I hope you and your loved ones are well wherever you are in the world. We are safe at home, enjoying extra family time together J
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If you are not working – two of my online services are by donation (Meditation by donation and Astrology by donation) which means anyone can participate even when cash is not flowing as freely. Finally, I’m taking bookings in any time zone, anywhere in the world, so please forward this email or this animation to your friends near and far who might be interested. Stay safe and look forward to seeing you online soon, Fiona P.S. If you want to see my approach to astrology, my teacher just posted my “Rahu, Ketu and the Hero’s Journey” seminar and we collaborated on several Libra and Scorpio Ascendant videos. There are also articles on my blog about Edward VIII and George VI, getting Knocked Down by Life and Being Unlucky in Astrology and more. P.P.S. Also, here is my teacher’s blog post about our donation readings.
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I'm so proud to share my recent seminar that has been posted on my teacher's site! It's based on the essay I posted here last year https://trimtabtao.weebly.com/blog/rahu-and-ketu-on-the-virgo-pisces-axis.... My discussion with Vedic Astrology Teacher, Ryan Kurczak about how each planet plays a unique role in the chart of a Scorpio Ascendant.
Recently I was lucky enough to sit down with Vedic Astrology Teacher Ryan Kurczak to discuss how each has a unique flavor for Libra Ascendants.
In this essay, I explore the D9 charts of King Edward VIII and George VI to see the purpose of each planet in the Navamsha .... Introduction
The Navamsha chart shows our sense of purpose in life. It relates to the 9th house in the Rasi chart’[i]. It is traditionally used to gain information about marriage. This is because our civilisation relies on procreation and stability. As marriage supports both of these goals, it is an important life purpose for members of the civilisation. However the Navamsha shows, not only a physical marriage to a life partner, but anything that the person will be ‘married’ to. That is, anything that the person will devote their life to, for example, passionate causes, lives of service, solitary lives etc. The Navamsha chart shows what a person intrinsically finds meaningful and worth dedicating themselves to. Because this sense of meaning is inside the person, it might be different from what is obvious in the Rasi chart. Planets in the Navamsha Each planet brings its unique qualities to the Navamsha. To examine these qualities, let’s look at the charts of two brothers who became King. In total, there is only one planet in a Kendra house between them[ii] and perhaps neither of them were meant to inherit the throne. One went on to abdicate and the other ruled during the gruelling years of World War II. Context Edward VIII, the Duke of Windsor, was king for 326 days in 1936. He was not born to be king because his father (George V) had an older brother who should have inherited the throne[iii]. King Edward VIII abdicated because he wished to marry Wallis Simpson who was in the process of divorcing her second husband. Marrying a divorcée would have put him in conflict with his role as head of the Church of England which did not recognise marriage after divorce. King George VI was Edward the VIII younger brother and is most known to modern audiences as the father of the current Queen and from the Oscar winning movie “The King’s Speech”. He was reluctant to take the throne because he was a shy person with a speech impediment. Let’s examine how these brother’s Rasi and Navamsha charts shed some light on their fate and sense of purpose. Overview of the Duke of Windsor’s chart Edward VIII is an Aquarius ascendant. As stated in Kala “The native with Aquarius lagna is becoming individualized. … (by) standing as an individual they are playing the role offered to them in this incarnation”. This perhaps speaks to life path where Edward VIII will be forced to choose between his duty and what he wants for himself. The purpose of Saturn in the Navamsha The Duke of Windsor’s ascendant Lord is Saturn (hence the ‘being forced’ comment in the previous paragraph[iv]). Saturn in the Rasi chart is exalted in the sign of Libra. This could lead one to assume that this person would be steadfast and determined in their sense of purpose. The 9th house in the Rasi chart is receiving rasi aspect only from Venus which is a benefic planet and also the house Lord in this case. Again this points to good indications for prosperity of the house. So why do we find that in the actual life experience of this person, they went so against what would be perceived as their purpose and culture? One contributing factor is that Saturn is conjunct with Ketu. When Ketu is with Saturn, it can encourage the person to break with discipline and rigidity. Because this is happening in the 9th house, Ketu could be destroying the attachment to culture and dharma. Ketu and Saturn are both dry and restrictive by nature. This might make the 9th house feel barren and lacking in ease for the person. Saturn looks downward and Ketu has no vision, so there may not seem that there are any choices available in relation to 9th house things. Another insight comes when we look at the Navamsha chart. Saturn in the Navamsha represents the ability of the person to bear the burdens of their life purpose and the capacity of one’s dedication to survive the troubles that must be endured (Kurczak 2014, p372). In the Navamsha chart of the Duke of Windsor, Saturn’s dignity of Exaltation moves to Enemy. Although the planet remains in the physical location of Libra space, it takes on a Piscean quality in the Navamsha chart. Pisces is about transcending and escaping the mundane and, as the natural 12th sign of the zodiac, it is also related to releasing and letting go. To summarise, this person’s ascendant Lord goes into the 9th house of purpose and dharma in the Rasi chart, but in the Navamsha, it gains the energy of escaping and letting go. It also goes from the Deeptaadli Avastha of ‘radiant’, to ‘miserable’ (Kurczak 2014, p35). In the Navamsha, Saturn is located in the 6th house of suffering (Fish 2012, p77). When we consider the historical context of the time, it is easy to see how Edward VIII might have felt that he was not able to endure his expected life purpose. Tension was brewing in Europe and over the coming 10 years there would be a gruelling war that would cost many lives and cause enormous suffering. Saturn is exactly the planet that helps a person get through these difficult times. But in the Navamsha, Saturn is feeling miserable and not strong enough to endure this suffering, even though it is exalted in the Rasi chart. The purpose of Venus in the Navamsha Another notable planet in the Duke of Windsor’s chart is Venus. It is in its own home of Taurus, Kumara, Jagrat[v] and the only planet ruling an angle in the Rasi chart. Venus can represent the love interest for heterosexual males. In this Rasi chart, it is the lord of the 4th house and the 9th house meaning that one’s treasure and one’s purpose are united because they are both being ruled by the same planet. The 4th house is receiving rasi aspects from cruel planets including Sun, Mercury, Saturn and Ketu and these separative influencesii could mean that the person may have to leave their home and may feel displaced (Kurczak 