Every birth chart has 12 houses containing all the activities of life. In the Vedas, life is seen as having four aims or aspirations repeating in cyclical motion until the Atman, the energy that incarnated into the body, becomes self-aware of its totality as part of universal consciousness.
The four aims of life are Dharma (the work we were born to do), Artha (gathering resources for our work), Kama (sensory experiences), and Moksha (ultimate freedom and release from all attachments, the return to the Source of all Creation).
These aims recur in the above order three times in the houses of the birth chart.
Houses 1, 5, and 9 are Dharma houses.
Houses 2, 6, and 10 are Artha houses.
Houses 3, 7, and 11 are Kama houses.
Houses 4, 8, and 12 are Moksha houses.
Each house will perform according to the qualities of the Sign attending it as determined by the Ascendant, the sign on the eastern horizon at birth. Signs are of three qualities — Cardinal, Fixed, or Mutable, with four of each starting with Aries as Cardinal, Taurus as Fixed, and Gemini as Mutable. The pattern of Cardinal, Fixed, Mutable repeats through all twelve signs.
Cardinal signs initiate action or growth, represent creation and beginnings.
Fixed signs preserve and sustain, represent the main phase of life and stable existence.
Mutable signs clear out exhausted, outdated, and finished work, disbursing what remains and opening space for new life, growth, and creation.
Each sign is also assigned one of four elements in this order, starting with Aries: Fire, Earth, Air, Water. Therefore, each element is found in a Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable stage through the chart. The exact placement is determined by the Ascendant.
Fire is the energetic action of life from the germination of a seed to the conception of a child, the digestion of food, movement of the body in action, and the burning away of dead matter.
Earth is the ground where life grows from the tilled field to the prepared ground for building, the rocks, trees, and grass that make up the earth, and the compost where discarded matter enriches the ground for the next season.
Air is Prana, the breath of life, from the sound of the Aum that created the universe to the wind that spreads pollen and seeds, holds wings aloft, creates weather, and disburses ashes and dust to new places where the cycle of life continues.
Water is the catalyst for growth, the cooling source that takes fire, the solution that dissolves earth, the repository for air molecules, the erosive force that carves canyons, cleans the air, and distributes nutrients throughout all of nature both inside and outside the body.
When we put the house, sign quality, and element together we see the entire field upon which life will unfold through the movement of the planetary forces and our acts of will. By understanding how your houses are constructed and the qualities they possess as well as their attending elements you can anticipate opportunities and challenges your planets will present.
Over the next few days I will present each of the house types and how different sign and element combinations affect them. Even without seeing planetary placements and motions, you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and others through this process.
Tomorrow…Dharma houses, the right work as seen through sign quality and element.
Most of us see astrology as a practice for relationships between the zodiac and personal events. Vedic astrology also uses the charts of events to study and understand planetary karmas related to locations and institutions at particular points in time.
The chart above reflects the beginning of a series of strong earthquakes that struck Erzincan in Eastern Turkey, killing 11,000 people. This magnitude 7.8 quake was the strongest in a series that occurred during the ensuing 60 years before ceasing in 1999.
Looking at the chart of that moment and place plus the active Dashas may prove instructive. I don’t have space to go into all the implications of the event but it is telling that Erzincan was utterly destroyed by this quake, the 11th time since 1000 A.D. it is Alison noteworthy that there were six more major quakes in the succeeding 26 years.
So what does this chart tell us?
First, we notice that the quake occurred on the day of a full Moon, with the Moon in the 9th house of Dharma. This connects the event to a point of natural law and in Gemini it falls under Mercury rule indicating the event was sudden and had the potential for destruction of the land and would agitate the nerves and weaken the legs of those present. The Moon was in Ardra Nakshatra, the Star of Sorrow.
Next, we see that other than the Moon, all the planets are trapped between Rahu and Ketu, the lunar nodes, and these are located respectively in the 1st and 7th houses. This is the central karmic axis of the chart and the tension between these houses can create a crack or break in the body under the right influences. In this case it is the body of the earth.
