Nakshatras [Paperback]

Dennis M. Harness Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1999

This book shows you how to access the wisdom of the Nakshatras in your personal life and for society. Through it the modern reader can understand the energies of their stars and learn how to utilize these to bring their lives into harmony with the great forces of the universe. This book is must reading not only for any students of astrology but for anyone interested in self-development or spiritual growth.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Lotus Press; 1st edition (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0914955837
• ISBN-13: 978-0914955832
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handy reference guide for beginners, maybe for practitioners, May 10, 2002

By 

Barbara Pijan "Uttarabhadrapada4" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nakshatras (Paperback)

Handy reference guide to the 27 (with Abijit, 28) nakshatras, or lunar mansions, used extensively in Jyotisha practice to find the specific character of the Moon (& other lagnas).

Jyotisha contains both solar & lunar astrological lineages. Nakshatra readings are from the older, lunar component. Westerners accustomed to tropical, solar-only astrology will find nakshatra divisions perhaps a very new concept. (For a historical explanation of the merging of solar & lunar systems in Jyotisha, see Valerie Roebuck "The Circle of Stars".)

Harness' "Nakshatras" provides a nice way to dip one's baby toe into the rich & complex lunar-house system. It offers about 3 pages of description for each nakshatra. 3 pages turns out to be perfect for beginner-level quick reference without detailed study.

Each 3-page description includes David Frawley's definition of the nakshtra's "shakti" or divine energy, the central stars in its astronomical constellation, ruling planet & ruling deities, animal symbol, and descriptive psychological profile. (Harness has a PhD in counseling psychology.) There is a brief but useful section on using nakshatras to establish relationship compatibility, and a note on kuja dosha. Good index too!(A great rarity in Jyotisha books...) At the end, there is an appendix containing 12 basic rashi profiles, which may be helpful for early beginners.

If you are starting from a Western astrological perspective and have never heard of nakshatras, by all means buy this modest volume for your Jyotisha bookshelf. It is approachable and easy to read.

Seasoned practitioners of the Vidya may find the descriptive material rather superficial, to the point of sounding vapid. This is definitely not a scholarly text. Considering the complexity of nakshatra lore, it is not even particularly informative.

However, there is one advanced feature that experienced Jyotishi may agree re-pays the cost of this book. That is Harness' by-permission copy of B.V. Raman's incredibly convenient nakshatra marriage compatibility chart, listed toward the end of the volume. If one does frequent compatibility assessments, this chart can be a time-saver.

Despite its limitations or perhaps because of them, "Nakshatras" offers good value to its intended audience of early beginner students of Jyotisha. Harness has done a service by packaging "the tip of the iceberg" in a pleasant, accessible style.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Handy Resource on Nakshatras, May 12, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Nakshatras (Paperback)

Dennis Harness holds a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and has studied both Eastern and Western astrology. This book is his presentation of the Nakshatras, which are the 27 (or, for some 28) Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology. The Nakshatras have a particularly interesting import in analysis when we consider that in ancient Indian culture people identified the stars, satellites, and planets with demons, gods, and other supernatural forces as components and constructs of reality. Frequently divine and metaphysical factors were perceived as spiritual forces that dispensed grace and penalty to the individuals they contacted. Hence, the lunar mansions, which correlates with the 28-day lunar cycle through the zodiac, corresponds to a period of divine sovereignty as indicated by the Lord who presides over that domain in time. In Indian mythology, each Nakshatra is represented as one of the Moon's brides.

This entire text is devoted to a presentation of the Nakshatras, and it includes sections such as: Choosing Auspicious Lunar Nakshatras; Relationship Compatibility; a very well organized appendix that aids you in identifying Planets, Houses and Ascendants "at a Glance;" and a handy Sanskrit glossary. This text is very easy to read, and very well presented.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to the Lunar Mansions, October 7, 2004

By 

Linda Johnsen "author" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nakshatras (Paperback)

This is an absolutely wonderful introduction to the 27 Moon signs used in Vedic astrology. It's well organized, easy to read, and incredibly fascinating. Highly recommended!