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The future's not ours to see

Firdaus Ali in Toronto

The poet T S Eliot once said, "It is difficult to see life without blinking". He was obviously not referring to the thousands of people waiting for their fortunes to be read from mystical crystal balls, tarot cards and horoscopic charts.

Astrology, though not a proven science, has grown immensely popular in the West. Many psychics and astrologers charge between $50 and $150 a session. Some have you down on a waiting list that's many months long, making it seem like the busiest and most successful professions of all.

While astrology deals with cosmic energy and the movements of celestial bodies and has not been proved as a science, many still swear by its authenticity. Like Lata Raheja of Toronto, who went to see an astrologer with her 78-year-old mother. The astrologer predicted marriage for the old lady and a marital breakup for her daughter. These came true a few months later, making Raheja's faith in astrology unshakeable.

History has it that astrology originated from the human quest for the unknown or the mystical. It began in Babylon in 1800 BCE, and travelled to Egypt, Assyria, Persia, Greece, Rome and Arabia. The Hindus and Chinese had their own method of astrology then, based on lunar occurrences.

By the 15th century CE, astrology had gained wide acceptance both in the East and the West. Despite the works of astronomers like Copernicus and Galileo discrediting astrology as a science, it has not only survived over the years, but flourished, as did talismans, ouja boards, crystal balls, tarot cards and horoscope charts.

All methods of seeking the future are related to one another. Astrologer Krishna Chawla of Toronto classifies his clients into two categories. "Men come with money problems and women with love problems. There is no third category."

It is a myth that only South Asians believe in astrology. "Most of my clients are Westerners of different races and cultures," says Shazina Khan, another popular astrologer in Toronto.

Citing Rudyard Kipling's couplet, 'Oh the east will be east and the west will be west and the twain shall never meet', she says the English poet obviously did not take into account the thousands of men and women resorting to psychics, tantra mantras and jamborees. "They were from the East and West, North and South. And all had these two things in common. A strong belief in the supernatural and a quest to unveil their destinies."

Though the Sanskrit name for astrology [jyotish-vidya] is derived from 'jyoti' or 'light of god', astrology is not all about forecasts, but a study of cycles that help us understand the path our destinies follow.

While noted astrologers like B V Raman and Kelkar from the East and Carter, Beckey and Rick Huch from the West have left behind legacies of cosmic cycles and astro predictions, present astrologers use computer software to aid in their predictions. So janma kundlis have become horoscopic charts.

In his book Moon Magic, astrologer Hassan Jafer explains that modern, hi-tech gizmos make for accurate horoscope charts. "Astrology is god's perfect plan for mankind. Those who don't believe in it question divine power. My computer aids mathematical calculations based on birth history," says Jafer, who has more than 12,000 clients across the world.

He has also made many a blind chart, predicting a trace of events in people's lives. People whom he has never seen, but who call him stating the date, place and time of their birth. Many astrologers admit that destiny cannot be changed, but awareness and precaution can avert or postpone an event. Weak moments can be made stronger by wearing gemstones or simply by avoiding a beaten track.

"Rajiv Gandhi was born with a strong assassination feature. So were Lincoln, John Lennon and Kennedy. All were killed when their defences were down," says Jafer, who counts celebrities like Joan Collins on his list of clientele.

Those who believe in the futures game believe astrologers must be the richest and happiest people in the world, considering their mystical powers and ability to see the future. "Sadly this is not so. Though we can recount patterns of events based on celestial movements, we cannot predict the action or outcome," says Khan, who has done her Master of Arts in philosophy. "The future is in God's hands, those who say they can see the future are fooling themselves," she adds.

Despite this, noted American astrologer Susan Miller's Web page attracted 1.3 million viewers, which included a mailing list of 33,000 readers.

"Astrology is all about time frame. Good times can put you on a high and make you rash and impulsive; low times can make you depressed, dip low and even turn suicidal. A chart helps you to understand this graph and guides you through difficult periods," says Toronto-based astrologer Puru Kaushal, who has software developed from Delhi to aid his readings.

"Four types of people come to me -- the distressed, the ambitious, the inquisitive and future-seekers," notes Kaushal.

For some astrologers the norm is simple. "Good times can be doubled and bad times averted with puja or prayers. Gemstones can also be used to hide a person's weak spots and bring out strengths," says astrologer Pandit Sitaram Sharma of Hoshiarpur, who now practises in Toronto.

Basically, astrology is a game of numbers. Question is: are you willing to play it?

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