Note from the President of ACVA

By Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi) President, ACVA

March 2025

Dear Friends of ACVA –

We hope that you enjoy the variety and the depth of the great articles in this edition of the ACVA News. And that you are staying well this season. It’s beautiful here now in the desert where I live. The citrus trees are blossoming, and the bees are busy.

As you are probably aware, there will be an enormous gathering of seven planets in Pisces rasi on March 29 and early March 30, 2025. This stellium is literally unprecedented! Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Rahu, Saturn, and Neptune all in Meena rasi. This is obviously an unbalanced situation, and needs careful, mindful attention. The house in which Pisces falls in your birth chart should be tremendously energized by this amazing conjunction. The best approach to managing this much energy in one concentrated area is to be aware of the power of your thoughts. And of course, to be serious about your spiritual practice.

ACVA Leadership Team members have been busy collaborating with our organizational colleagues. I recently spoke at a Western astrology conference in Orlando, Florida, on the topic of the Jyotish bhavas. The lecture was well attended, and I made it easy for the Western astrology practitioners to incorporate some advanced and specific attributes of the Vedic houses to their previous repertoire. There was a lot of interest in Jyotish expressed among Western astrology students! Jyotisha is steadily gaining attention for its accuracy and usefulness. I had a wonderful time meeting with my former Western colleague friends. Joni Patry, my friend from way back, spoke there, too. Afterwards I had the opportunity to visit with another long-term friend of ACVA, Simon Chokoisky.

ACVA Vice President and Chief Corporate Strategy Officer, Dr. Sisira Amarasinghe, met with the esteemed Jyotishi Sri K.N Rao during his trip to India to attend the Maha Kumbha Mela. We will publish a bit of the conversation between these two brilliant scholars soon, I hope.

Editor-in-Chief Alan Annand spoke brilliantly on relationships for the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, recently. He is an excellent explainer of the intricacies of the important aspect of relationship styles, revealed in Jyotish. Alan is passionate about teaching, and it shows! 



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Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi)

President, American College of Vedic Astrology

Navaratri

By Professor Juliana Swanson

ACVA Provost and Dean of Academics

March 29/30 to April 6/7: Chaitra or Vasant Navaratri - The Nine Nights of Mother Divine



In North and South America, Chaitra or Vasant Navaratri will be celebrated from March 29 to April 6. In the rest of the world, it will be celebrated from March 30 to April 7. This joyous Vedic festival is celebrated for nine nights in commemoration of the allegorical battle of good versus evil which is symbolized by Mata Durga’s defeat of the demon Mahishasura. This festival culminates at Vijaya Dasami, the tenth Day of Victory after the conclusion of the nine-night celebration. This epic battle is memorialized in the Vedic text called Devi Mahatmya. During the nine days and nights, excerpts from this thirteen-chapter book are often read aloud, acted out, or discussed in homes, temples, and ashrams.

Navaratri has profound esoteric meaning and significance for devotees who fast, pray, meditate, chant, bathe in holy rivers, offer seva and charity, and participate in other kinds of specific ancient rituals during this time. During the nine nights, Devi Durga is worshiped in various forms. She is said to walk among us to bring blessings and healing during this time, to transmute some of the evil of the world, and to assist her devotees in overcoming their own personal demons. There are many ways to celebrate Navaratri. One simple way is to propitiate three aspects of the goddess for three days and nights each (with fasting, prayer, meditation, mantra, offerings, and pujas):

• The first three are devoted to Durga Devi, the personification of power and purification.
• The second three are devoted to Lakshmi Devi, the essence of compassion and beauty.
• The last three are devoted to Saraswati Devi, the embodiment of wisdom and grace.

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The Observatory

By Dr. Lynn Bootes, MD

ACVA Dean of Students and Registrar

registrar@acvaonline.org

Sun in Pisces Edition – March 15 – April 13, 2025

Dear Readers,

The past week with the Lunar Eclipse falling near the Equinox season proved eventful both in weather and in the news of the world. Because of some dramatic happenings in the skies, I have reprised events beginning on March 11, so that the reader can look back at the week.

The Total Lunar Eclipse on March 14 had the Sun and Moon at the last of Aquarius and Leo, moving into Pisces and Virgo hours later. This, superimposed upon the intensity of the equinox season, and the combination of Mercury/Venus/Rahu/Saturn in the early degrees of Pisces has brought a huge amount of energy into the early degrees of Pisces and the Purva Bhadrapada Nakshatra (23deg20 Aquarius – 06deg40 Pisces).

I have listed the dates of events in this complex knot below. Interpretation is complex – I will only say that change, small and large, is in the waters, both in day-to-day affairs and deep changes in the world.

We continue with Jupiter in Taurus in a Parivartana Yoga with exalted Venus in Pisces – the interaction of the two benefic grahas gives many opportunities for favorable muhurtas if an event is planned.

Venus spends the entire month in Pisces in exaltation and mostly retrograde, finally going direct April 12. There is room for extra compassion but also instability in the markets, trade and currency.

Mercury spends the entire month in Pisces in debilitation and moves retrograde from March 15-April 7. In addition to the usual sorts of delays and communication errors of Mercury retrograde, there is less logic and clarity. The best results involve the strength of Venus as they share the same sign all month.