2014, p206). Confirmation of this is found in the life of Edward VIII who lived the rest of his life in exile after his abdication. Having Saturn and Ketu in the 9th house could lead to negative influences like “falls from grace” (Kurczak 2014, p208) and that the marriage could come at the cost of his home. In contrast to the dryness of the 9th house (created by Saturn and Ketu’s presence), the Venus in the 4th house may have seemed more fertile and ripe. Venus is being starved by the Moon meaning that the Duke of Windsor might be predisposed to think that a love relationship will meet all his needs (Kurczak 2014, p147). In the Navamsha, Venus has the purpose of informing about the wife, the marriage and the comfort from and devotion to the marriage. It also speaks about the person’s ability to make decisions that lead to higher fulfilment (Kurczak 2014, p372). In the Duke of Windsor’s Navamsha chart, Venus is in the 10th house meaning that it will be activated and impactful in this person’s life purpose. Venus moves from a ‘confident’ Deeptadi Avastha in the Rasi to a ‘scarce’ one in the the Navamsha. It is located in the Moon’s sign of Cancer in the Navamsha which continues the theme of the Moon encouraging Venus to be very focused on meeting needs through emotional partnerships. In relation to Venus’ purpose in the Navamsha, we could say that Venus is;
The planet Mars in the Navamsha can show the person’s ability to compromise, to do what is right for one’s path and have good judgement (Kurczak 2014, p372). In the Duke of Windsor’s chart, Mars is in its Moolatrikona of Aries in many Vargas. This shows that planet is in harmony with itself. In the Rasi chart, Mars is the 3rd and 10th Lord. This can indicate someone who will work in the military (Fish 2012, p46) as Mars is a Karaka for warriors and the 3rd house brings to mind courage, valour and comrades-in-arms (Fish 2012, p73-74). The Duke of Windsor did serve in the Navy and have military roles/ titles during World War I and II. In the Navamsha, Mars maintains its ‘confidence’ from the Rasi chart and is in the 7th house of partnerships. Mars’ good dignity and its harmony with itself may have contributed to being able to compromise in resolving the conflict involving his perceived life purpose. His personal desire to marry a divorcée put him at odds with his role as King. His confident and harmonious Mars may have stopped him from turning this situation into a tantrum where he created conflict with his ministers and subjects. Instead he was able to accept a compromise position of abdicating rather than precipitating a crisis[vi]. The purpose of Jupiter in the Navamsha Jupiter in the Navamsha can show joy on one’s path and within one’s marriage (Kurczak 2014, p372). In the Duke’s Rasi chart, Jupiter is Vriddha, Sushupti and in neutral dignityiii. It represents two wealth houses as 2nd and 11th house Lord in the 5th house of grace, happiness, children and love affairs (Fish 2012, p76). Mercury, the house Lord is in Great Enemy dignity, in the 6th house of suffering (Fish 2012, p77) and is starving Jupiter to minus 48.8 points of Shadbala. (Mercury is also being starved by the Moon to minus 121.8 points of Shadbala). The ‘scarce’ experience of Jupiter and the ‘cruelty’ Mercury is experiencing from the Deeptadi Avasthas certainly led to some problems with adulterous affairs, gambling and not easily having the wealth that the Duke might have wished. For example; “Edward's womanising and reckless behaviour during the 1920s and 1930s worried Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, King George V, and those close to the prince” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII n.d.) and, “The Government declined to include the Duke or Duchess on the Civil List, and the Duke's allowance was paid personally by George VI” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII n.d.). (N.B. Notice how it is the sibling – a 3rd House indicator ruled by that harmonious Mars – that provides support here). In a way, the pursuit of his happiness (5th house) was a yoga breaker for his wealth. Both Jupiter and Mercury have a yoga score of negative 15.6. Although, being as it was benevolent Jupiter as the Lord of these wealth yogas, the Duke was able to experience a level of wealth that most of us would consider very comfortable. In the Navamsha, Jupiter is in a much happier situation. He is in his Own Home and this indicates that although it might have seemed that no one could be joyful giving up ruling half the globe, the Duke would have felt happy with his decision in the end. Escaping into Pisces and living a life secluded from royal responsibilities would bring him a sense of joy. So how did this play out in the life of his brother? Overview of King George VI’s chart King George VI is a Libra Ascendant. As stated in Kala “The native with Libra lagna is aware of the give and take in life, that all things have a price”. Perhaps this prepares King George VI for the enormous cost to his own life that will come from his brother’s decision to abdicate. Purpose of the Sun in the Navamsha The Sun is a Karaka for king and represent our body and life path in the Rasi. In King George VI’s chart the Sun is in a scarce avastha in the Rasi. The King did suffer from many health ailments. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI n.d., #Illness_and_death). The Sun is located in the 3rd house in the Rasi chart showing that perhaps he felt more comfortable being ‘among peers’ than in shining above the crowd. In the Navamsha, the Sun does move into the 5th house of rulers. This somewhat supports the idea that his purpose would involve becoming King. However, the 5th house in this Navamsha is Libra where the Sun is Debilitated. The purpose of the Sun in the Navamsha is to show one’s Sva Dharma (Kurczak 2014, p372) or duty to one’s role. Here we see that fulfilling his duty to become King will be very uncomfortable and difficult. In his own diary he wrote that when he found out that his brother had abdicated, King George visited his mother and “broke down and sobbed like a child” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI n.d.) It is commonly thought that the stress of the role contributed to his early death at just 56 years old. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI n.d., #illness_and_death) The Purpose of the Moon in the Navamsha The Moon in King George’s Rasi chart is the 10th Lord in the 2nd house. This indicates that something in the person’s activity in the world could be related to speech. Although the Moon is in friend dignity it is conjunct Saturn. This is starving the Moon and causing the Moon to overly focus its flaws and lose its adaptability (Kurczak 2014, p119-120). The house Lord of speech (Mars) is being agitated by the Sun which can cause authority figures to overwhelm the person’s sense of right and wrong (Kurczak 2014, p128). And Mercury, the Karaka for speech (Fish 2012, p44), is also being agitated by the Sun making communication painful (Kurczak 2014, p136). All of these indications point to speech as part of the public activity of this person’s life will be difficult and painful. The King is famous for a particularly torturous speech he gave as a Prince to close the “British Empire Exhibition” at Wembley in 1925. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI n.d.) The purpose of the Moon in the Navamsha is to show the ability of the person to adapt to and nurture their purpose and how they perceive their role. (Kurczak 2014, p372). The Moon is in the 9th house of Aquarius in the Navamsha. Therefore the 10th lord from the Rasi is in the 9th house in the Navamsha. These are both powerful placements. Unfortunately, the Moon is in enemy dignity in the Navamsha, feeling ‘miserable’ and getting Rasi aspects from Mars and Sun. Once again we see that this person’s perception of their purpose does not fill them with good feeling. The purpose of Mercury in the Navamsha Mercury rules the 9th and 12th houses in the Rasi Chart of King George VI. Being the ruler of the 9th house in the Rasi, gives a special connection to the Navamsha chart. Mercury is located in the 3rd house in the Rasi chart and this again highlights the theme of peers (3rd house represents brothers and colleagues (Fish 2012, p73)). This person’s sense of purpose will come from being equal with others. We see in his biography on Wikipedia that
