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Yesterday, Astrologer Ashutosh interviewed Astrologer Juliana Swanson, on behalf of Jyotish Biz. The interview was done through Google Chat software. 

This highly informative and intellectually stimulating interview reveals a very interesting and brighter view of the Astrology which is being practiced by the new age astrologers like Juliana Swanson.  

Juliana Swanson is a long-time student and a practitioner of astrology, yoga and the healing arts. She is an ACVA Level II certified Vedic astrologer and a member of the Council of Vedic Astrology.

Juliana is a registered nurse (RN) and polarity therapist (RPP) with over 30 years of experience. She currently specializes in psychiatric nursing and energy-based holistic therapy.

Juliana is also an astrological researcher, private astrology tutor, and instructor for the ACVA Online Program. She lives with her family on Hawaii’s Big Island. You may reach her via her Web site at www.AstralHarmony.com or e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Juliana:  Hello!

Astrologer Ashutosh:  Namaskar! Thanks for taking time to chat with me.

Juliana: Thank you for this opportunity.

Astrologer Ashutosh: What has made me curious all along is…did you begin learning Western or Vedic astrology first?

Juliana: Western astrology was first. From about 1969, I began studying everything I could find about Western astrology, and I began casting charts. I was vaguely introduced to Vedic astrology when I became a devotee of Kriya Yoga in my early teens, as Yogananda's guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar, was a Jyotishi. Then I read Alan Leo, who had traveled to India and introduced concepts of Indian astrology in his books. I also read an article by Bepin Behari about karma and astrology in the 70s. I think it was in Theosophy Magazine. And then, I read a Paul Brunton book in which he told a fascinating tale about a Vedic astrologer he met in India. I also studied some of the works of Western sidereal astrologers. Based on their ideas and those of Edgar Cayce, I was curious about the sidereal zodiac and had this gnawing feeling that the tropical zodiac was all wrong. However, it was not until the mid-90s that I crossed over to the "Eastern Side."

Astrologer Ashutosh: And, how did this transition occur?

Juliana: A friend recommended that I have a Vedic astrology reading in the mid 90s, which I did, and I quickly became hooked.

Astrologer Ashutosh: What was the first noticeable and meaningful difference which you noticed between Western tropical and Vedic astrology?

Juliana: Probably the fact that Vedic astrology is aligned with the stars, as I have always been a star gazer. This appealed to me and solved the issue I was having with the tropical zodiac, which is that it is no longer aligned with the stars and just arbitrarily chooses the spring equinox as the beginning of so-called “Aries.” Also, I quickly became attuned to a few of the Vedic astrology dasa systems that worked better than Western progressions for my predictive work. The nakshatras were another perceptible difference that seemed to enliven my interpretation of charts.

Astrologer Ashutosh: Were you practicing as an astrologer using the tropical zodiac before you got interested in Vedic astrology?

Juliana: I was not really practicing full-time as a professional astrologer, but was always reading, studying and casting charts since the time I was a teenager. I also did formal studies in Western astrology. I did charts for friends and relatives and I played around with mundane horoscopes, too. When I was introduced to Vedic astrology, I was working as a holistic practitioner and often cast charts for my clients, not so much for predictive work but to help me understand their issues and so forth. Occasionally, I would do a reading for an astrological client.

Astrologer Ashutosh: Juliana! What I like about your approach toward astrology is that you are open to all ideas from all schools of divination. You seem to be an eternal student of these arts.

Juliana: Yes I am very open to all mystical and spiritual knowledge as long as it is not dogmatic!

Astrologer Ashutosh: And, quite effortlessly you have formed a balance between these diverse sciences which look different on surface but have the same goals.

Juliana: Yes, all systems of astrology have the same general goal, which is to understand self and others. I especially resonate with the term “Universal Astrology,” which my friend Sam Geppi has coined for his astrological work.

Astrologer Ashutosh: Interesting term “Universal Astrology.”

Juliana: It is “universal” because the stars and planets are not just “up there”...they are also “in here.” The complete zodiac and the grahas are found in our subtle spine, which includes the chakras. The lunar nodes are the ida and pingala currents that snake around the sushumna in the subtle spine. So this knowledge brings astrology down to earth. Further, astrology does not belong to any one culture or geographical area. The source of all occult wisdom is the One Supreme Being. This may sound simplistic, but it is my innate understanding.

Astrologer Ashutosh:  The spiritual lessons of astrology.

Juliana: Of course we know that Vedic astrology is steeped in the light of the Vedas, and is part of a deep wisdom tradition that one cannot help but respect and revere. At the same time, many types of Western astrology have a “spiritual” connotation. In fact, much of what I understand about “spiritual astrology” has come through Western astrology teachers. However, when I look closely, I often see that even they have been strongly influenced by the ancient wisdom traditions of India, for instance, the Theosophical system of Esoteric Astrology.