WORLDS OLDEST ASTROLOGY  TEXT REVIVED AS ASTERIAN ASTROLOGY 

Over the course of the past century researchers have discovered that Hellenistic astrology was transmitted to India sometime around the 2nd century CE. Inklings of this transmission were noted in the late 19th century, for example by the historian August Bouché-Leclercq in his 1899 work L’astrologie grec, although it was not until the middle part of the 20th century that the source of this transmission was confirmed and identified in a work known as the Yavanajātaka.

This was not a simple matter of one tradition lightly influencing another though, but rather, the text that was transmitted to India in the 2nd century actually formed the basis of virtually all later traditions of horoscopic astrology on the Indian subcontinent.

DAVID PINGREE and the Yavanajātaka

For his doctoral dissertation Pingree edited, translated and wrote a commentary on the Yavanajātaka. ((Pingree published his critical edition of the Yavanajataka as well as his English translation and commentary as a two volume set in 1978.  The first volume contains the Sanskrit text itself along with a critical apparatus and brief introduction.  Volume 2 contains his English translation of the Yavanajataka along with his commentary.  See David Pingree, The Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja, 2 Volumes, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1978.))  The main purpose of his dissertation was to compare the astrological doctrines contained in the Yavanajātaka with those of various astrologers from the Hellenistic tradition, in order to demonstrate that the Indian tradition of horoscopic astrology was largely derived from Hellenistic astrology, and that the Yavanajātaka was in fact the principle source of this transmission.

Pingree accomplished this by showing that the Yavanajātaka was the earliest Indian text on horoscopic astrology, and that it formed the basis of virtually all later traditions of astrology in India.  He pointed out that the Yavanajātaka, which actually means ‘Horoscopy of the Greeks‘, was actually a Sanskrit translation of a Greek astrological text, and that the vast majority of doctrines contained in the text could be traced back either directly or indirectly to Hellenistic sources.

The Origins of the Yavanajātaka 

Although the practice of using the astrological methods of the Yavanajātaka were most likely used by the priests of Alexander the Great and by Astrologers of Ancient Egypt, the original Greek text of the Yavanajātaka was probably composed in Egypt sometime later in the 1st century CE, likely in Alexandria. In the early 2nd century it was transported on a trading ship to the western coast of India where a number of Greek trading colonies were set up, some of which were still left over from the earlier conquests of Alexander the Great.

The Greek original was then translated into Sanskrit in 149/150 CE by a Greek in the Indian city of Ujjain known as Yavaneśvara, who had adopted Indian customs and apparently converted to Hinduism. This text was then versified in the mid-3rd century by another Indianized Greek known as Sphujidhvaja. This text was subsequently drawn on in one way or another by virtually every other major Indian astrologer, as was demonstrated by Pingree in his commentary through comparisons with the later Indian texts.

Linguistic Evidence of the Transmission

The strongest evidence that Indian astrology is of Greek origin is the fact that many of the technical terms in the early Indian tradition, and even today, are simply transliterations of Greek terms into Sanskrit. The Yavanajataka of Sphujidhvaja, vol. 2, pgs. 195-415.))

In Greek these words have a range of concrete and abstract meanings, but in Sanskrit the words just become technical terms that have little or no meaning outside of their astrological application. That is to say, most of these transliterated terms don’t actually mean anything in Sanskrit outside of their technical usage, but in Greek the terms have actual semantic connections with other words, thus showing their origin in the Greek language.

For example, in the Yavanajātaka the Greek word for an angular sign, kentron, becomes kendra in Sanskrit. The Greek term for a succedent house, epanaphora, becomes panaphara.  The Greek term for a cadent house, apoklima, simply becomes apoklima.

In other instances, the Greek term for a void of course Moon, kenodromia, becomes kemadruma. The term for an application, sunaphe, becomes sunapha.  The 10° segments of the ecliptic known as decans or dekanos become drekanas. The Greek word for a “trine” or “triplicity,” trigonon, simply becomes trikona. And so on.

In the vast majority of the cases the actual technical application of the astrological concepts that are described by these transliterated Sanskrit terms are still very similar, if not identical, to the Hellenistic application of the same concepts. While many technical modifications and adaptations had already been made to the Indian system by the time of the composition of the extant version of the Yavanajātaka, the overwhelming emphasis of this early Indian astrological tradition is still remarkably similar to what was being practiced in the Hellenistic tradition of astrology.

Synthesis of the Hellenistic and Indian Astrological Traditions

The astrology that was imported into India from Egypt was merged with the indigenous form of lunar astrology known as the nakshatras. There were also probably some other earlier forms of astrology already in India prior to the Yavanajātaka that were derived from Mesopotamian sources. The Indians subsequently made this form of astrology their own though, and it has flourished there for nearly 2,000 years now, with many new developments and innovations that are quite unique to the Indian tradition. For example, horary astrology may have originally been developed by Indian astrologers.