In the Navamsha, Mercury is exalted in Virgo and is also the ascendant lord of the Navamsha. The purpose of Mercury in the Navamsha is to show the person’s ability to manage their life path (or marriage) (Kurczak 2014, p372). Whereas King George struggled to shine (the Sun) or emote and easily adapt (the Moon) in his role, in terms of the management of purpose, he did well. This is where he could feel a sense of purpose and that he could contribute. He met weekly with the Prime Minister for lunch and discussed the management of the war. This developed a close working relationship that was crucial to the Allies success. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI n.d., #Second_World_War). His ability to speak also improved through dedicated Virgoan effort. During his reign, the empire /kingdom he ruled became smaller as countries became independent. This is a natural reflection of the weak Sun in the King’s birth and Navamsha chart. But Mercury in his Navamsha helped him contribute in a meaningful way to the legacy of the royal family. For example;
Conclusion From the Navamshas of each brother we can see that;
[i] The Navamsha divides the 30 degrees of a Rasi into 9 equal portions of 3º20. This means that the whole zodiac is divided into 108 portions by the Navamsha. 108 is a number with significance in many fields and traditions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/108_(number) including that the distance from the Earth to the Sun is approximately 108 times the Sun’s diameter. [ii] According to Chatussagara Yoga, it is considered that a person will be a ruler and known throughout the world if they have planets in each of the Kendra houses (The Angular houses of 1, 4, 7, 10) “Three Hundred Important Combinations” By B.V. Raman. However, in this case we can see that these two men were both rulers and well known without an abundance of planets in Kendra houses. [iii] The brother died before his father (King Edward VII) and so the throne passed to George V. [iv] Saturn is considered a malefic planet in Vedic Astrology. As such, it achieves its aim by challenging and stressing the person to make the person grow and achieve. Benefic planets support a person by making it easy for them to achieve growth in the area the benefic planets are focussed on. [v] Kumara and Jagrat are terms that describe how karmically active and conscious the planet is. Kumara is a Balaadi Avastha and means the planet is adolescent karmically. (Kurczak 2014, p38) Jagarat is a Jagraadi Avastha meaning the planet is completely awake to deal with its karma. (Kurczak 2014, p109) This combination shows the planet is awake and karmically active and therefore important to the person. Vriddha is a Balaadi Avastha meaning old and Sushupti is a Jagraadi Avastha meaning asleep. This combination means the planet is not alert and not particularly karmically active and therefore not as much in the person’s awareness. [vi] His harmonious Mars may also explain his reluctance to enter into war with Germany. He personally did not see that the fascism in Germany was wrong. As Mars acts on our sense of right and wrong, in the case of Germany he could not desire for all that conflict, suffering and loss of life to occur for something he did not perceive as worth fighting for. He actively did what he could to prevent the war, as a way to prevent suffering for a cause that seemed unworthy to him. BibliographyFish, Richard and Ryan Kurczak. 2012. “The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 1.” In The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 1 The Foundation Course, by Richard Fish and Ryan Kurczak. Asheville, North Carolina. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII. n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed July 16, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI. n.d. Wikipedia. Accessed July 16, 2019. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_VI. Kurczak, Ryan and Richard Fish. 2014. The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 2. Asheville, North Carolina. Introduction
One way to look at Rahu and Ketu is to see these Nodal points as indicators of where the evolutionary development of our consciousness requires balance. No matter where the Nodes are in a chart, they are always on opposite ends of an axis. By balancing these two end points, we bring balance to our evolutionary development. This essay will explore the nature of Rahu and Ketu when they are posited on the Virgo and Pisces axis. Nature of Virgo and Pisces Virgo is the natural 6th sign of the zodiac. The archetypal energy of Virgo is described in the Yavana Jataka as: “A maiden standing in a boat on the waters while holding a torch in her hand embodies the sixth sign. Those clever in the subject of Time say it represents the belly and bowels of the creator. The lands of the sixth sign are grassy, suitable for women, sexual intercourse and crafts.”[i] From this description we can elaborate on the theme of digestion. Digestion is an activity that must be performed every day. It takes the complexity and variety of the input, and by applying the same process every day, it breaks that input down into building blocks that can be used to construct the body for tomorrow. As long as a person keeps consuming, they cannot escape the requirements of digestion. Anything that is not digested becomes toxic to the body and the future of the person. This can be seen in the choice of maiden as the archetypal image of the 6th sign because it represents purity (in contrast to toxicity). In terms of the journey through the numbers of the zodiac, the natural 6th sign is about breaking down the richness and complexity of the experience of the numbers 1 to 5 and making something useful from that by digesting it completely and building for the future. It focuses the person on reality and completing daily tasks as a way of securing the future of the person. In contrast, the Yavana Jataka describes Pisces (the natural 12th sign of the zodiac) as: “The final sign shows a pair of fish in water. It is said to be the best sign and represents the feet of Time. Its places are auspicious. Here there are gods, knowers of Brahma, pilgrimages, rivers, oceans and clouds.”