• Madurai Messenger
• Online articles
• Astrologer

Astrologer

By: Margaret Buermann (U.S.A.)

India is known all around the world to be a place of mysticism, and it's no wonder that even in modern times some questions are left answered by traditional belief. The use of astrologers is one example of India's willingness to offer its faith in the extraordinary. Sivakasi Times was able to meet with one astrologer named Kannan, who lives in Kannaki Colony. His alleged connection to the other world helps predict the destinies of those who still exist in this world. Kannan's talent for fortune telling has attracted many people from all places in south India. These people come to him for all sorts of reasons: whether they are suffering from illness, are engaged or are worried about finance, they all have questions that they believe Kannan can answer. While this knowledge and popularity would give an ordinary person a feeling of extreme power, he perceives himself as merely a medium-a link between humans and spiritual forces. Nevertheless, the main purpose of his profession is to help people.

Kannan informed us that, before he began his work as an astrologer, his father Rackan (also an astrologer) passed away after a bad spirit entered his body. Kannan promised his father that he would take on the profession. Twenty years later, he is still keeping his promise, and including his father's spirit in his work. He proclaims that Rackan's soul enters his body, telling him the answer to the customer's fate. The process relies on a lot of faith, but Kannan says that he has never made a mistake in his fortune telling, and he continues to have many requests for his services.

Although he follows traditional rituals such as food offerings to spirits and the use of shells and religious chants, Kannan insists that his way of fortune telling is devoid of the "magic" often associated with the practice. When we interviewed Kannan, he had just returned from performing an exorcism, during which he reportedly removed seven bad spirits from a woman's body. He told us that, although he lives a normal lifestyle when he's not working, he must fast before he can see his customers, and this puts strain on his body and mind. Kannan does not only perform exorcisms on the ailing. He also meets with the families of prospective newlyweds who wish to know whether their marriages will be successful. He uses the astrological ties with the bride and bridegrooms' birthdays to discover if they will be good matches for each other.

Kannan's work shows us how important it is to believe in something. Determining whether something is real or not real cannot depend on scientific evidence alone-a good deal of faith is also needed to validate its truth. Even if some view the use of astrology as superstition, it is no less interesting to experience a man whose work has been able to convince so many people who see him.