Applying Jyotish approaches to Western Astrology Note: I decided to share the full text of my Mountain Astrologer article on using

Vedic techniques and understandings in your Western astrology practice. This article was a la!or of lo"e for many years. I hope you en#oy it.$ %a"e you e"er wanted to &now additional ways of interpreting empty houses' (r what the original meanings of retrogrades and the Moon)s nodes are' %ow a!out completely different ** and incredi!ly useful ** meanings of the twel"e houses' +ead on... ,i"e years ago- my astrological life permanently changed. After ha"ing practiced Western astrology professionally .and #oyfully/ for o"er twenty years- I attended at the 0A1)23 conference in Monterey1alifornia- and decided- on a whim- to attend a lecture !y 4iana 5. +osen!erg on fixed stars. At the lecture- Ms. +osen!erg offhandedly mentioned that a particular person was of course a !lend of Taurus and 6emini !ecause their 7un sign was in Tropical 6emini and in 7idereal Taurus. %er "ery nonchalance in ma&ing this statement ena!led it to !ypass my anti*7idereal filters and affect me deeply. .At the same conference- +o! %and deli"ered his ground!rea&ing lecture on 7ect- and announced the inauguration of 8ro#ect %indsight./ The next thing I &new- I was on a plane to West Virginia for a 8ro#ect %indsight conference on ancient 6ree& astrology. And what did I find there- !ut additional lectures !y some excellent Vedic astrologers. As I sat in these Vedic lectures- I found myself enchanted and enriched !y the incredi!le %indu legends of the planets- and suddenly reali9ed that Vedic astrology is the oldest continuous tradition of astrology in the Indo*:uropean world and that if I wanted to study an ancient astrology- this was the place to !egin. It ne"er suffered from religious persecution or loss of texts as other astrologies did- !ut instead steadily de"eloped o"er thousands of years. And so I !egan to learn ;yotish- as Vedic astrology is also &nown .;yotish means the science of light/. 7ince 8ro#ect %indsight was already encouraging us to use ancient 6ree& techniques in our astrological wor&- I was quic&ly struc& !y #ust how many Vedic insights and methods were completely applica!le to my Western practice. .I ha"e professionally used Western astrology ** and still do ** with great success to elucidate a person<s psychodynamics- natal and unfolding life lessons- temperament- compati!ility- and soul purpose./ =lended 7igns. The first thing I noticed was that Ms. +osen!erg was right. 8eople are a !lend of their Tropical and 7idereal placements. ,or example- people with their 7uns in late 7corpio .after roughly >? degrees for twentieth century !irths/- whose 7uns stay in 7corpio in !oth 9odiacs- are archetypal 7corpios- with fixed- stoc&y !odies- incredi!le stamina- intense reactions- and powerful wills. Their !lended counterparts .those with 7uns !efore a!out >@ degrees of Tropical 7corpio- who ha"e their 7idereal 7uns in Ai!ra/- are gentler- longer lim!ed- and more "er!al- indecisi"e- and intellectual. I ha"e coined the term &eystone for a planet .or the ascendant/ in a person)s chart that stays in the same sign in !oth 9odiacs. 7uch &eystones transmit the meaning of the sign they)re in purely- without modification- and fully em!ody the element- mode- and other characteristics of the sign. 8eople with a lot of &eystone planets can !e "ery congruent and consistent- for !etter or worse. 8eople with no &eystone planetson the other hand- can !e more changea!le and adapta!le. This was the !eginning of a great odyssey to !ring Vedic ideas to my- and other)s- Western practice. What follows herein are many of the insights and methods I)"e learned that are directly transfera!le to Western astrology. Note: 7ince this article applies Vedic principles to Western charts- all charts in this article use the Tropical Bodiac- and the Western :qual %ouse system. I use the :qual %ouse system !ecause it wor&s !est with these methods and is the closest Western house system to Vedic Whole 7ign houses. Tropical Whole 7ign housesas it turns out- doesn)t wor& as well with these principles. Astrology !y 7ight. The ancient Vedic classics encourage us to loo& at the