Written in the stars? A Vedic Astrology Reading

I’ve always been fascinated with star signs, especially since “luck” would have it I’m a typical Aries – fiery, adventurous, stubborn and as head strong as, well, a ram. But I’ve never had much time for horoscopes, fortune tellers, astrology readings or Mystic Meg… what could they possibly tell me about my life? Well a lot apparently.

Today I had my first Vedic astrology reading with Dr Prateek Mishrapuri in Rishikesh India. Vedic astrology is an ancient science in India dating back to 3,000 BC. It places higher importance on the moon, whereas western astrology with its tropical zodiac deals with the solar system.

Sitting in Dr Prateeks’s waiting room I was feeling slightly apprehensive, the cynic in me was convinced he’d tell me a bunch of generic truths and then I’d hand over 500 rupees and feel duped.

Well the cynic in me was wrong. In twenty minutes he’d given me a run down of my past, present and future. How did he know I’d left an office job early last year? That I was searching for something more fulfilling and hoping to work for myself? That I’d been living out of a bag for a year? That I’d been thinking about getting a tattoo on my hand?

He offered up intriguing advice about my career, my love life and told me some spicy things about my sex life… apparently I’ll be “doing it” until a ripe old age!

The session ended with me laughing in disbelief, buzzing with positive energy and wondering if our lives are actually written in the stars. I’ve been feeling lost for a while, not sure I’m on the right path, but with so many parallels between the reading and what I’ve been thinking, I wonder if I finally am.

I made a promise this year would be all about learning new skills and guess what? According to my birth chart this is the perfect time for just that. So let’s hope Dr Prateek is right and that this ram is finally gonna make some headway.

Time for change

The reason we become directionless and lost is because we’re not on the path we actually are meant to be on—we’re following someone else’s “should." Jamie Varon

I feel like I don’t know myself. For the past thirty five years I haven’t been paying any attention to what’s been going on inside me, or what that little “inner voice” has been trying to say. If truth be told, I hadn’t ever really stopped to think, or even realise that I had an inner voice screaming out for my attention.

I’d been living my life following other people’s “shoulds”. Studying a degree in architecture, although my heart wasn’t in it. Working for ten years in marketing, when I knew deep down it wasn’t right. And buying a flat in London, because, well this this is what grown ups do right?

This realisation hit hard. I mean why had I just gone along with all these “shoulds”? Why hadn’t I chosen my own path? What was wrong with me? I gave myself a hard time initially, then decided to accept the past and realise I actually had no regrets. Afterall they’ve made me who I am today. I just wish I’d learned to listen to myself earlier.

It was time to make a change. The “shoulds” needed to go. So last year I left my marketing job, moved out of my flat, spent some time exploring Asia, found myself a great life coach and finally set up this website.