[ii] From this sutra we can examine the theme of “oceans and clouds”. Ocean and clouds represent the transformative cycle of water through evaporation and condensation. The heat of the sun removes particles of water from the ocean, the coolness of the atmosphere returns those particles to the earth. The water particles change state and leave one place to materialise in another place. Returning this analogy to the zodiac we can see that the 12th sign represents all the strands of learning and experience from 1 to 11. The 11th sign is called the “water bearer” and all the separate goals of the previous signs have coalesced into an ocean of experience carried by the person. The 12th sign is where this ocean of experience prepares to transform, disperse and escape this particular place (chart) to be reassemble in another place (chart). It is not about doing tasks like the 6th sign, but about being released from experience. The Hero Journey of the houses For nearly 150 years, Western culture has been influenced by the view that myths from all cultures are fundamentally telling the same universal “Hero Journey”. This idea was made popular by psychoanalysis, Joseph Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” and more recently by Hollywood script writers such as Christopher Vogler[iii]. The “Hero Journey” delineates key steps such as the “call to adventure”, “crossing the threshold”, “revelation”, “transformation” and “return”. It often happens that the hero returns changed and all the values, beliefs and knowledge that he had before the journey have no meaning or satisfaction on his return. It is easy to see how the numerology of the zodiac tells the “Hero Journey” when the numbers run in sequence. When viewed this way, the natural 6th sign is teaching the hero to accept the magnitude of the hero’s calling by realising there is no escape and committing to doing the hard work the task requires no matter how impossible it seems. Then the 12th sign is what comes after the hero has completed the quest and returns to the ordinary world. It is marked by no longer being able to be a member of the ordinary world in the way the hero was before the quest. Rahu and Ketu, the Nodes of the moon, play with the sequencing of this quest. If Ketu is in Virgo, the Hero Journey makes sense. When Ketu is in Pisces it is exactly the opposite of what the Hero Journey myth might lead us to expect. Ketu is the descending Node of the moon. In Vedic mythology it represents the body and tail of the demon. In terms of the evolutionary development of consciousness, Ketu marks the conquered territory. It is where the forces of consciousness have built their “fort” or safe zone in the conquered territory. Rahu is the ascending Node of the moon. In Vedic mythology it represents the head of the demon. In terms of the evolutionary development of consciousness, Rahu shows the new territory to be explored and conquered. It is the territory where the consciousness has never been before and has no knowledge of. By its nature, Rahu encourages the person to explore even if the territory is life-threatening. Ketu in Virgo When Ketu is in Virgo, it supports the numerological sequence of the “Hero Journey” because it indicates that consciousness has already conquered the skills of accepting reality and doing the hard work every day that will create a future for the person. When Ketu is in Virgo, Rahu is in Pisces and this also supports the “Hero Journey”. With this placement, the person is exploring letting go of their attachment to their identity as the Hero and all the tasks and accomplishments that go with it. Even with this placement, which supports the conventional idea of the Hero Journey, there are still risks. Ketu can cause the person to be too attached to their identity as a hard worker and ignore the opportunity to transcend their role. It can also give a closed mind which believes, from past experience (i.e. Ketu), that it is hard work which produces results and that this is a predictable and repeatable approach that should be used in all situations. In order to answer the evolutionary call of Rahu, the person must evolve beyond this belief. Rahu is trying to teach the person to let go of the fruits of their actions. However, the risks of Rahu in Pisces are that the person will not understand how to do this straight away. They might become frustrated and disheartened when their Ketu belief that “hard-work equals results” doesn’t function. The risk is that the archetypal “letting go” nature of Pisces might lead the person to deal with this frustration and disappointment by trying to escape into a world of addiction and experiences that avoid reality. Now, let’s examine Rahu in Virgo. Ketu in Pisces Where the placement of Rahu and Ketu significantly messes with the sequence of the “Hero Journey” is when Ketu is in Pisces and Rahu is in Virgo. When Ketu is in Pisces it is indicating that the person has already conquered the territory of detaching from the world. In this case, in order to evolve, the person must connect with the material world and do the hard work that is necessary. This is what will bring balance and prevent the person from being too detached. When Rahu is in Virgo, the person is being invited to evolve by giving attention to daily duties in the material world. Given their past-life foundation in transcending or escaping the material world, the person may find it hard to be enthusiastic about physical work. But Rahu in Virgo is showing that true evolution will come from daily attention to real things. This is a good example of how Rahu and Ketu bring balance into the evolutionary process. The nodes are not asking that a person blindly follows the “new-age”, cultural true-isms of the “Hero Journey”. Instead, the person must attend to the unique demands of their personal evolution, which in this case may seem counter-intuitive. Advice from a teacher to focus on spiritual practice could be harmful for this individual as it may over-emphasise the person’s existing habit to be detached from reality. This individual needs a spiritual practice that involves hard work in the real world, facing up to real world problems and a focus on building daily routine and nutrition for health. The risk for Rahu in Virgo is that it will feel overwhelmed by the task. It might seem hopeless or depressing. If Rahu’s compulsive nature is drawn to this perspective it can lead to wanting to retreat to the strong foundation in escapism indicated by Ketu in Pisces. Working with Rahu and accepting the challenge of learning how to do hard, physical work will bring balance to both Rahu and Ketu for this individual. Conclusion The nature of Rahu and Ketu on the Virgo-Pisces axis exquisitely demonstrates how the Nodes of the Moon encourage learning and balance across the chart. This learning and balance is unique to the placement in the chart and therefore unique for each person. The Nodes show that there is no ‘cookie cutter’ approach to spiritual evolution, each Nodal placement is an adventure tailored to the individual. It is important to remember that the Nodes do this in each of the zodiac dichotomies not just for Virgo and Pisces. For this reason the Nodes truly are powerful forces to be reckoned with. [i] Class 5 “The Power of Rahu and Ketu” Asheville Vedic Astrology 2019 [ii] Class 6 “The Power of Rahu and Ketu” Asheville Vedic Astrology 2019 [iii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey As part of our "Understanding your Self through Vedic Astrology" workshop series, we have been exploring the "Hero Journey". This week you are invited to share your writings about your Hero Journey. The program is downloadable on our facebook page "Inpirational Conversations".
