American College of Vedic Astrology

The ACVA Newsletter 2025-12 (December 2025)

Note from the President of ACVA

By Professor Charlotte Benson (Jyoti Devi)

President, ACVA

December 2025

Dear Friends of ACVA –

We hope all is well with you and your families, especially those of you in areas of extreme weather disturbances. May you have safe, and happy holidays wherever you are!

As we approach the end of 2025 and welcome 2026, we reflect on the meaningful impact that the American College of Vedic Astrology™ (ACVA) continues to have on the global Vedic astrology community. ACVA, a non-profit educational organization, is dedicated to advancing the sacred knowledge of Jyotisha through education, recognition, and community engagement. Please consider a year-end gift at: www.acvaonline.org/donate.

Throughout this past year we have offered our stellar online education, certificate exams, a beautiful graduation and awards ceremony, webinars, and scholarly articles in our publications. ACVA Provost Professor Juliana Swanson and her team have been busy refining ACVA’s existing curriculum.

We have also spent considerable time developing two separate collaborations with other world-class institutions. Details of these developing alliances will be forthcoming in the first quarter of 2026.

Under the creative guidance of Dr. Sisira Amarasinghe, ACVA produced another fabulous graduation and awards ceremony on 12/13/25, broadcast globally. It is available to view on our YouTube channel.

The following are some highlights of the annual event, emceed by Dr. Lynn Bootes, ACVA Dean of Students: ACVA has granted the 2025 Sri K.N. Rao Challenge Scholarship to a talented student, Ms. Teresa Tabangay. Congratulations, Teresa! Thank you to the generous donors who have endowed this scholarship.

The Jyotish Navaratna Award is a distinguished honor conferred by the American College of Vedic Astrology™ (ACVA) to recognize individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the promotion, teaching, and practice of Vedic astrology (Jyotisha).

This award celebrates outstanding service and dedication to advancing the mission and values of ACVA. Jyotish Navaratna Award reflects ACVA’s vision of promoting excellence in Vedic astrology while fostering a global community of learners and practitioners. “Navaratna” translates to “nine gems,” symbolizing brilliance and preciousness, qualities embodied by the award’s recipients. The honor is a testament to their invaluable contributions and unwavering dedication to advancing the field of Jyotisha.

The 2025 Navaratna Award was unanimously voted to be conferred on Leadership Team member, Mr. Alan Annand for his outstanding contributions to Jyotisha and ACVA. This award is a testament to Alan’s invaluable contributions and unwavering dedication to advancing the field of Jyotisha. Well deserved – thank you, dear Alan!

The Jyotish Vibhushan Lifetime Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed by the American College of Vedic Astrology™ (ACVA). This prestigious award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated unparalleled dedication, scholarship, and service to the field of Jyotisha over the course of their lifetime.

The Jyotish Vibhushan Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on Smt. Gayatri Devi Vasudev celebrates her extraordinary contributions that have advanced the understanding, practice, and application of Jyotisha on a global scale. Her contributions to the global Vedic astrology community have shaped its growth and elevated its recognition as a spiritual and scientific discipline.

From the introduction of GDV during the ceremony by ACVA Vice-President, Dr. Sisira Amarasinghe:

“Your work stands at the confluence of scholarship, authorship, and stewardship of our tradition. As Editor of Modern Astrology, the successor to The Astrological Magazine founded by Dr. B. V. Raman, you have sustained a vital platform for classical Jyotisha since 2009, after serving previously on the editorial leadership of The Astrological Magazine itself. This continuity of high standards in editorial curation and thought leadership has been invaluable for students and practitioners worldwide.

“Beyond editorial service, your authored works, including Practical Horary Astrology, The Art of Prediction in Astrology, The Art of Interpreting Horoscopes, Vastu, Astrology and Architecture, and more, have guided countless learners from fundamentals to applied interpretation. These texts have become staples in libraries of serious students and teachers alike.

