Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic/Hindu Astrology

by David Frawley

This expanded, updated edition is a gateway to the cosmic wisdom of India's ancient sages.

Genres: Astrology, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Hinduism

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 1990

About the author

David Frawley (or Vāmadeva Śāstrī वामदेव शास्त्री), b. 1950, is an American Hindu teacher (acharya) and author, who has written more than thirty books on topics such as the Vedas, Hinduism, Yoga, Ayurveda and Vedic astrology, published both in India and in the United States. He is the founder and director of the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which offers educational information on Yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, and Vedic astrology. He works closely with the magazine Hinduism Today, where he is a frequent contributor.[1] He is associated with a number of Vedic organizations in several countries. He is a Vedic teacher (Vedacharya), Vaidya (Ayurvedic doctor), and a Jyotishi (Vedic astrologer).

Reviews

[M.P. Gunderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A profound book which establishes itself as a classic in the field of metaphysics. A must read, especially given modern culture's forgetfulness of such a significant science of our past.

[Tapasya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely good but nothing that I didn’t knew of or isn’t out there in the web.
Liked the remedies related chapter where we could determine the weakness of a planet.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Frawley is one of those rare Western scholars who can imbibe India and her culture without slightest amount of patronisation. This book, detailing Vedic Astronomy in a very-very lucid manner, is a classic example of his approach.
After the 'Foreword' and 'Preface', the book has a total of sixteen chapters divided among the following sections~
Part I— The Vedic Vision
Part II— The Methodology of Vedic Astrology
Part III— Astrology, Healing and Transformation
Part IV— Sample Charts and Appendices
Those who wish to apply Vedic Astrology in their lives as professionals or practitioners would draw immense benefits from this book.
Unfortunately, I was far more interested in learning about the connections between Vedic Cosmogeny and its interpretation in the form of Astrology. Nothing like that could be found here. Therefore, for me, this book didn’t work.
But if you wish to learn Vedic Astrology, then this is a very powerful primer and resource. There can be no doubt about that.

[Gondwild · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Frawly explains and conveys the truth of ancient knowledge of Vedic tradition, called Jyotish, step by step for a lay person to understand this complex science of human existence in conjuction of its source, the cosmic energy.

Frawly says that life on earth is nothing but the play of seven rays of energy from plants and their fields of energy transmition called signs -zodic signs.

Each one of us is under the rule and direction of planets. The planets characteristics are everso presence in our make up and our performance of thought and actions.

I grew up with knowledge, but due to my own ignorance and not being able to understand it due to my own biases, I had not given much attention or importance to this knowledge up until now! My, what a lesson I learned!

[Meera · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Dr. Frawley removes the shroud of mysticism and secrecy that has covered Vedic Astrology for years. The purpose of studying this is not to make one feel overpowered by external forces; it is a tool to guide an individual to lead a positive life with greater self realization and enlightenment.

He uses Vedic Science to describe the aims of human life (Kama, Artha, Dharma, and Moksha), the differences between descending versus ascending cultures, and he goes into further technical details of the various intricacies within astrology.

He discusses very intriguing concepts, but he does not go into as much detail on why knowing this particular information is important which I personally would have found to be helpful. Of course, that would probably also make the book twice as long.

This is definitely not a beginner’s guide, and I would not recommend this book for novices. For all others, give it a try!

[Kashiraja Barbagallo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book after great recommendations. I could not understand why it is so highly rated. Perhaps because other astrology books lack its structured approach. In fact, compared to those books, it is closer to having a more clear structure, in a way going in the direction of scientific textbooks. This is a positive thing, I believe. However, the book felt very dry to me. A list of correct readings about a planet does not a good reading make.

Astrology is not just a science, it is also an art, an intuitive art. Both a rigorous approach and an intuitive talent are needed.
I have a PhD in physics, so I can appreciate logical rigor. However, astrology is a spiritual science foremost and needs to be inspiring. In the end, this book was not inspiring to me, hence I did not thing highly of it.

[Marcee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a newbie to vedic astrology and this is the first book I have read. It was a bit beyond me, but I did learn a lot from reading it. I was actually able to begin to grasp looking at a chart, seeing what was happening. I really like Frawley's work and would like to take his correspondence course on vedic astrology.

[Cy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful resource! Having started with basically no knowledge of Jyotish/astrology, I now feel I have a decent grasp of general concepts from my first readthrough. I know that I'll be referring back to this concise guide many times as my knowledge of the field grows.

[Anjalica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read with lots of information. Great for a beginner like me.

[Fizzahrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

a different points of view in astrological conception.

[Jaishree Pant · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good foundation book for astrologers.

[حنين خلايلة · Rating 4 out of 5]

great book

[Sandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a new edition available that I need to obtain.