Important Update from ACVA

ACVA is pleased to announce the return of two familiar publications that many of our members will remember from previous years: The Asteroid and The Comet.

As part of this transition, our communications will once again follow the format successfully used in the past:

• The Asteroid returns as our concise monthly brief, delivering important announcements, organizational updates, observatory news, upcoming activities, and timely information in a quick and easy-to-read format.
• The Comet will once again become our quarterly publication, featuring expanded articles, educational content, member contributions, feature stories, and in-depth coverage of topics of interest to the ACVA community.

Many longtime members will recognize these names as part of ACVA’s earlier publication tradition, and we are excited to reintroduce this proven format to better balance timely communication with richer feature content.

We believe this return to the Asteroid and Comet structure will provide a clearer, more engaging experience for all our readers while honoring an important part of ACVA’s history.

Thank you for being part of the ACVA community as we continue moving forward — while reconnecting with a tradition that served us well.

Enjoy this month's Asteroid!

The Observatory

By Dr. Lynn Bootes, MD

ACVA Dean of Students and Registrar

registrar@acvaonline.org

May-June 2026 - Jupiter enters Cancer



Dear Readers,



There is one big event this month – Jupiter enters Cancer, its exaltation sign, on June 1 and will remain there until the end of October. As astrologers, we hope for a rising tide of compassion and wisdom too. But we realize that for some, there can also be the potential for overconfidence and excess. Jupiter will cast its aspects to Scorpio, Capricorn, and Pisces this month, giving a boost to those who have these signs active in their birth charts.

Venus moves from Gemini to Cancer on June 9, joining Jupiter. Mercury begins the month in its own sign Gemini, a good time for attention to matters of communication and detail. It then moves to Cancer on June 23^rd, and then slows, beginning retrograde motion on June 29. All three of these benefic planets are thus spending time in the Moon’s sign this month and thus increasing the influence of the Lunar cycles.

There are many times when the Moon will be in Parivartana Yoga with these three benefic planets as well. There are a number of dates in June with auspicious muhurtas created by these benefic grahas. There are many opportunities to see these beautiful ones just after sunset.

The Sun begins the month in fertile Taurus and moves to Gemini on June 15. And it will reach the Solstice point – the farthest north of the Ecliptic – on June 21.

We begin the month shortly after the Full Moon in Scorpio on May 31 – enjoy this festive time. The New Moon in the last degree of Taurus on June 15 is a good time for quiet as we prepare for the transition to the Summer/Winter seasons at the Solstice.

The final Full Moon of June with be at mid-Sagittarius on the 29^th. The Full Moons are taking place very close to the sandhi point of signs this season, reinforcing for us that we are in a time of transition.

Click here for more ...

Coming Attractions at ACVA

1. ACVA webinar – June 13th 2026 – Sue Ann McKean

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

Topic: Understanding Our Life’s Purpose with Chara Karakas

In this webinar, we will explore the Chara Karakas, a topic which has captivated me in my Jaimini Astrology training with Pundit Sanjay Rath. He shared his deep knowledge of the soul in our first lesson of Sage Jaimini, revealing how important this topic is. I hope this seminar will stimulate a desire to delve deeper into this vast and profound subject. We will explore principles and concepts that have practical applications for truth-seekers. Our class will begin with the Atma Karaka, the main Chara Karaka which represents our soul's karma. It reveals the purpose of our life and what we must do to evolve. Through the study of all the Chara Karakas, Sage Jaimini transmitted the mystical depths of Jyotish and how to begin to understand the karma of our soul.

Speaker: Sue Ann McKean

Sue Ann McKean is a life-long student of Vedic wisdom and a consulting Vedic Astrologer. Her Jyotish journey began in 1990 while on a retreat in India. A founding member of ACVA and regular attendant at ACVA conferences, she studied Jyotish with Hart De Fouw and Ernst Wilhelm. She met her guru, Pundit Sanjay Rath in 2005, participating in the founding of his school Deva Guru Brihaspati as a student and mentor from 2009-12. In 2011 she completed the five-year intensive Jaimini Sutras program conducted in the Himalayas with Pundit Sanjay Rath. From 2011 to 2018, Sue Ann was also a student and mentor at AIAC - Ancient Indian Astrology Classes, where she studied with Pundit Souvik Dutta.

Webinar Registration Link:

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kMsXQkCtSFmXNZIKxwHukQ

2.  ACVA webinar – 11th July 2026 – Gizem Heukelom

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

Topic: Stelliums in a Birth Chart

A stellium represents an intense concentration of energy within a birth chart, occurring when four or more planets are conjunct in a single house or within a specific span of degrees. Known in Vedic Astrology as Pravrajya or Sanyasa Yoga, these clusters pose a beautiful challenge for any student of astrology: how do we untangle and honor so many voices singing in unison? When such an intense bundle of energy exists, it is almost as if all roads lead to Rome, directing one’s life toward a powerful focus.

In this webinar, we will explore the depths of the stellium, learning how to interpret this bundle of intensity and harness its power. We will discuss how to align with this potent energy to reach your highest potential – for when a stellium is present, it becomes a paramount gateway to understanding one of the soul’s most vital purposes.

Speaker: Gizem Heukelom

Gizem Heukelom is an accomplished astrologer, educator, and life coach with over 25 years of experience. Specializing in Vedic Astrology and trained in Classical Western and Esoteric Astrology, she founded DharmaVedas Vedic Astrology & Coaching and DharmaVedas Academy in 2020, where she currently teaches nearly 400 students in Turkey. Additionally, she serves as an instructor at the American College of Vedic Astrology. Gizem is originally from Turkey and resides in the Netherlands.

Contact: info@dharmavedas.com

Web site: www.dharmavedas.com

Webinar Registration Link:

us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MvgRMpx4RwGeDTt7h3l5jQ

Stay connected

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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.

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

• Alan Annand – ACVA Editor-in-Chief of Publications
  
• Pratik Mehta – ACVA Director of Social Media and Community Engagement

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