Lately I came across the open source platform for Vedic and Western astrology, Maitreya. It has been realised by IT architect Martin Pettau. He learned Yoga and astrology under the guidance of the late Yogi Paramapadma Dhirananda (from the Kriya-Yoga line of Babaji, Lahiri Mahasaya, Sri Yukteswar, Paramahansa Yogananda and Paramahansa Hariharananda).
The software is free for personal and professional use. It has been translated into a number of languages. All major desktop platforms are supported: Windows, Max OS X, Linux and UNIX.
Besides the technical details, you find on the website information about general and Vedic astrology and other topics. So if you are interested in working with the subtle aspects of time, this might be a helpful tool.
About the purpose of the software Martin writes:
- First goal is to serve as tool. The software has a lot of standard features for the daily work of western and Vedic astrologers. So it can save their time and energy; they can concentrate on the work of interpretation.
- Second goal is to enable astrologers for research. The program supports a lot of calculation options, so it can be used as a basis for research on the various questions of astrological calculation and interpretation.
- Third goal is to attract people and motivate them to learn astrology. Learning astrology is a complicated task because formal knowledge of planets, signs, Dasas etc. is not sufficient, but intuition and non-attachment to worldly affairs must be developed, too. So a “cool” astrology software may help in increasing the desire for that kind of knowledge.
He further emphasizes: “Astrology cannot be learned from books. Astrological software can only be a tool for the astrologer’s work. So the name of the software emphasizes the importance of divine inspiration on top of formal knowledge or astrological techniques.” This is a very important hint.
As per the name of the software he explains: “In classical Indian scriptures Maitreya is the ardent disciple of Maharishi Parasara, the author of Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra, the most prominent scripture of Vedic astrology. In this scripture the sage instructs his disciple on the various topics of Vedic astrology.” If you want to read more about Maitreya, you might read the book “Lord Maitreya” by Sri K. Parvathi Kumar.
The software is free. In the FAQ-section it says: “How can I make a donation?” – “Thank you for that noble offer. Please donate for religious purposes or for the poor and needy people on this planet.”
And this is a noble answer. There is a spiritual law which seems to be easy but is mostly forgotten today: As per the energetic balance there is no such thing as “free taking”. For everything you get or take without some kind of giving you receive and amass a subtle load. This is mostly not taken note of, even of those who “know” about it. This is true also for everything you get “free” from the web – and might be stocked on your computer, blocking some space on it, besides the energetic aspect.
So it is necessary to keep a good balance by more giving than taking. You don’t have to give towards the source from where you get something but you also can give in a direction where energy (money, time, loving attention) is needed. Otherwise you won’t really get any benefit of a program you download – you probably might not even use it.
Maitreya Series: Banners of the Coming One, by Nicholas Roerich, 1925-1926. Nizhnii Novgorod State Art Museum, Russia