Arian Maverick
Well-known member
I have mostly avoided vedic astrology, otherwise known as Jyotish, throughout my astrological studies, yet somehow I was guided to an article titled Bridge of Skies: Applying Jyotish approaches to Western Astrology through some aimless Internet exploration.
Here are several excerpts from the first half of the article:
Blended Signs:
Astrology by Sight:
The Moon's Nodes:
The Eastern View of Planetary Influence:
The Ancient Rulerships:
Revisiting The Houses:
Arian Maverick
Here are several excerpts from the first half of the article:
Blended Signs:
People are a blend of their Tropical and Sidereal placements. For example, people with their Suns in late Scorpio (after roughly 24 degrees for twentieth century births), whose Suns stay in Scorpio in both zodiacs, are archetypal Scorpios, with fixed, stocky bodies, incredible stamina, intense reactions, and powerful wills. Their blended counterparts (those with Suns before about 23 degrees of Tropical Scorpio, who have their Sidereal Suns in Libra), are gentler, longer limbed, and more verbal, indecisive, and intellectual.
I have coined the term "keystone" for a planet (or the ascendant) in a person's chart that stays in the same sign in both zodiacs. Such keystones transmit the meaning of the sign they're in purely, without modification, and fully embody the element, mode, and other characteristics of the sign. People with a lot of keystone planets can be very congruent and consistent, for better or worse. People with no keystone planets, on the other hand, can be more changeable and adaptable.
This was the beginning of a great odyssey to bring Vedic ideas to my, and other's, Western practice. What follows herein are many of the insights and methods I've learned that are directly transferable to Western astrology.
Note: Since this article applies Vedic principles to Western charts, all charts in this article use the Tropical Zodiac, and the Western Equal House system. I use the Equal House system because it works best with these methods and is the closest Western house system to Vedic Whole Sign houses. Tropical Whole Sign houses, as it turns out, doesn't work as well with these principles.
Astrology by Sight:
The ancient Vedic classics encourage us to look at the sky, to literally see each chart as it appeared in the sky. What insights our minds and souls can receive when we participate in and embrace the actual image of a person's astrological moment of birth.
For example, the dawn light is just beginning to brighten the sky, as Jupiter appears shining, rising into the sky, heralding the new day, while Saturn shines brightly directly overhead. It is the moment of birth of Paul Newman.
One of the fundamental principles of Vedic astrology is that observable phenomena carry much more weight than purely symbolic ones. For instance, you can see an eclipse or the phases of the Moon, but you can't observe a planet actually ruling a house or sign – that is symbolic.
When Vedic astrologers looked at planets retrograding, they saw that the planets were at their brightest. (Because retrograde planets are opposite to the Sun.) Therefore, the Vedic interpretation of retrograde planets is that they are at the peak of their strength. In fact, the classical Vedic text called the Phaladeepika states that, "Even if a planet be in his sign of debilitation [fall in Western astrology], he is vested with full strength if he is retrograde...." PD 4:4. Joan Crawford is an excellent example of the strength of a retrograde planet. Her Mars -- although in Libra (in detriment by modern principles) -- is retrograde, and her ruthlessness, drive, and willpower were legendary.
Similarly, there is no planet weaker -- observationally -- than one that is invisible. When planets get close to the Sun, they disappear from view and are considered combust. Planets within six degrees of the Sun are considered seriously combust. The outer manifestations -- i.e. visible effects -- of what a combust planet symbolizes, especially the people and themes of the houses it rules, are negatively impacted by the combustion. (Note: the inner themes of the combust planet -- such as artistic sensitivity for a combust Venus -- often continue to be strong.) Jimi Hendrix's Mercury -- the ruler of his 7th and 10th houses -- was two degrees from his Sun, and his career was thwarted by his business manager, and he never had a successful partnership.
The Full Moon, similarly, is considered to be very strong, while the New Moon (and the eclipsed Sun and Moon – see the next section) are considered very weak. An exaggerated example of this is the mother of Cary Grant - symbolized by his New Moon in the 4th house with Saturn – who was institutionalized when Cary was just a boy. I have consistently found that a “dark moon” (Vedically defined as within 72 degrees of the Sun) represents a notable lack of nurturing in a person’s childhood.
The Moon's Nodes:
We can also understand the Moon's Nodes by their visible effects. The Nodes "cause" eclipses -- astronomically, eclipses only occur when the Nodes conjunct Sun and Moon -- and make the Sun or Moon appear invisible. The Nodes literally appear to gobble up the Sun or Moon. They carry, therefore, the themes of eclipsing and obscuring, and of illusion (after all, the Sun and Moon are not really "eaten up").
My astrology clients have confirmed these concepts. Those with, for example, the Nodes conjunct planets in the fourth house have felt unseen by and overshadowed by their parents. The Nodes deeply affect the expression of any planet they conjunct or house they occupy, often either severely weakening the planet or house themes, or creating illusions, distortions, or impulsive behavior.
Vedic astrology also associates the North Node (Rahu) with materialism, ambition, obsession, insatiable drives, and dissatisfaction, and the South Node (Ketu) with anxiety, withdrawal, relinquishment, and doubts. Rahu can give self-inflation and rebelliousness, while Ketu can give self-deprecation and timidity. People, for example, with Ketu in the first house (or conjunct an important planet) can be too self-effacing, while with Rahu there, over-confident and over-estimate their abilities. Woody Allen's North Node in the house of children, for example, is one of the indicators of the depth of his compulsion towards his wife's adopted daughter.
