VEDIC ASTROLOGERS:
The following are tributes to some astrologers of the Vedic tradition who have passed on.
Sandy Crowther recalls,
"My good friend and Mentor, Barbara Cameron, died April 10, 1987 . She was a wonderful Hindu Astrologer, mother, friend, and author of three books, published by the AFA.
"The books are:
MaHaBote: The Little Key - A Manual for Burmese Astrology (1981)
Turning the Tables 1984
Predictive Planetary Periods - The Hindu Dasas (1984)
"She was a wonderful woman. She gave freely of
herself and her time to teach her students...never
charging a dime. She was an extensive lecturer in
the 80's at Astrology Conventions...and a mentor
for many. She was in fact my first introduction to
Hindu Astrology back in 1980."
SATVA List Owner/ Moderator
(Systems's Approach to Vedic Astrology)
Member IIPA
Jyotish Kovid
Terese Hamilton writes:
"I saw that you don't have Barbara Cameron's birth data. We worked together
across the miles (she on the east coast, I on the west) for sometime before
she died. Barbara was exceedingly generous with her wisdom and copies of
her articles. I have folders full of everything she sent including her own
hand drawn horoscope (Hindu and MaHaBote charts).
She was born July 23, 1934, 12:12 PM zone 5; in Springfield, MA."
Barbara's daughter adds:
"I noticed your tribute to my mother, Barbara Cameron. Thank you for keeping her memory alive; she worked so hard in her lifetime to learn and to teach. I am the oldest of her six children. She passed on April 10, 1987, and her family has missed her very much. She was an inspiration and a blessing. She had a rich, but short life. She managed to learn all she could about astrology, while raising the six of us in Southeast Asia during a tumultuous period in history. She was a great mother and mentor." Elizabeth Cameron Thompson
NARENDRA DESAI: Ronnie Gale Dreyer wrote to the AFAN List, "Another loss to the Vedic Community occurred April 7, 2001, with
the death of Narendra Desai. He lived in Parsippany, New Jersey, and practiced
astrology for more than 50 years. He was a true scholar and could recite the
scriptural source of any Vedic astrological rule of aphorism."
Michael Laughrin wrote for this page, "The brightest light in the sky of Astrology over North America has gone
out. The master of Jyotish, Sanskrit, palmistry, numerology, Western
Astrology has cast off his mortal coil to rejoin those ancient greats of
Vedic Science such as Brighu, Suka Deva, and Agastya. A man of kindly
demeanor, with a light heart and good sense of humor, he always had a
kind word for everyone. But he was a veritable walking encyclopedia of
ancient Vedic lore, especially the science of the stars. My heart is
very heavy as he was my first, true Jyotish guru."
To a Memorial for Richard C. Houck
PRAVIN L. JAGAD, RMAFA
(1936-1998)
James H. Holden, FAFA, Research Director for AFA writes in their Bulletin, 1998:
"We have received news that AFA research member Pravin L. Jagad died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in Rajkot, India on January 8. Mr. Jagad was born in Bombay on January 14, 1936. He was a long-time employee of the Indian Life Insurance Corporation, from which he had retired a few years before his death. In addition, he was a professional astrologer who had achieved the recognized rank of Master Astrologer. He had opened an astrological office in Rajkot after his retirement. Those who attended the 1988 AFA Convention in Las Vegas may remember him from that occasion, and from the articles he wrote for Today's Astrologer."
"He was also the author of the paper, "The Theory of Longevity" that
was published in the AFA Journal of Research, Vol. 7, No. 1 (1991).
His theory was later expanded into a book, Astrology and the Cosmic
Computer (Rajkot: James Astro Pub., 1996), which presents his theory
of how to determine the length of a person's life-span from his
natal horoscope. Numerous examples are given. The present writer
had corresponded with Mr. Jagad for more than fifteen years and
will miss his interesting letters."
We regret to inform you that Prof. N. E Muthuswany passed away on February
28, 2005 at 3:40 PM in Trivandrum, Kerala, India. Dr. Muthuswamy was the
author of numerous books on jyotish and an active member of the Indian
Council of Astrological Sciences. He was the keynote speaker at our Ninth
International Symposium on Vedic Astrology held in November 2002 in Kerala,
India. His son, Dr. M. Harre Harren will give a special presentation on
Planetary Mantras at our upcoming international conference to be held in
Kauai, Hawaii in September 2005.
Dennis M. Harness, Ph.D.
President, American College of Vedic Astrology
(1934-1999)
"Harish Johari was born on May 12, 1934, at 12:55 PM in Barielly, India, and passed away on August 20, 1999, at 3:25 PM in Haridwar, India. He travelled throughout the world teaching a wide array of subjects."
"He was quite a scholar, a great artist, and wrote
many books on tantric subjects. Books he wrote which
are related to Vedic Astrology include The Healing
Power of Gemstones, Numerology, Dhanwantari, and Tools
for Tantra. He is survived by three daughters, one son,
and three grandchildren."
Mavis Gewant
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial is interactive, and we welcome your memories and tributes, which we will add to the page in the order received. They may be edited for length, grammar, or suitability. If there are any additional contributions we should mention or any inaccuracies in the memorial, please bring them to our attention. We would also love to have photos to bring back vivid memories. (Photos will be scanned and returned.) To suggest names, share memories, create tributes, or volunteer, send us an e-mail.
CREDITS: The background is by Aikya Param. Biographical information for this memorial came from the AFA Bulletin and NCGR Memberletter. Harish Johari's photo came from the Society for Planetary Gemology. Barbara Cameron's photo came from Sandy Crowther. The photo of Desai is courtesy of The Mountain Astrologer. This memorial was created by Donna Cunningham.