Every Sunday I see many of my friends and relatives pulling the newspapers to open the astrology page to read their weekly predictions. Sometimes, even I do the same thing.  What changes every week, what do we expect to change so often? What’s that we all want from our lives? And does astrology give explanation for every few months for everything improper in our life?  Some planets will always retrograde and some will prograde. While one astrologer lists what to do, the other one just says the opposite. When one says travel, someone else says stay back home. When one says ‘’invest’’ the other says ‘’don’t invest for now’’.

And who does not visit astrologers/soothsayers? From the Prime Ministers, Presidents of nations, to the working class of people each one visits or sees soothsayers with a hope in heart that someday things will change for good. Astrology is full of fiction, intuition, nostalgic longing and archetype-driven poetry. It is a rich engine for psychic exploration. It gives us a hope, a dream, a vision, an intuition, an insight, something to look forward to…. It has the magic. Between the two extremes of life – yes and no, it provides thin gruel for our monotony and boring life. It helps people’s imaginary longings related to economic, emotional and social consequences.

Human beings are very reactive by nature. It’s a sad puzzle; some believe in an invisible deity responsible for the planet’s well-being, for our well-being. People have faith in the unknown. And hence we see astrology mushrooming all over. We pick out trends that fit our narrative. A Vedic astrologer might help you pick the ‘best date’ for your wedding, but if the marriage breaks up into a divorce, well, that too becomes part of the ‘plan.’

People want to know their future because they believe that they have greater things set for them. They don’t want to be stuck in their present, where they believe that nothing amazing is happening to them. They dream big, and realize that someday they will be able to do something stunning, without even realizing that they have the present, in which they don’t realize that that “something big” was the future that they were dreaming about in the past.

Astrology’s premise is that the planetary movements influence the moments in time. Since we’re part of the story of the Universe, our moment of birth recorded on the celestial clock is meaningful. The planets continue to move, engaging with the fixed in time energies of our birth chart. People cannot take in the mystery of things, they are also eager to unfold all the solutions the earth has to unravel.

Why do people believe in astrology? The answer to the question lies very much in the same realm as why people believe in just about any superstition. Astrology offers a number of things which many people find very desirable: information and assurance about the future, a way to be absolved of their current situation and future decisions, and a way to feel connected to the entire cosmos.

Astrology is an absurd tool of self-discovery, no matter how far you decide to take it. At first, the pieces of the puzzle may not seem to fit. But if you stick with it, at a certain point it “clicks” and the orchestrations of the cosmic dance make sense. Astrology shares this with many other beliefs which tend to be categorized as “New Age,” for example the idea that nothing in life is truly coincidental. On this view of life, everything which happens to us, even the smallest or seemingly most insignificant event, happens for some particular reason. Astrology then claims to provide at least some of the answers as to why they happen, and perhaps even a way to predict them in advance. In this way, astrology purports to help people understand their lives and the world around them – and who doesn’t want that?

In a sense, astrology does work. The way it is practiced today, it can work quite well. After all, most of those who visit an astrologer end up feeling satisfied and feeling that they have benefited. What this really means is not that astrology has accurately predicted the person’s future, but rather it means that visiting an astrologer or having a horoscope cast can be a fulfilling and personally satisfying experience.

If you take astrology as a truthful means of prediction, then you will be dissatisfied. If you use it as a useful motivation to your own thoughts and insights it’s ok to some extent. If you depend too much on it, for taking those important decisions in life, its vagueness may lead you nowhere.

 A name is the most important identifier of a person, a state, a village, a business, a nation, a pet etc. The name implies race, era, societal culture and religion. No wonder, people take time to name their children, their business, their pet, their ventures etc. Names have meaning and they do suggest character, traits and acumen of a person/business/pet/state/nation. Your name has power, therefore respect it.