Writing your whole Hero Journey is perhaps a little daunting (yikes!), so for this workshop we are just asking that you write a paragraph in response to any of the 24 questions on page 2 that grab you. Here is an example of one participants respsonse to question 9 ... What would you say to your younger self now about the Hero Journey? I have a very clear impression about where I would meet my younger self, in our teenage bedroom, late one evening when she is contemplating who she will become and what will her life be. If I could be there with her I would say … “You are awesome. I am in awe of how you will handle the trials and challenges that are coming your way. At every opportunity you will take the decision that is courageous and will open you up to more growth. You inspire me. Right now, you don’t know what is ahead of you, but you can have complete faith in yourself, because I’m here on the other side of your hero journey basking in the results of your hard, honest, gutsy work. I now have the life you can barely dream of here in this bedroom: I have real, sincere, authentic love with a partner, I have a child!, I have a home, recognition for who I am and a community of friends that love and support me. And this is all your doing! I know deep inside yourself you doubt that you are a good person. If I could give you one thing from the other side it would be for you to know now how truly good you are because you have proved that to me over and over again and there IS absolutely no doubt.” The other thing I would say is thank you. I am so indebted to this former version of myself. And of course, she has no idea what a gift she has given to me! The other moment in my life where I would be pulled to be with my former self is the moment where I learned Transcendental Meditation. The initiation begins with a ritual that for me pushed all my fear buttons about cults and giving over personal control. Again, I would stand by this younger self and say …”you go Girl! This is so courageous. I know this looks like everything you have run away from and that is why I triply admire your guts to be here breathing, staying in your body and consciously choosing to let in the magic of grace and spirit. I don’t know how you’ve found the courage to do it but I’m so glad you did. This step (which is just one on a long journey) is SO healing; it is so key to me becoming powerfully free that I bow to you. Thank you for your courage and taking the risk to open to something beyond your control; thank you for risking being open” If you would like to share something about your Hero Journey, book yourself a spot on the workshop and experience the power of being truly seen and heard for who you are. The workshop is facilitated to ensure that stories are honoured and respected. I get knocked down … We all remember that 90´s hit with its lyrics “I get knocked down, but I get up again”. And for many of us, that sentiment can be a mantra for overcoming life’s difficulties. I have certainly used it that way! But Astrology is giving me a new perspective. I’m wondering about the wisdom of “but I get up again”. It takes a lot of energy to “get back up again” and maybe it is not the most effective way of contributing our gifts to the world. Let’s examine one of the Lajjitaadi Avasthas – “Saturn starving the Sun” so I can share with you what I mean. First, a little Astrology context … Lajjitaadi Avasthas are outlined in an ancient Vedic Astrology text called “Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra”. In Chapter 45 on Planetary States, Brihat Parashara defines 5 Lajjitaadi Avasthas
For example “Saturn starving the Sun” is all about Saturn’s “relentless negativity and doubt” undermining the Sun’s confidence and natural ability to shine. Ryan Kurczak describes this Avastha on p114 of “The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 2”.* “The Sun lacks self-esteem under Saturn’s influence. Saturn generates a lack of confidence that prevents the Sun from taking proper initiative and managing the affairs of life intelligently. This causes the Sun to not even try to get up out of its misery.” And this brings us to the “I get knocked down” part. I think this song sums up something about the “misery” of Saturn constantly knocking down the Sun. If you have this Avastha, it just feels like life is against you. What is the point of trying to keep going? And all the while, the list of things that you should be taking care of, is getting longer and longer and feeling more and more daunting. Hence, the power of “but I get up again”. It’s like a war cry or anthem to motivate those of us with this Avastha. Its irreverent beat encourages us to not dwell in the misery but just get up and keep going. And it’s just so catchy! Plus, we become part of a clan of the downtrodden, we are no longer alone. This helps us to not take the “knocking down” so personally because these relentless defeats happen to others as well. But where Astrology is perhaps pointing to some danger with this strategy is that the amount of force required to “get back up again” can lead us to overcompensate. That is, to push back too hard. And in the process, inadvertently hurt others. In fact, the determination