The Story and Intent Behind Steadfast & True Astrology

Sraddha in SedonaI came to Vedic astrology in 2010, during a classical Hatha yoga teacher training in Sedona with Ruth Hartung (Sraddhasagar). Her school, Seven Centers Yoga Arts, was her gift to the world and her vision for weaving yoga into life at every level; her own teacher, who many of us also studied with, was Rama Jyoti Vernon. Rama's vision was that of citizen diplomacy; more can be found here. Because the training was rooted in the classical tradition, Jyotiṣa was part of the curriculum, and our Vedic astrologer was Debra Infante. Debra is a gifted astrologer and teaches with compassion, tenderness, and humor. She gave me my first reading, and my first real glimpse of the art.

The idea that the planets moving through my life could be mapped to the stars fascinated me, and I have been intrigued ever since, studying on my own and later taking a course with Amit Garg of Bharat Astroveda.

A language and a lens

For me, Vedic astrology is a language and a lens. I use it to look at myself, at the people around me, and at the world as a whole. It lives inside the larger tradition of Hinduism and reaches out into the wider cosmos, and through it I keep seeing the same thing: the interconnectedness of all things.

Why "Steadfast & True"

The name comes from my years of work with the ManKind Project. I chose Steadfast & True as my essence, the thing I aim to be as a man and a human being: to respect all forms of life, all people, and, most importantly, myself. It also echoes the North Star, Dhruva in Sanskrit, the fixed point the whole sky turns around.

Why I built Jyotish Map

Ganesh Statue, Sacred Rudraksha Forest, KauaiI built Jyotish Map because I couldn't find what I was looking for. The one astrocartography tool I found online is built on Western astrology, and that has never resonated with me the way Jyotiṣa does. So, with Claude's help, I built this one: a Vedic astrocartography app that plots your planetary lines through a sidereal lens. It turned out to be a fascinating thing to explore, and I hope it is for you too.

If this map helps you see your own life, and your place in the world, with a little more wonder and a little more steadiness, then it has done its work.

Lawrence Sullivan