Path of Light Review by Linda Johnson, Mountain Astrologer

Path of Light Volume I: Introduction to Vedi c Astrology and Path of Light Volume II: The Domains of Life by James Kelleher


Ahimsa Press, San Francisco. james@jameskelleher.com, 2006. Hardbound - 436 pp. and 520 pp.-$38 each. (ISBN 0-9774480-0-2 and ISBN 0-9774480-1-0).


Everyone who is interested in the astrology of India is going to want this gorgeously illustrated twovolume set by James Kelleher. It's a gold mine of information, much of which is completely new to most Western students.


Like other introductions to Vedic astrology, Path of Light explains the signs, houses, and aspects that Hindu practitioners use. What makes these volumes different, however, is the exciting additional material they contain, such as an invaluable section on the nakshatras (Hindu lunar mansions), which relates the ancient myths associated with these important stars. I was also thrilled to find detailed information about the 36 drekkanas, some of the important subdivisions of the Hindu horoscope, which are too often neglected in Vedic readings in the West. Beautiful illustrations of the nakshatras and drekkanas - many in full color - accompany the text. The artwork is enormously helpful for readers who want to memorize these stellar divisions and the stories associated with them. But once you have the basics down, how do you put together an insightful reading that will actually help your clients? Kelleher addresses the major issues clients ask about (health, career, relationships, children, etc.) and shows you where to look for practical answers in the Vedic horoscope and its subdivisions.


Some of the most entertaining portions of the books are Kelleher's descriptions of his travels through the India meeting with astrologers and saints. His personal experiences bring Hindu astrology to life for readers who haven't had a chance to visit the subcontinent yet. Kelleher is a co-founder of the American Council of Vedic Astrology and an adjunct professor of Astrology at Hindu University in Orlando, Florida. He has been a student of the eminent Vedic astrologer M. K. Gandhi since 1975, and he has won honors in India in his own right, receiving the prestigious Jyotish Kovid and Jyotish Vachaspati awards from the Indian Council of Astrological Sciences. Here in northern California, where Kelleher makes his home, he is an enormously popular astrologer and speaker. For years, I've been eagerly awaiting his first books. They turned out to be even more impressive than I expected!


- reviewed by Linda Johnsen