that they studied or the history that they were thought and think they knew is incorrect?

In other words is all the history that we learned incorrect? For instance you may have been taught history one-way and someone else learned it another way; but are you correct or are they correct? I submit to you that there is another history and that neither they or you are correct. That is to day; anyone who says that they know history better than someone else is denying the fact that history is generally rewritten by the victors or those in charge at the time period in which it occurred.

There are twelve Chinese year signs in the Chinese Zodiac. Unlike in our western astrology, in Chinese astrology each sign lasts for a year. Legend has it that as Buddha was about to depart the earth he summoned all the animals to say goodbye. Only twelve turned up so, to show his appreciation of their loyalty, he vowed that from then on each year would bear the name of one of the animals.

Chinese astrology is based on the Lunar Calendar. This means the Chinese New Year does not fall on the same day each year and can vary by as much as 3 weeks. So for babies born in late January/early February it is necessary to consult the charts to determine the correct sign.

You will find a chart of the dates and signs below. Each sign repeats every 12 years, so 2006/7 will be the year of the Dog. For exact dates visit our website. Following the chart you will find the characteristics of people born during the Chinese Year of The Rooster.

9 February 2005 - 28 January 2006: Rooster

22 January 2004 - 8 February 2005: Monkey

1 February 2003 - 21 January 2004: Goat

12 February 2002 - 31 January 2003: Horse

24 January 2001 - 11 February 2002: Snake

5 February 2000 - 23 January 2001: Dragon

6 February 1999 - 4 February 2000: Rabbit

28 January 1998 - 5 February 1999: Tiger

8 February 1997 - 27 January 1998: Ox

19 February 1996 - 7 February 1997: Rat

31 January 1995 - 18 February 1996: Pig

10 February 1994 - 30 January 1995: Dog

The Chinese Year Of The Rooster..

If you or your child was born in the Chinese year sign of the rooster you have far to go. Roosters are full of confidence, fearless and brave. They will take on an adversary far superior to themselves if they believe they are in the right.

If they can control their impulsive streak they are usually successful in business. Intelligent and ambitious, Roosters work hard and like to be in control, often successfully running their own businesses.

People born under this sign are extroverts and enjoy the company of others. They do not like to be criticised and their self-esteem can crumble if they are ridiculed.

Roosters hate to be bored and can be deliberately provocative if life is too dull.

India has retained a great tradition of producing intellectual giants since time immemorial. Some of these outstanding people were known as Rishis. Rishi is defined as one who observes something new in nature (Rishih Darshanat)-[reference number1] or simply put it is a Sanskrit term that was used to indicate a scientist. Even at the risk of doing slightly out of context, it remains to be said that to use the title of Maharshi with the names of even such spiritual teachers and religious reformers as Swami Vivekananda or Swami Dayananda would not be proper in the actual sense of the term, let alone the use resorted to by every other self proclaimed godman nowadays. Now we continue with our present concern.

On closely observing nature, Rishis discovered that everything in it seemed to work on a systematic pattern and the planets in our solar system moved through the heavens with such a precision that their positions and movements could be calculated for centuries in advance. It was found that universe was but governed by mathematical laws and mathematics, on the other hand, thrives on the interrelation of various objects that comprise a system. Advanced explorations into the mathematical interrelation of the terrestrial life with the rest of the cosmos led them to the discovery of co-relation between the movement of planets in our solar system against the backdrop of the remaining part of the observable universe and the nature of events in human life. This, in turn, seemed to solve the mystery of time to some extent, for future events in the life of an individual could then be known with the help of a deep study of mutual geometrical positions of planets at the moment of his birth. Astrology, developed on these lines, basically deals with the quality of a given moment as, for instance, what will be the future of a child born, a question asked or a project initiated at a particular moment that represents a unique point in the space-time continuum. But the more important fact is that such developments were not made on any sort of guesswork or a so- called superstitious belief in an all pervading divinity but based on such mathematical achievements and scientific revelations that remain unparalleled to date.

Profound studies were conducted in the field of astronomy which then paved the way for evolution of the science of astrology in due course of time. The earth is described as egg-shaped, suspended in the space like a magnet and moving about in three different ways in our ancient astronomical texts. Of these, the last movement known as the precession of the equinoxes is responsible for the development of the concept of a sidereal or fixed zodiac that was widely used for horoscopic calculations in Indian astrology. Astronomical facts and concepts of immense importance including even theories on the evolution of the universe can still be found scattered in our ancient literature. The luni-solar calendar of India is an ample testimony to the Indian genius in astronomy. Age of the earth was calculated and recorded in the form of Srishti Samvat that tells us that 1,955,885,102 solar years have elapsed since the formation of our earth as on 26th march 2001 whereas modern science has so far not been able to provide an exact figure.

