Copyright
2004. All Rights Reserved
In
the previous lesson we learned how to draw up our Vedic charts using
both the South Indian and the North Indian chart styles. We also inserted
the sidereal degrees of our planets that we calculated in lesson 2.
By now you should have a copy of your Vedic natal horoscope that you’ve
either manually calculated, or that you’ve acquired a computer
printout of.
Throughout
this course we will be primarily working with our own natal horoscope
in the exercises at the end of each lesson. Therefore, be sure that
your chart is accurate and that you have copies of your chart in both
the South Indian and North Indian chart styles, as we will refer to
each. However, we will primarily be using the South Indian chart style
as this is the one most commonly used.
We are
now ready to learn how to make sense of our Vedic charts. The next
6 lessons will give you the fundamentals of the planets, houses and
signs and their key indications. We will also be learning beginning
chart interpretation skills in the exercises at the end of each lesson.
Learning
To Think Astrologically
Throughout
this course we’ll be learning to think astrologically. In other
words, instead of just giving you a list to memorize of the various
indications for the planets, houses, and signs, which you can find
in most books on Vedic astrology, we will be learning the fundamental
logic behind how those indications are derived. Once you understand
the logic behind the fundamentals, you will be a much more versatile,
and astute astrologer.
For example, I gave a reading to a client recently who had the Moon in the
3rd house and who started his life in a Moon period in the vimshottari dasa
planetary period system. I asked him if he had lost his mother early in life
and he said, “Yes, she died when I was 2 months old.”
How did I know that? You won’t find many books on Vedic astrology that
list the Moon in the 3rd house as representing the loss of the mother. But
if you understand that the 12th house from any given house represents the “loss” of
the indications of that house, and you know that the 4th house and the Moon
relate to “mother,” then you can logically understand that the
Moon in the 3rd house (the 12th house from the 4th house) can relate to loss
of the mother, especially in a Moon period. If I had been dependent on the
indications given in books then I would not have been able to come up with
that specific interpretation.
As I mentioned in the first lesson, astrologers are like detectives looking
for clues to support a hypothesis. The more indications that they find the
more certain they become. This is how the great astrologers come up with brilliant
predictions and dazzling insights. They have seen a particular indication reinforced
from many different angles, which they’re able to do very quickly in
their head. This approach of learning to think astrologically will serve you
immensely in becoming a competent astrologer. You will be able to see a chart
from many different angles and come up with your own dazzling insights.
Getting
to Know the Planets
Astrology
is said to be the oldest science on the planet. This is perhaps because
ancient civilizations primarily learned through stories and myths that
were developed out of direct observation of their environment. At night,
there is not much left to observe except the sky and people gathered
around a fire and watched the sky much like we gather at night and
watch TV! In ancient India, many homes had outdoor fire pits called "howan
kunds" where people would often spend time chanting mantras, observing
the stars & planets, telling stories etc. You can still find this
tradition happening in many parts of India today, especially in the
rural villages.
Direct observation, I believe, is still one of the best ways to get to know
the planets and their qualities. The word “planet” means “to
wander” and the ancient Greeks called the planets “the wanderers” because
of their observable movement through the fixed star constellations. I'd suggest
getting a book on astronomy and becoming familiar with identifying the actual
signs and planets in the night sky. You will gain insights into their nature
just by tuning into them directly. In fact, the great sages of Vedic astrology,
like Parashara and Jaimini, brought forth their knowledge out of intuitive
insight. Therefore, by learning in this manner you are connecting to an ancient
tradition.
The easiest planets to locate in the sky, besides the Sun & Moon, are Venus,
Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Mercury in that order. Venus and Jupiter are often
so bright that they are the first stars out at sunset or the last stars visible
at sunrise. Venus is also called "the morning star" for this reason
and is the brightest object in the sky next to the Sun and Moon. Mercury is
very difficult to see because of its close proximity to the Sun. You only have
about a 30 minute window to view it at sunset or sunrise, and only if its sign
placement is after the Sun at sunset, or before the Sun at sunrise.
Haleakala Crater, Maui, Hawaii
Recently,
I decided to stay up all night on the full Moon on top of Haleakala
Crater where I live in Maui, Hawaii. By sunrise I had seen every visible
planet - Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, and Mercury! The
highlight, however, was not just seeing the planets but feeling their
powerful emanations. It was well worth the loss of sleep and a very
memorable experience that I'd recommend to anyone, especially students
of astrology.
