transit analysis

Saturn conjoint or aspecting Rahu, Shapit Dosh

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There was a question on Saturn conjoint or aspecting Rahu, commonly called the Shapit (cursed) dosh and its remedies.

Rahu and Saturn are both slow moving planets so once they get conjunct or Saturn aspects Rahu, this event can go upto 1.5yrs. A child born during this time will have this shapit, ‘cursed’ negative combination or dosha in his birth chart, causing typical events in his life. And remember Saturn aspects the 3rd 7th 10th house from his placement. So statistically about 25% people will be born with Saturn with or aspecting Rahu. (This is also a combination for Pitru dosh, ill luck from the ancestors.) 

To analyse them together you have to check out the following about Saturn in the birth chart.

  • Is Saturn a Yogkarak or a functional benefic or functional malefic for your ascendant? (He is generally favourable for Taurus, Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius ascendants)
  • Is he aspected by benefics or malefics? Is he being made more malevolent or has some potential to do good?
  • Which house/ sign is he placed in, with whom and who else does he aspect? If he is placed in the 1st, 4th, 7th 8th houses, the effects are more inauspicious.
  • Which houses does he own? ie where does Capricorn and Aquarius lie in this chart and which planet is sitting here?
  • Any other significant patterns you notice about him, any auspicious yog or significant combinations or even more malefic patterns.
  • If you are experienced enough check his Nakshatra, Ashtakvarga, Navamsha etc, all sources which can give you more information.
  • Overall, can he be expected to give auspicious results or not? If inauspicious, then which aspects of your life are going to be in trouble?

Then perform a similar exercise for Rahu. Do remember that his physical effects are dependant on the other planet’s keywords, the signs/ planets/ nakshatra he is influenced by. Astral effects are going to be his own, but channeled through these keywords. Any other combination involving Rahu eg Guru-Chandal? Or Shakti yog? Anything like this gives Rahu more power to create illusions and push you away from your karmic path. If you allow Rahu to lead you away from your karmic path, Saturn will not like it and take action to discipline you aggravating the shapit dosha.

Saturn conjoint or aspecting Rahu, Shapit Dosh

So now we know what Rahu and Saturn are independently capable of giving you in your chart. But when Saturn influences Rahu by conjunction or aspect then their intrinsically opposite natures flare up. Saturn works on the material levels and Rahu on the astral levels. Saturn’s nature is constriction, limitation, reductions, rules and regulations, social structure, law and morals, slow to act, karmic payback, reality. If you follow his rules he will give you some gain at the end. If you do not then your karmic load will increase. Rahu is fast acting, quick to seize the opportunity, will break rules, won’t think twice about cheating others etc driven by his intense desire to experience. He is Desire. He creates Illusions and also helps break through them depending on the soul’s maturity. His results are exclusively on the astral realms but he works through the material keywords of the planets who influence him. Do anything under his influence and it gets registered directly in the Sookshma sharir/subtle body, ie deep-set karma. Rahu is an astral graha represented as a head without a torso. (Rahu and his other half Ketu are very fascinating forces in the horoscope, I have written several posts on their nature.)

It is said that Rahu is like Saturn and Ketu is like Mars. But this is not really correct as they work on the subjective levels. Saturn and Mars are more on the objective planes of existence. If you have any connection, aspect or conjunction between these forces, ie Rahu/Ketu with Mars or Saturn in your chart you are going to face some  typical turmoil in life.

Rahu and Saturn are forces of struggle, pain, sorrow, so when they come together, these negative results are magnified. It is a deep negative karma carried over from several lives, now out for resolution. Rahu in the astral and Saturn at the very physical Mooladhar chakra have the potential to cause rare havoc in the chart. Rahu-Saturn combination will adversely affect other auspicious combinations of the chart so this dosha needs to be analysed carefully. Together they give delayed or denied marriage, no comfort in marriage, falling out with the spouse, divorces, death of spouse, no peace in married life. Then delayed or denied children, miscarriages, abortions, deaths of children, denial of male children, abnormal or unhealthy children ie in some way or the other the next generation will be affected. A vitiated family life, arguments in the house, negative energy, psychic attacks, ghosts in the house, financial troubles, there is no comfort/happiness in the house. Personal health is not good and lingering diseases exist. Education, career, business etc can get affected. Even if there are luxuries available, you will not be allowed to enjoy them. Overall Saturn influencing Rahu affects the overall auspiciousness of life.

If they are capable of giving auspicious results together in some way then Rahu with Saturn may give opportunities especially in foreign lands, import/export, trade, speculation/stocks etc. Successes in social work, technology, electronics etc. But even then, they will give trouble of some sort in your life as above in some way or the other. But for this you have to examine the chart in depth.