The problem is that such knowledge is still contained in Sanskrit scriptures of which no authentic translations are available and are not found fit to be studied in the light of modern scientific knowledge and are instead discarded as bundles of superstition, especially so in India. Today, most of the criticism against Indian sciences in general and astrology in particular is largely biased and based on a lack of proper information.

The most common argument against astrology is that neither modern science has found any evidence of an astral connection to our lives nor does it conduce to the common sense approach and hence the basic assumption of astrology, of planets influencing events on the earth, stands refuted. The point missed is that science itself is uncommon sense for most of the time. For instance, the dual nature of electron, both particle and wave-like, is accepted as a scientific truth because it is observed to be so even when the science is unable to explain the reason of such unusual behaviour and similar is the case with the theory of gravity that is accepted as true without any explanation of the underlying physical mechanism because the consequences of the theory coincides with the facts well. As philosopher of science Karl Popper-[Reference number2] has emphasized, a good theory is characterized by the fact that it makes a number of predictions that could in principle be disproved or falsified by observation. Then, if the said effects of the planets can be quantified in the form of objective predictions which come true, it should be taken as proof enough for the truth of astrology. In fact, Johannes Kepler, to whom modern science is indebted for discovery of the laws of planetary motions, had studied the co-relation of atmospheric and weather changes with planetary movements from 1617 upto 1629, the result of which is his book named ‘Astrometeorologica’, that goes to show the factual effect of planets on our earth.

Astrology, as a science, can forewarn us of approaching dangers and hence provide an invaluable chance of taking due precautionary measures and being mentally prepared so as to be able to either avert the negative happening itself or at least minimize the possible evil to a considerable extent. Unfortunately, the notion of fatalism usually associated with such warnings can overpower the good that this study may do otherwise. Astrology is a promoter of the individual freewill and this fact is amply demonstrated in the prescription of horoscope matching for any form of alliance, selection of Muhurtha or auspicious moment for starting any important project and remedial measures as based on the planetary positions.

Vedic astrology is based on the principle of karma (the law of action and reaction) and on the reincarnation or transmigration of the soul. In other words, our lives today are the result of our past activities.

Presently, there are those who consider that it is society that exclusively judges and condemns individuals, while others feel that society judges and then the Supreme Being, without any intermediaries, determines what will happen to us after our deaths. The Vedas, on the other hand, describe a cosmic justice that is divine because it stems from the Supreme Being and is made up of his energies and agents. That justice works to ensure that everyone is treated according to his or her acts, good or bad. So, we can say that more than chastisements there are consequences; each action has a reaction. If we eat too much, our stomach will ache or bother us; if we touch an electric plug, we will be shocked, and so forth. These are just some simple examples of certain reactions that are immediate, however, in most cases; we experience the consequences or results of our acts in our following lives. If we mistreat others, we will be mistreated in the future; if we cause pain to others through acts of violence, we will suffer violent reactions; and if we do not use our lives for what they were intended, but waste them living like animals, then we run the risk of being degraded to inferior forms of life.

Our backgrounds and the cosmic judges’ verdict can be found in our astrological charts. It is our “case” in the universal archives. There, it is revealed the nature of our past activities, the state of our consciences when we left our former bodies and the futures that await us.

“Just as a lamp illumines objects in darkness, astrology reveals to us the effects of our previous Karma, good or bad. All the planets indicate clearly whether we are enjoying or suffering now as a result of our actions in our previo birth” -Prasna Marga 36-37

We experience happiness or grief not by chance, or because of good or bad luck, but due to our own actions, thanks to that perfect and implacable law called karma, which, like all universal laws, comes from the Supreme Being, who controls and supervises it. At the time of death, our desires and actions create a certain state of conscience that determines our next birth or even our liberation.

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, that state he will attain without fail” -Bhagavad Gita 8-6

Can our karma change?

But what are the limits of astrological influences? What about free choice? Can our karma change? While it is true that what is astrologically predestined has an absolute value because the reactions (karma) are going to come to fruition sooner or later and produce their effects, this does not mean that we are subject to an unchangeable destiny. If everything were predetermined, why would Shri Krishna instruct us through the Vedas and other sacred writings? Why should we make an effort to follow the principles contained in those writings if everything has already been decided? The Vedas make it very clear that karmic law involves responsibility. Our free will, although limited, does allow us to make the right choices. It is for that reason that Vedic masters insist that we are responsible for forging our own destinies. Although our manifested karma (prarabdha karma) determines our happiness or sadness in this life, it is up to us to use our free choice appropriately to “burn” the material reactions by not generating any more karma.