On the high side, Rahu can give one the drive to succeed and achieve, and Ketu a thirst for spirituality and enlightenment. Rahu teaches lessons about attainment, and Ketu about surrender. Karl Marx, born on a New Moon eclipse -- the North Node conjunct both the Sun and the Moon in the third house -- is an excellent example of a person with the drive to think incisively and speak out no matter what obstacles he encountered. His natal eclipse represents his exiles, poverty, hunger, suffering, rebellions, alienation, and relative obscurity during his life, as well as an unparalleled commitment to succeed at championing his new ideology.
For the Western astrologer who wants to know more, the literature of Vedic astrology (for example, Light on Life by Hart de Fouw and Robert Svoboda) gives deep and detailed attributes of the nodes, everything from their direction, distance, shape, height, metals and gems, professions, psychology, gender, temperament, and the people, illnesses, and sexual patterns that they represent. Vedic astrologers developed this detailed understanding of the nodes because they have always treated the nodes as planets in Vedic astrology, as significant as Venus or Mars.
The Eastern View of Planetary Influence:
The Phaladeepika by Mantreswar also states that the "Planets are constantly favorable to one who is always calm, possessed of self-control, who has earned wealth through virtuous means, and who is always ethical and moral." PD 26:50 In other words, when a person lives in accordance with the natural world, their lives will progress sweetly, and their cycles will be benign.
I have often found, as have many others, that planetary transits manifest particularly intensely in our lives when we are mis-aligned with ourselves and others to begin with. On the other hand, when we're living a life of balance, even if larger life events do unfold, it becomes much easier to take them in stride.
Vedic astrology reminds us, then, that we have some "say" in how astrological influences express themselves, not just how we respond to them. It even offers methods of ameliorating challenging cycles, by using specific prayers, generous acts, gem stones and other "upayas" (planetary remedies), again prompting us to realize our actions and orientation can make things run more smoothly.
The Ancient Rulerships:
We Western astrologers have used modern rulerships so often that we sometimes forget the deep value of traditional rulerships. Astrology has been practiced for millenia -- for most of its history – in both the East and the West using Saturn's rulership of Aquarius, Jupiter's of Pisces, and Mars' of Scorpio.
Aquarius holds many of Saturn's attributes, including control issues, conservatism, disaffection, reserve, structures, firm boundaries, and separateness. Pisces carries Jupiter's generosity, tendency toward indulgence, openness and comradery, spirituality, and charity. And Scorpio is clearly Martian, with its passion, independence, intensity, strength, sharpness, industry, and capacity for pugnacity.
We can use traditional rulerships to better understand what houses are affected by the condition of each planet. For example, a debilitated Mars in Cancer (Western astrologers call this position Mars in its sign of fall) will destabilize the themes signified by the houses with Aries and Scorpio on their cusps. Patsy Cline's hopes and dreams (11th house Aries) were interrupted several times, by moves, children, and most traumatically by a disfiguring automobile accident (Mars in Cancer ruling the Scorpio 6th house: accidents).
Additionally, traditional rulerships can strengthen the indications of a planetary signature (chart emphasis). Shannen Doherty is infamous for her real life feistiness, and her exalted Mars combined with both Moon in Scorpio and Sun in Aries gives her a classic Mars signature.
Remembering traditional associations will keep us more conscious of all of the facets of each of the signs and the planets.
Revisiting The Houses:
Today, we view each house as indicating a congruent set of themes. Ancient astrologers, on the other hand, saw houses as collections of significations, many with no relationship to each other.
The Vedic meanings for each house can extend our understanding and utility of house placements immeasurably. Consider, for example, using the 12th house to signify pleasures of the bed, including sex and sleeping. I've found that many people with 12th house emphasis have strong sex drives, and, if occupied by challenging planets, sexual dysfunctions and/or disrupted sleep patterns. These are patterns I would never have even looked for without the Vedic promptings.
The 11th house is understood by Jyotishis (practitioners of Vedic astrology) as signifying money and other things that come to you easily. Perhaps that's the source of the modern interpretation of Saturn in the 11th house as carrying the belief that nothing comes easily.
Explore the house significations in Table A. Notice the interactions between houses, e.g. acute vs. chronic illnesses, debts, and other problems (houses 6 and 8); and how money comes in through the 11th, is spent in the 12th , and gets accumulated in the 2nd. My 2nd house is much weaker than my 11th. As a result, money comes to me relatively easily, but doesn't accumulate.
The Vedic categories of houses -- e.g. The Dustanas (6, 8, and 12 -- the houses of suffering), and Upachayas (3, 6, 10, and 11 -- the houses of improvement) -- are also transferable to Western work. If many planets are in houses 3,6,10, & 11, for instance, then the person's life gradually improves.
If many planets are in houses 6, 8, and 12, on the other hand, then life is more challenging, but its trials teach the person to redirect their attention away from materiality and ego and towards spirituality. Vedically, these houses – representing most of life's difficulties – are the keys to transforming our lives and our consciousness. Planets in them, and their rulers, teach us to face ourselves, our complacencies, our addictions, and our blind spots. They help us recognize where we are over-attached to (and over-value) the impermanent and mundane. And they get us to see the deeper purposes of life's travails, and eventually to embrace change, and to align with the Eternal and the essential aspects of our own beingness.
If planets occupy the angles (houses 1, 4, 7, and 10) then they gain strength, and the person is likely to have more power and accomplishments, while if they occupy the trinal fire houses (1, 5, 9), which represent opportunities, the person may have more success and good fortune.
Arian Maverick
Cool beans! What an interesting article, thanks for sharing that AM! I always find your posts very informative. I avoided commenting on Rahu & Ketu....too darn confusing what they do in vedic.