Grasping
the Grahas
The Sanskrit
word for planet is "graha" which means to "to seize
or grasp." The implication is that the planets grab a hold of
us and cause us to behave in certain ways. However, this is not the
case. The great sage Parashara, in one of the opening chapters of his
classic text, Brihat Parasara Hora Shastra, says:
"The
Unborn lord has many incarnations. He has incarnated as the planets
(grahas) to bestow on the living beings the results due to their
karmas." (Chapter 2, verse 3)
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The planets,
therefore, are merely continuing what we have set in motion in the
past and our astrology chart is an overall map of our karma. We are
the cause, not the planets. The planets are just acting as agents to
deliver us the results of our past actions, for better or for worse.
In addition, we have the ability to modify the results of our karma
to varying degrees through our free will, or agama & kriyamana
karma, which represent the current actions we choose to take. Please
review Lesson
1 for an in depth discussion on karma, fate & free will.
It's more true to say that we are seized by our habitual behaviors or are in
the "grip of desire" than that the planets have caused us to behave
in a certain way. Additionally, the planets don't determine the outcome of
a situation. It's the merit of our own karma that does. The planets merely
reveal the merit of our karma. Otherwise, the planets would be in control of
our lives, we'd be devoid of free will, and the outcome of every situation
would be pre-determined. I personally don't believe that this is a very empowering
or helpful perspective.
Of course, taking full responsibility for our lives may not always be easy.
It's a lot more convenient to blame everything on the planets. "There's
some ill-planet reigning!" as Shakespeare wrote, "Shall we curse
the planets of mishap that plotted thus our glory's overthrow?!"
The planets will seize periods of time in our life, however, so that we can
experience and learn from the karmic results of our previous actions. My jyotish
guru, K.N. Rao, gave a very tangible illustration of this principle once that
I'll never forget. He took a piece of fabric and carefully rolled it up. Then
he started slowly unrolling it saying, "The dashas are the unraveling
of our karma through time." By "dashas" he's referring to the
planetary time periods in the vimshottari dasha system, which is a primary
predictive method in Vedic astrology. For instance, a Sun period lasts 6 years,
during which time the karma that the Sun represents in our chart will be dispensed.
We'll discuss this concept in more depth later in the course.
The
Planetary Gardener
The best
analogy I've found to understand the relationship that we have to the
planets is to think of yourself as a gardener. Let's say you've planted
a huge garden and you have to hire help for harvesting it. Your employees
deliver to you baskets full of your produce - some are successful crops,
while others fail. The planets are like these employees delivering
to you the results of your past efforts. If you don't like what is
delivered, you can't blame your employees, the planets. After all,
it's your garden. You chose what to plant a long time ago and tended
it yourself. What's more, you always have the free will to plant and
tend new seeds at any time.
It's important to realize that ultimately we are not our astrology charts anymore
than the gardener is his or her garden. An inherent problem in this great study
of astrology is that we tend to get overly identified with our charts and lose
sight of the big picture of our soul or "atman." The beauty of Vedic
astrology is its connection to the spiritual tradition of India, which encompasses
some of the most profound spiritual literature in the world. The Vedas, Upanishads, Mahabharata and
many other ancient texts abound in descriptions of the souls's eternal nature.
Here's a quote from the Bhagavad Gita which is a part of the Mahabharata:
"This
Self cannot be cut, nor burnt, nor wetted, nor dried. Changeless,
all-pervading, stable, immovable, the Self is eternal and everlasting."
(Ch 2, verse 24)
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We
have to remember not to lose sight of this when discussing astrology,
which is merely the study of our karma as expressed through the agents
of our karma - the planets.
Jupiter & Saturn
Benefic
and Malefic Planets
Many
Western astrologers have an aversion to the classical astrology
concept of benefic planets that cause good and malefic planets
that cause evil. It all sounds so fatalistic and black and white
which I can understand. We've all had experiences where the worst
thing that could have happened, like a loss of some kind, turned
out to be a blessing in disguise. At the same time, we often hear
of how the best thing that could have happened, like winning the
lottery, ended up ruining people's lives. So how do you draw the
line between malefic/evil and benefic/good influences?
