How to judge a planet in your chart

I am putting this up as consolidated post so that you can get a glimpse of the various techniques that are used in analysing charts. I get several questions on this, so this practical post. You can use techniques like these to gain more information on how the planets in your chart work.

I will use the birth details of Aleister Crowley, 12th Oct 1875, 11: 42pm, Leamington Spa, Britain. He is dead and has a reasonably well-known life, happening on several levels, so is a good study subject. In this, let’s examine the power of Jupiter.

First the basic birth chart

Birth chart Aliester Crowley

Jupiter is the lord of the 6th and 9th houses. 

This fact sets the tone for the entire reading. Here the 6th house is his Mool trikon sign. So though he is a natural benefic, he cannot be considered to be totally auspicious for the Cancer ascendant. As ruler of the 6th, he controls debts, enemies, diseases, servitude, etc which are generally responsible for turbulence in life.

As the ruler of the 9th he is in control of the luck, blessings, support of peers and patrons, religion, philosophical foundations etc. It is a conducive environment for Jupiter as he is the owner of the natural 9th sign. Every planet connected to the 9th house gives favourable results. But here we must factor in the dual ownership of the 6th house before coming to conclusions about Jupiter.

The 6th house is vacant nor aspected by any other planet. The 9th has Rahu and Moon in it and is aspected by Saturn from the 7th house and Sun from the 3rd house. So there are several influences modifying Jupiter’s environment ie, Pisces sign here. So the results that the 9th can give will be improved by the presence of Moon here, he is the ascendant lord himself in a very favourable house. Though Rahu will add his typical overreaching behaviour, still the 9th house can give good results with these two planets. 

You can go into more depth by analysing the nakshatra which make up these two houses. The nakshatras in the 6th house are not hosting any planets. But the 9th house has Moon in Poorvabhadrapada and Rahu in Uttarabhadrapada nakshatra. You can add more insights using their attributes in respect to these planets.

Jupiter is placed in the 4th house. 

So he will be modifying the environment of the 4th house presented by Libra sign by adding his keywords of philosophy, luck, mediation, hope, benevolence etc to it. He will also add some energy of the 6th and 9th houses to the 4th house results.

Venus is the owner of Libra and considers Jupiter as a neutral. But Jupiter considers Venus as an enemy as per the natural tendency for relationships. But as per the concept of temporary relationships a planet is enemies with other planets placed in the same house. So Venus in this chart, considers Jupiter as an ‘enemy’ and Jupiter considers Venus as a ‘great enemy’. Jupiter is placed in the sign of his great enemy and with this great enemy, thus is not comfortable. Thus the attributes of the 4th house,  Libra sign and Jupiter will also seem uncomfortable to the overall personality and be a cause of friction in life.

Jupiter is conjunct Mercury and Venus. In this, Mercury has won the planetary war, graha yuddha and dominates over the other two. So Mercury has a comparatively larger say over the results expressed by Libra/ 4th house. 

As Jupiter is conjunct Venus and Mercury, he will naturally influence both these planets and the houses they are in charge of in the chart to some extent.

Jupiter is aspecting 8th 10th and 12th houses. 

Jupiter, the 6th lord, aspecting these important houses, ensured that Crowley was miserable, did not receive social recognition of the positive sort, was infamous, without money, without social standing etc in life. Also it is possible that the so-called occult experiments he performed caused him more trauma than is publicly known. And I think that his death too was by unnatural reasons, caused by enemies of some sort. As the 9th lord, Jupiter aspecting these houses, did give him insights into the working of the occult and the mysterious. Plus helped him make his Thoth deck, write books, develop new philosophies and a cult. So there was something positive. All in all a mixed bag of results from his aspects over these critical houses. 

Jupiter is in Swati Nakshatra.

The attributes of this lunar mansion will influence the results linked to Jupiter. Jupiter will work through the energy filter that Swati is and affect Crowley especially at the subconscious and astral levels. Generally Jupiter functions reasonably well in Swati and grant a sense of balance, adjustment, potential for spiritual, esoteric, religious activities, development of philosophy etc.

Now if we see the birth Moon, he is in Uttarabhadrapada nakshatra. Using the Janma navtara chakra, we see that Swati lies in the ‘Mitra’ group. So the things that Jupiter represented must have seemed friendly to Crowley’s mind. He would have got some significant gains from friends or from unknown people and especially when he were out of his homeland, ie while travelling etc.

If we draw the Ashtapadmadala chakra, we see that Swati is at point no. 17 in the chakra. A very basic interpretation would be that Jupiter is lying on the Durgantar boundary with his energy moving inwards. So in some way or the other, the energies, activities, people and achievements represented by Jupiter, helped enhance Crowley’s personality, nourished his individual soul. And these keywords of Jupiter were expressed by Crowley in a rather private manner, only his close associates knew what he was really upto here.

Jupiter is neither retrograde nor combust nor exalted nor debilitated etc. If any of these conditions would have existed we would have added their modifying results. 

Jupiter matures at the age of 16yrs but here his maturity is being held back by Mercury till the age of 32yrs. Planetary results are more comprehensible and useful after maturity so Crowley would have been better able to use the power of Jupiter after this age. Also the 4th house matures at the age of 40-45yrs, so the activities represented by this house would have become more clear after this age.

Now lets get into the numbers

crowley shadbala

Sthan Bala – Jupiter has a value of 223.53 which is quite high. He will give solid results, whatever they may be. Wrote a post on Sthan bala here.

Dig Bala – Jupiter has a neutral sort of value of 30.30, so he may not have always been able to convince Crowley to follow his directions, ie Crowley may have found it difficult to move in the direction indicated by Jupiter in life, may have had self-doubts or low expectations of success from these endeavours.

Kaala Bala is at 124.06. This is an average sort of a value, so the quantum of change that Jupiter would have brought in would have been an average sort. Neither too high nor too low. Kala is time. Time measures change. So Kala Bala is a measure of change caused by the graha. 

Cheshta Bala at 11.43 is low compared to the others. So the effects brought in by Jupiter would be slower, expected results would be delayed, or weaker than expected. 