Saturn conjoint or aspecting Rahu, Shapit Dosh

As about 25% of the population will show this shapit yog, I will try to divide it into a low energy and a high powered Dosh as follows,

Low energy Shapit Dosh – If you see patters like this in the chart, the dosha is of a low intensity and can be managed by performing remedies. More the patterns the more its intensity reduces in real life.

  • Saturn is a yogkarak for Libra and Taurus ascendants, so these two ascendants do not suffer much from this dosha.
  • Rahu and Saturn aspected by benefics, who are themselves powerful. Especially if a powerful Jupiter aspects Saturn by his 5th or 9th aspect, ie Saturn does not aspect him in return, then this Dosh reaches its lowest intensity.
  • Saturn not aspecting any other planet in the chart.
  • A strong ascendant lord and a strong Moon in the birth chart, can somewhat manage the turmoil created by this Saturn’s influence on Rahu. Ascendant lord is connected to the physical self, Moon to the astral self. If these two are very powerful, most of the life’s problems can melt away.
  • Some other powerful auspicious yog in the horoscope which can help the overall personality cope.
  • If the navamsha chart is auspicious, then a lot of life’s problems are reduced.

High energy Shapit Dosh – If you see patterns like this in the chart, the dosha is of a higher intensity and cannot be completely managed by performing remedies. More the interconnecting patterns, more intense the dosha’s energies.

  • Rahu and Saturn aspected by malefics, especially so if Mars aspects them in some way.
  • Saturn aspecting other planets, influencing their energy.
  • The ascendant lord and the birth Moon being unable to give good results, ie are afflicted by functional malefics, or placed in the 3rd 6th 8th 12th houses, or eclipsed/ combust etc combinations then the personality, the environment and the mental/ emotional strength are compromised, adding to the problem. The coping mechanism is affected.
  • The navamsha chart is not auspicious and unable to support the main physical personality. This increases the intensity of all problems in life including the shapit dosha’s effects. (Do read about Navamsha analysis)

The Vimshottari Dasha. Be alert during these following periods as they will create negative issues as the Dosha gets the energy to manifest its results as above. Mental and physical strain will occur during these periods. Depending on which houses/ signs are involved, you will face stress from those parts of your life.

  • If you are undergoing a Dasha period, mahadasha, or antardasha or the even smaller sub-sub-dashas of Rahu or Saturn then you should be alert as the trouble indicated by the Shapit dosha in your chart is going to 100% surface during this period. Analyse this period carefully. This trouble cannot be avoided, but its intensity can be modulated depending on its power in the birth chart, is it the low/high power variety?
  • If you are going through a dasha period of a functional malefic for your chart, then the dosha’s energies can add to the discomfort you are going to face.
  • If it is a dasha period of a benefic who does not have enough power to grant auspicious results, then too you should be alert as the auspicious energies in life are lesser and might not be able to avert the negative effects of the dosha.
  • Dasha periods of benefics with sufficient power in your birth chart give strength to endure the negativity and also grant the intelligence to convert adversity to gain. So use these periods wisely to consolidate yourself.

Finally Transits. If you have this Shapit combination in your birth chart then you should be aware of the transits too.

  • If you are going through a significant transit of Saturn or Rahu in your chart then expect turbulence. Eg From 2019 Mar to 2020 Jan Rahu and Saturn were opposite each other, ie Saturn was aspecting Rahu with his 7th aspect. If you have charts with Shapit yog in your study bank you must have observed these people going through a bad period in their family life, loved ones, well-wishers, children, finance, business etc. Now these two are in the 6/8 axis, this the axis of karma/trauma cycles. So cannot grant relief till they move out from this 6/8 axis in transit. So whatever aspects of your life are controlled by Saturn and Rahu can remain problematic.
  • Planets aspect in transit also. So if you have your beneficial planets aspecting the birth chart position of Saturn/Rahu, then this transit period can give relief from the dosha for some time.
  • And the other way round, if you have your malefic planets aspecting the birth chart position of Saturn/Rahu, then this transit period will aggravate the dosha for this time.

Finally a bit on Remedies. I have always recommended mantra jaap as a remedy, and it works well.  Homa, pujas, giving away items of that planet etc are all options which you can choose as per what you can do. Some charity, to the really deserving poor people, is also helpful (giving stuff to undeserving people does not work). I have written about remedies in several posts. But with remedies, remember one thing always. No remedy can completely stop the problems caused by your birth chart energies (prarabdha karma). Reduce it yes, completely eliminate, no.

