by Joni Patry
for “The Blast” Astrology Conference Sedona, Arizona September 16 - 21, 2008
Vedic astrology can give more detail and specifics not seen with Western astrology. Here we will analyze some of the specifics used in Vedic astrology.
Whole Sign Houses
Vedic astrology uses whole signs per house. Each house contains an entire sign of 30 degrees. The cusp of a house is contained within that house. Each sign is ruled by a planet. Therefore, there will only be one sign ruling each house.
Ascendant Sets Up The Planetary Rulers For Each House
The ascendant sets up the entire chart in terms of how planets affect the individual. Each ascendant sets up which planets will rule each house. The most important effect is the planets that rule each house take on the qualities of the houses they rule. Therefore, the planets will change in their effects for that
individual depending on which house/houses the planet rules.
Because the outer planets are not used in terms of rulership, each planet, except the Sun and Moon, will rule 2 houses.
Rules
Trikona Houses
Houses 1, 5, and 9 are the most beneficial. These houses are the trikonal houses. The planets that rule these houses give very good effects for the individual, even if they are natural malefic planets.
Dusthana Houses
Houses 6, 8 and 12 are the most difficult. These houses are the dusthana houses. The planets that rule these houses will cause problems in a person’s life even if they are natural benefic planets.
Maraka Houses
Houses 2 and 7 are considered neutral. I have not found this to be true. They will bring problems as well.
They are considered Maraka houses, and can cause death. Maraka means killer. They derive this meaning because the 7th house is the 12th house from the 8th and the 2nd house is the 12th from the 3rd house. Both the 8th and 3rd houses are the houses considered when assessing the length of life.
Therefore, the 2nd and 7th houses indicate loss of life.
Upachaya Houses
Houses 3, 6, and 11 are Upachaya houses indicating growth and improvement over time. The planets that rule these houses are still problematic. The ruler of the 11th house is considered very problematic when determining the results of a planet in a chart, BUT, planets do prosper very well when placed in the 11th house.
Kendra Houses
Houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 are the angles in a chart. They are called the kendras. These planets can be very strong in their results. They create events and changes in life.
*The most important rule to remember here is that the planets will take on the qualities of the houses.
Understanding the meanings of each house will further flavor the effects a planet will produce in a chart.
Moolatrikona Signs Carry More Weight
Basically the benefic planets for a chart rule the trikonal houses, 1, 5 and 9. The malefic planets for a chart are the planets that rule the dusthana houses 6, 8, and 12. But if a planet rules both a dusthana and a trikonal house, the trikonal house will take priority particularly when the planet that rules the trikonal house is in the moolatrikona sign. The moolatrikona sign will be the masculine sign, (air and fire) with the exception of Mercury and the Moon. The moolatrikona sign of Mercury is Virgo and the Moon is Taurus, which is their exaltation sign. The house that is ruled by the moolatrikona sign will ALWAYS give more effect.
For example: Gemini ascendant has Saturn ruling both the 8th and 9th houses. Capricorn is the sign on the 8th house and Aquarius is the sign on the 9th house. Aquarius as an air sign is the moolatrikona sign, therefore, Saturn will give more of the effects of the 9th house. The 9th house is a trikonal house indicating Saturn is a benefic planet for Gemini ascendant. Saturn will bring good results for someone with Gemini rising even though it does rule the malefic 8th house.
Moolatrikona Signs Sun – Leo
Moon - Taurus Mercury - Virgo Venus – Libra
Mars - Aries Jupiter - Sagittarius Saturn – Aquarius
Yoga Karaka
When a planet rules a trikonal house and an angular house (Kendra) this planet becomes the very best and most powerful for that chart. It is called the yoga karaka planet.
For example: Taurus ascendant has Saturn as the ruler of the 9th house and the 10th house making Saturn the most powerful planet for Taurus rising. Saturn will produce great things in this individual’s life.
Drishtis (Aspects)
Ways the Planets are Associated or Connected
Drishti means “to glance at”. The Greek word aspektos means “to gaze” or “to glance”. As the planets rose upon the horizon and gazed on each other across the descendant, they exchanged glances. They aspected each other. It was considered that planets gave their full aspect when they were opposite each other looking directly at one another. Aspects connect or link the planets.