s&y- to literally see each chart as it appeared in the s&y. What insights our minds and souls can recei"e when we participate in and em!race the actual image of a person)s astrological moment of !irth. ,or example- the dawn light is #ust !eginning to !righten the s&y- as ;upiter appears shining- rising into the s&y- heralding the new day- while 7aturn shines !rightly directly o"erhead. It is the moment of !irth of 8aul Newman. (ne of the fundamental principles of Vedic astrology is that o!ser"a!le phenomena carry much more weight than purely sym!olic ones. ,or instance- you can see an eclipse or the phases of the Moon- !ut you can)t o!ser"e a planet actually ruling a house or sign C that is sym!olic. When Vedic astrologers loo&ed at planets retrograding- they saw that the planets were at their !rightest. .=ecause retrograde planets are opposite to the 7un./ Therefore- the Vedic interpretation of retrograde planets is that they are at the pea& of their strength. In fact- the classical Vedic text called the 8haladeepi&a

states that- :"en if a planet !e in his sign of de!ilitation Dfall in Western astrology$- he is "ested with full strength if he is retrograde.... 84 ?:?. ;oan 1rawford is an excellent example of the strength of a retrograde planet. %er Mars ** although in Ai!ra .in detriment !y modern principles/ ** is retrograde- and her ruthlessness- dri"e- and willpower were legendary. 7imilarly- there is no planet wea&er ** o!ser"ationally ** than one that is in"isi!le. When planets get close to the 7un- they disappear from "iew and are considered com!ust. 8lanets within six degrees of the 7un are considered seriously com!ust. The outer manifestations ** i.e. "isi!le effects ** of what a com!ust planet sym!oli9es- especially the people and themes of the houses it rules- are negati"ely impacted !y the com!ustion. .Note: the inner themes of the com!ust planet ** such as artistic sensiti"ity for a com!ust Venus ** often continue to !e strong./ ;imi %endrix)s Mercury ** the ruler of his Eth and FGth houses ** was two degrees from his 7un- and his career was thwarted !y his !usiness manager- and he ne"er had a successful partnership. The ,ull Moon- similarly- is considered to !e "ery strong- while the New Moon .and the eclipsed 7un and Moon C see the next section/ are considered "ery wea&. An exaggerated example of this is the mother of 1ary 6rant * sym!oli9ed !y his New Moon in the ?th house with 7aturn C who was institutionali9ed when 1ary was #ust a !oy. I ha"e consistently found that a Hdar& moonI .Vedically defined as within E> degrees of the 7un/ represents a nota!le lac& of nurturing in a person<s childhood. The Moon)s Nodes We can also understand the Moon)s Nodes !y their "isi!le effects. The Nodes cause eclipses ** astronomically- eclipses only occur when the Nodes con#unct 7un and Moon ** and ma&e the 7un or Moon appear in"isi!le. The Nodes literally appear to go!!le up the 7un or Moon. They carry- therefore- the themes of eclipsing and o!scuring- and of illusion .after all- the 7un and Moon are not really eaten up /. My astrology clients ha"e confirmed these concepts. Those with- for example- the Nodes con#unct planets in the fourth house ha"e felt unseen !y and o"ershadowed !y their parents. The Nodes deeply affect the expression of any planet they con#unct or house they occupy- often either se"erely wea&ening the planet or house themes- or creating illusions- distortions- or impulsi"e !eha"ior. Vedic astrology also associates the North Node .+ahu/ with materialism- am!ition- o!session- insatia!le dri"es- and dissatisfaction- and the 7outh Node .5etu/ with anxiety- withdrawal- relinquishment- and dou!ts. +ahu can gi"e self*inflation and re!elliousness- while 5etu can gi"e self*deprecation and timidity. 8eople- for example- with 5etu in the first house .or con#unct an important planet/ can !e too self*effacing- while with +ahu there- o"er*confident and o"er*estimate their a!ilities. 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. (n the high side- +ahu can gi"e one the dri"e to succeed and achie"e- and 5etu a thirst for spirituality and enlightenment. +ahu teaches lessons a!out attainment- and 5etu a!out surrender. 