If the Shapit dosha in your chart is of the low energy type, the remedies will be useful and will reduce the burden of karma significantly. You should be able to live a regular life without much disturbance from Saturn/Rahu. Some dreams may be disturbing from time to time, or minor incidents may occur. As the highest reduction in intensity will be when you experience the effects in your dreams. Then the intensity of the problem can be reduced in some way, eg if you were to fracture your leg, you will get away with a sprain etc.

If the Shapit combination is of the high energy variety then the remedies will not be so efficacious. I have seen on the Internet, dubious sites who claim to do a 100% remedy of such karmic combinations but it is not really possible. Some part of it will have to be gone through despite the remedy being performed. The more intense the combination, the more repetitive and reinforcing the patterns are, the more deeply the karma (prarabdha karma) is ingrained into your present life.

Apart from the astrological remedies, if you know that you have such a combination in your birth chart and a typical time period is coming up from the transits and Dasha, then you should be prepared. Saturn is involved so he will want discipline and make you work hard. If you recognise the karmic targets indicated in your chart, be sincere and honest with yourself, discipline yourself and work, he will accept this and actually help you achieve them. But if you get fascinated with Rahu, desire satisfaction in the illusions which Rahu paints before your eyes and get carried away, Saturn will not only register this as a karma to be resolved in your future lives but also discipline you in this current life. Saturn’s job is to remove illusions and he does this with the slow grinding force of Time. He recognises no emotions, no pain, no suffering, he is only about completing the tasks you have set for yourself at your birth moment.

So essentially the shapit dosha is nothing but an internal fight between the power of Illusion created by the manifested worlds around you and the desire of the soul to complete its karmic tasks and get free from this Illusion. You always have a choice in this. If you fall for the Illusion it is nothing but trouble throughout and more entanglements. If you are able to complete your karma then its freedom. Maybe this is why it is called a cursed combination. A lot depends on the power of the ascendant lord and the birth Moon in navigating this.

Saturn conjoint or aspecting Rahu, Shapit Dosh

(There are few pending questions on Saturn and Mars, so will try to write more about these two in my next few posts)

The toughest Vimshottari Antardasha

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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?

Start learning astrology systematically

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People today are interested in astrology. There are casual enthusiasts and then there are the really genuine students who want to learn it in detail. If you want to really learn and practice astrology, either for your personal growth or as a profession, you should understand that it takes time. It takes 3 yrs to get a basic graduation degree and 4yrs for a professional one! So you should consider this much time as the basic minimum to learn astrology to the level of getting your predictions correct. It is a life-time learning process and you will learn with every chart you analyse. There are several government Universities which offer a B.A. in Astrology at quite reasonable fees, some of them offer distance courses too. Here you get a certificate so this might help in your professional practice.

Start learning astrology systematically

Self-study is necessary, you will need to read books,

  • B. Suryanarain Row – The oldest. I think the first astrology author in modern times, books are in English. Basic astrological concepts have been elaborated upon. He had the advantage of being the first English writer so has written a lot.
  • B.V. Raman – son of B. Suryanarain Row. I grew up on his books and the Astrological Magazine. English books as did most astrologers in Bharat. His beginner level books are good.
  • Gayatri Devi Vasudev – daughter of B.V. Raman, writes in English.
  • J.N. Bhasin – has written several books, lucid language and most are available in English and Hindi.
  • K.N. Rao – His early books are very logical. Also discusses the theory in later books. He has edited books written by his students so you can read those too for a different perspective and case studies. In English and quite useful.
  • H.N. Katve – all of his books are in Marathi. If you know Marathi you should read them. Extensive knowledge. Some books are translated to Hindi.
  • Chandulal Sarkarlal Patel – English books. He is the only author I trust for Ashtakvarga and Navamsha analysis. Not beginner level, but there are several books/ articles written in a clear style and are an essential read.
  • Shakti Mohan Singh – He has written a lot in English but his one book on Kalachakra Dasha is very important, the only book which gives this Dasha system accurately. (Though we start learning with Vimshottari Dasha, then learn Ashtottari and Yogini, Kalachakra is one dasha which the advanced student has to learn.)
  • More authors here

Choose books in the language you understand easily. Most authors have written beginners books for introduction to the fundamentals of astrology. Several of their books are available on archive.org, I would suggest you download a few, see which ones you like and then do buy them. These are quite inexpensive at Rs 200/- max. Having a paper book in your hands means you can make your notes in it, or add your own observations, stick notes in it. Soft-copies and software are useful, but use the paper and pencil too. At some point of time you will have to read at least two classics Bruhat Jataka and Bruhat Parashar Hora Shastra. There are other classics, but these two are necessary. In addition you can consider keeping a copy of the Phaladeepika as a reference. And for Prashna I have found Shatpanchashika very adequate. You can read these later when you are a bit advanced in your study.

