Last Updated on July 30, 2020 by astrologerbydefault

There is some information on the Internet (source of all knowledge these days!) about cursed horoscopes or shapit patrikas. It sounds more terrifying than saying that there are ‘malefic influences’ in your horoscope. And there was a question on this topic, so here is my take on this. Curses are real but are rare! For a curse to take hold there are two things required, intention and power. Power can come from personal spiritual practice or black magic or spirits or intense emotions and such-like.

Scene one – You know you have done something against your conscience. The other person is in torment because of some action of yours. He lashes out in pain and intends ill-will for you. This requires a significant chunk of energy, which his pain supplies. This is most commonly seen in cases where wilful abortion has taken place in some past life and the would-be baby curses. Here in the present life, the 1st, 5th or 9th house is spoilt which denies children, denies guidance from ancestors, health is affected, society does not support and you are never very successful in life. Rebalancing this karma requires a bit of ritual and things as you will have to make it up to the other person.

Scene two – Here your conscience is clear, you haven’t hurt anyone but still you are suffering. Eg you are doing well and your neighbour is jealous. He goes to a tantrik ‘black’ magic practitioner and sends ill-will your way. Or as simple as cook something with all his ill-will in it and invite you over for dinner! You can call this a type of ‘curse’, as it is directed negative type of energy. You will need to shield yourself and protect yourself which is relatively easy. Regular cleansing the house and your person will keep such ‘curses’ at bay.

Scene three – you are supposed to do some action as per your Dharma which you did not. Maybe in some past life, rather than taking care of your aged parents, you ignored them. This is technically not a curse but an unpaid debt amplified by the pain that the parent felt. A post here for the simplest possible remedies.

Scene four – Cursed by a Guru. I have seen this only once in my life. For this there is no solution. If the Guru has said that you will become a stone and be like that for thousands of years you will have to go through that experience and only then be reborn in a conscious body. Rarest of the rare cases almost never seen in practice.

Now from the horoscope, if someone tells you that you have been cursed in your past lives and are suffering because of that in the present life, don’t get scared. There are malefic energies in the chart, planets and also the houses. There are always going to be some areas of life which will give you trouble. There is absolutely no reason to label these troubles as ‘curses’ and stress yourself out. And each one of us has given and received ill-will, or ‘curses’ if you will. Someone grabs your seat in the bus, you are tired and you mentally ‘curse’ him! You are suffering right now and he will also suffer later because of your ill-will.

You might have been told that if Jupiter afflicted with Rahu it is a curse from a brahmin. If the Sun is afflicted by Saturn its the curse from the father. A Moon afflicted by malefics, it is a curse from the mother from the past life etc. It may be because of a curse or not, we do not know this in the present life. But we do know that such combinations are problematic. A Moon afflicted with malefics will cause damage to the mental /emotional comforts and also cause medical issues to the eyes, body fluids, blood etc.

Generally we know that the malefic influences in the chart are

• The natural malefics – Sun, Rahu, Ketu, Mars, Saturn
• The functional malefics – owners of the 6^th, the 8^th and 12^th houses. Also the Kendradhipati combinations if applicable to your chart.
• The 3^rd, 6^th, 8^th and 12^th houses. The 3^rd is a rather typical house can go both ways. The 6^th, 8^th and 12^th are the usual houses of turmoil/ dushamsthan.

These all are expected to behave badly and they do, but we don’t call them ‘curses’. But then neither do we call our well-placed benefics as ‘blessings’. These are,

• The natural benefics – Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter
• Functional benefics – Yogkarak planets and the owner planets of the 1st, 4th, 5^th, 7th, 9^th, 10th can be counted on to give auspicious results.
• The 1st, 4th, 5^th, 7th, 9^th, 10th houses.

The human mind is a cryptic thing, it is attracted more to negative things. If something is going wrong, we think we have been ‘cursed’, we refuse to take responsibility and work to set it right.

Serious problems are created when,

• the normally malefic influences over-power the chart and
• the normally benefic influences are unable to give auspicious results.

So if your chart-specific benefic planets/ houses are unable to give beneficial results you might be labeled as ‘cursed’ in your past lives. Most severe would be if the Dharm trikon, the 1^st, 5^th and 9^th houses, is blocked by malefic energies. And second is if there are problems to the kendra houses, 1^st, 4^th, 7^th and 10^th.

If you have some planets placed in inauspicious positions there are several ways you can set their energies right. I have written about them in several of my posts.

But if you are required to know the ‘why?’, rest assured it will be shown to you. But you will be shown it only when you have the capacity to understand it in the right perspective. Perspective comes only when the mind stops imagining and starts analysing logically (so do some spiritual practice!). I have had clients who wanted to know ‘Why is this thing happening to me?’. But what will the client do with knowing the ‘why?’. I have seen that it often increases the trauma. I can sometimes see flashes of past lives of my clients if they are very intense about their question. One client was suffering from a rather cryptic eye disease (Ketu with Venus, in D-1, Venus mahadasha, Ketu antardasha) and was really scared. I saw that in some life, he was blinded and used as an oracle, I could even smell the sulphurous chemicals around his past self. The trauma was very bad and this current illness was the last fading impression of that event. But there was no point in telling him this as it would have disturbed him even more. So I just told him the best possible remedy and the time frame by which it would get resolved. That was enough to reassure his mind.

Let’s not go into why these planets are placed in the chart like this. They just are. Yes, they are linked to your actions in the past, but at this moment you can’t really do anything about those actions. Now onward.

Whatever your chart is, it is because of your own actions, your own intentions, your own karma, not someone else’s ‘curse’ or ‘blessing’. Accept this first and then go about changing it. If you have made it, you can easily re-make it. It is easy. Take your power in your own hands. The power to intend and act.

Think of the chart as the resource you have been given, look to your assets and also be aware of your failings. There are simple and complicated remedies which you can try to make things better for yourself. See which ones you are attracted to. Regular spiritual practice is an all-in-one remedy. These remedies always work, because you are doing them for your own self. You are acting with intent. Always remember that the remedies are ways to channelise your intention. So strengthen your intention first. Remedies are the tools, you are everything.

There are troubles and problems, some low intensity, some high intensity, but you can always balance them out. Do not label them as ‘curses’ and make things more difficult for yourself.

(This post was in response to this comment I received in the contact form.

“It is very empowering to read your posts. I have been told that I was cursed in my past lives. Please help in understanding what curses are and how to get rid of them. Would be very helpful. Thank you.”)