James wrote:
Again - the reality is, most folks are not going to be getting a guru to help them know what is what.. i continue to believe there are countless ways of learning and even learning the wrong way can be helpful if a person is persistent and receptive to new ideas and ways of learning about astrology.
Traditionally in India a student sat at the feet of a Guru to learn astrology. But these days of the Internet and countless books, articles and videos, I think learning has to be broader than simply having a personal guru. It does help to attend workshops (more than a single lecture) by different teachers if these are available to the student.
I do believe in astrological certification here in the west, which is available in the Tropical community. Otherwise with all the new translations of historical texts, new methods and discoveries, the student is likely to have large blanks in understanding. It's too easy for students to read a few books, watch a few videos and hang out the consulting shingle to attract clients.
For Jyotish there are recognized schools in India, but these are usually geared to a particular type or approach to astrology. I think if I was younger, I might devise a study outline for students, fundamentals first with the best texts followed by specialty studies.
Anyway, the Internet and forums are here, a great place to bring questions. This is the new way of learning along with personal study and reading and attendance at workshops if available.
I wanted to use julian assanges chart, but i am a bit leary as their is no confirmed birth cert for it.. 5 minutes on a rasi chart in his instance only changes the ascendant by about 1 degree... but when you take this same chart and change the time 5 minutes for the navamsha is alters the ascendant by about 12 degrees so one can see how critical an accurate birth time is when working with divisional charts..
For study purposes, it's best to stay with AA rated data. There's not much sense in speculation. We can't really learn that way.