In Vedic astrology making the distinction between benefic and malefic planets
is vitally important for this simple reason: it allows us to get specific in
our interpretations and predictions. It’s only when we go beyond vague
generalities that astrology gets exciting. The purpose of distinguishing between
benefics and malefics is not so that we can make judgmental statements or fatalistic
predictions. It's because our lives are complicated and any given planetary
configuration can represent a wide range of potential interpretations. We need
to have a way to narrow down the possibilities and determine where in the wide
spectrum of positive and negative interpretations a planetary configuration
lies. Learning to identify benefic and malefic influences is the primary means
and cannot be compromised in order to practice Vedic astrology proficiently.
The benefic planets tend to cause positive outcomes relative to what most people
would consider desirable - stability, gains, progress, ease, and success etc.
The malefic planets tend to cause negative outcomes relative to what most people
would consider as undesirable - instability, loss, obstacles, tension, and
failure etc. We naturally classify these experiences as positive or negative,
which are delivered to us generally by benefic or malefic planets.
However, for some people experiencing loss and instability may be just the
perfect outcome if they're inclined towards travel and living simply. Ultimately
our subjective experience is always dependent on our mental attitude and not
on external situations.
The benefic planets are:
· Jupiter
· Venus
· Moon when waxing (located within 180 degrees after the Sun)
· Mercury when associated with benefic planets.
The malefic planets are:
· Saturn
· Mars
· Rahu
· Ketu
· Sun
· Moon when waning (located within
180 degrees before the Sun)
· Mercury when associated with malefic planets
It
may appear confusing that the
Sun is
listed as a malefic planet. After all, can the source of life in our
solar system really be malefic? The Sun is
only considered a mild malefic in Vedic astrology. Its malefic status
is due to the fact that it is a hot planet and can cause what's called "combustion" when
other planets are too close in proximity. This can "burn up" the
positive influences of these planets and render them weak.
Most Vedic astrologers only refer to the Moon and Mercury as mild benefics
in practice. They never consider them as serious malefics even when the Moon
is waning or the Mercury is associated with malefics. Therefore, it's generally
agreed that the most seriously malefic planets are only these four: Saturn,
Mars, Rahu, and Ketu.
Natural
vs. Temporal Benefics and Malefics
It must be noted that this list is referring to what can be called "natural" benefic
and malefic planets. By "natural" we mean the planet's innate, natural
state as either benefic or malefic.
There is another concept called "functional" or "temporal" benefic
and malefic planets, which is based on house rulerships. For instance, Mars
rules over the signs Aries and Scorpio, so if your ascendant is Aries, Mars
rules the 1st house and the 8th house because Aries and Scorpio fall in the
1st and 8th places from Aries.
The basic method for determining which planets are temporal benefics and malefics
for each ascendant is to see which planets rule the trinal houses 1, 5, 9.
These will be the temporal benefic planets regardless if they are natural malefics. This
is because the trinal houses are always considered the most benefic houses. For
example, for Aries ascendant Mars, Sun, and Jupiter become temporal benefics
because they rule houses 1, 5, and 9 respectively. All other planets will be
temporal malefics or at best temporal neutrals for that ascendant. We will
be studying this concept in more depth later in the course.
Benefic and Malefic House Placements
In addition to the natural and temporal status of the planets,
there are several basic chart interpretation rules regarding the house
placement of planets that need to be memorized. They are as follows:
1) The natural benefic planets function best
when they are placed in the trinal houses 1, 5, 9 or the angular houses
1, 4, 7, 10. You’ll notice that the 1st house is the
only house that is both an angle and a trine, giving it primary importance
as the ascendant or lagna in Sanskrit. Therefore benefic planets in
the lagna, for instance Jupiter, are extremely helpful for the overall
strength of the chart and the well being of the individual.
2)
The natural malefic planets function best when they are placed in
the upachaya houses 3, 6, 10, 11. This is because the malefic
planets will tend to cause the least amount of harm when located
in these houses. The upachaya houses are considered "growing" houses
which means that they continually get better with time.
3) The
malefic house placements for either natural benefic or malefic
planets are the dusthana houses 6, 8, 12 (unless it's
a malefic in the 6th house which is an upachaya house). Just
like how the trinal houses 1, 5, 9 are the three most benefic
houses, the dusthana houses 6, 8, 12 are the three most malefic
houses. In general, you should treat the lords of the 6, 8, and
12 houses as malefic along with the natural malefic planets.