Drig Bala is -4.43. This is a measure of how the planets aspect each other including the partial aspects which we do not consider in our regular readings. So here Jupiter is more aspected by malefics and naturally this will hit his capacity to do whatever good can. He is also the 9th lord so is responsible for good too in this chart. Another way of putting it is that the malefic results of Jupiter overall are going to be enhanced and the benefic results diminished. 

Overall Shad Bala is at 419.46 which is quite low as compared to the other planets. As Jupiter is a functional malefic for this chart, 6th house lord, this is good in a way. But as the lord of the 9th house, having low power is a cause for concern. 

Finally his Kashta phala is 40.96 which means that, Jupiter, despite everything, will in the final summary give Crowley pain and suffering. 

crowley vimshopaka

Next let’s see the Vimshopak Bala for Jupiter 

As Crowley was a regular person, we will use the Dasha varga. Here Jupiter has a score of 15 points. So Jupiter should give good results in his life. The advice for Crowley would have been to do come spiritual practice and channel the energy of Jupiter as the 9th house lord. (I had read somewhere that he lived in Bharat for a few years and had a guru here.)

Now the Avastha of Jupiter

crowley avastha

Jupiter in Sushupti – When a planet is in deep sleep state, the everything related to this planet seems to go by in a haze. One is not really aware of these things. But the plus point here is that the activities seem to be directed by some internal divine force for some greater good, which is not evident at the time of the action. 

Jupiter in Yuva avastha – this is said to bring ‘prosperity’ to the house he owns, ie the 6th and 9th houses. So from his life, its quite clear that he had quite a happening life in terms of the keywords of these two houses. Crowley performed several activities linked to these houses. But if you analyse the quality of these activities, its evident that most of them resulted in suffering for him and some of them did not reach their logical conclusion while he was alive. 

Jupiter in Kshudit Mudit avastha – Kshudhit means that Jupiter is in the sign of an enemy or conjunct an enemy or aspected by an enemy. Here he is all three. So its a very highly Kshudhit. The reading is that this makes a person miserable and also adversely affects the profession, social standing etc, especially as Jupiter aspects the 10th house. 

Mudit literally means happy and in astrology it means that Jupiter is with or aspected by a benefic, I don’t think that this really applies to this Jupiter, but the software has given this. I think they are indicating Mercury or Venus to have some effect as natural benefics on Jupiter. 

Jupiter in Khala avastha – Khala means wicked. being in the sign of an enemy is the Khala avastha. This avastha amplifies the effect of the above Kshudhit avastha. 

Jupiter in Netrapani avashta – Netrapani means putting the hands over the eyes. ‘lustful and diseased’ is the classical interpretation and its obviously true in this case. 

Next here is the Navamsha chart

Navamsha Aleister Crowley

If you are an advanced student, you should at least analyse the navamsha chart. Jupiter moves to the Aquarius sign navamsha. Aquarius is the 8th sign in the original birth chart, a Dusham sthan. Any planet in the navamsha of a dusham sthan is drawn into its vortex of turbulent energies. Any result that Jupiter gives will subtly have this turbulence of the 8th house at its core. Aquarius is the mool-trikon of Saturn, so gains more power because of this basic fact. Thus Jupiter is not comfortable here. If he were just the 6th lord this position would have been manageable. But as the 9th lord his ability to give pleasing results is further compromised. 

(You can do a detailed analysis of the Navamsha using this post as a guideline)

The Ashtak varga

If you have read my earlier posts you can do a basic analysis using the Samudaya ashtakvarga like this. 

crowley ashtakvarga

Jupiter has 5 points in Libra sign. Whatever Crowley wants to do with his Jupiter related things, he will get cooperation from the other forces operating in his life. So let’s open the Prastara ashtakvarga of Jupiter to know exactly what kind of forces. Look for the score, either 1 or 0, that the planet contributes to Jupiter’s score in Libra sign, ie the first column.

crowley prastara ashtakvarga jupiter

  • So the forces represented by Mars, Sun, Mercury, and the ascendant degree/ Lagna will support Jupiter in his positive endeavours in Crowley’s life. 
  • And the forces represented by Saturn, Moon and Venus will be neutral or hinder the favourable activities connected to Jupiter in this chart. 

Jupiter in the birth Moon chart

Jupiter is in the house counted 8th from the Moon in the birth Moon chart. He is in charge of the emotional component of all traumatic changes in identity that Crowley will undergo in his life. Also it is a clear case of the Shakata yog with its typical interpretation and its effects are evident in his life.

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

In this post, we have seen very briefly how each technique contributes to an understanding of the planet in its own way. Now if we had to pull all of this together we would need a question from Crowley. Suppose he had asked, ‘what are the positives that I can expect from my Jupiter?’, then we would present a summary of these results oriented towards this specific question. We would then use the running Mahadasha and Antardasha at that time to give specific observations for using Jupiter’s energy. eg Jupiter would be more active in his life during the dasha periods related to the 6th 9th 4th houses. We would then use the transits to fine-tune these recommendations.

This is a very basic and cursory examination of a planet in a chart. Obviously there are so many things that could have been written, but then it would have been a needlessly long post. There are even more techniques, eg to find out important years, the time when certain events will occur etc. Jyotish has an absolute plethora of techniques. And these are important as they either reinforce your predictions or show that there are mitigating factors which will reduce the intensity of the predicted event. 

Use this sort of analysis as a starting point for your own chart and your study subject’s charts. And do use Jyotish as a tool for answering questions rather than a random study. Eg how will this person’s married life be like?, or how will my professional life be like? etc. This will give you a focus point for your study and will be more helpful in learning the subject.

Jupiter transiting Capricorn 2020-21

Jupiter graha will now transit through Capricorn, his sign of debilitation. This transit is very critical and has to be seen in the context of Saturn occupying Capricorn. Saturn rules Capricorn and is capable of powerful results in it. But his capacity to give results is influenced by his association with the debilitated Jupiter. Both are unable to give their results fully.

As usual Jupiter will show all 8 types of movements at different speeds and also go combust as per this schedule during this transit.

