American College of Vedic Astrology

The ACVA Newsletter 2025-11 (November 2025)

Note from the President of ACVA

By Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi)

President, ACVA

November 2025

Dear Friends of ACVA –

We hope this note finds you and your families doing well and coping with the tumult that’s been in play for the past month or so. For those Americans adversely affected by that difficult situation, at least the US government is open again.

The College has had another busy month! Dr. Lynn Bootes, Dean of Students, and the rest of our wonderful faculty have been taking good care of our bright students. Dr. Bootes really keeps the wheels turning here at ACVA.

Professor Juliana Swanson has been diligently at work revising and perfecting our carefully curated curriculum. Professor Swanson has been offering her brilliant scholarship and experience in Jyotisha to ACVA for the past three years. You probably know that ACVA offers shastra-based courses, curated from a wide variety of respected, ancient source material. Juliana has done a beautiful job of refining this legacy knowledge, making it available to our contemporary students. Special thanks to her this month.

Our collaborations with Kepler College nationally, and with Dharma Vedas internationally, continue to develop. There are a lot of moving pieces with both institutions. We’ll let you know as things evolve, early in 2026. It’s a very exciting expansion of ACVA’s mission!

The Maharishi Parasara Conference, the largest online Jyotish conference in the world, is ongoing and still available for registrations. I will be presenting, as will ACVA Editor-in-Chief Alan Annand. Please join us! Register here: https://www.parasharaconference.com/registration

The annual ACVA Graduation and Awards ceremony will be held on Saturday, December 13, 2025. We will be honoring our graduates, of course, and bestowing some very special awards. Please see our “Coming Events” page.

We hope you enjoy and benefit from the excellent articles in this edition.

Until next month, stay well. And keep looking up!

Fondly, Charlotte,

Click here for more ...

Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi)

President, American College of Vedic Astrology

The Observatory

By Dr. Lynn Bootes, MD

ACVA Dean of Students and Registrar

registrar@acvaonline.org

Dear Readers,

The wheel of the seasons brings us once again to the late fall/late spring season as we move to the winter/summer Solstice, depending on your hemisphere on this Earth. Some of the intensity of the past months has been modified a bit. In the stars, we are in transition to some new patterns.

We are still enjoying the presence of Jupiter in its exalted sign Cancer, as it brings its elevating and compassionate presence to bear on the other water signs, mitigating the more malefic characteristics of Mars in Scorpio and Saturn in Pisces. However, Jupiter is moving retrograde and will transition back into late Gemini December 6 through mid-January.

Enjoy the time of Venus in its own sign Libra from November 16-26, when the more elevated qualities of Venus are on display for a festive American Thanksgiving. Venus in Scorpio from November 26-December 21 brings out a more intense and passionate dynamic.

Mercury is still moving retrograde in Scorpio and has an inferior conjunction with the Sun on the same day as the Scorpio New Moon on November 20. Mars in Scorpio joins very closely with Mercury, Moon and Sun on November 20, bringing out some of the hidden intensity of Scorpio at holiday time. This is intensified by the fact that Mars makes a special 1:4 aspect to Rahu in Aquarius which is exact on November 23. While one could imagine the worst sorts of things at a family Thanksgiving, please also remember the potential of Scorpio to look deeply, practice compassion and keep silence!

Meanwhile, Mercury moves back into Libra on November 23, where it conjoins Venus exactly on November 24. Mercury and Venus share the sign Libra from November 23-26, a brief but invaluable time for auspicious muhurtas and holiday cheer. Mercury begins direct motion November 29 and enters Scorpio December 7, and it spends the rest of December catching up to the Sun, Venus and Mars, joining them in Sagittarius December 30. The delays of November give way to rapid communication and commerce in December.

Click here for more ...

Practical Pañcāṅga – Tithis in-depth Part 2 (Significance)

By Pratik Mehta

Vedic Astrologer

Last month we re-familiarized ourselves with the fundamentals of Tithis and sorted through the nebulous realm of 15 versus 16 Tithis. It’s now time for us to delve into why we should bother learning about Tithis, let alone putting them to use in our practice of Jyotiṣa.

Significance

Tithis are all about the Moon and the water element. These two fundamental constituents of Jyotisha have a lot in common with regards to their significations in our lives. The Moon, among other things, is all about fertility, motherhood, caring, emotions, tastes and desires. The water element follows suit, figuratively and literally.

Our birth Tithi is therefore like a permanent emotional lens whereas the transiting Tithis are temporary filters. These two along with the other Pañcāṅga elements, both natal and transiting, result in a colorful kaleidoscope that is unique to us. Making the kaleidoscope even more colorful is the interplay of these Pañcāṅga elements with the Bhāvas in the natal chart. Over time, those that care to observe and experience the effect of Tithis on the ebb and flow of emotions in their lives are bound to be left spellbound with the amazing patterns that this magical emotional kaleidoscope can generate.

