Ganesha
Answers
The religion practiced in India believes in reincarnation of the soul.
The birth takes place according to the karmas (actions) of the past
births and its passage through heavens and hells.
It is said that to
achieve total liberation from this cycle of birth and death, one needs
to take birth on earth. One can not get liberated completely from
heavens or from hells. Earth is the place for liberation of the soul.
As said earlier, who will take birth where depends on several factors
and appears to be a very complicated and automatic process. It is
difficult to decipher this process.
Once decided, the soul takes birth on earth and the Indian scriptures
mention that the position of the two luminaries and the seven planets
(including the two nodes of the moon) in the skies with the background
of the zodiac chart the course of the soul through its journey on
earth. Once these heavenly bodies are plotted on a paper (as seen from
earth at the time of birth of the soul); it defines all about the
present life of the soul on earth.
On the basis of this map, an astrologer can predict the future events
in the life of a person. He can gauge his appearance and his mental
composition. He can foretell about his education, marriage, progeny,
profession, death etcetera on the basis of the positions of the planets
in this map.
Does this mean that it is end of the road for a person? He
has no self-will? Perhaps he has. All those negative karmas of the past
births which were not very severe can definitely be improved with the
help of remedial measures available with an astrologer. The remedial
measures include fasting, charity, wearing of semi-precious and
precious stones, offering libations to the gods through fire and other
measures.
Thus an astrologer can definitely help a person in predicting the
course of future events and to some extent modifying the course to the
persons benefit. This is how astrology works and hence consulting an
astrologer can bring about cures to maladies in life.