  • Enters Capricorn – 20th Nov 2020
  • Goes combust from 18th Dec 2020 to 9th Jan 2021.
  • Enters Aquarius – 6th Apr 2021
  • Goes retrograde in Aquarius – 20th Jun 2021
  • Enters Capricorn retrograde – 14th Sept 2021
  • Goes forward in Capricorn – 18th Oct 2021
  • Enters Aquarius – 21st Nov 2021

Jupiter is debilitated in Capricorn and his impact is overall adverse, he has the potential to make you miserable in several ways. He represents luck, fortune, blessings, protection, expansion, kindness, benevolence, support from your peers/patrons, auspicious benefits from your past lives, the foundations of your life. The auspiciousness in your life in all ways. All these things in life do not work effectively when Jupiter is in Capricorn.

Saturn owns Capricorn, he gives powerful but not always pleasing results when he is here. He is rules, the karmic schedule you have planned for yourself, restrictions, budgeting your resources, maturity, responsibility, work, no-nonsense attitude, pragmatic nature, social mobility/ status, profession, gains of all sorts, social interactions, etc. Saturn himself occupying Capricorn will bring all these things into high focus. Saturn is a very powerful graha, the force of your own pending karma which demands to be balanced.

They are together in Capricorn. Capricorn is broadly your profession, boss, father, salary income, work, social standing, social mobility etc. So analyse their results together in the environment provided by Capricorn.

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

First let’s check out the general results. Jupiter is entering Capricorn again this year, the first time he was here, he expanded the COVID 19 havoc. So it is possible that his entry here again may trigger sporadic outbreaks (Do go through the post on Mars retrograde.) In this current Shri Sharvari naam samvarsara, Jupiter has transited through Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius, 3 signs in one year. (The predictions for the year follow the Nav nayak scheme.) Such fast movement is highly inauspicious as is evident.

Wars, famines, emergencies, recession, economic collapses, diseases, civil riots, anarchy, etc are all possible and are happening in some or other part of the world even now. Religious activities will not give auspiciousness. Justice will be denied despite corruption being exposed. Issues do not get resolved. Unnatural deaths of political leaders is possible. Gold prices will stop rising but people are too poor to buy it now. The coming winter will be colder. All seasons in 2021 will all be extreme. Natural calamities will occur. Pollution will be higher, environmental activists will be on an over-drive, preaching. Racism will be high. Hinduism/ Sanatan Dharma will be targeted. Regarding COVID 19, the vaccine should be announced after Mars gets back to normal in Jan 2021. Doubts will be cast on the entire COVID 19 narrative and the USA elections after this. China will continue to break internally, though posing strongly outwardly. For India /Bharat it is a time for hard work which will pay off later.

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

Now in your own horoscope, you have to analyse the functional roles for Jupiter and Saturn, which houses they are placed at birth etc. The Vimshottari Dasha, Mahadasha and its further antardasha you are in, will have its effect. Finally the transits will fine tune the Dasha results. The current transit of Rahu Ketu in Taurus/Scorpio is very significant. Especially Mars retrograde/forward is on an extended stay in Pisces/Aries now. The planets are going combust and retrograde from time to time also have their typical effects.

One thing to remember, take up only those projects which are related to physical, material, practical stuff. Hopeful and wishful thinking will not get you anywhere. Innovation, creativity, spirituality etc are muted as Saturn is more powerful than Jupiter in Capricorn. Those into spirituality, mediation etc can lose interest, businesses related to these topics will suffer. Jupiter in Capricorn and later in Aquarius will give general dissatisfaction. Take the long view and be patient.

In the list of brief results, if you count from your ascendant sign you will get the physical result, the actual event on you and in your environment. If you count from the birth Moon sign you will get the effect on the mind/ emotions. Eg if your ascendant is Leo, Capricorn lies in your 6th house in your birth chart. If your birth Moon is in Aquarius, then Capricorn is in your 12th house in your birth moon chart. And if you count from the sign occupied by your birth Saturn or Jupiter, it can give a glimpse on the subtle lesson they intend to give you.

Remember that Saturn aspects the 3rd and 10th house from where he is. Jupiter aspects the 5th and 9th house from his location.  So you can add more predictions to these basic ones by adding these aspects. 

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

If Capricorn lies in your 1st house. The middle phase of the Sade-sati is on for you. You will have the fortitude to bear under stress and you will need it as there will be several anxious moments. Try to get adequate rest. Students need to pay attention to their education. Relationships will give unhappiness. Avoid over-spending. You might feel alone. Travel is a possibility. You might gain wealth and status if you are living/ working in foreign lands to the west of where you were born.

If Capricorn is your 2nd house. The third and last phase of the Sade-sati is on for you. This period gives mixed results, but I am counting on Jupiter as the winner of the Graha yuddha between him and Saturn so predicting positive results. So you can gain wealth, family relationships will be good, religious actives are possible during this time. Giving loans during this period is not advisable. Avoid feeling jealous of others and if possible do some charity. This will make what you really have with you seem more solid, more real. Avoid arguments and using harsh words. You might feel alone/ unwanted. Stick strongly to your moral compass.

If Capricorn occupies your 3rd house then, mixed results are indicated depending on the power of Jupiter and Saturn in your birth chart. Either education, trade, family life, children, spouse, friends etc will be good and auspicious or ultimately you might get cheated. Be cautious especially of friends/ family members etc who seem to be too good to be true. Avoid big investments. Saturn in the 3rd is overall good, so even if problems crop up you have the necessary power to deal with them effectively. If Saturn is auspicious for you then this period will be quite good.

If Capricorn is in your 4th house. This is also called Kantak Shani. This means that the home environment is affected. Your mother, residence, vehicles, comforts, rest, security can suffer from Jupiter’s lack of effective ‘protection’. Bouts of depression/diseases can be expected. You might have to leave your home town and relocate to foreign lands. But you will gain if you do so, leadership roles etc can be available. There is a possibility of philosophical growth and maturity. Try to spend time with your spouse/ children, your schedule may be too busy, do not ignore them. Budgeting is necessary.

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

If Capricorn is in the 5th house. This time will make you challenge your own life philosophies and your experimental, irreligious, non-spiritual behaviour can increase your stress. You are at internal war with yourself. Overthinking is not good. Your children, if any, will need attention, if they are old enough they might leave the house, eg go to hostels, ie separation is possible. Marital life will be strained. Interpersonal relationships will be stressful. Money, education will be good, you might win prizes but get no internal satisfaction. If you work with your hands, eg are a craftsman, architect, engineer, builder etc you can expect success. Try to follow some established spiritual practice during this period, as it will ultimately benefit immensely in the long run.