Saturn is conjunct Ketu in this chart and in the Gandanta point marking the Pisces/Aries border and indicating a repeated lesson due to its not yet being learned. Saturn is the planet that enforces karmic law, causing pain and separation when the dharma is threatened by our actions. Saturn also is extremely strong in this chart. It rules the 4th house of home and land and the 5th house of comforts. Located in Mars-ruled Aries it is able to act with great force, and from the 7th it aspects the Moon in the 9th and Venus, planet of comfort, in the 4th. Ketu is the catalyst of sudden change, specifically natural disasters. Rahu, especially in the ascendant, causes confusion and chaos in the body and life in general.
Mars and Jupiter are conjunct in the 6th house of health. Mars, as the significator of violence and Jupiter as significator of the 9th both magnify the destructive power of the earthquake. Furthermore, Jupiter is in its own sign of Pisces, and the aspect of both Mars and Jupiter on the 12th house as well as Jupiter’s 9th house influence indicates a need to travel.
Erzincan was destroyed to the point it could no longer be rebuilt, leading to the movement if the entire population and the construction of a new city to the north of the destroyed one.
The quake occurred under Rahu-Moon-Mars-Rahu-Jupiter Dashas, with Rahu-Moon-Mars the strongest trio. The chaos, dharmic connection, effects to home, relocation, and long-term effects of this quake are dominant traits of this combination.
Finally, the cycle of strong earthquakes ended 64-years later following the Ketu Mahadasha period, the opposite end of the karmic axis in the first phase of the 20-year Venus cycle. Events like this, involving Dharma, Saturn, Rahu and zesting in particular, are not punishment for past wrong but are intended to get our attention when gentler means fail. The destruction and relocation of the city resulted in Turkey adopting nationwide seismic building codes and since the 1939 quake no more than 500 deaths have occurred from any of the major quakes in Erzincan.
A major quake in 1992 on almost exactly the same spot earned Turkey recognition from civil engineering bodies for their rapid repair and replacement of housing facilities. Lesson learned. There has not been a significant quake in the region since 2003 when 1 death was recorded.
I woke to drizzle today, but it’s now 9 AM and bright sunlight has begun to penetrate the thinning cloud cover. (No, this isn’t the opening to some MFA-inspired fiction piece. It just happens to begin with weather).
It’s Sunday, the day the Vedas invoke Surya (the Sun) as the giver and sustainer of life, Illuminator of Truth with a capital T, and the center of gravity around which all other planets and their energies are organized.
The placement of the Sun by sign and house in one’s natal chart indicates the overall purpose of the soul’s journey through the current lifetime, the principle activities of one’s education, the fixed fire that sustains us through many years, and the dominant shaper of our body.
As the ruler of Regal Leo, the natural sign of our creative power and intelligence, children, friends, investments, comfort, and romantic love, Sun connects to some energetic property of every other planet. As the positive force of the 6th Chakra it balances the emotions and sits below the crown Chakra at the third-eye or Anja.
One if the most powerful yoga Asanas is called Surya Namaskar (greeting the Sun) and is the foundation of many yogic movements and postures. This powerful practice quiets the mind, strengthening the breath (life force or Prana), and allows the body to align its daily rhythms with the solar journey.
Today is an especially auspicious day for solar power (the kind that affects our soul journey). Retrograde Venus and the Moon are both in Sun-ruled Nakshatras. In Uttara Ashadha Venus gains permanent victory. Moon in Uttara Phalghuni accumulates gains from marriage and relatives. Remember to aspire to do good for all without attachment to the fruit of the work. The Sun will illuminate your Truth and turn action into growth and preservative power for all of life.
When a planet is retrograde it means its apparent motion as seen from earth is backwards. This is caused by the varying speeds and size of planetary orbits. The retrograde planet only orbits in one direction but as it overtakes or is overtaken in relation to another planet it will seem to slow, stop, and then move the opposite direction until the arc of the respective orbits shows it moving forward again.
These reversals in a natal chart can indicate strong karma from a past life or significant work to be completed in the current one. They can point to second chances or to external forces seeking to balance some past action. Retrograde planets have been called difficult but perhaps a better word would be emphatic and noteworthy for the attention they will demand.
Think about any energetic action from mixing batter for pancakes to the thrust of a jet engine. Stopping and reversing direction draws attention. If in fact there is no reversal then it can seem like a simple, harmless illusion. But consider an energy like sound. As a loud object approaches us the Doppler effect shortens the spaces between sound waves. The pitch goes higher and louder, peaks as it passes us, and then recedes. Light, and all other wave forms behave in the same fashion.
