Note:Unfortunately in this day and age,
there are both legitimate and illegitimateAcademy's and Vedic
Schools of Astrology offering to teach youMaHaBote - Burmese
Birthday Astrology in various parts of the world, and not all of
these institutions are credible sources, or qualified to teach this
system. MaHaBote teachings are also being offered by a few of my former students
who are Teacher Certified, and therefore
do have proper training and credentials to pass these teachings on
to you. I just want you to be aware that if you are interested in receiving the
original, authentic, and unpolluted teachings, know that this system is out
there being offered by a few unscrupulous individuals who are
neither credible, nor certified to teach. (One such individual is a
former student of mine who never completed the Course material, or taken the
appropriate exams, and unfortunately by offering this course to others, is also
'polluting' the true MaHaBote teachings.)
I have all records of my
former students who have completed my MaHaBote Course successfully and passed
the appropriate tests and exams, becoming both Certified and qualified to teach
this system. If you plan on taking the MaHabote Course from another source,
school, or academy who is offering the MaHabote teachings or course for a fee,
please feel free to contact me first and I will be happy to verify the MaHaBote
accreditations of the teaching Academy or Vedic School offering this system to
the public, along with the legitimacy of the individual offering to mentor you
on your journey into MaHaBote - Burmese Birthday Astrology.
MaHaBote is a Burmese Astrological System of birthday astrology, based on
the Day of the Week birth, or cycles of 7 rather than 12. It is nicknamed
"The Little Key" because you can
quickly calculate and delineate a client's personality very accurately,
without the need of an ephemeris, book of tables, or computer program. It
gives quick and easy insight into the personality of the client, and to
quote Barbara Cameron in her introduction in the book,
MAHABOTE, THE LITTLE
KEY, "the system grew out of Burmese origins alone. Its creator is
unknown
today, but the method continues in daily use. It is taught in the
hushed
confines of the cool temples by shaved-headed monks in saffron robes." Prior
to Barbara being given the principles of the practice by her teacher, a
woman by the name of Daw Hla Than, the knowledge has been kept in Burma by
the Burmese, who maintained the belief that you cannot learn MaHaBote if you
are not Burmese.
It's a
great little compact and complete system for people who do not have an
accurate
time of birth, and it is far more detailed than sun sign astrology. The
first astrologers in the West who were shown MaHaBote by Barbara Cameron,
with Daw Hla Than's permission, are in Wellington New Zealand. They are
members of
the Wellington Astrological Society.
After
arriving back to the states, while living in the Berkshires in the early
80's, Barbara began teaching MaHaBote, and
devised a testing method to determine her students ability to fully
understand the System. Barbara was an
extraordinary woman and a wonderful astrologer, always freely giving of both
herself and her knowledge. I was her first, and needless to say, most eager
student.
Currently, I use MaHaBote on a regular basis along side my natal charts to
see what additional information I may uncover about the chart's
undercurrents. Once the principles of MaHaBote are understood, MahaBote is
complimentary and explorative, (though not as detailed) with Eastern or
Western Astrology, Tropical or Sidereal. You may find some variances with
regards to significations with MaHaBote, and one should adhere strictly to
them as taught in this system. In other words, don't mix the apples with the
oranges, (one system with another) but instead, keep them in their own
basket, lay them out side by side, and enjoy the fruits of both. In addition
to the ease with which it is learned, you will find a few other delightful
insights, however, it should not be mixed with other System's, Eastern or
Western, but rather used on its own for its true value to shine through.
So in
essence, MaHaBote is easy to
learn, practical, and can be a great companion to the systems anyone
currently uses - not to mention a great aide to those beginners in the field
of astrology who may be overwhelmed with the challenges. Also, it presents,
with ease, the concepts of Eastern Astrology to the Western Astrologers,
which is a nice and simple introduction. For those of you interested enough
in purchasing Barbara's books, the AFA (American Federation of Astrologers)
published and carried her books, so I would check with them to see if they
are still in print. In addition to MaHaBote, The Little Key, Barbara's other
books are entitled: Turning the Tables and Predictive Planetary Periods.
For
those of you interested in a brief synopsis, I would be happy to share with
you what I have been taught by Barbara. And as I said, I have found
this system to be additionally revealing with regards to both Western and
Vedic charts... along with simple, quick and easy basics that don't take
years of study to integrate successfully.
To Construct the
MaHaBote Birth Chart:
1.