If Capricorn is in the 6th house. Take care of your health, especially the conditions indicated by Saturn in your birth chart might flare up. Stress from spouse/ children is possible, take care of their health. Enemies will not be able to act against you, though there will be several plotting against you in secret. You will be very busy, ie will be given lots of responsibilities, if you fulfil these effectively you will gain repute but health might be affected. Your professional/ spiritual accomplishments are more in the background, as you are more interested in serving the society. Wealth should flow be adequate. This is overall a good time, despite the debilitated Jupiter. Here I am counting on Saturn to prevail over Jupiter so check your personal chart. Be careful about trusting others this might lead to loss of reputation, unnecessary expenditures, stress etc.

If Capricorn is in your 7th house. Kantak Shani, the thorns in your life. Jupiter though debilitated can provide some relief if he is a functional benefic and strong in your birth chart. There will be stress in the marriage. The social circles/ natures/ life-philosophy etc of you and your spouse will be different and this might lead to differences now. There may be separation from spouse in some way or the other. Spouse’s health might give you cause for concern. Affairs are possible and this affects the stability of the marriage. However there are possibilities of professional success if Jupiter is powerful in your birth chart. Financial situation will improve slowly. Your family members/ friends might need your help.

If Capricorn is in your 8th house. Kantak Shani position. Saturn will give pain, Jupiter though debilitated can provide some relief, but still it is not a good time. Marriage can be a source of frustration but if you engage in illicit affairs, it will complicate the situation even more. Feeling lonely and unloved can be stressful so try to go out with your family/ friends groups. The spouse may be ill, also take care of your own health. Try to appreciate the other’s point of view and avoid self-entered behaviour. You will be kept busy with responsibilities and might not get time for yourself. You might get property or wealth through legacies/ wills from others if Jupiter is well placed in your birth chart. Else losses are possible.

www.psychologicallyastrology.com

If Capricorn is in the 9th house. Either you will remain satisfied with what you have gained. Or disinterested in everything you have gained. Either way you now develop your own understanding of life and try to live your life accordingly. Others will find this attitude difficult to understand. This can lead to alienation so do make an occasional effort to interact with others in your family/ society. Senior members of your family may fall ill/ die. Try to perform some pilgrimage or pujas. If your Jupiter is strong in your birth chart then this period can be somewhat better. You might get a long distance job or some gains from long pending issues. Overall there is some hope of positivity.

If Capricorn is in the 10th house. This is also considered to be a thorny proposition, Kantak Shani. He creates lingering issues which give pain. Be careful in your profession, you might be forced to compromise in your job, or be given bribes. You might be involved in teaching type of roles during this time or people might ask your advice. You might get superficially interested in ancient culture or occult etc type of subjects. You might get some special projects in your work. However try to take others along, follow the established rules, dress well, present yourself properly. Being harsh can create unnecessary problems. Health can be down, eyesight, mind, kapha type of issues are possible.

If Capricorn is in the 11th house you can get several opportunities to gain on the material levels. Wisdom and philosophy will also be yours, however for this time you will be inclined towards the material than the spiritual. Respect, fame and general prosperity will be enhanced, you will be very active in society. This is a good time, use it well, several opportunities are going to open. If studying you have to pay attention to your studies. And if you have children you must pay attention to them. If you are a Pisces Moon, this period is the best time for you. Saturn is favourable and Jupiter too. You can realise your dreams during this time, so go ahead with your projects. The current adverse Mars transit will resolve in Jan 2021 and then things will improve dramatically. This coming year will grant you success, fame, wealth and all the things you wish for.

If Capricorn is in the 12th house. The first phase of the Sade-sati is on for you. You might be required to leave your hometown or settle in foreign lands. There will be stresses, take care of your health, especially of the eyes. There may be losses of money, so think twice before spending large amounts. Loneliness, separation from family, arguments, are possible. Avoid addictions, take care of your health, physical and mental. You might perform some religious rituals/remedies which you think will help you but they might not work during this period. You must be careful.

www

Overall Pisces has the best time, especially the Pisces Moons will fare the best. Leo will face some trying times but overall it should be ok. Scorpio will have to wait till Mars gets to his regular self again, ie after Jan 2021, then things should be better. Taurus should try to find opportunities as there will be some auspicious possibilities. Cancer and Virgo will have an average to ok time. Aries might have to compromise with their morals. Sagittarius is going through the last phase of the Sade-sati so not very happy. Libra will have see issues on the home front. Capricorn is worried about the future. Aquarius and Gemini are not in a good place.

Solutions will be to do some daily pujas or some personal spiritual practice or mantra jaap of the concerned planets, Homa, charity, etc are all possible. Do check out the index page to locate these posts.

You have to tailor these predictions as per your own birth chart. So open the Ashtakvarga table, check the points that Jupiter has in Capricorn, if they are more than 4, then the positive predictions above will hold, else there will be issues during this Jupiter in Capricorn transit. (If your birth rising degree is not at the centre of the sign then you may have to calculate the Ashtakvarga table by hand). Depending on your level of study you can also check out the Shad Bala, ie the Drig Bala, Ishta/Kashta phala, etc related values of your Jupiter to know if he is auspicious for you overall. Or use the Ashtapadmadala chakra. I have written posts on all these topics so use the index page to locate them. Also go through my earlier posts on transit predictions to see how predictions work in real life.

 

Mars retrograde 2020

 

Mars is called Kuja, as he is the son of the Earth/Pruthvi. Once Bhagwan Shiv was dancing the Tandav of destruction and a drop of his sweat fell on the Earth which was transformed into a warrior, Mars. His other name is Mangal, the auspicious. 

In the current year 2020, he is going to be retrograde for 66 days. Mars goes retrograde every 2yrs 2mths. In this, his slowed down,  stationary, retrograde, stationary, forward slow and regular forward again motion takes about 5-6months to complete. (There are 8 types of planetary movements which I have listed out in this post here.)