Now imagine a Doppler effect that builds and recedes and the because of a change in speed or angle of arc repeats. If you’re trying to have a conversation, the interruptions in frequency can make it difficult to hear one another. If the conversation involves planning, an argument, or an apology, meanings can be misconstrued and confusion, chaos, division, and even conflict may result.
The only sensible thing is to wait for the effect to resolve and recede before resuming the conversation and certainly before acting on what you think you heard.
The retrograde planets in a birth chart can be viewed as residual effects of impatient or impulsive actions in the past in whatever house they appear.
Retrograde transits, as we are currently experiencing with Venus through Capricorn and Sagittarius between now and January 29, 2022, create these same effects on a shorter time scale. In terms of personal influence, Venus as a planet of beauty, love, discernment, comfort, luxury, need, lust, wealth, and with a long memory for harm done is often a mirror of bad choices during retrograde periods. Misunderstandings between couples, contractual partners, and losses associated with the houses affected in one’s personal chart may crop up during this period.
Patience and understanding are critical before taking any significant actions under the influence of Venus retrograde.
On a global level, this retrograde is in the presence of Saturn in its own sign of Capricorn and then in Jupiter’s spiritual and evangelistic sign of Sagittarius. These are the same signs that dominated the initial spread of Covid-19 in early 2020. We also see this retrograde happening under a powerful Kala Sarpa yoga, where Rahu/Ketu are in their signs of exaltation. Rahu in particular is in Venus ruled Taurus. Rahu’s primary effect is confusion and its presence in Taurus, normally a stable, grounded force of practical conservatism, can lead to extremes of thought and action that fly in the face of reason with long-lasting and unpleasant consequences.
During this time the best advice is patience, following advice that is tried and repeatedly leads to a favorable outcome, and listening to learn and understand from the best minds available combined with real world experience. It is not a time to be rebel or to take high risk actions.
Conversely, acting in accordance with natural and reasonable potential can bring advances or strengthen existing positions under Venus influence.
Enjoy the holidays, but be wise in all your actions. Depending where Venus transits your personal chart you will see, hear, feel, or otherwise experience the effects of this transit. For more details on your personal chart, you can reach out to me at stephen@jyotishamerica.com.
The particular congress of planetary actions that arrived with the first wave of the COVID pandemic in January 2020 had no equal in recent history in its power to effect change. In fact, careful review by many of the most ethical and experienced astrologers pointed to the 14th century outbreak of bubonic plague in Europe as the nearest approximation of what began in late January 2020.
I’ll put up a separate post on the circumstances of that cosmological moment. Today’s post is on the choices we face now and an advised course of action. This line in the Wall Street Journal caught my attention:
“It’s a tug of war between society and the virus,” said Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco.”
This dualistic approach, of dividing the objects of experience in to good and evil, for and against, win and lose is pervasive in modern society. Born out of misguided notions about the importance of the individual and their rights, pitting forces against one another rather than seeking more universally positive outcomes for all has most people engaged in a constant state of war against both internal needs and wants and external objects and means. It’s a system that essentially supports the deeply flawed thinking that there are different worlds or realities occupying the same space and by getting rid of one we free the other. Aside from being impossible by definition (if what are perceived as competing forces occupy the same space, eliminating one also destroys the other) it also blinds us to the obvious that has been taught by sages and the best scientists throughout all of human history. It’s all one, and we are all part of it. Only by aligning with that fundamental premise do we have any hope for a solution that doesn’t involve ripping the whole to bits.
Whether caused by humans in a lab or some aberrant natural phenomenon, COVID is governed by the same laws of matter and energy as all matter in space-time. It is a part of reality just as you and me and the earth, moon, planets, and stars. We can describe it in language and therefore think consciously about it. It has mysterious properties and processes that given time and effort we can understand. And it comes at a time when understanding, compassion, trust, and unity have never been more necessary.