needed to overcome Saturn’s aggression can lead us to act in an ego-driven way. We choose to show more confidence than we really have by ignoring the misery we are really feeling. Without this inner guidance system of our feelings, there is a risk that we achieve our goal “at all costs” because we are not ‘feeling’ how this is impacting on others (or ourselves). As the Sun represents the ‘King’ in Vedic Astrology, the archetype that comes to mind for me is Lord Farquaad from the first Shrek movie. In this movie, Lord Farquaad wants to be a king but is lacking royal lineage and height! These defects make him overcompensate for his imperfections. He also can’t tolerate imperfections in others causing him to banish all magical (i.e. flawed) creatures from the kingdom. He also builds an enormous castle. He becomes so obsessed by his vision to be king that he hurts others and does not seem interested in the welfare of his people. In contrast, the mark of a true king is his concern for his subjects. The king knows that he is only the custodian of the wealth and prosperity of the people. The king is motivated in all decisions by their wellbeing. For those of us with a Sun starved by Saturn, it is good to ask ourselves, “What can I do for the best welfare of others”. When we are guided by that, we are operating from the Sun’s true nature. Perhaps some archetypes that might be helpful here are kings who’ve ruled or been regal while in incarceration. Saturn’s limiting and restrictive nature effectively imprisons the Sun when it is causing a Starving Avastha. And two beautiful examples come to mind. The first is again drawn from an animated movie! “Joseph King of Dreams”. During the movie Joseph is unfairly imprisoned in a basement jail cell. There is just one small grated opening in the ceiling that lets in light. At first, Joseph uses all of his strength, determination and ingenuity to try to escape. He is angry at is unfair imprisonment. He cannot accept that this is to be his fate. Trying to escape is tiring and futile. It just uses up all of his energy but achieves nothing. Finally he gives up and is despondent at his fate. The grated opening in the ceiling also lets in rain, and makes the prison cave unbearably cold and wet. But after a period of stillness, Joseph begins to care for a tiny seed that manages to grow under the light and rain of the grated opening. Suddenly the rain that had been an enemy, becomes an essential resource. In tending to this plant, Joseph reconnects with his ‘Sun’, that ‘king’ inside of him that is interested in the welfare of others. Being a King to this tree, frees him from resentment because he is just in the present moment of being the best king he can be given the circumstances. When the plot moves on and he is released, he harbours no malice or resentment for the experience and is able to fully embrace his coming role. The second, very similar, example is Nelson Mandela. Born into a noble lineage of the Thembu people, his life played out standing up to an oppressive regime and he was eventually imprisoned. From his jail cell and sentence of hard-labour – he somehow managed to release resentment and connect to his royal core. He came to a place of such peace that he was actually able to befriend his prison guards. He also worked in friendship with politicians as they both found a way to end apartheid. His example inspired millions of people. I remember as a young person on the other side of the world, he was a leader for me even though I’d never seen him speak or rally etc because he was behind bars. What a radiating of royal energy that truly is! In both of these examples, the ‘King’ did not overcome by pushing back against his oppressor, escaping oppression or by “getting back up again”. Instead, he was victorious by accepting the oppression and being regal anyway. In some ways there was a befriending of the oppression or oppressor. And this is where, I’m wondering if those of us with Sun starved by Saturn can adapt our response? Can we be inspired to accept Saturn’s oppression and connect to our royal core anyway? Then, instead of wasting energy on trying to push back against unfair oppression or to escape, that energy could be used for the good of others. Let me know your thoughts and any experiences you have with this new approach! If you would like to know more about this Avastha or any of the Lajjitaadi Avasthas, please contact me. They are a fascinating collection on insights into our inner demons. And in defining them externally through the birth chart it allows us to be more objective and recognise some of the battles we might be engaging with (almost unconsciously) that are causing us suffering. Once they are identified, it’s easier to do something conscious in response! With love, Fiona *Ryan Kurczak, Richard Fish, The Art and Science of Vedic Astrology Volume 2 (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2014), Astrology is intriguing and as my Vedic Astrology studies progress, I can use Astrology to see more and more about the experiences that will show up in a person’s life. I can also see the finer details in a chart. For example, why something will most likely work out for one person, but not another.
