At a time when doom and gloom has descended upon the world, renowned astrologer, Dr. Sohini Sastri, spoke to us about the importance of astrology during the Coronavirus pandemic. Known for her accurate predictions, Dr. Sohini Sastri who has been felicitated by the Vice-President, and former President of India, for excellence in her field spoke to us how she has been addressing and assuaging fears emanating from the economic fallout of lockdown,“Lockdown has been here for almost 3 months, and people are asking questions like, What will happen in the future? Because many of them have lost their salaries, their incomes. The global economy is down, and we are seeing many young people get depressed at the same time. I try to give people a mental boost during these times with my work. That’s why astrology is really important during this period.”
Dr. Sastri who has been interested in spirituality since childhood, and used to read the Vedas and the Bhagvaad Gita as a child, which sparked her interest in Astrology, also spoke to us about how she started the practice initially. “When I graduated from school, I’d buy books of astrology, and after reading them, I’d make predictions to my relatives, and my friends, and most of those those predictions would come true”, she said. She believes that astrology is crucial for humans, and should hold deep importance in our lives. “From the day we are born, all the events in our lives are controlled by planetary positions, the stars, and lunar positions. This is why astrology is meaningful for us as humans.”
Dr. Sastri feels she helps people, and improves lives, by offering profession, marital, and life advice to those in need. Often, she is approached by those who are lost, and require some form of guidance. “Most people who come to me, want to know about their future, about their married life, about their careers. Sometimes, students will come to me, wanting to know which field they should go into. I analyze their horoscopes, and offer advice based on that. Often, people who have worked extremely hard but have not had any success will approach me. Those are the people whom I can help the most with my work.”
In spite of the increased skepticism that astrology faces in the modern world, Dr. Sastri remains undeterred. She feels that astrology’s detractors have not paid enough attention to the subject. “Yes, I think the skepticism is wrong. If you look at astrology, it’s an ancient subject, and it’s a scientific subject. It predates science, and it will continue into the future as well, because whether or not someone believes in astrology, that is a personal matter, but someone who does believe will definitely experience some benefits.”
Speaking on the career improvements caused by astrology, Dr. Sastri feels strongly that astrological career advice can aid someone in their professional life. She talks about the “10th house” technique for analyzing career paths. “Career astrology is a part of astrology. In it, we analyse, the placement of the lagna from the 10th house to determine optimal career paths.” Astrology can offer a kind of job security, according to her. “Some people would be better as doctors, some as engineers, some as actors, etc. In astrology, we can perfectly determine this, and as a result, people get a kind of security with regard to their jobs and their careers through astrology.”
We asked her to share some advice for parents, who are concerned about their children’s future, and career paths. Dr. Sastri feels that many parents simply force their children to take up Science in 11th standard, and as a result, many students perform poorly, and face undue pressure. She advises parents to instead send children to an astrologist, after the 10th grade, to determine what career choice they should make. “In any study, you need your mental faculties to support you. Not every child’s mind will work in every field, so you need to make sure that their mind is well-equipped for the file they enter. An astrologist should be consulted on this matter, as they can offer good guidance on what career would be well suited for the child. That would be my advice to parents.”