Vedic astrology uses whole sign houses, which means a sign is a house. The planets aspect the houses with or without any planets there. All planets aspect the house or planets in opposition to them. Planets in the same house/sign aspect each other as a conjunction. Planets aspect the entire sign, but the influence is stronger when the orbs are closer. Planets that are out of sign but close in degrees still influence each other.
Vedic astrology uses special aspects for the planets Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. Mars aspects the fourth and the eighth house from itself. Saturn aspects the third and the tenth houses. Jupiter aspects the fifth and the ninth houses. These are all considered full aspects, 100 percent in their influence. There are weaker aspects of 75 - 50 percent that are rarely used, but all aspects are cast in forward direction.
Rahu and Ketu (not recognized by all Vedic astrologers) cast trines like Jupiter to the fifth and the ninth houses. The aspects do not have a meaning by themselves but carry the meanings of the planets.
Aspects are the connectors of planetary energy. So Rahu and Ketu convey their malefic energy to the planet or house they aspect, but not with the meaning of a trine as in Western astrology.
The meaning of each planet varies from chart to chart. The variation is determined by asking:
1. Is it a natural benefic or malefic?
2. Is it a temporal malefic or benefic?
This is based on the houses these planets rule in a chart. Mars can be a functional benefic for Cancer ascendant because it rules the auspicious fifth house (trikonal), and the tenth house (kendra). Jupiter can be a functional malefic for Taurus ascendant because it rules the difficult eighth house (dusthana), and the eleventh house.
The planets carry the meanings of the houses they rule. As they cast their aspects to houses and the planets therein, they impregnate those planets/houses with all the energy they possess. This means that if one planet aspects another planet it will alter that planet’s meaning. For example, if Mercury is
aspected by Saturn and Mars, Mercury is impregnated by both natural malefic planets. It will carry with it the houses that both Mars and Saturn rule (the houses they rule determines if it is a functional benefic or malefic) and the houses Mercury rules itself. So, this Mercury carries the meanings of six houses. The aspects Mercury casts either by conjunction or opposition will have all these houses attached to them.
Mercury has a potent punch and much complexity with its aspects.
*An important rule: Anytime a planet aspects a house it rules it will give it an added force for the good of that house. It is similar to the planet being in that house in its own sign.
*Planets can mutually aspect each other. This happens with the opposition and conjunction, and sometimes with the special aspects.
For example, Mars in Capricorn and Saturn in Aries. Here Mars aspects Saturn by its fourth aspect, and Saturn aspects Mars by its tenth aspect. They mutually aspect each other. It is a two-way connector.
When planets are in each other’s sign of rulership it is called mutual reception or parivartana, and is a very powerful connection. If the planets are also mutually aspected it is even more powerful. This complete connection is called sambandha.
The example above with Mars in Capricorn and Saturn in Aries is in sambandha. They mutually aspect each other and are in each other’s sign (mutual reception). Another example would be the Sun in
Aquarius and Saturn in Leo. They mutually aspect each other by opposition, and are in each other’s sign.
Outline
1. Aspects are the planets influencing each other by their specific relational distance.
2. Full aspects are considered 100 percent in influence. There are weaker aspects that have effects of 75-50 percent. Most do not consider these.
3. Aspects are connectors of planetary and house energies.
4. Aspects are always counted in a forward direction.
5. Planets aspect houses even though no planet resides there.
6. Planets in the same sign/house are in aspect (conjunction).
7. Planets in opposite signs/houses are in aspect.
8. Mars’ special aspects are 4, (7), and 8 signs/houses from its position.
9. Jupiter’s special aspects are 5, (7), and 9 signs/houses from its position.
10. Saturn’s special aspects are 3, (7), and 10 signs/houses from its position.
11. Rahu and Ketu’s special aspects are 5 and 9 signs/houses from their position.
12. Aspects have no meaning of their own, only the energy of the planets.
13. Planets are either natural benefics or natural malefics. The natural benefics are Jupiter, Venus, Mercury, and Moon. The natural malefics are Mars, Saturn, Rahu, Ketu, and Sun.