“We also wish to acknowledge your distinguished role in carrying forward the Raman lineage of Jyotisha (which has also been an important pillar of foundation for the ACVA curriculum) — upholding rigorous methods, accessible pedagogy, and a spirit of service to society, thereby nurturing a living Parampara that continues to enrich our field.”

This rare award was presented during ACVA’s Graduation and Awards Ceremony 13 December 2025, when Mrs. Gayatri Devi Vasudev was recognized for her unparalleled contributions and service to Jyotisha. This public acknowledgment serves as an inspiration for the global Vedic astrology community to continue advancing this sacred knowledge with integrity and dedication.

Thank you for your lifetime of service, and congratulations, dearest Gayatri Devi Vasudev!

Shri Chakrapani Ullal also received a posthumous Jyotish Vibhusan award for his service to the Jyotir Vidya, and to ACVA. His life partner, Ms. Dianne Brown, presented a lovely voice tribute to Chakrapani. Dr. Dennis Harness, Ms. Christina Collins, Ms. Edith Hathaway, and Nalinikanta Das also contributed their beautiful memories of ACVA’s “Grandfather.” Chakrapani-ji will always have a treasured place in our hearts and minds.

Dr. Jayaranjan Kodikannath, CEO of Kerala Ayurveda Academy USA, delivered an inspiring speech to the audience: “Roots of Ayurveda and its Vital Intersections with Jyotish.” Thank you, sir!

Professor Juliana Swanson awarded ACVA certifications to:

· Ms. Muni Roger – Jyotish Prabhakara

· Dr. Jayaranjan Kodikannath – Jyotish Ratna

· Ms. Guilia Avvanzini – Jyotish Ratna

Congratulations to each of you! You may be rightly proud of your academic accomplishments. Please put your diligently won credentials to their highest and best use.

Please enjoy the fascinating articles in this edition of the ACVA newsletter.

Sending you every good wish in this sacred season.

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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

Late December 2025 Edition

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the post-solstice period, as we experience the maximum impact of the Winter/ Summer seasons in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres respectively. This month I’ve been reading Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad Gita, and came across a reference to the months and seasons in shloka 35, line 2, as translated by Jeffrey Armstrong and Kavindra Rishi:

Of masas ‘months’, I am margashirsha, ‘the nakshatra bridging November and December.’

Of ritus ‘seasons’, I am kusuma kara, ‘springtime when the flowers bloom.”

This is the chapter in which Lord Krishna gives Arjuna all sorts of examples of how a person might get a hint of his divine majesty, as the greatest or chief of any realm. We are now between the best of months and best of seasons. In margashirsha, the Full Moon was exalted in Taurus, and visible in the long night of late fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Looking ahead, when we reach kusuma kara, in mid-February through mid-April, we will be in the peak of the spring season.

We are now in the ritu of shishira in the Vedic cycle of six seasons – the freezing or cold months from mid-December to mid-February in the Northern Hemisphere. Meanwhile, in this system, the Southern Hemisphere would be in the ritu of varsha, the summer monsoon. In fact, the actual experience of seasons varies greatly around the world and through the ages. The ancient texts make it clear there have been vast cycles of time and earth changes, which we on earth must adjust to as we adjust to the changes in the sky.

We can look forward to Makara Sankranti on January 15, as the Sun enters Capricorn. The first few hours are considered especially auspicious to begin a mantra, spiritual practice, or a spiritual assembly. The great yogi Vivekananda, the first Hindu sadhu to speak in America, was born on this day. Children and young people in India often celebrate by flying kites. This is the month when the days begin to lengthen or shorten from the Solstice, and one experiences the maximum cold or heat, depending on which hemisphere one inhabits.

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Practical Pañcāṅga – Tithis in-depth Part 3 (Practicum)

By Pratik Mehta

Vedic Astrologer

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, goes the adage. So does all theory and no practicum make a dull Jyotiṣi. Towards that end, we will now explore ways in which Tithis can be used in Jātaka (natal) analysis. We’ll start with a quick understanding of the math and move on to the juicier bits.