However, if a planet also rules a trinal house 1, 5, or 9 in
addition to a dusthana house 6, 8, or 12 then the planet becomes
a temporal benefic. For instance, for Aquarius rising Saturn
rules the 1st and 12th houses. Saturn's rulership of the benefic
1st house overrides it's temporal malefic status as the ruler
of the malefic 12th house.
The Polarities of the Planets
The nine planets are transmitters of universal, archetypal energy. The qualities
of each planet help to maintain the overall balance of polarities in both the
macrocosmic and the microcosmic universe - as above, so below. The sets of
these polarities are as follows:
The Three Categories of the Planets
The nine planets fall into 3 categories of personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal
planets.
The two luminaries, the Sun and Moon, are considered the personal planets because
they represent our major character traits more than any other planets. They
are the king and queen of our individual kingdom and all the other planets
function in relation to them.
The
planets Mercury and Venus are considered the interpersonal or inner
planets because their orbits lie between the Sun and the earth.
They represent our social interactions more than any other planets.
The planets Mars, Jupiter and Saturn are considered the transpersonal or outer
planets because their orbits lie outside of the Sun and the Earth. They represent
the collective trends of humanity more than any other planets. The nodes of
the Moon, Rahu and Ketu, also fall into this latter category even though they
are mathematical points in space causing eclipses and not actual planets with
orbits. These five transpersonal planets - Mars, Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu, Saturn,
- are the slowest moving planets, which is why they have a far greater influence
on collective trends and are the most important planets to follow by transit.
In the South Indian chart style you can visually
see the astronomical order of the planets in our solar system in relation
to the Sun and Moon. For instance, Mercury is the closest planet to
the luminaries so the signs it rules, Gemini and Virgo, fall on either
side of the Leo and Cancer, the signs ruled by the Sun and Moon. Venus
rules the signs Taurus and Libra, and is the next closest planet to
the Sun and Moon after Mercury. Mars rules the signs Aries and Scorpio,
and is
the next closest planet to the Sun and Moon after Venus. Jupiter
rules the signs Pisces and Sagittarius, and is
the next closest planet to the Sun and Moon after Mars. Saturn
is the farthest from the Sun and Moon and rules the signs Aqurius and
Capricorn. The chart below shows this sequential progression from the
personal, to the interpersonal, and the transpersonal planets.
The
Essential Meaning of the Planets
Understanding
the meanings of the planets is the essence of the study of astrology
since the houses and signs mean nothing until the planets are placed
in them and rule over them. As previously mentioned, each planet
governs and transmits essential universal qualities that maintain
the balance in both the macrocosmic universe and the microcosmic
universe. Venus, for instance, governs art. Therefore, it can be
said that Venus inspires, to some extent, every expression of art
in the universe. Hence, the whole range of physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual qualities in the universe are governed by one of
the planets.
It becomes vitally important, therefore, to understand the essential meaning
of each planet or else you would have the daunting task of having to memorize
millions of indications for each planet! This is where learning to think astrologically
really becomes a great aid in our study of astrology. For instance, if you
know that the Moon rules fluids then you can develop your own list of logical
indications that follow – water, the ocean, milk, blood, tears, oils
etc. As
students of astrology, our life long task is to continually increase our list
of indications, as we think astrologically about the planets in all the varied
contexts of our day-to-day lives.
About
The First Glance Chart Interpretation Skills
It can be
overwhelming when we first look at a chart and try to interpret it.
We need a step-by-step, systematic approach.
While I was in New Delhi studying with K.N. Rao, my jyotish guru, he taught
me that the first step in chart interpretation is to glance at the chart and
see what it reveals. To begin with, don’t look at the specific degrees
for each planet, yogas (combinations), dasas (planetary periods), or any divisional
charts. Just get a "feel" for the chart. The first exercises in this
course are therefore called “first glance chart interpretation skills,” and
are designed to help you get a "feel" for the chart.
In the 1st Lesson I presented the idea that there are both quantitative and
qualitative methods to interpreting a chart. Most of the first glance methods
over the next several lessons utilize quantitative methods where we identify
and tally key influences in the chart.
Lesson #4 Exercise – 1st Glance
Planet Interpretation Skills
We are will now review the key chart interpretation methods covered in this
lesson. These constitute the first glance planet interpretation skills that
should eventually become second nature whenever you study a chart.
