Wonder if this astrologer took a good look at Job's Coffin in the June 1 sky......(Delphinius). Ancient Kings and Queens in England put to death astrologers who decided how long they should live, and when they should die - and even Shakespeare got in trouble with a few of his plays, in which it was said he gave the idea to kill a King..... Interesting story but astrology does make a good deal of noise at times....i.e., JFK marked by a phoney astrologer and "divine prophetess: (self ordained).....and the little Princess of Wales one of the last people she saw, was her astrologer and psychic friend who knew her schedule.....and who no doubt brought some master much profit by her gainsaying. Saba Friday 15 June 2001 Nepal's royal astrologer holds court KATHMANDU: In a tiny light-starved room reached by a steep narrow staircase, Nepal's royal astrologer doles out predictions to those who who want to know the future. Since King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya and seven other members of the royal family were gunned down by Crown Prince Deependra, the people of Nepal have been seeking a small piece of certainty in a time of turmoil. They hope to find it from Mangal Raj Joshi, one of Nepal's most renowned astrologers, whose clients include members of the royal family. The 81-year-old, who says there have been 32 generations of astrologers in his family, is mindful of his privileged position and is reluctant to give away any royal secrets at such a sensitive time. But he does reveal that he was consulted over the prediction that Crown Prince Deependra should not marry until he was 35, which caused a row between the prince and his parents and some say triggered the royal palace massacre on June 1. Joshi did not predict the killings, though he said the planetary positions foretold of some terrible event ....(Saba Note: No doubt he saw Job's Coffin appearing in the sky......Vendetta Stuff) He claims to have predicted earthquakes, the death of a Nepali prime minister and the Gulf War -- all from the charts he consults at his home hidden away behind a main tourist street in Kathmandu. But those who have come to see Joshi this week want answers to rather more prosaic questions. "The people may want to know what happened on the night of June 1, but they are not asking me. Despite all the uncertainty, their minds are on domestic matters," Joshi said. The astrologer, who studied town planning as well as astrology, sits cross-legged on the floor surrounded by books and papers setting out planetary positions, while in front of him eight men and women hang on his every word. One woman has come with her 13-year-old son, who she says has problems speaking. She has spent hundreds of thousands of rupees on doctors, but they can find nothing wrong with him, she tells the wizened astrologer. She has come to him as a last resort. The boy's horoscope is carefully removed from its velvet pouch and unrolled in front of the astrologer. After a few minutes of frantic scribbling, interrupted by the ringing of the phone, Joshi reveals it is the anger of the family god that has caused the problem. But as long as the god is appeased by prayer the boy will get better. As a safeguard he tells the boy he should wear a coral ring to please their family god known as "Kuldevta". Next in the queue is Prithi Man Suwal, a businessman who wants the astrologer to tell him the most auspicious name for his new venture. In Nepal people consult astrologers to find out everything from the best date for a wedding, to why they have not yet had a child or even when they will be promoted or if they have passed their latest college exam. "People come with their problems and pain and sorrow and it is my duty to help them. I see myself as a kind of social counsellor," Joshi said. At 300 rupees ($4) a go, it is not cheap for the citizens of this Himalayan kingdom, but they are willing to pay for predictions they can believe in. "We come to him to know what will happen and usually he is right. We cannot argue with that," Suwal says as he roars away on a gleaming new motorbike -- yet another satisfied customer of the royal astrologer. (AFP)
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/15woru6.htm