Calculation

A Tithi marks a 12° interval between the Sun and the Moon. Let’s start with Shukla Pratipad which is the 1st Tithi after the New Moon. The New Moon is when the Sun and Moon are at the exact same longitudinal degree. For simplicity, let’s say the Sun and Moon are at 0° Aries (the last time that happened was on 14th April 2010 at 8.38 am EST). That would mark the beginning of Shukla Pratipad and it would last until the Moon is somewhere beyond the 12° Aries mark at which point Shukla Dwitiya would start. Once the Moon reaches a little beyond 24° Aries, it would be Shukla Tritiya and so on. For every 12° increment of the Moon, the Tithi increments by one until it reaches the 15th Tithi at which point the counter resets back to one.

Modern day Jyotiṣa software makes it a breeze for us to know the Tithi at any point in time. Nonetheless, being able to spot and use the Tithi for natal interpretation without the computational aid can exponentially boost a Jyotiṣi’s ability to connect to and decipher the chart. With enough practice, deciphering the Tithi becomes second nature just like spotting a Yoga or recognizing a Nakṣatra.

Here’s the quick and easy for calculating the Tithis:

For a Shukla Paksha (waxing) Moon, simply deduct the Sun’s longitudinal position from the Moon’s, divide it by twelve degrees, and the Tithi is the remainder + 1. For a Kriṣna Paksha (waning) Moon, we would need to do the additional step of adding 180° to the position of the Moon before doing the other two steps.

For example, as of this writing, the Sun is at 12°19’ of Scorpio and Moon is at 15°16’ of Aquarius.

The Moon has progressed: 10 signs, 15 degrees, 16 minutes.
The Sun has progressed: 7 signs, 12 degrees, 19 minutes.
The difference between the two is: 3 signs, 2 degrees, 57 minutes, i.e., 92 degrees and 57 minutes. (92°57’)
Dividing that difference by 12°, we get a quotient of 7 and a remainder of 8°57’ which for now we can ignore. Adding one to our quotient of 7, we arrive at 8.
The Tithi is therefore Shukla Aṣṭami, soon to be come Shukla Navamī.

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Indira Gandhi: Parivartana power

By Alan Annand,

Editor-in-Chief, ACVA Publications

Indira Gandhi was a remarkable woman on two scores. On a mundane level, she is India’s only female prime minister to date. On a stellar level, she had three Parivartana Yogas in her chart.

How rare is that? Although 43% of the general population has one Parivartana Yoga, only 3% has two, and only 0.03% has three such yogas. That’s only three people in 10,000!

Indira Gandhi: the mini-biography

Indira Gandhi was India’s Prime Minister during 1966-77 and 1980-84. Daughter of India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, she received an excellent education, studying history at Oxford and speaking perfect French.

During university, she was plagued with ill health and constantly attended by doctors. Against her father’s wishes she married a man who turned out to be an alcoholic and womanizer.

As Prime Minister, Gandhi was politically ruthless in centralizing her power. Although charged with electoral malpractice, jailed and banned from office, she staged a comeback. During India’s state of emergency, she allowed her son Sanjay to create what was effectively a police state.

She was an advocate of equal pay for equal work. She presided over the nationalization of India’s banking, coal, steel, copper, refining, textile and insurance industries, largely to protect employment and the interests of organized labor. She also orchestrated mass redistribution of land to assist the lower classes.

Gandhi unleashed a powerful military offensive in the 1970s, waging wars against Pakistan and East Pakistan, resulting in the partition of Bangladesh. She formed an alliance with Russia to the chagrin of America.

She was assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards whose loyalties changed after she used the army to dislodge militants from a Sikh holy site.

Indira Gandhi: her chart

Indira Gandhi was born 19 November 1917 at 23h11 in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Her chart contains several significant yogas. As a woman born at night with the Sun, Moon and ascendant all in even signs, her Maha Bhagya Yoga qualifies her as something of a female “lord of the earth”, ie, a political leader.

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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

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In gratitude,

The Leadership Team