A Thousand Suns: Designing Your Future with Vedic Astrology [Hardcover]

Linda Johnsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004

What if you had a map of your future? The ancient sages of India created just such maps to help us find our way through the unknown terrain ahead. A Thousand Suns introduces you to this yoga science of Vedic Astrology. Discover how your Vedic birth chart encapsulates your personality, experiences, and spiritual potential. Learn the mechanics of karma, and the practices that deflect bad karma and generate a much more positive future.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Probably the most readable and entertaining introduction to Vedic astrology available. Use it to improve your life on all levels. -- Dr. David Frawley, Director of American Institute of Vedic Studies, 2004

Probably the most readable and entertaining introduction to Vedic astrology available. Use it to improve your life on all levels. -- Dr. David Frawley, Director of American Institute of Vedic Studies, 2004

Shines like a gem in the growing field of Jyotish. Destined to be a classic in Vedic Astrology. --Dr. Dennis Harness, President of American College of Vedic Astrology 2004

Shines like a gem in the growing field of Jyotish. Destined to be a classic in Vedic Astrology. --Dr. Dennis Harness, President of American College of Vedic Astrology 2004

From the Publisher

>AWARD FINALIST for Best Books, Multicultural Non-Fiction, by usabooknews.com.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 325 pages
• Publisher: Yes International Publishers (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936663359
• ISBN-13: 978-0936663357
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,419 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Johnsen is a long-time student of religious philosophy and spirituality and an initiate in the Shaktavaita Tradition. She holds degrees in Eastern and Western Psychology, and has post-graduate training in theology and Sanskrit. She has traveled to India and lived with women saints. She is a writer for several spiritual magazines and a contributor to several anthologies, including The Divine Mosaic: Women's Images of the Sacred Other. Linda is also author of Yes Publishers' Kirtan: Chanting as a Spiritual Path, A Thousand Suns: Designing your Future with Vedic Astrology, Daughters of the Goddess: Women Saints of India, which received Midwest Business Association award for "Best New Age Book of the Year" and The Living Goddess: Reclaiming the Tradition of the Mother of the Universe.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Introductory Book on Vedic Astrology, December 27, 2005

By 

Laura De Giorgio "hypnotherapist" (Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Thousand Suns: Designing Your Future with Vedic Astrology (Hardcover)

This book is best suited for absolute beginners to Vedic Astrology. If you don't have your Vedic astrology chart, the book guides you how to compose it based on Western astrology chart - roughly by deducting 23 degrees - specific degrees are listed for each year from 1930 - 2029. The book contains blank forms which you can fill in with your personal information as you follow along. What you'll learn in this book are descriptions of vedic signs, planets, houses, 12 adityas, qualities of the vedic houses, 27 nakshastras, how to gauge planetary strenghts and weaknesses, how to find several yogas, take a glance at few vedic subcharts, as well as dashas.

Explanation of points is further elucidated through several sample charts related both to people and to events.

Once you have a glimpse into your own chart, you can look at different remendial measures such as using mantras, fire rituals (yagyas), prayers to appropriate aspect of Divine, engaging in selfless service, and generally living as a spiritually conscious being.

This book is written in a simple language and is entertaining to read. There is also a lot of good, common-sense advice and Linda has managed to put astrology in a proper perspective, as a tool that helps the individual to navigate successfully through life. The idea is to make the most with your talents and well, if you find it's going to rain, you prepare yourself and get an umbrella before you go out, instead of bemoaning your destiny. There's always something you can do to live fulfilling life and about half of this book is dedicated to taking constructive action.

Once you're done going through this book, then you can move on to reading more complex and detailed books on vedic astrology. This book will help to ease you into vedic astrology.

If you are having difficulty with creating your own chart manually and would like to have a computerized version to test the waters of Vedic Astrology by exploring your own chart, you can contact me and I will email you your own chart, so you can have fun and discover if you'd like to continue learning more about Vedic Astrology. I love to help people who have passion for learning new things.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spiritual side of astrology, January 4, 2006

By 

Jonathan Pearl "Jonathan Pearl" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Thousand Suns: Designing Your Future with Vedic Astrology (Hardcover)

Though I am a practitioner of traditional Western astrology, I have the utmost respect for the Indian system. Unlike Western astrology which had its cultural rise and fall, Indian astrology is an intact tradition that has been an essential part of its society for many thousands of years. We Western astrologers can benefit by learning from this amazing tradition.

Linda Johnsen is an American who is steeped in Indian culture and spirituality. Many readers will know her as the Vedic Astrology editor of the Mountain Astrologer. I've particularly enjoyed her clearly written and astute columns, so when I saw this book it went straight to the top of my to read list.

A Thousand Suns is a good beginners books on Indian astrology. It is worthwhile reading for the dedicated Western astrologer seeking to expand their knowledge and for students of Indian astrology. She covers the basics like how to convert your Western chart to Indian and the meanings of the planets, signs and houses. Most important is the spiritual foundation of Indian astrology. This foundation, admittedly lacking from many of the medieval European texts, informs the entire practice. A large portion of her book is about Upayas, or remedies, with a focus on mantra and other spiritual practices. For those without an Indian bent she includes ideas and prayers from other traditions. Anyone seeking to integrate spirituality and astrology will find many inspiring ideas in this clear and soulful book. Recommended.

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Essential Book for Everyone's Library!, August 18, 2004

By 

Patricia Kendel "The Perceptual Arts" (Avondale, PA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Thousand Suns: Designing Your Future with Vedic Astrology (Hardcover)

Linda Johnsen is the greatest living woman writer of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology);her numerous and award-winning books been instrumental in bringing the timesless wisdom of the Indian Sages (a 6000+ year tradition) to the West. A Thousand Suns is the quintessential introduction for beginners (Linda makes the material easy, fascinating, exciting and immediately available) as well as more advanced students and professionals, who will find Linda's clear and lively explanation of the core principals of Jyotish to be refreshing, rejuvenating, and invaluable help in their daily practice. Her writing style is perfect; beautifully conceived and executed with great precision, offering an easy personal rapport with the reader and an expression that is at once understandable, yet deeply thought-provoking. Linda Johnsen is writer, editor and contributor to The Mountain Astrologer and International Yoga Magazines, where her articles shine like A Thousand Suns.I will never be without this nor any of her other books! Order A Thousand Suns Today! Your life will be greatly enriched!