Have you ever wondered if you should quit your job and follow your passion?
Are you with the right significant other, or is there someone else written in the stars for you?
Are you investing your money correctly?
Should you stay in Shanghai long term?
Will anyone in your family get sick soon?
Alex Wang, Shanghai's go-to astrology reader, may just have the answers for you. After practicing for over eight years, Alex creates a natal chart based on your exact birth date, time and location to make predictions and provide advice that just may help you answer life's toughest questions.
READ MORE: We Got An Astrology Reading To Predict Our Future
Two years after our initial astrology reading, we sat down with him to learn more about what Vedic astrology is and how it can be applied to make better informed decisions in everyday life. Here's our verdict.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
What is Vedic astrology?
The English word "magic" came from the Persian word "magi (مغ)," referring to an astrologer.
Embedded within the Sanskrit cultures, Vedic astrology is a divinatory system whose popularity spanned across the Hindus River all the way to ancient Egypt. This body of knowledge is now mostly preserved in traditional lineages rooted in India, and only recently has it been shared with the general public.
Vedic astrology in Sanskrit is known as "jyotish," meaning the "science of light." Here, "light" refers to celestial light emitted or reflected by heavenly bodies that move across space and time, namely the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
The word "science" here refers to the celestial bodies and planets' intricate yet undeniable influence on individuals' lives and their everyday affairs.
If we look at Mesopotamia and ancient India, 800-year old clay tablet recordings have been discovered that outline daily astronomical influences.
Carved records detail specifics like how sun rising and setting times, planet alignment and moon phase waxing and waning were used to make predictions like when a king would proclaim governmental changes, when a person in a position of power would be assassinated, etc. and many of these predictions did, in fact, come true.
Thus the belief in and interest of Vedic astrology has a longstanding base that has carried forward for centuries into present day.
Image of the Sommnath Temple, Connected to Lord Krishna and the Moon in Vedic Astrology, Image courtesy of Alex Wang
How does Vedic astrology it work?
Think of Vedic astrology divided up like Netflix categories. The Netflix library is broken down into several genres: action, horror, drama, romance, comedy, etc.
Taking romance as an example, even though love stories can be told countless ways with different actors and through different mediums, the overarching theme of all romance films boils down to desire, conflict and, ultimately, resolution.
In a similar way that movies are categorized into genres, Jyotish, or Vedic astrology readings, reduce human experiences into nine manageable archetypes, represented by the nine traditional planets.
The Nine Universal Architypes
Sun – soul, father, vitality, leadership, confidence, sense of self, wealth, rhythm, eastern direction
Moon – mind, mother, food, emotion, dream, society and social norms, northwestern direction
Mars – blood, siblings, courage, energy, passion, aggression, protection, southern direction
Mercury – skin, friends, material learning, communication, finance, business, northern direction.
Jupiter – brain, teachers, spiritual learning, faith, wisdom, serendipity, northeastern direction
Venus – virility, lovers, material pleasure, beauty, art, harmony, vehicles, southeastern direction
Saturn – muscle, pets and servants, patience, works, sufferings, time, western direction
Rahu – boundaries, bondages, desire, obsession, intelligence, drugs, downward direction
Ketu – meditation, intuition, liberation, awareness potential, supernatural experiences, upward direction
The first breath of a baby is a key moment in their life; the arrangement of planets in the sky at that particular moment constitutes what is referred to as the natal chart.
The natal chart consists of elements like the placement of planets, the placement of the 12 astrological signs; and the placement of houses – or a geometrical division of the universe through the geocentric perspective.
Image via Pixabay
Given an exact birth time, date, and location, an astrologer can create a person's natal chart to judge how the elements are configured and when desirable and undesirable events may unfold.
For example, if Jupiter is linked to the partner of John Doe, then he is looking for a highly educated partner. If both Jupiter and Mars are involved, then he might be looking for two characteristics in one partner – maybe someone who is highly dedicated to and passionate about exercise, such as a personal trainer or coach.
