The 12 houses of the horoscope are divided into the Dharma Trikon, houses 1, 5 and 9. The Arth Trikon 2, 6 and 10. The Kama Trikon 3, 7 and 11 and the Moksh Trikon 4, 8 and 12.
The root of this Universe is ‘Desire’, Kama. This word can mean the superficial sexual desire which also leads to creation of new life and can also mean the deep Desire of the Ultimate Consciousness to play a Game/Leela called Creation. This Sanskrit word ‘Kama’, is longing, love, will, purpose, deliberation, intention, desire, passion, wish, agreeableness, enjoyment etc, so many layers and layers of meanings depending on the intention of its use. The Nasadiya Sukta of the Rig Ved, (129th Sukta of the 10th Mandala) describes the creation of the universe as the desire of the ‘Unfathomable Intelligence’.
However coming back to the horoscope, the Kama trikon, Desire Triangle, is the houses, 3rd, 7th and 11th. The houses of Desire and everything to do with it. Now lets see how these three houses would mean ‘kama’. What makes up your Universe? At its foundation is the interactions between humans. Our Universe is not us alone, when we interact with others like us, we create and populate our Universe. Thus Kama is this, the desire to be connected to others in one way or the other. From this desire for interconnections the following expectations arise,
- being financially well-off
- having a personal source of income through personal job/trade/profession
- being with siblings, cousins and enjoying a feeling of brotherhood
- being with a spouse and sexual satisfaction
- income sources through individual partnerships and network of communities.
The Third House
The 3rd house from the ascendant is the house of extended family, neighbourhood and conversations. Our interactions in these limited intimate groups and our first step in the bargains of life is the domain of the 3rd. Our entire life is a series of bargains which lead to cooperation. I tell my son, ‘If you finish your dinner, I will tell you a story tonight’. This is a very agreeable bargain for both of us! Then as we get older we progress to making agreements with our friends, cousins and neighbours. If we make mistakes here they are forgiven and a second chance given to make-up and learn. The style of interaction in this House is one to relatively many, here we learn how to interact with the outer world as per our society’s customs and traditions.
Bhratru-Bhava, the house of brothers is ruled by Mercury. Mercury is the communicator, he is the adolescent who loves to be with his siblings and peer group. He is also the one who intelligently analyses data and classifies and learns from this. Here is where we learn how to deliberate, communicate, trade, cooperate and be bold. This house is also called the Parakrama, the house of boldness.
As we grow up the lessons from this house become the foundations of our self-earned wealth. And we desire our wealth because it makes our lives more comfortable. This house is the 2nd from the 2nd, the second is the house of family treasures. So the 3rd house uses the all resources you have available in the form of family good-will, treasures and reserves and uses them in trade and cooperation. You gain profits from the 3rd. You get an experience in trade, commerce and communication and you also learn how to be bold and courageous going about it. In this house you just don’t desire the money, you also look forward to the regular meeting of associates, the close friends and brothers. Desire is both human company and profit!
The 3rd from the ascendant tells you about how your interactions from these groups is going to be on the external social levels. eg If you have Saturn placed here, naturally it will be restricted, if Jupiter it will be extensive. However to know how these interactions are going to affect you emotionally you will have to check out the 3rd from the birth moon sign. Moon is the significator of the mind and in my opinion is sometimes more important. Eg If you have Jupiter in 3rd from ascendant but Ketu/South node at 3rd from moon sign in the chart, you will have extensive interactions with your large extended family but you will always feel detached/apathetic/dissociated from them.
The Seventh House
This house is quite easy to analyse, partnerships in every which way. These partnerships are ruled by Venus, the master negotiator. Venus also replays the same ‘human company and profit’ motif! Here however the human company is more limited to one-on-one and has to be legal. The 7th is also one of the four major foundations of the chart (the other 3 being the 1st, 4th and 10th).
The 7th is the house of all the relationships and interactions that are ruled by law of the land. Thus the legal marriage, matters of the law, court cases, business partnerships, interactions with government agencies, contracts in trade and all human interactions rising from these are the domain of the 7th. This house also governs the relationships with first legal husband/wife, children from second legal wife, maternal grandmother, paternal grandfather etc. Here as the house of marriage, our sub-conscious expects a balanced partnership based on our personal cultural legal environments. This is the house of agreements, contracts, negotiations, fairness and balance. This house desires human interaction through partnerships.
As the 7th has been hyped as the house of sexual pleasure so just a small note. Not all adults have sexual partners but all of us have one significant partnership. This can even be with a deity or an ideology. The 7th is the mirror of the self. It shows you the opposite that attracts you, fills your blanks. Seen in this context the 7th is an exchange of energy one-one between two who desire this as a karmic agreement.
The 7th counted from the ascendant, the planets located here, the position of the 7th house owner and the aspects of other planets, will determine how all these interactions play out on the external, conscious or social level. For determining the sub-conscious impact of the interactions of the 7th you will have to consider the 7th house from the birth moon sign. The 7th from the moon will determine the level of emotional satisfaction and comfort that is received in these extremely personal one-to-one interactions. eg. If you have Saturn placed here you will never feel fulfilment as Saturn constricts and restricts, on the other hand if you have Venus in the 7th house counted from your moon sign, you will always feel the harmony and beauty in all the human interactions governed by the 7th house.
The 11th House
This is the house of gain, profits and luck ruled by Saturn! Luck and Saturn, surprised? Saturn is the strictest karmic teacher of them all but he is the fairest. He will give you exactly how much you have worked for. This house of Saturn gives you all that you have worked for throughout the 1st to 10th houses of the horoscope so far. Thus the 11th is the melting pot of all the human interactions, cooperations, luck and gains in your horoscope. In the 11th you desire the entire network of energy interactions that you have invested in.
Here the interactions are not just limited to your extended family, or legal partnerships! This is like a tradesmen’s fair or a marketplace. You interact with diverse individuals, foreigners, risk-takers, travellers and everyone who shares your interests. Like-minded individuals together make up the 11th. So there is a gradual evolution, from customs-society regulated, to partnerships-legally regulated to common-interests which are now intellectually regulated. This is the real house of fulfilled desire as after the experience of the 3rd and the 7th you are now free to interact with and gain from associates you have chosen purely for their inclinations which match your own. You are not limited by traditions or what is legally approved. This is your house of karmic interactions with every energy in the Universe you have an affinity for!
The 11th from the moon should also be considered, as it stands for all you long for. If your moon is in the 6th house in Pisces, you will always yearn for emotional security, the mother, the homeland, familiar customs, the residence and mental comforts (keyword of the 11th from 6th i.e. the 4th house). Also you will want the father, the profession, the reputation, recognition in the society, and to reach the top of the organisation by working hard for it (keyword of the 11th sign from Pisces i.e. Capricorn). Whether you get it or not depends on the aspects and planets situated here.
This post is about the kama, the desires and the attractions which is in the domain of the mind. The Moon is the mind, and the most important placement in the horoscope is the sign/house of the birth moon as here is where you emotionally perceive what is happenings around you. You could be a king and sad if your ascendant is powerful and moon weak, or you could be a beggar but happy if your ascendant is weak but your moon is strong! So when you analyse the desires of your life as expressed in these 3 houses, 3rd, 7th and 11th do look at the emotional components too. Longings denied and frustrated can have very deep impacts on your psyche. Analyse yourself, try to come to terms with what is allotted to you so that you can find ways to make it better.
psychologically astrology 