Yet we have world leaders rejecting proven methods of slowing the spread, rejecting demonstrably effective vaccines or exploiting their use for personal power. We have drug companies taking in billions of dollars in profit who are throwing out expired doses because they were either unwilling or forbidden to send the vaccine to underserved populations. We have social media outlets, outlier news organizations, and mainstream commentators putting out volumes of contradictory, false, and unhelpful information except for the pursuit of likes, followers, and advertising dollars. We have commodified truth and in so doing moved away from it.
Above you see the chart of the moment I am writing this. Briefly, I created this chart to answer the question, “What are our options for living with COVID reality?”
As I asked the question, Pisces is on the Ascendant in my home city of Tucson. Pisces is the sign that can see truth all the way back to the beginning of time and see options all the way to the end. With such a broad view it can also get locked into indecision because if the sheer number of choices and the danger of getting lost in illusions based on wishes and dreams rather than conscious reasoning and high aspirations for all.
Pisces is ruled by Jupiter, a planet that gives expansion and abundsnce and can teach us the way to ultimate freedom and reunion with the Source of all being. Jupiter sits in Aquarius, a sign that wants to save the world, and both are located in the 12th house of confinement and loss as well as the gateway beyond loss to enlightenment (complete freedom from all needs, wants, and desires).
Jupiter receives a full aspect from an aggressive, powerful Mars in the 9th house of dharma (natural law). Mars is conjunction Ketu, the shadow planet responsible for hiding material reality and leaving us groping in the dark without the use of our senses. This combined energy demand that we turn to others, to powers greater than ourselves to realign with the highest and best purposes of life or suffer catastrophic losses.
The Moon is in Cancer and in the Nakshatra Ashlesha for a few more hours. Here it provides sustenance to the cardinal water sign that is its home, where it can dissolve and spread the poison of the serpent Naga throughout the world to destroy all enemies of the earth.
The shadowy planet Rahu in Taurus tries to seize power by tying our passions to money and material gains, but the full aspect of Ketu from the 9th gives us the opportunity to choose a higher path.
Sun and Mercury in Sagittarius in the 10th desire to enthusiastically work to build reputations, center all of us on the work of cleansing the soul, lighting a fire of almost evangelical power toward healing the earth and and serving others toward better health through aspect on the 4th house of home, rulership of the 6th house of health and service by the Sun, and Mercury’s rule of Virgo, sign of healing, in the 7th house.
Saturn sits in the judgment seat in Capricorn in the 11th house where it evaluates all the fruits of our efforts, conjunct to Venus, the enforcer of rules and ruler of two Maraka (death giving)houses (3rd and 8th).
Any choices other than equitable, just, and compassionate solutions that harm no one intentionally will likely bring catastrophic results. Working together, across boundaries of culture, class, race, sex, gender, and ideology to unite with natural forces for living with and easing COVID suffering (not a tug of war, rather a pulling together which is what Saturn transits of Capricorn have called for throughout time) will reduce not just COVID pain, but also that of the earth. The pandemic highlighted the need to work together and do so swiftly to save lives. Hesitation for that caused millions of deaths.
Seeing the placement of the gardener couple, Gemini, in the 4th house of this question’s chart, tells us that COVID is only a harbinger of bigger troubles to follow if we don’t learn to work together. The Sabre-rattling in Ukraine, wars in Syria, human rights violations in dozens of nations, etc. also are opportunities to learn to do the little things better. These prepare us to join in the greatest cooperative effort of all, living with our changing climate and slowing the rise in global temperatures to preserve our home world.
We are not going to win a tug of war AGAINST nature. We need to pull together to turn the juggernaut of individual illusions masked as material need. To realign ourselves with all of life and serve it justice before we receive our reward.
Ruled by Mercury and comprising the last 13 degrees 20 minutes of Cancer, Ashlesha’s symbol of a coiled snake and its mystical intellect make it both mysterious and often feared. Its shakti is the power to poison the enemy, but like most serpents, only attacks when provoked.
Motivated by Dharma, Ashlesha seeks to penetrate the mysterious source of the universe and its power. Associated with kundalini energy, the coiled force of serpent fire at the base of the spine, Ashlesha can awaken psychic ability leading to electrifying spiritual enlightenment.