Understanding our Jamna Tithi through its characteristics such as Guna, Tattva, planetary ruler and deity can give us unparalleled insights into fundamental self-discovery questions such as who we really are as an individual, what makes us tick, and the mission that our soul has set out to accomplish in its current incarnation.

To sum it up, Tithis are all about emotions and feelings. They reflect how we relate to the world, our outlook towards the people in our lives and the way we’re likely to treat them. In turn, Tithis offer a way for us to examine our relationship karma, i.e., our strengths and shortcomings when it comes to germinating and fostering healthy relationships.

Click here for more ...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince of York

By Alan Annand,

Editor-in-Chief, ACVA Publications

It’s been a tough year for the former Prince of York, now stripped of his title and evicted from the Royal Lodge where he’s been cohabiting with ex-wife Fergie for a decade or more. This has all happened in the wake of Virginia Giuffre’s death by suicide in April 2025 and the publication of her book detailing her sexual abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, ex-Prince Andrew and others. Finally, it was all too much for the British public, who have been howling for Andrew’s comeuppance. King Charles made it official in the last week of October: “Bro, you’re history."

In his natal horoscope, Andrew has a Kala Sarpa pattern with the nodes running through his 3rd/9th house axis. With Rahu in the 3rd, that makes for an element of hedonistic adventurism, while Ketu in the 9th betrays a somewhat lax morality. And as the theory goes, a Kala Sarpa pattern acts as a magnifying lens to exaggerate whatever else is found in the horoscope.

Click here for more ...

Coming Attractions at ACVA

1. ACVA webinar – 10th January 2026 – Venky Narasiah

SATURDAY 10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, Noon Central, 1pm Eastern

Topic: The Application of Jyotish in the Mental Health Field

Astrologers and counsellors are sought for the same reason – to resolve presenting problems in clients. Astrologers look at charts and assess vulnerability based on the past, present, and future effects of dashas and transits, which helps clients take control of the stressors in their lives.

In this webinar, Venky will describe how insights from Vedic astrology can complement psychotherapeutic interventions. Using real-life case studies, he’ll illustrate how to evaluate an astrological birth chart for adverse psychological conditions that may appear in various stages of human development.

Disclaimer: The speaker is not a medical practitioner. This presentation is for information purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice.

Webinar Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__mK0bWNnTNaAnI07T4gHFw

Speaker: Venky Narasiah

After three decades in the banking sector, Venky Narasiah felt the need for a realignment with his life purpose. Venky is now a practicing jyotishi. He holds both Jyotisha Ratna and Jyotisha Prabhakara certifications from ACVA, where he currently serves as a faculty member. Venky has also completed a Vedic Counselling course from the American Institute of Vedic Studies and now works as a practicing psychotherapist/counsellor.

An active volunteer in the Singapore community where he’s based, Venky partners with his wife, also a counsellor, to help clients navigate the road to well-being. Their clientele ranges from students to prison inmates. (https://www.ayanawellbeing.com).

2. ACVA webinar – 14th February 2026 – Simon Chokoisky

SATURDAY 10am Pacific, 11am Mountain, Noon Central, 1pm Eastern

Topic: Combinations for Amazing Chemistry (in Jyotish)

In this seminar, attendees will learn to identify the combinations for mind-blowing attraction in a personal relationship. These include ancient methods as well as researched modern techniques to help you understand which partnerships work, and which ones need work.

Webinar Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jX8qRXdJS62YbZ9fPHAZkA

Speaker: Simon Chokoisky

Simon studied with Hart deFouw and has practiced Jyotisha since 2002. He is the author of several books, including his latest Jyotisha-inspired Bhav' Ballads - a poetic journey through the twelve houses of the horoscope. You can find his unique offerings at: http://www.decodingvedicwisdom.com

Stay connected

Stay connected ...

Please extend our invitation to your friends and associates to subscribe to our newsletter. Simply visit the ACVA website and provide your name and email address to subscribe: https://acvaonline.org/comet-the-acva-newsletter/

Likewise, please follow us, and tell your friends about our Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/acvaonline/

Alternatively, please follow us, and tell your friends about our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/acvaonline

Why stay in touch? We’ll be providing more informative articles in our monthly newsletter as the year progresses, as well as offering a monthly series of educational webinars delivered by seasoned speakers in our Jyotish Insights series. Don’t miss a thing. Stay connected.

It is due to the generosity of our patrons that ACVA can continue to offer its current special tuition rates. Thank you.

ACVA is a 501-C3 not-for-profit educational institution that provides a very valuable service to learners of Vedic astrology.

It is due to the generosity of our volunteers and patrons that ACVA can continue to thrive. If you choose to press the "donate" button, your donation will be tax-deductible.

To donate, Visit our Website!!

https://acvaonline.org/donate/

In gratitude,

The Leadership Team