We also see that some people hardly give any importance to their own name; I usually make it a point of asking people when I meet them, what their name means. I have seen blank expression on most people’s face because they are clueless about the meaning of their name. For most of them their name holds no power, no significance and no value. Your name has a meaning that defines you. While your surname explains on heredity, your given name is the stamp of your personal identity. There is a treasure in your name and that treasure is its meaning.

Do you know that words contain great power? In fact the Bible says that the universe, the world, everything we know was created by the word of God. So the power of names is indeed an amazing and exclusive thing.

The name given to the child is going to get repeated all through its life and may be even later. So the name should be one with profound meaning and should make sense in it rather than just serving as a tag. Hence, in the Hindu religion the naming ceremony has its significance. The child’s horoscope is prepared and depending on the star sign a name is chosen. A newly born child is given name of deity, the star in which the child is born, the name of the forefathers etc. According to the date and time of birth of the child, a particular letter of the Sanskrit alphabet associated with the child’s solar birth sign (Soorya Rashi) is chosen which would prove lucky for the baby and the family. The baby is then given a name starting with that letter.

Names have their roots, origins and versions in all religions. Germanic names characteristically convey aggressive attributes with such meanings as “strength”, “brightness,” “warrior”, “bravery” and “glory”. You will find the “bert” which is a core element common to many Germanic names; “bert” means “bright”. Examples are Albert and Robert. French names are usually variations of Germanic names. Some examples are: Robert, Charles, Henry, William and Albert. It is common in France to have two given names such as, Jeanne-Marie and Jean-Claude. Traditionally, the French are named after Roman calendar saints as with, Marie for Mary and Bernard for St. Bernard of Clairvaux. Celtic names, like Alan, Brian, and Brigid are anglicized versions of early Celtic forms. Christian saints dominate the list along with Celtic mythological figures such as Bran or Bron. The most common Celtic girl’s names are Lynn, Shannon and Eileen.

In Islam, baby is named on the day of birth, by his mother and father who make a decision together on what the child should be called. They choose an appropriate name and on the baby’s day of birth the father must have a sheep slaughtered and given to the poor to give charity on his babys birth. If he does not have enough funds he may do it anytime in the future as long as it is done in general.

Some people choose nature names which generally derive from the elements of nature such as, the names of flowers, birds, colors, stars, sun, moon, water, earth, air and fire. English names like Violet, Rose, Jasmine, Daisy, Dawn, Ruby, Pearl, Crystal and Sparrow are all examples of nature names, and Indian names such as Jai, Jui, Gulab, Varsha, Pawan, Rudra, Devika, Salil etc denote special qualities and attributes of nature. If you possess a nature name you please find the metaphysical attributes and properties that are associated with your name. Please research the particular element of nature to gain further insights into the power of your name.

Trait names often remark on virtues and principles. For example – Shalini, Sheela, Dayanand, Nirbhaya, Satyasheel are some Indian names which suggest personality traits. Trait names revolve around faith, hope, charity, intelligence, bravery, intelligence etc. It is believed that a girl or a boy possessing a trait name personifies that virtue throughout their life and grow to motivate others.

Very small (tiny) names are sometimes used to distinguish between two or more members within a family. In English, Robert may be changed to “Robby” or “Bobby” and “Danny” is frequently used for Daniel; while Bablu for Balwant, Raju for Rajendra, Pammi for Parwinder so on and forth in Indian names.

Your name is the link between your intelligence, your mind, your language, and your conduct. You can make a good, a bad or an ugly brand out of your name. You can make miracles if you wish so.  The more you understand about yourself, the more you’ll see and appreciate how unique you really are, and the more you’ll respect yourself. Discover your principles, personality, and talents. Stop pandering to other people’s approval and start developing your own standards.Learn to handle criticism. Forgive yourself of guilt or remorse. Accept yourself by being comfortable in your own skin and to learn to love and accept the person who you are.  Maintain a positive attitude and believe in your choices. Take good careof your body and mind both. Forgive others and shed the negativity. Avoid getting overly emotional it does not help. Most important spend time with the people who respect you. Work on bringing in positivity in your life; thus make your name powerful.