  • Mars has slowed down from 25th Jul in Pisces.
  • Entered Aries on 16 Aug.
  • Retrograde in Aries on 9th Sept
  • Enter Pisces on 4th Oct.
  • Forward in Pisces on 14th Nov
  • Enter Aries on 24th Dec.
  • Start moving at his regular speed from 2nd Jan 2021 in Aries.

In this about 5-6 month period he is going to be moving very slowly, first retrograde and then forward grinding into Pisces 21-30 deg and Aries 0-3deg. A retrograde planet releases tremendous amounts of energy into the sign/ nakshatra/ degree that he occupies. A planet becomes stronger when he goes retrograde. The energies are turned inwards ie not expressed outwards as they generally are. Mars is the energy of life and death. He is vitality, the will to live, confidence, boldness, aggression and competition. When Mars is retrograde, these qualities are not expressed in a healthy manner outwards but tend to move inwards and cause psychological and physical issues if imbalanced.

5621c76e05ddf5b2a05e4a4770492b70

Here are the predictions in a nutshell.

Mars, indicates the ‘passion’ in your life. He is all about how you express yourself. Eg he will tell you how you respond to anger in others, how angry you get and how you at when you get angry. Be careful when Saturn aspects this retrograde Mars, you might express your emotions in an inappropriate manner causing problems for yourself later. There might be events where you face physical/ verbal strife, treachery, back-biting, etc. The ability to discriminate and take decisions will be affected, so expect confusions, few wrong decisions or losses. And health will be affected in some way or the other.

The general effect of this Mars retrograde will be more seen on people who have their birth Moon or ascendant sign in Aries, Scorpio (owns these), Cancer, Leo (yogkarak for these). Also Pisces will be affected when Mars actually moves into it. Those with their birth moon in Mruga, Chitra and Dhanishtha nakshatras should also take due care. If you are going through a major or sub-period of Mars as per the Vimshottari dasha you will feel the effects of this retrograde more intensely.

On a general note, expect the economic collapse to continue. Goods connected to fire and energy, like petroleum, LPG etc can increase in price. Industrial accidents, fires, explosions are possible. Communal violence or riot like situations will be seen. Several nations will see border related tensions. The global health issue will not see much relief as inappropriate medicines etc will be administered. Weather will be uncertain as monsoons will extend and the winter too will be colder than usual. This will affect agriculture and large tracts of lands will see hunger/ famine. Especially those nations which saw the June 21st solar eclipse should be careful as Nature will not be kind to them. 

4b78cba13845aab69df6dbdc41dae38b

If you have a Retrograde Mars at birth, you are generally unable to express your aggression, rage, dominating nature, competitive nature, sexual desires, passion, deepest emotions/ wishes etc in a healthy way, always. Instead you brood, are shy, introverted, these emotions twist and turn inwards suffocating you. You have little or no initiative in the aspects of your life controlled by Mars. So try to take active measures to work with the energy of this planet for your benefit. (Fine tune these results depending on the keywords of the sign and house occupied by Mars)

So in the current Mars retrograde, expect an internalisation of this sort to happen for everyone. The vitality that Mars represents moves inwards, making this more a time for internal work. But not everyone can introspect so there will be confusion. Retrograde Mars will unravel some things going on in your life and make you revise, redo, review his lessons in these few zodiac degrees in the coming times very thoroughly. These degrees are also the Gandant, the weak link in the zodiac, a junction between the watery-fiery signs. This particular degrees zone is also the end-beginning of the entire zodiac so this Mars retrograde is more intense and will affect everyone on some level or the other.

During this period, Saturn is retrograde (post here) in Capricorn so will aspect Mars when in Pisces (Saturn’s 3rd aspect), this is not a good aspect and it will aggravate Mars. Also Jupiter is retrograde (post here) and then forward in Sagittarius, so he will aspect Mars when he is in Aries (Jupiter’s 5th aspect). This will tone down Mars’s harshness for this brief time at least. So remember to factor in these effects on Mars when you analyse. The three outer planets are all retrograde together for some time.

In fact this year 2020, (or even the Vedic Shri Sharvari naam samvatsara) has seen all the 5 planets going retrograde and the humungous eclipses saw the true nodes, Rahu and Ketu going forward. A weird year. (Generally in a year, Mercury will be in retrogression three times. Each time this will be for 19 to 24 days. Venus goes retrograde every 1.5yrs for a few days. Mars goes retrograde every 2yrs 2mths. Jupiter retrogrades every year for around 120 days. Saturn retrogrades every year for around 140 days. When you see any planet placed 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th from the Sun in your chart, they will be in the retrograde mode. The true nodes go in the forward motion around eclipses.)

 

e6097ae7d4c5221c25347e395d82e50c

Mars is about expressing yourself, more on the physical levels. Your hidden potential is brought out by the heat of Mars. And when something new sprouts, there is always some resistance. But Mars loves challenges and helps break your limits and reach into new stuff, so though there may be some trouble it is ultimately for your own growth. So try to work with Mars’s transits in this spirit.

In general, Mars in transit gives unpleasant results when he transits over your birth Moon sign and the signs 2nd 4th 5th 7th 8th 9th 10th and 12th counted from the birth Moon sign. The results vary from arguments with others, losses, confusions, accidents to health related issues depending on the keywords of that sign/ house. He is a natural malefic, a kroor-graha, ie a cruel force in life. If you are under an adverse transit of Mars, be prepared for issues cropping up and use his energy to intelligently overcome them. Mars is strife, so like it or not you will be required to be defend these parts of your life. 

He gives favourable results when he transits the 3rd 6th and 11th signs from the birth Moon sign. A malefic, he is best in the three upchaya houses as then he destroys enemies, gives the necessary courage to face upto the problems of life and the necessary vitality which to seize opportunities for gains. If Mars is in a favourable transit for your birth Moon sign then make use of this unprecedented opportunity of the upcoming retrograde.

To analyse how this retrograde Mars transit will be for you, find out if Mars is a benefic or malefic for your ascendant sign (post here). A benefic Mars generally will add physical strength, confidence, vitality etc to the aspects of life he controls in your chart. A benefic Mars going retrograde can give you some long term benefit in this period, but results will be visible after Dec 2020. In fact if any of you are into spiritual practice, then this period will benefit as Mars controls the nadi and the movement of pran within them. A malefic Mars will give violent behaviour, sudden changes, etc in the houses he is placed in, and also create lack of confidence in the things that he signifies in your chart. In this case you should be careful during his upcoming retrograde. Also avoid adventure sports, risky activities including swimming in unfamiliar water bodies.