14. Planets carry the meanings of the houses they rule. Natural malefics become functional benefics if they rule trikonal houses (1, 5, 9). Natural benefics become functional malefics when they rule the dusthana houses (3, 6, 8, 12), and not a trikonal. When a planet rules both a dusthana and a trikonal, the planet is still considered benefic. The trikonal house outweighs the dusthana house.
15. A planet that aspects a house it rules empowers that house, and the matters ruled by that house.
It operates like a planet in its own sign in the house it aspects.
16. Planets can mutually aspect each other. They have a two-way connection, reinforcing each other.
17. Sambandha is when planets are mutually aspected and in mutual reception. This means a complete connection.
18. Planets that are out of sign but very close in degrees still influence each other. Example: Jupiter 29 degrees of Scorpio, and Mars at 0 degrees of Sagittarius.
19. The aspects from the Moon give further clarification to the chart.
20. The transiting planets, aspecting the natal planets, trigger life events.
The following list gives the temporal benefics for each ascendant. The three planets listed are the rulers of the 1st, 5th, 9th houses respectively:
Aries: Mars (1), Sun (5), Jupiter (9)
Taurus: Venus (1), Mercury (5), Saturn (9) Gemini: Mercury (1), Venus (5), Saturn (9) Cancer: Moon (1), Mars (5), Jupiter (9) Leo: Sun (1), Jupiter (5), Mars (9)
Virgo: Mercury (1), Saturn (5), Venus (9) Libra: Venus (1), Saturn (5), Mercury (9) Scorpio: Mars (1), Jupiter (5), Moon (9) Sagittarius: Jupiter (1), Mars (5), Sun (9) Capricorn: Saturn (1), Venus (5), Mercury (9) Aquarius: Saturn (1), Mercury (5), Venus (9) Pisces: Jupiter (1), Moon (5), Mars (9)
Astrology is not just a subject; it's an activity. Consequently, you don't study it - you do it.
Astrology is an activity based on the principle of Unus Mundus - the Universe as Unity. Everything - from atom to galaxy - is rooted in the same universal and all-pervasive reality. And this reality reveals itself in the purposeful, ordered and meaningful processes of nature, as well as in the deepest recesses of the human mind and spirit. 'As above - so below'. Anything happening in one part of the system gets mirrored in a self-similar way everywhere else.
Quantum Physics tells us that the very act of observing something changes it. And the Butterfly Effect of Chaos Theory shows how even the tiniest flap of a wing can eventually produce a hurricane. Upon examining my own life, I can see how the slightest shifts of direction have led me down some very divergent paths and presented me with infinitely strange and beautiful experiences. But the most satisfying and successful of these experiences have come when I was going with the flow of time and determinism.
The Universe, being the accommodating creature that she is, will provide confirmation of almost any paradigm we adopt. Mental events (perception) and acts of free will carry with them pure information which is transmitted instantly throughout the material world. To this extent, we live in an observer-created reality. Something out there (the Great Organizing Dynamic, as some have called it) responds to what we believe about ourselves and our world. From this standpoint, you are a channel, a vehicle, an agency, an instrument, a representative. And your birth chart may best be described as an output program - an indication of what should be flowing into manifestation through you. Although I might speak of 'my' horoscope, in a very practical sense, it does not belong to me - rather I belong to it. As do all the other entities, animate and inanimate, that came into being at about the same time and place. Cosmic Powers, if indeed there are such things, appear to use me and what I have to offer, and not the other way 'round.
You will not get the best out of your birth chart unless you become a go-between worthy of relaying the best. Concentrate first on construction and creativity, and use astrology to define the possibilities as you go along. In the fractal logic of astrology, each planet, sign and house is a self-similar unity complete with its own rewards. For example, you may have transiting Jupiter conjunct your natal Sun. The usual interpretation of this aspect is one of increased vitality, luck and optimism. In reality however this may or may not happen, because the promise of a Jupiter-Sun contact cannot happen without the proper conditions first being in place. And only you can put them there. By adopting an out-going attitude, by exploring new dimensions, by playing with ideas rather than holding rigidly to one static model, you put yourself into the Jupiter mode. By opening up to the Universe in this way, you actually invite luck into your life, and create a positive feedback loop of openness and optimism, which attracts more of the same.
