yogkarak planets

Analysing the ascendant lord using friendships

astrologerbydefault10 Comments

A simple technique to help you gain deep insights into your motivations, expectations and things which silently support you. Also the subtle dissatisfaction which seems to forever surround certain aspects of your life. (For overt problems, this post) And this analysis is derived from the planetary natural friendships.

Our Jyotish texts are in the sutra form, where one word in Sanskrit actually means several things. मित्र Mitra which is loosely translated to ‘friend’ in English means ‘someone who reciprocates positivity’. Sakha सखा is someone who does positive stuff for you out of the goodness of his heart without expecting anything in return. (Bhagwan Krishna is always called Sakha never Mitra. And the Sun is always called Mitra, not Sakha.) 

For this analysis you need to know just the beginner level stuff,

This is the sample chart I use on this blog. Aleister Crowley, 12th Oct 1875, 11: 42pm, Leamington Spa, Britain. He is dead, has lived quite a happening life, with recorded incidents and is a good study subject.

Birth chart Aleister Crowley

The ascendant sign is Cancer and the ascendant lord is Moon. The sign is summary of the personality and the environment in which the person moves. And its lord determines the ability of the person to coordinate his personality and the environment he is in. A strong ascendant lord is better able to use the innate traits of the personality and turn the environment he is in to his advantage.

The 2nd lord is the Sun. The Sun and Moon consider each other to be natural friends. So Crowley was quite comfortable in the matters of the 2nd house, ie close family, accumulated resources, personal history, speaking, small gatherings of known people etc. And the people/ activities of the 2nd were also fruitful for him in a positive feedback loop.

Then the house opposite to the 2nd is the 8th ruled by Saturn. Moon considers Saturn to be neutral. But Saturn considers Moon to be an enemy. So Crowley was neutral about the matters of the 8th but the keywords of the 8th house had great potential to harm him on several levels. And because he felt neutral towards these 8th things, he would have neither noticed the damage nor acted to control it. 

The 3rd house has Virgo ruled by Mercury. Moon considers Mercury to be a friend but Mercury considers Moon as a natural enemy. So though Crowley felt hopeful and optimistic about the matters of the 3rd house, these people/ activities had a greater potential to cause him stress. This means his extended family, teammates, trade and small business activities, writing, short travels, etc would not really support him. And because he felt positive towards these things, he would not have even believed that these could harm him so he would have not acted in time to reduce the damage.

The house opposite is the 9th house ruled by Jupiter. Moon considers Jupiter to be neutral and Jupiter considers Moon to be a friend. So though Crowley would not have had much expectations from the people/ things that the 9th house represents, but these same things would have supported him in numerous ways. The 9th house is the elders, ancestors, luck, karmic merits of the past lives, blessings of the Guru etc. But the personality being neutral to these things means that Crowley would not have been interested in making the most of the positive potential that his 9th represented.

The 4th house is ruled by Venus. Moon considers Venus to be neutral while Venus considers Moon to be an enemy. So though Crowley would have been neutral about the matters of the 4th house these same things would have caused him pain on several levels. The 4th house is the mother, maternal relatives, homeland, school level education, residence, lands, property etc. And feeling neutral towards the 4th things also means not proactively working to nip these issues in the bud.

On the other side, the 10th is ruled by Mars. Moon is neutral towards Mars. And Mars considers Moon to be a friend. So though Crowley was neutral towards the profession, salary, social status, etc there was a significant potential for these things of the 10th things to support him. But he was not interested in making the most of these 10th keywords.

The 5th house is ruled by Mars and its opposite 11th house is ruled by Venus. So similar dynamics with the Moon as the 4/10 houses above.

The 6th house is ruled by Jupiter and the house opposite is the 12th ruled by Mercury. Again similar dynamics with the Moon as the 3/9 axis above.

And finally the 7th house is ruled by Saturn who considers Moon as an enemy while Moon is neutral towards him. Thus the partner that Crowley desired the most actually considered him to be an enemy. He felt neutral towards his partnerships, business dealings, legal issues, profits from business, adored deity, spiritual practices like meditation, etc, but these things had the potential to cause great harm to his personality, his environment and the interaction between his personality and his environment. And his neutrality towards all this 7th stuff would have not let him act for resolving these stressful issues.