Then locate where the Pisces and Aries signs lie in your birth chart. Eg if Pisces is your 6th house, you might find your heath affected by ‘internal heat’, boils, hair-loss, digestion related issues etc can pop up, office work might get on an over-load as demands for service increase etc. But you will be able to cope. Eg if Aries is your 10th house your father may fall ill, there may be trouble in your office etc.

Mars is going retrograde in first in Ashvini and then in Revati nakshatra.

Ashvini is the start of the zodiac. So its keywords are spontaneity, beginnings, power, courage, vitality, alertness, leadership, sensitivity, help, truth, health and healing. It has a straightforward nature, light-hearted, adventurous and active. It is ruled by the twin physicians of the demi-gods, the Ashvini-kumar and is linked to the energies of Ketu. When retrograde Mars occupies Ashvini, he will distort the expression of all these qualities. eg he can make it rash and impulsive, it does not learn from past mistakes, stubbornness can increase, lashing out in anger is possible. So if you have to start any new project during this period take all precautions and recheck everything before you do so. Health may be an issue and wrong medication possible. Losses in business are possible and interpersonal relations will show strain. Ashvini is linked to transport, movement, medicine, trade etc so these areas may suffer generally. 

Revati is the last nakshatra of the zodiac and ruled by Pushan. It is also linked to Mercury. The keywords of this lunar mansion are completion, satisfaction, nourishing, light, assimilation, awareness, collective, messages, travel, wealth, luck, pleasure, optimism, beliefs, imagination, etc. So a retrograde Mars in such a sensitive Naksahtra can cause issues like lack of support, interference in business, loss of wealth, jealousy, misunderstandings, betrayals, exhaustion, hurts, getting caught in others problems, getting caught in illusions, inability to comprehend the bigger picture, passions triggered by rigid beliefs, etc. All these things will lead to physical action as it is Mars involved. Mars always indicates action and his emotional/ psychological effects are also in some way connected to ‘action’. Eg there might be communal riots as misplaced beliefs and intolerance leads to impulsive and rash ‘action’.

Manglik, a guide to analysing Mars in depth

And for your personal reading you can open your Janma Navtara chakra (this post) and locate Ashvini and Revati in it. Whatever these Nakshatra stand for in your chart, you will see extra energy in these aspects of life.

eg If your birth Moon Nakshatra is Uttarabhadrapada then this is your Janma nav tara chart,

Tara

Nakshatra count

Ruler

Janma

U.Bhadrapada

Pushya

Anuradha

Saturn

Sampat

Revati

Ashleysha

Jeyshtha

Mercury

Vipat

Ashvini

Magha

Mula

Ketu

Kshema

Bharani

P.phalguni

P.ashadha

Venus

Pratyari

Krutika

U.phalguni

U.ashadha

Sun

Sadhaka

Rohini

Hasta

Sharavan

Moon

Naidhana

Mruga

Chitra

Dhanishtha

Mars

Mitra

Aradra

Swati

Shatataraka

Rahu

Ati mitra

Punarvasu

Vishakha

P.bhadrapada

Jupiter

A general interpretation would be like this. Revati is a Sampat tara for you so while Mars transits Revati (Pisces sign) his results will be favourable overall for you. There might be some opportunities which if you can pick up will give gains after Dec 2020. Retrograde planets teach patience as gains are delayed. Ashvini is a Vipat Tara so Mars when transiting Ashvini can create challenging situations in your life. You may feel stressed out, tired, etc  as vitality is affected. Again you are required to be patient, keep your mind cool and try to cope with what will come. The exact situations which will cause stresses must be seen from what Mars stands for in your individual horoscope.

For remedies, check the index page or use the search bar, I have written about remedies in several posts. The easiest remedy would be lighting a sesame oil lamp on Tuesdays and reciting the Mangal Beej mantra ‘Om kraang kreeng karung sah Mangalaya namah’. Doing regular puja of your favourite deity or family deity will also help.

There are several ways of analysing transits. You can try using the Ashtapadmadala chakra (post here) or the Ashtakvarga chart (post here) if you wish. These two methods give quite accurate readings so advanced students can try this for practice. These retrograde periods are a good learning experience, observe yourself and those around you to see how the planet performs.

576811dc37f70fddb9e6d36e4e1bef88

 

 

The toughest Vimshottari Antardasha

Vimshottari dasha system is the most common one which all students of Jyotish learn. In this, the format is a main-period/Mahadasha, sub-period/antar-dasha and further sub-sub periods, a total of 5 levels. The tone of this main-period is further modulated by the subsequent sub-sub periods. This covers the 120yrs of a human life. The Maha-Dashas are Ketu Mahadasha is 7years, Venus mahadasha is the longest at 20 Years, Sun Mahadasha is 6 Years, Moon Mahadasha is 10 Years, Mars Mahadasha is 7 Years, Rahu Mahadasha is 18 Years, Jupiter Mahadasha is 16 Years, Saturn Mahadasha is 19 Years and Mercury Mahadasha is 17 Years.

The important thing in analysing the Vimshottari is analysing the power and the nature of the Mahadasha MD ruler and the Antardasha AD ruler and the interaction between them. (If you are experienced enough you can attempt adding the rulers of the sub-sub periods etc to this analysis too.)

So open your vedic software, input your birth data and check what planet’s MD and which planet’s AD you are in at the present moment. We have to now analyse the relationship between these two planets to get a sense of how this sub-period will be like.

This is our example chart, Aleister Crowley the famous occultist and creator of the Thoth tarot deck, birth details, 12th Oct 1875, 11:43 pm Leamington UK. Suppose Crowley was in Jupiter MD and Rahu AD ie ‘Jupiter-Rahu’ period. Now analyse the birth chart, Cancer ascendant so Jupiter is a functional malefic (he owns the 6th and 9th houses and his mooltrikon sign Sagittarius lies in the 6th house, maha-dusham-sthan). Rahu is a functional malefic for all ascendants.