Furthermore, it’s important to know how astrology readings do not work. Although there are only 12 astrological signs, this does not mean there are just 12 types of people. That is like saying, I only have 12 condiments in my kitchen, so I can only make 12 dishes.
In my opinion, many people like to discuss astrology from the perspective of their sign because it is a good conversation starter; rarely do I encounter people who sit down and dig deeper beneath the plethora of junk media information.
The nature of these elements and how they interact with each other has been recorded in many civilizations across the planet for centuries. For example, Ptolemy recorded the Western Astrology while Parashara recorded Vedic Astrology.
The better the astrologer, the better they can decipher the natal chart and extract the maximum amount of accurate information with regard to both what has happened and the likelihood of what will happen in the future.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
Why does knowing the exact time of birth matter?
Finding the exact birth time is critical to a successful astrology reading. The exactness of time decides how much freewill and what kind of freewill a person may have.
This point of freewill is reflected by the concept of "ascendant," a time-sensitive point in a natal chart, or the star-map of fate and freewill at the moment of birth.
An individual's ascendant, or rising sign, determines his or her social personality, both physical body and outward style. We can think about ascendant like the CEO of a company. Whatever happens in the company, the CEO has to be the one making the decision – so each person's ascendant helps to determine those decisions that effect the entire company, or every aspect of a person's life.
Let me give an example. I was reading a woman's natal chart that indicated she would be accepted into a position at a leading law firm, but, according to her chart, the timing for this wouldn't be for a few months, until the following February.
In this situation, I had to ensure that her patience would be rewarded and that accepting a less desirable outcome before then wouldn't result in as positive of a solution for her. Ultimately, she held out and accepted her dream job a few months later.
Similarly, a client came to me asking if she should accept a study opportunity in the USA or stay in China. Because her natal chart showed strong Capricorn influences (ones that align with China) and weak Gemini influences (those that align with the USA), I urged her against this move.
In the end, she was accepted into an art study program here in China that greatly developed her career prospects much more so than the opportunity in the USA.
Finally, another client's chart indicated late marriage (after the age of 36). At the time she was only 34, and decided against moving in with her then boyfriend. Just few months later, they split up. About a year later, she began dating another man, who she is still with today, years later, happily involved in a solid and secure relationship.
In cases like these, it is not as important to just see what is about to happen in a person’s life, it is more important to prescribe remedial measures for avoiding undesirable outcomes while simultaneously attracting desirable circumstances.
Whether it is attracting partners or drawing boundaries to fend off bad influences, the astrologer has to make these judgments from the natal chart.
Image via Pixabay
What is your background and how did you get into astrology?
From a young age, I always wondered about the balance between free will and predestination. But, my love for math has always been just as strong. I ultimately majored in Theoretical Mathematics at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, and went on to work in consulting in New York City for a few years, before moving to Shanghai.
Yet, however math could help me understand how everything works, it couldn’t help me with self-understanding. These days, people are learning more and more about less and less, and as the saying goes, “eventually we will understand everything about nothing.”
When I first started doing readings for friends, they treated me like a joke. But, as my predictions became more accurate, they recognized the light I was shining on their future. That feeling is much more rewarding and fulfilling compared to solving a mathematical puzzle.
Image via Pixabay
How did you learn how to read people using astrology?
I first started seven years ago, and during my time practicing astrology, I have been influenced by several crucial teachers. When I began diving deeper into astrology, I was living in NYC – home to a vibrant astrological community.
After years of studying and practicing, I got into Indian astrology – a much more systematic form of astrology that I believe leads to making more accurate predictions. I connected with an astrology teacher in India that, if not for COVID, would have brought me there now to study with him.
Image via Pixabay
How do you conduct an Astrology reading?
From the client, I ask for three main pieces of information: an accurate time of birth (crucial), date of birth and location of birth. From there, I follow up by asking about any questions/problems the person might be having in their life. In many cases, the client doesn’t have any questions and is simply coming to me because of curiosity.
Next, I spend some time deciphering the natal chart with various astrological techniques in relationship to the questions the client is interested in. Finally, we have a conversation in person or over Zoom to discuss my findings, provide predictions and offer suggestions.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
What information do you provide someone receiving an astrology reading from you?