331774941_654894989971170_8100106498567407340_n

This basic understanding can be improved by factoring the planets present in the houses.

  • Eg the 7th house – Saturn, the owner of the 7th in the 7th itself increased the potential for damage that the 7th could inflict on the personality. Mars, the owner of the 5th and 10th (yogkarak) in the 7th would have been great if he were alone here, but he is conjunct Saturn, which spoilt his capacity to give positive results. His energy is channelised by Saturn and this has allowed the 7th /Saturn even greater potential to harm the personality. 

If you have noted in the series above, the houses opposite each other are never ruled by mutual natural friends of the ascendant lord. This rule is applicable to all the ascendant signs/ lords and across all the houses axes but with one notable exception. The Venus Mars pair are both neutral towards each other. This dynamics is clearly reflected in the people with Aries, Taurus, Libra and Scorpio ascendents ruled by Venus/ Mars. Both Venus and Mars tolerate each other and neither sabotages the other’s significations. If you have such charts in your collection, then note the interaction these people have with their spouses, business partners etc, the 7th house things. These four ascendants have the most balanced relationships with their mirrors, significant halves, shadows, ‘fill in the blanks’. And as per the Bhavat bhavam concept, if the 7th house is secure then the entire personality as a whole remains balanced.

These four ascendants of Mars and Venus are special in another way. Their kona ie 5th and 9th house owners are mutually natural friends and also friends with the ascendant lords. This is a great advantage – the creative intelligence, life foundations and the personality are in a positive feedback loop. This is applicable for the Leo, Capricorn and Aquarius ascendants too. These seven ascendant signs potentially have a powerful Dharma trikon which can propel them onwards on a fast track to a fulfilling life.

In your chart, check if the 5th or the 9th lord considers the ascendant lord as an enemy or vice versa. In this case you will have to take extra efforts in these critical aspects of life. 

For the four ascendants ruled by Mercury and Jupiter, there is a typical situation. Jupiter sees Mercury as an enemy. Mercury considers Jupiter as a neutral. So in the chart, the four kendra houses suffer because of this tension between the two. The kendra, 1 4 7 10 houses are the pillars of the chart, responsible for the material support that the personality gets in life. If you observe your sample charts/people of these ascendants you will see that they have several issues simmering below the surface. Their personality/ environment, family life, profession, relationship with father/boss, money flow, relationship with the spouse etc reflects this discomfort between the 4 kendra house lords.

IMG_0351-768x606

When you analyse your own chart, note the following ‘enemies’. 

  1. For those houses whose owner considers your ascendant lord to be an enemy, but your ascendant lord considers to be a friend – You will have to tone down your expectations from these houses. Pay attention to the small things which start going wrong, the red flags. Do not ignore early warning signs and take corrective action immediately to avoid major damage.
  2. For those houses whose owner considers your ascendant lord to be an enemy, but your ascendant lord considers to be neutral. Here you will tend to ignore the house and its issues. So try to pay attention, get involved even if you do not want to and resolve the issues of these houses in time, before they become unmanageable.

You can similarly find out the houses which are supportive to your personality, ie the houses owned by planets who consider your ascendant lord as a friend. You should change your attitude towards these facets of your life depending on whether your ascendant lord feels friendly, inimical or neutral towards these.

Analysing your horoscope in this way will add to your understanding of the dark and bright halves concept (here and here). Do note how the thread of karma weaves through the houses from the perspective of the ascendant.

If the house in the dark half is supportive to the personality then the house opposite to it in the bright half is not and vice versa. So you are more comfortable or really happy only in one of these two houses opposite each other, never equally comfortable in both. You can either turn inwards or outwards, never both at the same time.

(Use astrology to decipher your own personality, it is a more fulfilling way of applying Jyotish. If you can consciously channelise your personality and use your environment, you will be more successful in life.)