Earlier reading Panchangam and learning maths was very important. We had to calculate the positions of the planets etc using the panchangam and only then could we draw up the horoscope. Today with the advent of software and online horoscopes, learning maths has become optional. (But the serious students should practice the math also. It helps better understanding). For software use the free Jagannath Hora. And Parashar Light is the best professional level paid software if you want to buy, it is expensive. For android and iPhones ‘Drik panchang’ by developer ‘Adarsh apps’ is quite adequate to begin with. In the settings, put in your location and the Lahiri/ Chitrapaksha ayanamsha.

Start learning astrology systematically

So from my point of view this was the basic minimum for learning Jyotish in depth. Now the actual study, this is broadly in these parts.

  • Analysing the charts, at least the birth chart, moon chart and the D-9 Navamsha chart.
  • Ashtakvarga for both birth chart and transits (as learning one additional system is required).
  • Analysing Dasha – Generally Vimshottari Dasha is used. (There are more Dasha systems, but first learn Vimshottari.)
  • Analysing transits – comparing the present placement of the planets in the sky in relation to their at-birth positions

Analysing the Charts

Get any one of the beginners books you like. Read it through cursorily, get an overview first. Now pinpoint 10 keywords for every sign/ house/ planet. Write your own notes. And in the software input your own details and see how your birth chart looks like. When learning astrology you need to do the practical stuff by analysing charts, just reading the books won’t be enough. So,

  • Start doing a house by house analysis of your own Birth Chart. E.g if the ascendant/ first house is Capricorn, look up the keywords of Capricorn and its owner Saturn. See if these link up with your actual personality. Do this very cursory analysis for each of the 12 houses.
  • Then do the 9 planet analysis, (we do not use Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, they are not graha). Eg. Saturn is placed in 5th house, Taurus sign. So how does he behave, look up the keywords, analyse how they are expressed in your life.
  • Then do a house-lord analysis. Eg Saturn as the lord of the 1st house is placed in Taurus sign 5th house. Analyse how the finer details are now being filled in. Do this for all the 12 houses. Try to see patterns. Astrology at this level will be more trends and possibilities, accuracy will come with time and practice.

(There are videos available on Youtube. Since I haven’t seen any of them I cannot recommend any. But I would stress this, first read these books by senior astrologers. Then listen to youtube videos. These senior astrologer’s experience is very valuable, thus their books. My relatives don’t ask me see their charts, they get after my Dad. Dad has been an astrologer for more years than I have been alive, experience always matters.)

Moon chart analysis is neglected these days but it gives valuable insights into the emotional behaviour of the person. Turn around your chart so that the Moon’s sign takes the 1st house place. Now see how the planets and ascendant sign align with the Moon. Eg. One relative has her Moon in 6th house. She is always uncomfortable. The ascendant sign is placed eighth from the Moon. So her personality/ environment and her emotional comfort are adversarial to each other. If you can see these things in the chart and also in the person in front of you it adds to your confidence.

Use your books, write notes and stick them in the books. Making notes helped in your college. It is the same, you are learning a new subject.

Start learning astrology systematically

After you are comfortable with all this you can go on to divisional charts but only if you have the exact birth time. Open your Navamsha or 9th Divisional Chart on your software. Check which signs/ houses the planets shift to as compared to the Birth Chart. (I have written a few posts on Navamsha). This is a full analysis in itself and requires time. There are technically 16 important divisional charts, but exact birth time to the minute is generally not available, so D-9 is generally enough. (Generally birth time does differ upto 5 mins, ie the nurses may not record 10:33am exactly but rather record 10:35am)

Then practice some more.

Get your parents horoscopes, your grandparents, brothers/ sisters/ uncles/ aunts etc horoscopes, people whom you know already and can observe for years later. Do this analysis for their charts. (You might not be sure of their exact to the minute birth time, so do the Birth Chart and Moon chart analysis). Especially charts of any close relative who is beyond 60yrs. They have lived their lives and you can use them as the perfect study subjects. They will be willing to talk to you about significant events in their lives. If you get 15 charts to follow you are in a good place. We generally know about our relatives’ behaviour, mind-set, marriages, children, jobs, financial position, social status, health etc. So a full-rounded study of the charts is possible. Take your time over this very basic study, these 15 charts are your foundation. You can increase your collection as you get more subjects. Just maintain them, number them etc. If you can follow them upto their deaths it will be a complete study. (My Dad still has his hand-drawn charts collection from 50+yrs ago. I had the advantage of observing him/ his clients and learning since I was very small.)

