Note from the President of ACVA

By Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi) President, ACVA

Astroid 2024 Edition

Hello dear fellow friends of Jyotisha, 

Here’s hoping that you and your families are doing well, or at least well enough, in these unusual times. Happy recent Vedic New Year, on the day of the eclipse. As I’m writing this note Mars is moving away from Saturn where it was conjunct on 4/11/24 – which is a relief to have these planets separate a bit.

What do you think about the effects of the recent Solar Eclipse in Pisces on 4/8/24? All my planets in Pisces found it a bit harrowing. However, they’re all of us on the other side of this frenzy now. This too shall pass.  

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Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi)

President, American College of Vedic Astrology

Observing the Month of Aries - Highlights from the Spring Equinox Edition of the Comet

By Dr. Lynn Bootes, MD

ACVA Dean of Students and Registrar

registrar@acvaonline.org

Like all of our readers who were near the path of the total Solar Eclipse across North America on April 8, I found myself in awe (living at 95% totality). The quiet in the days before, during, and after was amazing. And it appears that millions assembled peacefully – those from far away and local people, bridging some cultural and political divides which have become larger of late. It is no small thing to be reminded of the dominion of Sun and Moon over all beings on the Earth, especially at a time when we live in cubicles and stare at devices. I offer my obeisance to the Divine Ones who manifest through the Grahas and pray that I may be guided in my words and choices.

The events coming up are more ordinary and less anxiety-provoking. I compared notes with the ACVA Leadership Team after the Mars/Saturn conjunction on April 10 – my family experienced some dental emergencies, and another had a minor injury requiring sutures. Actions on the world stage seem hidden in the shadow of the Eclipse – we may find out more in months to come.

Here are a few highlights of the Mid-April to Mid-May period – when the Sun is in Aries.

Jupiter conjoins Uranus April 21. Please see Professor Charlotte Benson’s letter for comments on this event – although Uranus is not part of the traditional Jyotish, many pay attention to the invisible outer planets at such times.

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Saptarishis Research Software Review

By Alan Annand

Editor in Chief, ACVA Publications

For those of you who are old enough to remember, astrologers at one time had available to them a great research tool in the form of Lois Rodden’s AstroDataBank that ran on Microsoft’s Access database software. Personally, I made great use of it more than a decade ago when I was writing my book Parivartana Yoga, allowing me to find every famous person in the then-existent database who had one among the 66 different house lord exchange combinations.

Since those days, the software fell into disuse, victim of many subsequent Window upgrades that no longer supported its use, not to mention the sale of Rodden’s database to Astrodienst.com, where it has since become part of their vast and reputable store of astrological birth data for tens of thousands of notable nativities and events.



But for the research-minded, even if you’re only a teacher who wants more examples of a Gaja-Kesari yoga, or a Chandra-Mangala yoga formed in trikasthanas, etc, help is now at hand. Several years ago, Iranian astrologer and jyotishi Ehsan Khazeni developed a program that performs many of the search features we’re interested in. Thanks to Sunil John, this useful little program is now made available for free on the Saptarishis site, where it goes by the name of Saptarishis Astrological Research Software, abbreviated occasionally as SARS, more often as SRS.

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American College of Vedic Astrology



ACVA Leadership Team



• Prof. Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi) - President, ACVA’s External Relations Leader

• Dr. Sisira K. Amarasinghe, Ph.D. – ACVA Vice President, Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and Technology

• Prof. Juliana Swanson - ACVA Provost and Dean of Academics

• Dr. Lynn Bootes, M.D.- Registrar, and Dean of Students

• Julene Louis – Curriculum Leader

• Arjun Kodikannath – ACVA Corporate Communications Officer



• Alan Annand – Editor in Chief, ACVA Publications

ACVA Staff

• Dr. Arjuna de Silva, MBBS (ACVA LMS & IT Operations Manager)

• Sudath Mudalige (IT Administrator)



• Susheel K Erramilli (Social Media and Digital Marketing Coordinator)

To contact any one of us



American College of Vedic Astrology Inc, 2675 W. S.R. 89A #190, Sedona, AZ 86336