Explorations of the mind through philosophical, intellectual, and independent study; a deeply sensual nature; and intense sensitivity to any form of personal attack or criticism are qualities of this intense energetic asterism. The extremes of behavior for those born under Ashlesha Moon range from the peaceful non-resistance but with lifelong dietary struggles of Mahatma Gandhi to the sexually explicit (some would say exploitive) entrepreneurial work of publisher Larry Flynt.
Ashlesha does its best when it appreciates and sees reality for what it is rather than trying to force it to conform to what it wants it to be.
Punarvasu and Pushya — Star of Renewal and Star of Nourishment
We begin the day with the waning gibbous moon in Punarvasu. Symbolized by two chariots, this Nakshatra has the power to achieve objectives or obtain wealth and substance. Bridging the air sign Gemini and water sign Cancer, it brings the two most important life-giving elements for growth under the rulership of Intelligent Mercury and Nourishing Moon in the two signs.
The Nakshatra itself is ruled by abundant, expansive Jupiter, who has its point of exaltation in Cancer. Strength in communication and life changes of a positive nature may occur under this auspicious asterism.
Pushya, ruled by Saturn and entirely contained in Moon-ruled Cancer, is the most nourishing of the lunar mansions. It’s deity, or avatar of God, is Brihaspati, one of Jupiter’s names. The great benefic planet is exalted here. This Nakshatra is the central placement for creating spiritual knowledge and learning. It’s a good placement for large-scale actions that benefit many people.
Jupiter and Saturn have been traveling through Sagittarius, Capricorn, and soon Aquarius in close proximity for several years. They recently completed their once in 20 years close conjunction. As the protectors of the inner solar system, sweeping many potentially destructive asteroids into their cloudy depths, the two Nakshatras of today are getting an extra boost of cosmic love and protection.
Today we find the Moon in Ardra Nakshatra, in the constellation Gemini and including the giant star Betelgeuse in Orion as well as Sirius in Canis Major. Ruled by Rahu and in Mercury-ruled Gemini, Ardra combines strong feelings of desire for experience with deep intelligence operating at hyper speed. The Vedas say Ardra is inhabited by Rudra, the avatar of Shiva connected with storms, thunder, destruction, and the death, pain, and suffering that attend these. Ardra means “the moist one” or “the star of sorrow.”
Tears of grief provide an outlet for excess emotional energy and clear the doors of perception. They rejuvenate us and are often precursors to an explosive energy and fountain of enthusiasm. Having seen the temporal nature of life, we seek expansion of our experience, and the acquisition of a double-edged sword of great power for cutting away obstacles to growth.
The metaphor of a double-edged sword reminds us that power has both helpful and inimical uses. It can protect, serve, and build. It can also attack, enslave, and destroy. Benevolence or oppression are found in our relationships with power. Ardra has the shakti of effort for making gains in life. Its desire is power over nature represented by animals. It exercises this power by searching until it attains its goal. The result of effort is achievement.
There are many potential personalities contained in the power of Ardra. The relationship to grief and loss produced Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. The expansion of life through power produced Babe Ruth. Power that served gave the world Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The power of the hunter took a dark turn in serial murderer Richard Speck. To handle the stormy emotions of Ardra one benefits from developing gratitude toward all life and every experience, including those that accompany suffering and grief, clearing a path for growth and expansion. To channel the desire to hunt and the aggressive tendencies toward animals and nature, adopting a meditation practice, plant-based diet, or offering service to the well-being of animals may be effective.
Ardra’s mythic origin involves a demon who practiced fasting and denial of all comforts for many years in order to receive the gift of unbeatable power. Unfortunately, being a demon, the power was used against the Innocent, giving great offense to the Creator, who, according to Dharmic law, required the evolution of life, not its destruction. The great warrior Rama was sent to slay the demon, but upon seeing the demon had taken on female form hesitated, as killing of a woman was the destruction of a womb that gave life. Rama’s teacher, Viswamitra, reminded him that his duty was to protect the Dharma. The taking of life, even that of one in female form, was sometimes necessary to ensure its evolution and expansion continued. Not only was the demon killing innocents but also cannibalizing their bodies. Rama saw his duty and recognized his first responsibility as warrior king was to protect those whom he served. In killing the demon, named Tataka, he also killed the ignorance born from his absolute beliefs.