Keep referring to your books. Doing this analysis, gradually your concepts of directional strength, combustion effects, retrograde movement, planetary war, exalted/ debilitated, etc will get clear. Take your time over this analysis. Keep adding finer details and take notes. Tally your analysis with the personality. This will add to your confidence.

Ashtakvarga is an important analysis and you should be able to use the basic Samudaya-ashtakvarga table at the very least. I have written few posts on this. Delve deeper as you study more.

Most people like studying celebrity charts, I don’t. My clients are the regular human beings with regular problems. Celebrity charts are not typical charts, they have combinations which give extreme results and only in one direction. e.g notorious criminal, freedom fighters, film stars, politicians. Their charts are extraordinary from only one angle, rest of the life is often in a bad shape.

And read your books and write the important observations you make.

Dasha analysis

Now to level up, in your software, there is a section on Vimshottari Dasha, Check out which Mahadasha and which Antardasha is going on for your own chart. I have written about analysing Dasha generally and planet-wise in my previous posts. You will need to do this once in few months to 1-2 yrs. You can also do it for your sample charts and observe if the analysis matches the actual events in life.

You studied so hard for school/college, this is no less! You are learning to predict the future and understanding the past.

Start learning astrology systematically

Analysing transits

The next thing is getting a sense of transits. Start with analysing the Moon’s effect on yourself. I have written about it in this post. Keeping track of the Moon transits will get you in the habit of referring to your Panchangam/ Software everyday. Observe and analyse your emotions and behaviour. Now you are a student of human nature. So be dispassionate and critical. Keep your own notes. Take 3 months over this to get your own interpretation of how the Moon affects your moods. After this you should try predicting how your day is going to be. This small daily prediction boosts your confidence. Eg one of my relatives, Moon in the 6th house, ie the ascendant sign is counted eighth from the Moon. (Ascendant sign represents the head, transit Moon in the sign eighth from the birth Moon creates stress and changes in pressures of body liquids.) She always gets a splitting head-ache when the Moon transits her 1st house.

You can similarly analyse other planets transits. Especially the transits of Saturn and Rahu/Ketu and Jupiter, are longer in duration should be studied. The Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars move quite fast, like 1-2  months per sign. These do not have very drastic effects either (unless one of them is your ascendant sign ruler), so you can take up their transits analysis later on.

This is a brief frame-work on understanding the horoscope and the past and present situations. To do this confidently will take time, so study for 1hr every alternate day at least regularly.

Now predictions,

Some senior astrologers write out a full life report. It requires time, a week perhaps, and a very good understanding of the potential of the horoscope to give results and the future transits and dashas in which these results can be expected.

But generally clients have a 3-4 questions which are about current situations or the near future, which can be answered easily. I have written a few posts on these topics. And of course there are books which you should refer for more details. You can start taking questions from your sample chart relatives after about 6months of personal study. You know these charts and you will be more confident predicting from them. Even if they do not want to ask anything, you can try to predict some small things from their charts which will occur in the next 3 months. (eg 6th house lord transiting over birth Moon will result in a minor illness, and this will happen. You can call your relative up to confirm if he is unwell). This will help you gain confidence. I would suggest taking up professional clients doing only after 3yrs of study.

(It would help immensely if you do regular Gayatri mantra Jaap. This will increase intuition, sharpen intelligence and grant protection.)

Learning astrology is always useful, you get to know a lot about your own self and also about others. And it has its spiritual side too. So why do you want to learn it? Think a bit on this, it will motivate you. Life is quite short with so many things to do. Astrology/ Jyotish just like any other subject, it requires time, interest and study. Start with the simple concepts and build on them. You are studying human nature and human affairs from every possible perspective here. Wishing you all the best in your pursuit of Illumination.

Start learning astrology systematically

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

“Sir, I am highly shocked the depth of your knowledge in this aspect. I wasn’t a keen follower of astrology but I am interested in it. So sir can you please suggest me, where can I get in depth knowledge of it. (It would be highly appreciated if you could teach me.) Yours sincerely, A fan of yours”

Dear Reader, Thank you for the compliment you have given me. I value your asking me to teach. But you see, astrology in the sense it should be taught and learnt requires a face-to-face teacher, which I cannot do. However I encourage you to start reading something on the topic and at least some self-study on the lines of this post. If there are any questions I can help you with, I will genuinely try. All the best to you in your studies.)