Judge a true Ascetic from the horoscope

astrologerbydefault8 Comments

We are seeing a surge in spiritualism with ‘spiritual masters’ and ‘mystics’ popping up all around. Most of these are businessmen capitalising on the commercial aspects of the “spirituality business’, looking to cheat you of your money. Or Yogi-s who are on the same path as you are. A real Sat-Guru is someone who has realised the Eternal Advaita, a Jivan-mukt. There are very very few of these in the world right now. (I have written on how to analyse spirituality, the power of the chart and the evolution level of the horoscope.)

Then there are the true ascetic, Sanyasi-s. These are also rare, not very common. These are men/women who turn their back very firmly on the material world in their over-riding desire to experience the Ultimate. Every action they do is only for this objective. Such people cannot enjoy materialistic life and are repulsed by it. If someone really has the qualities to be a Sanyasi/ascetic then the following combinations will exist in his chart. More the combinations more pronounced is the effect.

Judge a true Ascetic from the horoscope

First and foremost is Saturn’s paramount influence. For getting into full time spiritual activity and rejecting the society structure, Saturn has to be powerful in the chart. Or should control important houses of the chart. Without his blessings, no dedicated spiritual activity is possible. He decides when your outer karma have been balanced so that you enter the inner spiritual with the finality of Sanyas.

Some typical combinations,

  • Ascendant lord aspecting Saturn. But no one else, not even Saturn, should be aspecting the ascendant lord in return. This is possible if the ascendant lord is Jupiter or Mars who can aspect Saturn with his extra aspects.
  • Saturn aspecting the ascendant lord. But no one else including the ascendant lord should be aspecting Saturn. This is possible if Saturn aspects this planet with his extra 3rd and 10th aspects.
  • The ascendant lord is Saturn himself unaspected by any one else. This is possible if the ascendant is Capricorn or Aquarius.
  • Check out the planetary ruler of the birth Moon sign. If this planet is Saturn himself and unaspected by any one else then it can give full-blown Sanyasi tendency. Or this planet is aspecting Saturn but no one else should be aspecting this planet.

If any of these above conditions exist in a birth chart, Saturn can allow a clean separation from the materialistic world and entry into Sanyas. This can be an actual physical event of going away to an Ashram. Or the person may continue to live in the society but withdraw completely into himself and his sadhana. The timing of this event will be decided by the transit/ dashas. If the suitable dasha/ transits do not come up at the proper age then this event may not even happen. The promise of the birth chart needs the appropriate dasha/ transit to fructify. eg If this time comes when the age is 3yrs, naturally a 3yr old is not going to take Sanyas. Or if this time comes at the age of 70yrs, then the main life has already passed by and formal Sanyas at this age is rather meaningless, the person has already entered the Sanyas-ashram stage of life. But if this time comes at the age of say 25-50yrs then the formal Sanyas event can occur in a very final manner.

In addition to these conditions, if the Ascendant lord and the birth Moon are strong then he will be very well adjusted to the spiritual path he chooses. If Ketu has some connection with Venus then he gain significant progress in it. And if the Sun is also enabling, then he can be a publicly visible personality eg a Guru with many disciples etc prominent in society.

Judge a true Ascetic from the horoscope

Now if any chart,

  • If any of these above conditions exist but only partially, eg if Saturn is aspecting the ascendant lord with his 7th aspect, ie getting aspected by the ascendant lord in return, or is conjunct with other planets etc.
  • Or if there are other powerful combinations involving these planets with each other, Saturn, ascendant lord, 9th house lord, 5th house lord, Yogkarak planet and birth Moon.
  • Or Saturn strongly aspects the birth Moon and both are favourable for the chart,
  • If in the birth chart, if the Saturn, ascendant lord, birth Moon or Yogkarak are unaspected by anyone else and very powerful then,

Then this person will have a deep discontent with the material world but the active action of turning into an ascetic, Sanyasi may not occur. He may be unhappy, discontent, may not marry, may not be happy professionally, there may be bouts of isolation, self-doubts, loneliness, depression and dejection. He may have all possible material comforts, a good family, a good job, but he will not derive any satisfaction from these material things. He will desperately long for Realisation, initially there will be obstacles and confusion in this path. Only after middle age will the situation get more comfortable as he will understand himself better. Such a person needs to take up some sort of spiritual practice to maintain his inner balance else his levels of frustration can get very high.