“The Searching Star” is the common name for Mrigashira. In Vedic Cosmology each of the 12 Sun signs has a karmic mission. These relate to the quality of time and may be seen as tracking with the life of individuals.
In Aries, the first sign, we find birth, the incarnation of the body. “I incarnate to serve the dharma,” describes the appearance of energy as matter according to natural law. In Taurus, the sensory mind, ego, language, and material consciousness form. “I think according to my karma, in service to dharma,” expresses the awakening of individual consciousness. In Gemini, loquacious Mercury begins the collection and organization of sensory data. The power of research and speech that expresses our karmic wants and needs, the passion of our feelings about the material world, our personal power, and goals awaken. “I speak the dharma,” expresses our developing perspective on truth, on dharmic wholeness.
Mrigashira bridges Taurus and Gemini, having six degrees and forty minutes of arc in each sign. It is a powerful placement for research, invention, and understanding the world. Great creative ideas form here as well as the ability to act on them. Ruled by the Moon and influenced by Venus and Mercury, this Nakshatra is generally swift, auspicious, curious, and attractive. Drawn to quality and beauty, the arts flourish for those born here.
There is a strong sensual nature that relates to a myth of Soma, one of the Moon’s avatars. Soma fell in love with Jupiter’s wife, Tara. Seducing Tara with his nectar of enlightenment, Soma fathered a child through her. The Vedas say that out of the Moon, the mind was born. The child, Mercury, had such extraordinary mental abilities that once Tara returned to Jupiter, the great benefic forgave his wife and raised the child as his own. Jupiter and Tara reconciled and even the Moon was forgiven because of the extraordinary nature of the baby.
Both Moon and Mercury are generally helpful to the high-minded and repentant. But in the company of impulsive, negative, or angry forces, they can be fierce and difficult. Grasping at power for personal gain are especially self-destructive acts under Mrigashira influence. The myth also shows the lonely nature of the Moon and how it does its best work in the company of other planets.
The great sculptor Rodin had his Moon in Mrigashira. Generations of superb Vedic Astrologers have ties to this Nakshatra. The list of poets, artists, statesmen, and thinkers with strong Mrigashira placements fills many volumes and links to important events throughout history.
Its shakti is the power to give fulfillment and joy, and its desire is to rule over the fruit of the garden. The result of this desire is to make the world enjoyable.
Rohini, located in the heart of Taurus, centers on the red giant star Aldebaran, the eye of the bull. It’s a clear symbol of both the passionate and sometimes obstinate nature of this asterism. Rohini is called the Star of Ascent, and in one phrase, it is a locus for creation.
Ruled by the Moon in Venus-ruled Taurus, the shakti of Rohini is the power of growth. It desires to unite in creativity with the beloved. Its ruling deity is Brahma, the creator, and those with gifts in any or all the creative arts are often born with strength from Rohini.
The negative quality of the Nakshatra can be a stubborn pursuit of achievement and material acquisition without regard for consequences. This relates to the origin myth of this lunar mansion:
Of all the Moon’s 27 wives, Rohini was his favorite so he visited her bed every night. This led to jealousy among the other 26 and they turned to Brahma for justice. Up to this point the Moon was full every night but Brahma cursed him so he began to die and his light to fade. Seeing their husband’s dire condition, the wives pleaded with Brahma to lift the curse. But once spoken, a curse always has lingering effects. Brahma was able to partially remove the affliction provided the Moon agreed to spend each night with a different wife for the good of the family. This allowed him to cycle from strength to weakness. The phases of the Moon we see today are the result of this story.
Rohini remains Moon’s favorite Nakshatra, and its location is the mulatrikona point of the Moon. This is a key position of power for any Vedic planet. It is happiest in Exaltation, saddest in Debilitation, most like its true nature in its home sign(s), and most effective and focused in mulatrikona. Mulatrikona is a bit like being at the office and doing its work.
If you have purely creative work to do today, the Moon in Rohini and in a strong, waxing gibbous phase is ripe for it. Remember that work approached with sensitivity to others and aspirations of benefits for all produces the best fruit. Use your passion, the fiery eye of the bull, but remember the diminishing curse of Brahma when the Moon’s passion aroused jealousy in his other wives.
No matter how narrow our focus, the effects we create touch all. We are one.
American Vedic Astrology 