Mars is now direct in motion and moves from Gemini to Cancer on April 3 and leaves Punarvasu for Pushya Nakshatra on April 11. These moves bring less irritability than with Mars in Gemini, but Mars is debilitated in Cancer and feels deeply wounded. Mars will move on to Leo in June.



Jupiter remains in Taurus but moves from Rohini Nakshatra to Mrgashira on April 10.

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Practical Pañcāṅga – Introduction

(Part 1)

By Pratik Mehta

The above quote from the classic Jyotiṣa text on Muhurta, Kāla Prakaśika, beautifully encapsulates the significance of Pañcāṅga. It has been an integral part of the Hindu religion (Sanātana Dharma) over the centuries and even today, the Pañcāṅga is a quintessential part of most Indian households. It significantly influences the day-to-day lifestyle of the Indian denizen, more so by choice than by compulsion.

Etymologically, Pañcāṅga simply means “Five Limbs” (Pañca Aṅga), the five limbs of time, to be more specific. Let’s take a quick detour to examine the significance of the number five (Pañca) in Vedic lore. Just stay with me and you’ll see why this holds the key to understanding the Pañcāṅga. In Vedic philosophy you’ll find the:

• Pañcamahābhūtas (Five elements) – Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Ether.
• Pañcakośa (Five sheaths) – The five layers that make up the human body and aura. Starting from the outermost to the innermost they are Annamayakośa (physical layer fueled by food), Prāṇamayakośa (energy layer), Manomayakośa (mental layer), Vijñānamayakośa (layer of inner wisdom) and finally Ānandamayakośa (layer of inner bliss).
• Pañcjñānendirya (Five senses of knowledge) – Sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. These each enable us to receive inputs and knowledge from the world outside of us.
• Pañckarmendriya (Five senses of action) – Mouth, hands, feet, anus and genitalia. These enable us to perform our duties and make our contributions to the world outside of us.

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The Promise of Easter

By Dr. Karina Weil

ACVA Faculty

Easter is a time of rebirth that reminds us of the transformative power of forgiveness, which flows unceasingly from the Divine's everlasting, unconditional love. What a magnificent gift we can give to ourselves by opening up to love and spiritually awakening at this blessed time! 

Drawing from the teachings and wisdom of the great avatar Paramahansa Yogananda, we learn that the celebration of Easter is a sacred time to gain fresh upliftment from the ancient yogic practice of forgiveness. This can be life-transforming because it blesses us with feelings of deep relaxation, forbearance, compassion, and a "peace beyond understanding."



At this time of the year, it’s uplifting to read Yogananda’s writings on the hidden meaning of the gospel, particularly Jesus's words on the cross: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" as an expression of the "mightiest miracle of love." Even under challenging and painful circumstances, we can choose to forgive others and elevate ourselves to a higher sphere of awareness. Easter is the perfect time to put this into practice. 

Yogananda articulated this principle beautifully when he said: "The more one establishes one's identity with the Absolute and never deems himself a sinner, the more he will feel God's mercy. Love for God, surrender to God, will destroy in man the karma of ignorance. Pure love, divine love, removes the barriers between man and his Maker. [...] Regardless of the intensity of his failings, when man turns his mind within and sincerely seeks and finally attains God's bliss and love templed in the soul, he does not have to undergo the suffering linked to his previous sensory attachments.” (The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, Volume I, by Paramahansa Yogananda. Copyright © Self-Realization Fellowship, Los Angeles).

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Speaker: Alan Annand, ACVA Editor-in-Chief of Publications

Alan Annand is a Canadian astrologer, palmist and author. A former tutor for the British Faculty of Astrological Studies, he’s a graduate of the American College of Vedic Astrology, and Editor-in-Chief for ACVA Publications. He’s a longstanding student of Hart deFouw, and has practiced astrology for over 40 years. His books on jyotisha – Kala Sarpa, Kama Yoga, Parivartana Yoga, and Stellar Astrology, Vols 1-4 – have been praised for the quality of their research and writing. He’s also a crime novelist, whose New Age Noir mystery series (Scorpio Rising, Felonious Monk, Soma County) features a Vedic astrologer/palmist. 

Website: https://www.navamsa.com  

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@AlanAnnand

Webinar Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Qqh5t4S6T-GLMZlq9Z2pUw

Speaker: Paul Manley, Professional Vedic Astrologer

Paul Manley, M.A., has been a professional Vedic astrologer since 1992, blending over three decades of study and practice with a master’s degree in counseling psychology. His primary training in Jyotish comes from K.N. Rao, one of the world’s most respected astrologers. Paul has taught seminars in the U.S., Japan, and India, including at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, K.N. Rao’s renowned school. He is also a certified teacher and tutor with the American College of Vedic Astrology (ACVA) and has taught at ACVA conferences, offering his practical and methodical instruction.

For more information, visit his website: https://www.lightonvedicastrology.com/

Webinar Registration link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Jm0Lf79BSkW5WRRtlKrewg

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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 – ACVA Editor-in-Chief of Publications

ACVA Staff

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

• Sudath Mudalige (IT Administrator)



• Susheel 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