Birth chart Aliester Crowley

Analysing further. Jupiter is the owner of the 6th house, ie his mool trikon sign lies in the 6th house so he will bring in all the keywords of the 6th house into focus during this period. Ie debts, disease, enemies, arguments, imbalances of all sorts, all one-one relationships will break down, business relationships will also show the strain, spiritual practice will be affected. There will be stress, tension as Jupiter’s expansive abilities will expand the 6th house’s ‘serve or suffer’ motif. He owns the 9th house too, but this is just his own sign not his mooltrikon sign. So there will be some positives with some negatives. He will make Crowley dogmatic, rigid in his opinions, he will not be able to appreciate the others point of view, his teachers, professors, even people whom he considers his spiritual teachers can misguide him. For Cancer ascendant Jupiter cannot give beneficial results outrightly as he owns the 6th house. Some good results from the 9th house can be expected but these will be tainted by Jupiter’s ownership of the 6th house. Jupiter himself occupying the 4th house, Libra, with Mars and Venus. Thus his comfort levels are just average. So the Jupiter MD will not give overall very pleasing results. There will be some high points as the 9th house keywords give some benefits but the 6th house ownership over-shadows it all.

In this we have the Rahu AD, ie the Jupiter-Rahu period. Rahu is occupying the 9th house and with the Moon in Pisces. Any graha in the 9th house is capable of giving good results. Rahu is influenced by Moon and Jupiter. Of these Jupiter is the functional malefic. And Moon as ascendant lord is a benefic. But here we must consider that the Moon-Jupiter in the Shakata yog, 6/8 axis. So Moon and Jupiter are not comfortable with each other, which affects Rahu’s ability to give good results too. So Rahu gains more power to do mischief. And the keywords he will damage are related to the 9th house, Moon and Jupiter. So we cannot expect much good from Rahu during the periods he controls.

Then Jupiter and Rahu are mutually in the 6/8 axis.This is the most traumatic axis for two planets to be in as their energies are sucked up in the vortex of karmic suffering/ catastrophic changes. Both are highly uncomfortable with each other and cannot cooperate to give auspicious results on the physical planes.

So overall this Jupiter-Rahu period would have been difficult for Crowley. (This was a basic analysis, you can add more pointers from the Ashtakvarga charts, the shad-bala values, the navamsha, their nakshtra etc depending on your level of study/experience)

Remedies for combust planets

Now come back to your horoscope,

Check which planets are placed in the 6/8 axis. The MD and AD of these two planets will be the most traumatic ones in your life. Eg if Jupiter and Saturn are placed in the 6/8 axis in your birth chart then Jupiter-Saturn and Saturn-Jupiter periods will cause trouble. Or if Venus and Saturn are placed in the 6/8 axis in your birth chart both the Venus-Saturn and Saturn-Venus periods will be traumatic.

Find out which are the functional malefics in your chart. And if they are adequately supported by benefics or made even worse by aspects from other malefics? Periods ruled by the functional malefics are invariably stressful. Eg in our example horoscope, Cancer ascendant, so Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Rahu and Ketu related periods have potential for causing trouble. Eg Now if a Cancer ascendant person is in a MD or AD of these planets then he will definitely face some issues in life during this period. Eg Jupiter-Saturn, Saturn-Jupiter, Jupiter-Mercury, Mercury-Saturn, Saturn-Mercury, Rahu-Jupiter etc all combinations of these planets sub-periods will give stress. The exact source of this stress will be the energies of the houses they own, the houses they are placed in and the houses which they aspect.

Next if the MD and AD ruling functional malefic planets themselves are placed in the dushamsthan. Ordinarily the logic is that malefics in dushamsthan in the birth chart are a good thing. Use a thorn to remove a thorn concept (vipreet raj yog). But a problem arises when the same planet controls two houses, one dushamsthan and one auspicious. In our eg, it is Cancer ascendant, Jupiter controls the 6th dusham and 9th Kona, the Dharmasthan. Or Saturn controls 7th, a kendra house and 8th, a dusham. Here if the malefic planet is placed in a dusham sthan or not supported by benefics then the other auspicious house owned by him also suffers. Eg If in our example, if Saturn were placed in the 12th house, he would reduce the intensity of the 8th house issues but also reduce the auspiciousness of the marriage, partnerships, intimacy, finances, spiritual practice etc. Or if Jupiter is powerless it will reduce the karmic burdens of the 6th house but also reduce the auspiciousness of the 9th house, so the blessings from the ancestors, guidance from teachers, real Learning, progeny, auspicious benefits from past lives, sense of the divine, in fact every aspect of the current life will be affected by ill-luck. This effect on the other auspicious house can be alleviated if this house is occupied or strongly aspected by a benefic. But if this other auspicious house is even more adversely affected by malefic influences then it will be worse.

Finally check the current transit of the MD and AD planets in the skies. If these are transiting through crucial houses of the chart they will have severe impact on you. eg in our example, Crowley is going through Jupiter-Rahu, right now Jupiter is in Capricorn and debilitated (his movement is very weird this year). Rahu is wrecking havoc in Gemini. One eclipse was in Dec 2019 another is due in Jun2020. So Rahu is in his element, causing mischief. So Crowley if he were alive now, he would really have had a bad time just from these two planets activities. And at the last, superimpose the current transits on the birth chart to get an overview on what houses are under stress and which ones can give good results. For Crowley, Saturn and Mars are in Capricorn currently, so a big boost of energy which can be used for growth but he will take his toll on the physical body. ie Saturn return. Sun in Aries is favourable for profession related activities (though he is in the 6/8 axis from the birth Sun) etc and so on.

I hope you use this post to find out the challenging periods in your life and be more prepared to face them. In such potentially adverse periods it is better to remain alert about your thoughts, words and actions. Especially if the karmic heavyweights like Saturn, Rahu and Ketu are involved or planets who control the longer Vimshottari dashas are involved, as actions taken here can have long lasting impacts.

 

Retrograde and combust planets are unfair?