So the question comes, “how do we accept if we have the kind of chart that is ‘unlucky’ or has more ‘bad’ indications than good? (or than we would like!)” Answering that question opens several lines of fruitful inquiry … First, we have to consider, why are we taking Astrology’s word for it anyway?!! Let’s face it; it’s pretty hard to come up with any kind of plausible explanation of how the placement of planets at the time of our birth can have predictive accuracy over our life! So my rule of thumb is … take what Astrology has to say if it is interesting, engaging, useful, stimulating etc. for you. But if it makes you feel bad, hopeless, unlucky I think it’s time to let Astrology fall by the way side! Second, if you are willing to believe/accept that Astrology is true – don’t forget that all the Vedic Astrology ‘texts’ were oral traditions for HUNDREDS of years. The chances of them surviving accurately and then being recorded and translated accurately are so slim!! that is it is not worth losing any sleep (self-esteem or self-worth) over. Thirdly, let’s say you’re absolutely committed that Astrology is true and therefore you ARE ‘unlucky’ or whatever … in order to swallow Astrology ‘hook-line-and-sinker’ you’d also need to be comfortable with a whole lot of Vedic philosophy around past lives, karma, consciousness and matter. When one accepts all that – then past lives and karma become pretty solid explanations for why one is ‘unlucky’. According to Vedic philosophy, the chart is reflecting the karma that you have earned AND are willing to experience in this life time. To be harsh, you are ‘unlucky’ because you deserve it, it is fully earned. If one takes that personally, it is a heavy burden indeed. But, we can look at karma as if it is just like other natural laws e.g., what goes up, must come down; energy cannot be created or destroyed. etc. etc. and we don’t take these laws personally, so why take karma personally? If you want to take being ‘unlucky’ personally, make sure you have a rail at gravity, inertia and the weather while you’re at it!! You’re railing will have just as much effect on gravity as it will on your ‘unlucky-ness’. And if we are saying that being ‘unlucky’ is paying our karma, shouldn’t we be grateful for the opportunity to pay some back! Think of what that might do to our account for next life time! Bring it on!! Another angle to examine is the very concept of being ‘unlucky’. Doesn’t that imply that some of us are lucky and some are unlucky? Does that mean we would be OK if Astrology was telling us that we were ‘lucky’, that we would experience good luck and that things would go our way? Would that be OK? And when the reality of our life is that we are unemployed or struggling with chronic health problems or running out of money etc. – would we want Astrology to say we are ‘lucky’, just so we could feel better? Or feel hopeful? The very fact that we ‘want’ Astrology to tell us that we are lucky might be exactly because our experience of reality is somewhat grim right now. But that Astrology is saying that the signs are grim for our luck (right now, or in general) should actually be validating, right? Even more than that, it can lift of some of the heaviness of feeling personally responsible for every bad decision that has led to this point. Astrology can bring back some levity that ‘it was always most likely that it was going to be like this, so let’s not beat ourselves up!’ It’s like asking, why does it have to rain? (on me!) and then looking at the weather chart and seeing that there was an 80% chance of rain today and realising, it’s got nothing to do with you!! Astrology can just help you pack a brolly or wear appropriate wet weather gear – and isn’t that a good thing?! And while we’re at it, let’s not waste time with the ‘but it doesn’t rain so much in someone else’s life’. Sticking with weather as our analogy … there are countries in the world that get more rain, that get more sunlight, that get more heat, that get more wind. This is just a fact. There are birth charts that have more ‘luck’ and less ‘luck’. Here on Earth, you can move from one country to another. It just takes planning, resources, motivation and dedication to follow through your plan to move. You might have to learn a new language, change your religion or culture, save up considerable sums of money and follow the laws of your new country. This is exactly the same with Astrology. If you want to ‘move’ to a ‘country’ with more ‘luck’ (that is, if you want to be more ‘lucky’) you can do that! There is nothing in Astrology that is preventing you using your free will to change your circumstances. But, just like moving country, it will take real effort and dedication. As long as you are prepared to do that, you can ‘change’ anything in your chart. Astrology is really just predicting what will happen if you live your life on ‘auto-pilot’. If you do not apply your awareness to your life decisions, then Astrology will be very predictive. If you focus on making choices that are conscious and you follow through on them, Astrology is not predictive at all!! The fact that we want to ‘rail’ against the unfairness of our chart is also deeply illustrative of the reality that we are a spirit inside a mind inside a physical body. ‘Who’ is the ‘you’ that doesn’t ‘like’ your chart? Who is the ‘you’ that is railing against the ‘astral forces’ of your life? If you are not the experiences of your life, if you are not the astral forces, who are you? When we ponder this we connect more deeply with the truth of who we are. We are like the reality star who has been cast as the ‘villain’ on some TV show. No matter what we do, the producers keep cutting our scenes in such a way that we appear only as a self-centred, manipulative, unhappy, screw-up! So let’s leave the show! Let’s walk out of ‘Reality TV’ and start living from that true, authentic self that is beyond the reach of the ‘producers’. For me, this is why meditation is so important. Being alive pushes one around on so many levels – physically, mentally, astrally. Meditation offers that opportunity to be anchored in the true self and this gives us the ability to withstand those forces. With meditation we are able to stay as close as possible to our highest self and therefore be less reactionary to forces which in turn helps us create less karma for the future. As we conclude this examination of the Astrology of being ‘unlucky’, keep in mind that all humans have the same 7 planets somewhere in their chart. There is no one here who is immune to the forces of good luck and bad. Any examination of a celebrity’s life will show, that for all their fame, wealth or opportunity there are also areas and/or times in their life that have been ‘unlucky’. Making friends with our chart, astral forces and the nature of life is our surest strategy for peace and contentment. Recognising that we are but a small part in an enormous story of life, in an enormous experiment of energy rebalancing, can help us enjoy the experience rather than try to control it. It’s also good to remember that you may be luckier than you think. By focusing on what we don’t have (compared to others?) the mind can become very unhappy and see only the lack. But if you live in a western democracy you are experiencing a level of health and freedom that has been unthinkable in previous times. If you are a woman in a western democracy you have access to education, the freedom to work, the ability to control your fertility etc. that women throughout history could barely dream of. You can fly to the other side of the planet, you can video chat to a loved one far away, you can access all of humanities knowledge from your phone, you can survive horrific accidents and injury with modern medicine. Perhaps ‘lucky-ness’ is more a state of mind than an Astrological doom-sentence :) In love, Fiona Here is one of my essays relating to the 6 Strengths, or Shad Bala ... The Moon and three strengths from Shad Bala