An astrology reading is more a conversation rather than a single directional question and answer setup.
The more background information I have about the client, the more accurate the prediction will be.
The more experienced the astrologer is, the less background information he/she will need to make accurate predictions.
For example, my own astrological chart was my first study case, and I understand it better than any of my clients’ charts because I spend countless hours observing my own life in connection with my chart.
With that said, here were some sample questions I’ve been asked recently:
Client: Should I join this PhD program and, if so, can I do it next couple years?
My answer: Yes, ideally you should join the program on XX-year, XX-month, XX-day.
Client: Is this guy/girl the right one?
My answer: No, I do not think this is the one unless he/she is still there until after the XX date, month, year.
Client: Which areas should I invest my money in?
My answer: XX areas, but the time has not arrived yet.
Client: Will I get promotion, and when will it happen?
My answer: Probably not in your current company, unless you...
Image via Pixabay
Other common questions I am asked include:
How will the health of my grandparents be?
How will my business be?
Will my business partner do something behind my back?
Should I stay in Shanghai for the long term?
How can I change X area of my life for the better?
Will I have children?
How can I make more money?
I am an athlete; will I win XX competition?
Can you tell me more about this area of my life in the next XX years?
What should I be careful about in terms of my health?
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
To someone that is skeptical about fortune telling or astrology reading, how do you convince them otherwise?
If they have already made up their mind, then I don’t try to convince them otherwise. Some people prefer going on vacations without checking the weather, and it’s totally fine.
However, if someone is skeptical because he or she is fed up with misleading and fragmented information that is commonly associated with astrology, I would take a step back and explain to them about the mathematics of astronomy behind the system, as well as the more fundamental question: Do you believe in complete free will?
Astrology is like a weather forecast: one cannot change the weather, but you can decide to bring an umbrella or a pair of sunglasses.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
What about astrology do you find most interesting?
I find it interesting that how seemingly unrelated events in life are connected by the same astronomical phenomena at the moment of birth. Each person has a different astrological chart that delineates not only potential life events and drawbacks, but also the timing of when those events may manifest.
I believe that the exact date, time and location of your birth greatly affects who you ultimately become as a person and the events that will take place in your life.
It is fascinating to me that two people can be born only a few days apart but live two completely different lives, such as the famous case of Adolf Hitler vs. Charlie Chaplin.
Sometimes, those couple of days – or even a couple of minutes – can ultimately result in a major change in a person’s life path.
Image via Pixabay
Have you ever given someone an Astrology reading that has been spot on? What about dead wrong?
The job of an astrologer isn’t so different from that of a doctor. For example, a spinal surgeon performs best when handling cases of spinal fractures; he can maybe treat some patients with basic digestive issues.
Similarly, as an astrologer, most people come to me with issues about either their relationships or career, and I have practiced enough cases to know which astrological rules to be applied when and where.
However, if tomorrow someone comes to me asking about children and parents when the information isn’t as clear, then the risk of off-target predictions is higher because I haven’t had many chances to apply the astrological rules related to parents and kids yet.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
For example, the ninth house in a natal chart indicates, among many other things, biological father, teacher, mentor, path, university, and luck (and first pregnancy if the chart belongs to a woman).
The twelfth house in a natal chart indicates that which is forever lost, foreign countries, prison, meditation, sleep, hospitalization and seclusive places, like an ashram or a monastery.
If these two houses are intimately linked together – there are rules for how and when two houses are linked, but that is beyond the scope of this interview – then the connection between these two houses can certainly relate to the loss of a father or loss of a first pregnancy or going to a foreign place for the purpose of higher education either in a university or an ashram.
Based on the natal chart and the information I have of a person’s background, then, like a doctor, I can offer advice and some remedial measures to make the situation more bearable and less stressful.
To book an appointment with Alex Wang reach out him on his WeChat through his ID: alexs128099 or by email at readings@alexttw.com.
Image courtesy of Alex Wang
*Parts of this article were originally published on April 2, 2021 and have been modified and updated in this second publishing.
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