First reduce the year of birth to
its equivalent Burmese year, and that is done by taking the birth year, (say
it's 01/01/1997), and subtracting the constant 639 if the birth falls between
Jan. 1st and April 15th of any given year, or 638 if the birth falls between
April 16 and Dec. 31. (So, for example: 1997 minus 639 =1358). (NOTE:
Do NOT use a calculator or you will get WRONG results with respect to the
remainder! If you don't trust your math, one of my former students and good
friend, Ron
Grimes, with the assistance of another former student and good friend, Donna Quinn, have set up a great little calculation
program for calculating MaHaBote Charts, quickly and easily. This program is
located here on my site at Mahabote
Calculation Program (in a subfolder of Jupiter's Web). However, to make the system portable, I
STRONGLY recommend you first learn to calculate the charts by hand. And
Remember...NO Calculator!
2. The
next step
is to divide the remainder by the constant, 7, disregard the quotient, and
save the remainder. (The number "7" is always used as the constant for this
calculation.) In the example we used, 1358 divided by 7 results in a
remainder of "0". It's very important at this point to check and re-check
your math. Do NOT use a calculator.
3.
Next, you will place the remainder, or its equivalent planet, in
House 1 - "House of Impermanence". To construct the chart, it should look
like so:
4.
Place the "remainder" in House 1. As you can see by our example: the
remainder is "0", which on the chart shows you it is Saturn. So Saturn is
placed in the chart in position "1". (The remainder will always go in the
First House on any chart you construct, and the Houses are Fixed in this
system.) This is where it gets a little tricky, so take your time on this
step.
Table 2: House Chart
7
House of Leader
3
House of Fame
4
House of Wealth
5
House of Kingly
Position
2
House of Extremity
1
House of
Impermanence
6
House of Sickly
Table 3: Planetary
Sequence
Sun
Mercury
Saturn
Mars
Venus
Moon
Jupiter
1
4
7/0
3
6
2
5
The planets are counted
in multiples of 3 for each consecutive
house, so in House 2 on the chart, we enter Mars - (easier if you follow the
sequence in the Table of Houses.) In House 3- Venus: House 4-Moon: House
5-Jupiter: House 6-Sun: And House 7-Mercury (or Rahu for a PM birth...I'll
get to that later.) Some of you have probably already caught on to the ease
of the sequence: Sunday (Sun) =1, Monday (Moon) = 2, Tues. (Mars) = 3, Wed.
(Mercury/Rahu) = 4 etc... The table above counts it out for you in a
sequence.
Mercury *
Venus
Moon
Jupiter
Mars
Saturn
Sun
Houses
3, 4, 5, and 7 (upper houses) are considered "Positive" houses,
while Houses 1, 2, and 6 (bottom 3 Houses) are considered "Liability"
houses.
Next
we would put an asterisk * on the Birth Planet, (which is found by
looking it up on the page in the "Permanent Planetary Calendar" if you have
the book, MaHaBote The Little Key; OR, if not, looking it up in an
ephemeris or panchanga that lists the day of the week.) In this case,
the birth Jan. 1, 1997 took place on a Wednesday.
House
Meanings:
Especially as it pertains to those with the Birth Planet * in those
Houses.
1.
House of Impermanence: Not constant. Fluctuating health and wealth; will
do exactly as one wants to do; nervous tension, may be a teacher in the
latter part of life.
2.
House of Extremity: Native born in this House will likely have a serious
accident or illness when young...survival beyond youth in this house assures
success. No middle ground in this house. Considered a "make" or "break"
House.
3.
House of Fame: Indicates a self-made person; educated; the house of
reputation or what
you are known for - courage, ambitious, industrious, wisdom.
4.
House of Wealth: Respectful figure, may be religious or spiritual;
generous - with high goals and objectives.
5.
House of Kingly Position: (KP) Smart, astute, sharp; lives like a king
(not necessarily wealthy), may attain a high position in life, such as head
of a business, state, institution...also probably a good speaker.
6.
House of Sickly or Changing: This is by far the most annoying House. It
carries a steady, negative, persistent influence, which can also be
physical, emotional, or mental distress. May move in childhood, feeling
unsettled, or have a sickly childhood.
7.
House of Leader: Conversationalist; very articulate; could be head of
government or commercial enterprise.
You
should study these words until you really understand the meanings behind
them. If any of you want to go more in depth with House meanings, I can do
that too. Just remember that although these keywords apply specifically to
the client born in these Houses, they also give "keys" to the significance
of each House.