Materials needed:
1) Your South Indian chart
2) Red and Green Pens
Identifying
Natural Benefic and Malefic Planets
Begin by locating the natural benefic planets in your chart: Jupiter, Venus,
Moon and Mercury. Place a green X next
to them. Next, locate the natural malefic planets in your chart: Saturn, Mars,
Rahu, Ketu, Sun and place a red X next
to them as shown in the example chart below.
Identifying Temporal Benefic and Malefic Planets
Next, identify your ascendant or lagna by putting a diagonal
line through it as shown below. This marks the 1st house. The other
houses can be found by counting clockwise from here. Now, locate the
5th and 9th houses by counting forward in this manner from the ascendant.
The planets that rule the signs of the 1st, 5th and 9th houses will
be the temporal benefics for your ascendant. Click
here to review which planet rules each sign in the zodiac.
The following list gives the temporal benefics for each ascendant. The three
planets listed are the rulers of the 1st, 5th, 9th houses respectively:
Aries: Mars
(1), Sun (5), Jupiter (9)
Taurus: Venus (1), Mercury (5), Saturn (9)
Gemini: Mercury (1), Venus (5), Saturn (9)
Cancer: Moon (1), Mars (5), Jupiter (9)
Leo: Sun (1), Jupiter (5), Mars (9)
Virgo: Mercury (1), Saturn (5), Venus (9)
Libra: Venus (1), Saturn (5), Mercury (9)
Scorpio: Mars (1), Jupiter (5), Moon (9)
Sagittarius: Jupiter (1), Mars (5), Sun (9)
Capricorn: Saturn (1), Venus (5), Mercury
(9)
Aquarius: Saturn (1), Mercury (5), Venus (9)
Pisces: Jupiter (1), Moon (5), Mars (9)
Place
an X next to your temporal
benefics. Place an X next
to all your other planets except Rahu and Ketu who don't rule any houses.
Later in the course we will refine our understanding of the temporal
benefics and malefics by talking about temporal neutrals and other
exceptions to these rules For now we will keep it as simple as possible.
In the example below the ascendant is Leo and therefore the temporal benefics
are the Sun, Jupiter, and Mars. The Sun rules the 1st house of Leo, Jupiter
rules the 5th house of Sagittarius, and Mars rules the 9th house of Aries.
Identifying Benefic House Placements of Planets
We will now identify the benefic house placements of the
planets. As stated earlier in the lesson, the natural benefics function
best when located in the angular houses 1, 4, 7, 10 or the trinal
houses 1, 5, 9. Place an X next
to any benefic planets that are located in these houses in your chart.
The natural malefic planets function best when located in the upachaya houses
3, 6, 10, 11. Place an X next
to any malefic planets that are located in these houses in your chart.
In the following example you will find Venus in an angular house (10th house)
and Jupiter and Mercury in trinal houses (5th and 9th house respectively).
These are the only natural benefics in this chart that are located in either
an angular or trinal house.
Next, you will find that the Sun and Mars are in upachaya houses (10th and
11th house respectively). These are the only natural malefics in this chart
located in upachaya houses.
Identifying Malefic House Placements of Planets
Lastly, we will identify the malefic house placements of planets. As stated
earlier in the lesson, the malefic house placements for either benefic or malefic
planets are the dusthana houses 6, 8, 12. Check and see if any planets are
placed in the 6, 8, 12 houses in your chart. Place an X next
to any planets that are.
See the example below. You will find that Saturn is the only planet in a dusthana
house, therefore it has an X next
to it.
Exercise Summary
You now should have several accumulated X's and X's next
to each planet in your chart ranging from 1 to 3 X's or X's each.
This is a quick visual method that helps you get an idea of how the planets
are operating in the chart. You now can see clearly which planet's will tend
to give benefits and which one's will tend to give challenges.
For instance, in the chart below you can easily see that Jupiter with 3 X's has
great potential to give benefit to this person. Saturn, on the other hand,
has 3 X's indicating great potential
to cause difficulties.
This exercise of placing X's or X's next
to each planet will help train your mind to identify the relative benefic and
malefic ways in which a planet may be operating in a chart. You will find that
you get an initial, first glance feel for the chart which will assist you as
you progress to more advanced interpretation skills.
In the following lesson we will be studying the key indications of the planets
based on the fundamental logic that we've discussed in this lesson.
Jai Sri Ram
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