Saturn will grant significant spiritual growth for these following ascendant signs, depending on his position in the chart, the power of the chart as a whole and the evolution level of the chart.

  • Capricorn and Aquarius ascendants can become highly spiritual after middle-age if the other combinations support.
  • Taurus and Libra ascendants too have a significant possibility for spiritual progress as Saturn is Yogkarak for these two.
  • And, as I always stress, Cancer and Leo ascendants have a fast-track on the spiritual route as their 7th house is owned by Saturn. (The 7th house also indicates the highest one-one relationship with the Self.)

If your ascendant is one of these six signs then try to do some regular spiritual practice, it will help in very deep ways. This can be as simple as reciting the Gayatri mantra or lighting a lamp or giving Arghya to the Sun or Dhyan Sushumna Yog- Soham, anything which you feel drawn to, but do it daily.

Judge a true Ascetic from the horoscope

The next planet which has a significant role in spiritual growth is Jupiter. If there is a conjunction of Moon, Jupiter and the ascendant lord in the birth chart, then this person is an ascetic at heart. This personality is sober, gentle, kind etc. Depending on the triggering dasha/ transit, he will interested in religion and spirituality, start doing some type of spiritual practice. He will experience the higher levels of consciousness and internal awareness with time. This combination by itself is not strong enough to make him formally a Sanyasi, he will not leave the society with just this combination. However he will be apart from the tangles caused by society and remain in his own happiness.

Now in such a birth chart,

  • if Saturn also conjuncts or aspects these three, (Moon, Jupiter and the ascendant lord) then too this person may formally leave the society. The triggers for this actual event would naturally be the Dasha/transits of Jupiter and/ or Saturn.
  • If Saturn’s influence is missing on these three (Moon, Jupiter and the ascendant lord) in the birth chart but the person goes through a significant Saturn transit, or dasha then this person can suddenly change. He can become a become a formal ascetic or may live on in the society but internally he has dissociated from the illusion that is Maya.

The next planet we should consider is the Sun. He has to be either very strong or very weak! Both these options will drive towards asceticism.

  • A strong Sun (check the asktakvarga, shadbala, navamsha etc) will make the personality focus more strongly on his own internal divinity. Eventually he will realise and subsume his tiny individual awareness into the Eternal intelligence of the Advaita.
  • If this Sun is weak, then the personal ego is already very dim and the personality is more than willing to realise the Highest within.

Finally some connection between Venus and Ketu is necessary. It can be as simple as conjunction, aspect, bhavat bhavam, some connection in the navamsha, or one of these occupying a Nakshtra owned by the other, etc. There will be some interaction of Ketu and Venus energies which will trigger the final realisation of Moksh.

You might not get clients which such full-on ascetic combinations in your practice. But you definitely will get charts where there are partial combinations. Well-off people but with a deep internal turmoil. In such cases, advising them to start some personal spiritual practice will help them. And if your own chart shows such partial combinations then spend time daily in Dhyan, in your spiritual practice and in contemplation of the inner Eternal.

6b611cf04ae111a6319b195fa44c7058

Powerful horoscopes and weak horoscopes

astrologerbydefault6 Comments

Life is Change.

Your birth horoscope remains constant. This is the choice of energies which you chose at the moment of your this birth and is the foundation on which you are going to handle the Changes which this Life is going to bring. You are born at one instant, and the very next instant the change starts. Time and space move on. The planets move on, transiting through the zodiac. The zodiac, the Bha-kaksh itself moves on. These changing energies are basically the Dasha periods and the periodic transits. All these changing energies make patterns with each other and with the birth chart you have chosen. These patterns decide how events unfold in life. And the power of the birth chart decides how you will navigate through these changes. Will you soar or sink?