By way of confirmation, the information this report is based on is as follows:
080° 17' E 13° 05' N
Tropical Zodiac - Placidus Houses
The Luminaries: Sun and Moon
The state of the solar system at the time of your birth points to self-similar (fractal) qualities within you. But of all the planets, the "lights" - the Sun and Moon - are thought to indicate the main polarity of your being. In psychology, this has been articulated in the concept of
complementarity between the conscious and unconscious contents of the mind. The Sun and Moon act as positive and negative poles - an intentional, directing element (Sun), and a suggestible, receptive one (Moon). In a beneficial relationship, the emotional conditioning of the Moon is given a purposive and positive expression by the astrological Sun. This has been called 'intentional living'. Wherever we allow our consciousness (attention) to rest, that we vitalize.
The Astrological Sun
There is only one center to our solar system, and there is only one center to your psyche. The Sun is the great central powerhouse which illuminates us and shows us where we can get the most from life by radiating all that our sun represents. In Jyotish, the astrology of the Hindus, the Sun is known as 'atma karaka', or soul indicator, signifying a person's confidence, authority and power - the ego center of the horoscope. The Sun is our central identity and 'true self', in that it is toward this more than anything that we should be moving and developing. Thus, it represents that which we wish to become and those we look up to. It is also our essence, our bliss, and that which we do for the sheer fun of it. The Sun is creativity, original flair, celebration and glory - the quality of output we tend to expect from heros and celebrities. But we are each capable of giving out more than we do - and I don't mean money. The Sun is about having a purpose large enough to animate the whole of your life and going about it with a tone of appreciation and joie de vivre. Your Sun shows how and where you can shine. Light your fire!
Sun in Scorpio
Intense and passionate, Scorpio is the sign of delving into the great mysteries of life. You know how to recognise your own depths and have a deep awareness into the thresholds of passage - the tests, steps and initiations we must all go through. You also know how to go without, if need be.
You are driven from within and are able to cut through to the heart of things, sometimes
sacrificing too much of yourself to an idea or cause. But it is through this process that you are able to reveal to yourself what is going on and make the inner adjustments necessary for the
transformations you are constantly going through. You can be very magnetic, even wild at times, and have a sense of power and an instinct for survival. Moody, you often draw on the power of the emotions as a hidden resource and release. Scorpio is intense, passionate and very personal. It rushes past superficialities right to the heart of any matter. A loyal friend but a fanatic foe, this sign does well in politics and all areas where those who dare are rewarded. Associated with sexual energy, Scorpio loves to get involved, going down deeper and coming up dirtier, thereby laying bare that which is hidden.
Sun Conjunct Venus
Gentle charm and personal magnetism. There is a natural sense of discrimination and beauty which excels in music, drama, dance or any artistic profession. There is a love of making connections which is welcomed in social scenes of all kinds and gives easy popularity. Fosters aesthetic leanings with an appreciation of cultural matters. Sensual and refined with a tendency to be easy-going and accommodating.
Sun Opposite Mars
A born doer and person of action. The ego is strong, energetic, assertive and extroverted. There is an incredible drive to accomplish and achieve in life which pushes straight-on toward whatever goals are in mind. Ambitions are backed-up by the will to get things done, but can be very driven to the point of being too aggressive. There is a strong need for physical outlet. This aspect fosters heroism and valor with much activity being directed toward self-expression.
Sun Square Moon
Torn between different directions in life with feelings going one way and willpower another. A sense of being caught in the middle - forced to choose between surroundings that are emotionally supportive (but not progressive) and new directions that bring advancement but may be at the
Torn between different directions in life with feelings going one way and willpower another. A sense of being caught in the middle - forced to choose between surroundings that are emotionally supportive (but not progressive) and new directions that bring advancement but may be at the