Ashtakvarga for confirming predictions

The Ashtakvarga chart is of very great importance in Jyotish. And one should make full use of this tool. Checking the effects during transits and strengths of the graha in that sign is just one way of doing this. Here, I am listing out a few more ways you can use this table in making predictions. Ashtakvarga is very simple method, all you need to know is how to read the rows and the columns.

Residence in foreign lands can be easily seen using Ashtakvarga.

‘Foreign’ in astrological terms is a rather loosely defined concept. Foreign residence can mean different things to different people. A person from Chennai shifting to Sri Lanka just a few km across the sea is living in a foreign land. Someone from Maharashtra goes to live in Manipur. Or someone from India goes to USA. All these are examples of foreign residence. Foreign can mean a different town, different state or even a different nation. It basically means a place which is different from your home, in terms of distance or culture or both. The person feels it to be ‘foreign’. Several people want to translocate to foreign locations for better opportunities in life. The horoscope will support if the following houses have potential,

  • 7th house – travelling to to foreign lands
  • 9th house – long journeys
  • 12th house – journeys abroad which result in permanent residence (Rahu in the 12th house is a sure-shot prediction about having to leave the home town)

Calculate the Ashtakvarga or use the software. Then

  • check the total scores of the signs placed in each of the three houses above.
  • If there are any planets placed in these houses check their individual score for that specific sign and also their total score in the last column.
  • All these scores will be the least possible as leaving the home and going to away from it is considered to be an inauspicious effect.

eg. Here is just the Ashtakvarga chart. (I am not giving the rest of the birth details as the person is alive and I do not like using living people as general study subjects, but I wanted to use just this chart.)

The signs in this person’s 7th, 9th and 12th houses are Aries = 22 points, Gemini = 35 points and Virgo = 23 points. Saturn is in Virgo in the 12th house, he has 1 point in Virgo. These are all very low scores so the relocation to the ‘foreign’ locations is quite evident. (Except Gemini in the 9th house has the highest score in the table = 35. The reason was because the client had a very strong past life connect with these foreign places, he was bound by the 9th house to go and complete his Dharma there.)

Screenshot 2020-01-02 at 8.55.33 PM.png

Confirming longevity

You can confirm the longevity and the quality of life using the Ashtakvarga scores. The following should have good scores,

  • the ascendant sign’s total, this is crucial.
  • the planetary lord of the ascendant sign wherever he is placed should have a good score in the sign he is placed in. The total score of this planet should be high. This too is crucial.
  • any planets placed in the ascendant sign should have good scores in the sign. And the total score of that planet also should be good. This will play a supportive role.

Verify this logic with your client’s charts, it will always be correct.

  • The average total for a sign is 28 points, if there are more points obviously the sign and its house is going to give good results. If there are less than 25 points, it is a cause for concern. Less than 20 and the sign is practically annihilated.
  • The average for a planet in a sign is 4 points. If he gets more points, he will naturally give more auspicious results. If his points are 1 or 2 he is unable to do so.
  • In our example above, the client’s Asc-Libra has 27 points, less than average but not too bad. Venus has 3 points in the sign he is placed in, its less than average. We can expect him to have a reasonably long life but there will be physical issues cropping up from time to time.

Predicting sudden rise and falls in life is easy using the Ashtakvarga charts. 

In our example, we can see that Capricorn = 32 points, Aquarius = 18 points and Pisces = 30 points. So when a planet transits from Capricorn to Aquarius whatever he signifies will go suddenly downhill, the client should be careful during this time. And when the planet again transits from Aquarius to Pisces there will be a sudden rise in that planet’s stuff. This prediction can easily be tallied using the Moon’s transits, he transits the zodiac in one month. (eg in one such transit the client managed to quarrel with his wife so seriously that it led to a temporary separation, there were other factors of course, but this Moon’s transit was the precipitating factor.) The falls especially can be dangerous and the client should be prepared and careful. This sudden rise or fall is even more dramatic if the totals are the exact 18 and 36 points, the minimum and the maximum possible scores.

If you get clients who have fallen ill suddenly or in serious accidents or sudden loss of wealth, sudden crash in relationships etc check out their Ashtakvarga table for confirmation and further predictions.

The dread of the Sadi-Sati

The transit of Saturn through the signs placed 12th, 1st and 2nd from the birth Moon sign are called the ‘Seven and Half’ years of torture, the ‘Sade-sati’. To check out how severe the Sade-sati is going to be for you, open your Ashtakvarga table and note the sign occupied by the birth Moon, the sign before and after it. (Remember the Ashtakvarga is about signs not houses, do not confuse yourself while noting down the points.) Now check out the following

  • The total points of each of these three signs. If these scores are less than 25 it is bad and its even lesser you are going to have a dreadful time. But if these scores are more than 30 points, your Sade-Sati will actually give you pleasing results!
  • Now see the individual score that Saturn has in these signs. if its less than 2 consider it to be a testing time, but if it is more than 6 it can give gains. The scores 3 to 5 are considered to be somewhat average.

Saturn can cause significant physical and mental stress even when he is not doing his Sade-sati. In our example above,

  • Saturn (though the Yogkarak) damaged the client’s body and caused severe stress in his profession when he transited Virgo (Saturn+Virgo = 1, Virgo= 23).
  • Before that when he transited Aries (Saturn+Aries = 1, Aries= 22) he caused disappointments in his education.
  • Now the prediction for Saturn’s effect on the client’s life. Saturn will transit Capricorn soon from Jan 2020. (Saturn+Capricorn = 7, Capricorn= 32). The client will see a sudden rise in his profession and gains (we just saw how to predict sudden rise in life). Then next Jan 2022, Saturn will transit Aquarius (Saturn+Aquarius = 2, Aquarius= 18) this client will go through a sudden fall in luck and will have to face stress in life unless he is strongly prepared to deal with with what will come. Saturn’s next transit through Pisces will offer only generic relief because though Pisces=30 a good score, Saturn+Pisces = 1 is an abysmally low score.

So as you can see, the Ashtakvarga table is a very useful item. You can use the total values of the planets and signs and also the individual values of the planets in the different signs to gain a clear idea of what kind of results they are going to be giving in life. So whenever you predict using the birth chart, do glance over the Ashtakvarga tables, this will be an additional confirmation step which will improve the accuracy of your predictions.

 

Ashtakvarga for confirming predictions