Your birth chart is the only energy you have and it needs to be studied in depth. I often mention ‘strong’ and ‘weak’ horoscopes in my posts. A strong birth position is very helpful in several ways. Your body/ mind and environment is strong enough to weather the changes which will occur in life. Changes in life are more enabling, you can leap to greater heights using the change events as opportunities. The changes are more auspicious and favourable, and the transitions are easier. You are more confident as your personality and your environment both integrate well and are more complementary. You get support from your inner self and also from the others around you. You are more in control of the situation. You have some say in how it unfolds and you can divert its energy to suit your objectives.

Powerful horoscopes and weak horoscopes

Powerful horoscopes will show the following combinations.

Birth chart, the D1,

  • The Ascendent sign determines your overall personality and your environment. It is best if this sign is occupied or aspected by benefics
  • The ascendant lord, the birth moon and the other benefic planets should be conjunct or aspected by benefics. And preferably placed in a kendra, 1st 4th 7th or 10th or kona 5th or 9th house.
  • Malefics are a source of turmoil in life so it is best if they are either in the upchaya houses, 3rd, 6th 10th or 11th houses. And aspected by benefics, especially Jupiter by his 5th or 9th aspect.
  • If there is a Yogkarak graha for the ascendant sign then this planet should be placed in auspicious house and be capable of giving favourable results. It would be even better if he is aspected or with other benefics.
  • Aspects of benefics on the Ascendant lord, the Birth Moon and the Yogkarak, will naturally increase the power of these planets and also encourage them to behave in an overall auspicious manner. These benefic influences also increase the power of that benefic planet on the overall personality/mind of the person. Eg Jupiter aspecting the Ascendant lord will make this person a genuinely kind and benevolent personality, he will meet others who help him and he too will try to help others in life etc.
  • Conjunctions are important as both planets influence each other and also the sign/house they are placed in. Eg you will see Sun-Mercury conjunctions most commonly in your study charts. If this conjunction is auspicious then it will enhance the powers of the Sun, Mercury, the house/sign they are placed in and also Leo, Gemini, Virgo signs wherever they are placed in the chart.
  • The 6th, 8th, 12th houses are the houses of turmoil, the dusham-sthana (I have written several posts on these houses, do check the index). Planets placed here are in charge of service, servitude, enemies, debts, diseases, traumatic changes, death, losses, dissolution etc. Best is if these three houses are empty. Or occupied by malefics and aspected by benefics so that the turbulence they cause in life is minimised.
  • Kendra and kona houses are the houses which directly link to the main 1st house. Bhavat bhavam principle is an easy way of understanding the importance of these houses. The 1st house is bhavat bhavam for only the 7th house. The 7th house is the bhavat bhavam for both the 4th and 10th houses. So these three houses directly feed into the power of the 1st house. Then the kona houses, 5th and 9th are in the Dharma trikon with the 1st house, are linked in its creative genius /foundation axis. So these two houses also link very deeply into the power of the ascendant sign. Having powerful and beneficial planets in the kendra and kona houses grants the personality more power to navigate life successfully.
  • Exalted planets are an asset in a chart. Also planets placed in their own houses or their mool-trikon signs. These are highly comfortable and willing to give auspicious results. If you have such planets in your chart, they pull up its quality significantly. Especially if the ascendant lord, Moon, Yogkarak or benefics are in such positions they give significant positives in life. Even if the malefics are exalted, they will help you navigate the turmoil they cause or at least you will gain something significant after the troubles are over.

Navamsha chart D9 – Then is using the Navamsha chart to get more insights into your deepest expectations and potential. This analysis is a necessity, but do this only if you have your exact birth time to the minute.

  • Vargottam planets, or the Vargottam ascendant degree indicate that the planet’s outward energy and inward energy is the same, there are no deep-seated conflicts in the personality.
  • Planets placed in the pushkar navamsha generally are auspicious and help in life.
  • If planets shift to their own signs or mool-trikon signs or in their exalted signs etc add more power to face conflicts and rise with every opportunity in life.

Ashtakvarga is another useful tool in astrology. It can be used to gauge the power of a planet or a sign to give auspicious results in life.

  • Planets having more than 4 points in the sign they are placed in at birth are going to be more favourable and auspicious.
  • In case of signs, the signs whose combined score is more than 27 are generally helpful. Those signs which are occupied by benefic planets at birth, or are placed in kendra/ kona, especially the lagna sign should have points more than 27.