Introduction The Moon is the ‘planet’ that reflects the light of the Sun. In vedic thought, the Sun and Moon can be used to help us understand the nature of consciousness and the ‘soul’: We can think of the Sun as being ‘pure consciousness’. The blinding nature of the Sun’s direct light is an analogy for how impossible it is to ‘see’ complete consciousness, it is beyond our ability to process so much light through our eyes. The Moon, however, reflects only a small portion of that sunlight and is an analogy for the ‘Jiva’ soul or the individualised, unique aspect of pure consciousness that each breathing being here on Earth is. ‘Shadbala’ is a term in Vedic Astrology that means six strengths. In Shadbala, the specific position of each planet is taken into account to reveal information about the strength of that planet. Each strength (or Bala) considers different coordinates such as longitudinal, temporal, cardinal or it can relate to the position of exhaltation or position in various vargas or many, many other placements. The strengths or Balas to be considered in this paper are Dig Bala, Ayana Bala and Chesta Bala. Dig Bala Dig Bala means ‘Directional Strength’. It is calculated using the cardinal directions of North, East, South and West. It reveals how a person is ‘directed’ in their life. It also shows whether the person will be able to hear the unique call of the planet to take action. The closer the Moon is to the North position or the 4th House, the more Dig Bala strength it will have. The 4th House relates to happiness, home, the mother and the heart. When the Moon is strong in Dig Bala in a chart, the person is able to listen to their heart. They can hear the call to action that comes from inside their unique experience. Even when there is ‘noise’ coming from the culture, the society, friends and family about what the person ‘should’ do, a strong Dig Bala Moon will allow a person to hear and follow their own voice. They will also have the ability to imagine or hold an image in their mind because of the Moon’s reflective nature. This image can guide the person to find what they want in real life. If the Dig Bala of the Moon is weak in a chart, the person will find it more difficult to hear their inner call to action because the ‘volume’ is so low. They accidentally ignore their own voice and miss the opportunity to act. They will feel that they don’t have an inner guidance system. It will also be difficult for this person to imagine a different reality or choice. Low Dig Bala Moon could lead to depression because a person cannot imagine a different reality, that is, they cannot see hope. To remedy a low Dig Bala Moon the following two approaches could be tried. First, encourage the person to practice developing their imagination. This will require withdrawing from the distractions of life to give time and attention to listening to the heart. They could practice breathing in and out through the heart with the eyes closed while listening for sensations or images. The person could also try creating a Vision Board to make their imagination more concrete. The person should also be discouraged from looking to others for advice on what action they should take. A second approach would be to tap into the person’s ability to evaluate decisions. This is ruled by the planet Venus. Venus is the Moon partner in Shadbala because Venus is a planet that also speaks the language of emotions. If the Moon is weak in Shadbala, Venus might be able to compensate. Venus can help a person evaluate whether past decisions led to fulfilment. If the answer was ‘no’, the feeling of regret associated with that, can help the person commit to changing their approach to decisions about taking action. We all know the old adage – “if you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. The regret may galvanise the person into risking taking a different approach in the future (i.e. listening to their own inner voice). Ayana Bala Ayana Bala is the strength a planet gets from being in the Northern or Southern course of the Sun (as seen from Earth). The Bala reveals how a person deals with conflict. Planets that gain strength when above the Earth’s equator (equinox to Tropic of Cancer and back), deal with conflict through ideals and righteousness. Planets that gain strength when below the Earth’s equator (equinox to Tropic of Capricorn and back), deal with conflict by focussing on doing whatever it takes to address or navigate the conflict. The Moon is a planet that gains Ayana Bala strength in the southern course. This is because the Moon is a receptive planet. It is not in its nature to ask for the situation to change or impose ideals on reality, instead, it wants to accept the situation and adapt to it. By doing this, the Moon is at peace with reality because it has become one with it. When a person has a weak Ayana Bala Moon they will use the Northern course approach of values and ideals in a conflict that is gritty and raw (Southern course). This will cause a clash of realities and will not allow the person to be at one with the situation. They will feel intolerant to the conflict. When the Moon is not being receptive, it has no power, so it will be frustrated, pouty and show poor sportsmanship. In this situation, it may be useful to turn to Venus for support. The Moon can ‘pick fights’ when it becomes intolerant. Venus can help a person evaluate whether a fight is worth getting into and therefore avoid unnecessary, unproductive conflict. However, it should be noted that the Moon and Venus are the hardest planets to obtain an effective Ayana Bala score (they both require 40 out of 60 points). If both planets are weak, the practice of remaining open and receptive during conflict, even if that feels counter-intuitive, could be helpful to strengthen a weak Ayana Bala Moon. Chesta Bala Chesta Bala is about the motion, speed and brightness of a planet. The planets that shine the brightest in a chart are the ones that behave with their best qualities. Strong Chesta Bala shows where a person will have natural confidence in their abilities. Unlike Ayana Bala, in Chesta Bala, the Moon and Venus are the easiest planets to get an effective score (they only need 30 points out of 60). The Chesta Bala of the Moon is stronger the closer the Moon is to full. When full, the Moon is beautiful in its own right. Nothing in its environment can take away its brightness because that comes from another source. It also gently radiates its light to everything around it, making whatever it lights beautiful too. Therefore, a person with a high Chesta Bala Moon is confident in themselves. They are comfortable with who they are and don’t need to dim in order to fit in. At the same time, their light is not threatening to others and the person can be naturally themselves while still being well liked. When a person has a low Chesta Bala Moon, they feel insecure in themselves. The Moon is all about being receptive and when Chesta Bala is low, the person cannot receive the light or the love that life has to offer (just as the new Moon cannot receive the light of the Sun). Without that source of light and love, the person can believe that their own needs are not important. This can cause the person to be introverted, hide their needs from themselves and others and lack the confidence to be strong in their unique identity. The recommendation here would be to look to Venus for support. High Chesta Bala Venus gives confidence in one’s own value and a healthy sense of pride in oneself. This can compensate for a low Chesta Bala Moon by giving the person a sense of dignity even when they feel that they don’t have a shining personality. The person might also consider meditation to develop a sense of radiance from within by connecting with a higher source. Conclusion By examining the Moon in three individual Balas, we have seen how valuable Shadbala can be in understanding a person’s birth chart. We can also see that no matter what the circumstances of a planet, there are practices available that can help a person compensate for any Shadbala weakness. |
AuthorI'm an Ayurvedic Life Coach, Teacher and Massage Therapist living on the 'Linha de Cascais' in Portugal. I love sharing Ayurveda and appreciation of Life with others. Archives
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