Even by the time the Yavanajātaka was rewritten in verse in the 3rd century by Sphujidhvaja considerable changes had been made to the text, and while the overall nature and feel of the text is still clearly Hellenistic, it already makes significant departures in some places from the Hellenistic astrological tradition. For example, the unique aspect doctrine that is employed by Indian astrologers is already in place in the versified form of the Yavanajātaka, and there is no precedence for it in the Hellenistic tradition. Other peculiar deviations from the Hellenistic system abound.

JADE LUNA’S recreation of the Yavanajātaka

Astrologer Jade Luna, when living in India recreated the Yavanajātaka to look like it  did before its arrival in India. While the work of Jade Luna talks widely about this being the system of Alexander the Great and his priests, that can not be verified, although it’s most likely true as Alexander’s priests received their Astronomy education in Alexandria Egypt where the base of the Yavanajātaka was their central study.  One notable error by Luna is that the Yavanajātaka didn’t arrive in India by the priests of Alexander the Great, it was transported on a trading ship to the western coast of India where a number of Greek trading colonies were set up from the earlier conquests of Alexander the Great. Alexander the Great’s trading colonies are responsible for the Yavanajātaka’s arrival in India, not the priests of Alexander. 

ASTERIAN ASTROLOGY, A remolded Roman/Greco vision of the Yavanajātaka, 

Asterian astrology, also known as the Lost System of Alexander the Great, is an ancient form of astrology based on the 27 Lunar Stars (Nakshatras). This system, which some claim to be the oldest on Earth, was reportedly brought to India by Alexander the Great’s priests who learned it in Alexandria, Egypt.

Key Aspects of Asterian Astrology:

27 Lunar Stars (Nakshatras): The system’s structure is based on 27 divisions of the sky called Lunar Stars, which are related to the constellations.

Sidereal Zodiac, aligning with the actual positions of stars, unlike the Tropical Zodiac which is based on seasons (all ancient astrology and astronomy texts are sidereal).

Gods and Goddesses: Each Star is named for a ruling Roman/Greco god or goddess, which are categorized as angelic, human, or infernal, reflecting ancient Roman beliefs about the nature of God.

Emphasis on Shadow Self: Practitioners of Asterian astrology may focus on understanding and integrating the “shadow self,” or aspects of personality that may hold

• Greater Exactitude: The 27-star system offers more precise interpretations compared one back from achieving higher to the 12-sign Tropical zodiac.

Sidereal Zodiac: Asterian astrology uses the Sidereal Zodiac, aligning with the actual positions of stars, unlike the Tropical Zodiac which is based on seasons.

Gods and Goddesses: Each Star is named for a ruling Roman/Greco god or goddess, which are categorized as angelic, human, or infernal, reflecting ancient Roman beliefs about the nature of God.

• Emphasis on Shadow Self: Practitioners of Asterian astrology may focus on understanding and integrating the “shadow self,” or aspects of personality that may hold. 

Conclusion:

Yavanajataka and Asterian astrology: understanding the connection

The Yavanajataka is a foundational ancient Indian text demonstrating the transmission and influence of Greek (Hellenistic) astrology on Indian astrological traditions. Asterian astrology, in turn, is a contemporary system that draws inspiration from the Yavanajataka and other ancient sources. Here’s a closer look: 

Yavanajataka 

• Meaning: Literally translates to “Nativity According to the Greeks”.
• Origin: Believed to be a Sanskrit translation of a lost Greek astrological text, likely originating in Alexandria, Egypt, around the 1st or 2nd century CE.
• Significance: It’s considered the earliest known Sanskrit work referencing Greek horoscopy and played a crucial role in transmitting Hellenistic astrological techniques to India, influencing later Indian astrological developments.
• Key features: Contains instructions on calculating horoscopes, and reflects techniques developed in the Greek-speaking world, including the use of astronomical methods and terminology.
• Scholarly debate: While generally accepted that the Yavanajataka demonstrates the influence of Greek astrology on India, the exact dating and some interpretations of the text by scholars like David Pingree are subject to ongoing discussion. 

Asterian astrology

• Modern interpretation: A modern astrological system created by Jade Sol Luna, drawing heavily from the Yavanajataka and combining Greco-Roman and Hindu astrological concepts.
• Emphasis on the 27-sign zodiac: A central element of Asterian astrology is the use of a 27-sign sidereal zodiac, which it claims was the authentic zodiac of the Greeks, Babylonians, and Egyptians.
• Reconciling ancient traditions: Aims to blend Western astrological accessibility with the predictive aspects of Hindu astrology, offering a unique perspective on understanding the self.
• Focus on the shadow self: Emphasizes the importance of confronting and integrating one’s shadow self on the path to lasting peace and higher consciousness, according to Luna. 

Relationship between the two

• Direct inspiration: Asterian astrology positions itself as a reconstruction and reinterpretation of the ancient astrological system embodied in the Yavanajataka and other ancient traditions.
• Bridging traditions: It attempts to synthesize elements of both Hellenistic and Indian astrology, as suggested by the historical transmission revealed by the Yavanajataka. 

In essence, the Yavanajataka provides the historical and textual foundation for understanding the transmission of astrological knowledge from the Hellenistic world to India, while Asterian astrology presents a modern system that seeks to revive and reinterpret these ancient traditions for contemporary seekers.