Those aspects of life indicated by such planets and signs having such high scores tend to remain stable and non-problematic. Or even if there are problems, their severity is lesser and are more manageable.

Shadbala – in your vedic software, there will be a calculation for the ‘power’ of the planet. These ‘bala’ strength is calculated for the 7 planets, Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The strength of the ascendant lord and the birth Moon should be high for overall favourable and enjoyable results in life.

Nakshatra – The lunar mansions are the framework of Jyotish. If you have your vedic astrology software, open it and check out which nakshatra your 9 graha and the rising degree falls in. These 10 Nakshatra energies are going to be more important in your life. Then calculate your Janma nav-tara chart from this post. Check which Tara categories your identified 10 Nakshatra-s fall in. If these fall in the Janma, Sampat, Kshema, Sadhak, Mitra or Ati-mitra Tara categories, then the planets occupying them will be able to give satisfactory results on the subtle/ inner levels.

Powerful horoscopes and weak horoscopes

Now quickly on horoscopes with lesser power or ‘weaker’ horoscopes.

Birth chart, the D1

  • The Ascendent sign occupied or aspected by malefics.
  • The ascendant lord, birth moon and other benefic planets influenced by malefics. Or placed in the dushamsthan, 6th, 8th 12th houses. Or even if in the 3rd house and influenced by malefics. This will increase the number of inauspicious events in life and also the trauma they cause.
  • Malefics aspecting each other increasing their strength to do mischief.
  • Yogkarak graha incapable of giving favourable results, influenced by malefics or debilitated.
  • Aspects of malefics on the Ascendant lord, the Birth Moon and the Yogkarak, will increase the power of that malefic planet on the overall personality/mind of the person. This can aggravate the negative qualities like cruelty, insensitivity, violence etc both in the personality and the environment.
  • Conjunctions with malefics can spoil several aspects of the life all at once. eg Moon with Saturn can cause trauma to the sign/house they are placed in and also Cancer sign wherever it is placed in the chart.
  • Debilitated planets, planets placed in their enemies houses are highly uncomfortable and pull down the power of the chart. Especially if the ascendant lord, Moon, Yogkarak or benefics are in in such positions.

Navamsha chart

  • If planets shifting to the signs which occupy the 6th, 8th, 12th houses of the birth chart D1 become slightly unfavourable.
  • Planets which shift to their debilitated signs or to signs owned by their enemies lose power to do good.
  • I have written several posts on navamsha analysis, do use the index page to locate them if you wish to read.

Ashtakvarga 

  • Planets having less than 4 points in the sign they are placed in at birth generally cause difficult changes in life.
  • The signs whose combined score is less than 27 points can also initiate turmoil when transited by malefics etc in life.

Shadbala for the ascendant lord and the Moon if is very low then you cannot ‘enjoy life’. There may be favourable things around you but you cannot use them or derive happiness from them. So do look up the section on ‘planetary strengths’ in your astrology software.

Nakshatra – In your Janma nav-tara chart, if any of your identified 10 Nakshatra-s fall in the Vipat, Pratyak or Naidhana Tara categories, then the planets occupying these Nakshatra will give subtly inauspicious results which will give you anxiety etc on the subtle/ inner levels.

Powerful horoscopes and weak horoscopes

This is a framework post. One placement does not make a reading. You have to look for patterns always. More patterns means more potential for the prediction to actually happen in real life. More powerful patterns add strength to you. More weaker combinations pull down you down. Every chart will have some auspicious and some inauspicious parts, eg if you have a very strong professional life then it is possible that you will have a less joyful home life. One cannot have everything at once. Try to understand your birth chart, your basic personality, your behaviour, your expectations and potential. Jyotish is Illumination, use it to see yourself first, analyse yourself dispassionately. Find out what aspects of life are going to give you successes, follow these. Try to leverage your strengths to grow, take every change connected to these aspects of life as a challenge and grow with it. Try to fortify those parts of life which are going to bring you turmoil, or try to channelise these turbulent energies into more productive things. Every change is an opportunity if only you know how to use it and you have the will to do so.