5arl Marx- !orn on a New Moon eclipse ** the North Node con#unct !oth the 7un and the Moon in the third house ** is an excellent example of a person with the dri"e to thin& incisi"ely and spea& out no matter what o!stacles he encountered. %is natal eclipse represents his exiles- po"erty- hunger- suffering- re!ellions- alienation- and relati"e o!scurity during his life- as well as an unparalleled commitment to succeed at championing his new ideology. ,or the Western astrologer who wants to &now more- the literature of Vedic astrology .for example- Aight on Aife !y %art de ,ouw and +o!ert 7"o!oda/ gi"es deep and detailed attri!utes of the nodes- e"erything from their direction- distance- shape- height- metals and gems- professions- psychology- gendertemperament- and the people- illnesses- and sexual patterns that they represent. Vedic astrologers de"eloped this detailed understanding of the nodes !ecause they ha"e always treated the nodes as planets in Vedic astrology- as significant as Venus or Mars. The :astern View of 8lanetary Influence The 8haladeepi&a !y Mantreswar also states that the 8lanets are constantly fa"ora!le to one who is always calm- possessed of self*control- who has earned wealth through "irtuous means- and who is always ethical and moral. 84 >J:3G In other words- when a person li"es in accordance with the natural world- their li"es will progress sweetly- and their cycles will !e !enign. I ha"e often found- as ha"e many others- that planetary transits manifest particularly intensely in our li"es when we are mis*aligned with oursel"es and others to !egin with. (n the other hand- when we)re li"ing a life of !alance- e"en if larger life e"ents do unfold- it !ecomes much easier to ta&e them in stride. Vedic astrology reminds us- then- that we ha"e some say in how astrological influences express themsel"es- not #ust how we respond to them. It e"en offers methods of ameliorating challenging cycles- !y using specific prayers- generous acts- gem stones and other upayas .planetary remedies/- again prompting us to reali9e our actions and orientation can ma&e things run more smoothly. The Ancient +ulerships We Western astrologers ha"e used modern rulerships so often that we sometimes forget the deep "alue of

traditional rulerships. Astrology has !een practiced for millenia ** for most of its history C in !oth the :ast and the West using 7aturn)s rulership of Aquarius- ;upiter)s of 8isces- and Mars) of 7corpio. Aquarius holds many of 7aturn)s attri!utes- including control issues- conser"atism- disaffection- reser"estructures- firm !oundaries- and separateness. 8isces carries ;upiter)s generosity- tendency toward indulgence- openness and comradery- spirituality- and charity. And 7corpio is clearly Martian- with its passion- independence- intensity- strength- sharpness- industry- and capacity for pugnacity. We can use traditional rulerships to !etter understand what houses are affected !y the condition of each planet. ,or example- a de!ilitated Mars in 1ancer .Western astrologers call this position Mars in its sign of fall/ will desta!ili9e the themes signified !y the houses with Aries and 7corpio on their cusps. 8atsy 1line)s hopes and dreams .FFth house Aries/ were interrupted se"eral times- !y mo"es- children- and most traumatically !y a disfiguring automo!ile accident .Mars in 1ancer ruling the 7corpio Jth house: accidents/. Additionally- traditional rulerships can strengthen the indications of a planetary signature .chart emphasis/. 7hannen 4oherty is infamous for her real life feistiness- and her exalted Mars com!ined with !oth Moon in 7corpio and 7un in Aries gi"es her a classic Mars signature. +emem!ering traditional associations will &eep us more conscious of all of the facets of each of the signs and the planets. +e"isiting The %ouses. Today- we "iew each house as indicating a congruent set of themes. Ancient astrologers- on the other handsaw 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 immeasura!ly. 1onsider- for example- using the F>th house to signify pleasures of the !ed- including sex and sleeping. I)"e found that many people with F>th house emphasis ha"e strong sex dri"es- and- if occupied !y challenging planets- sexual dysfunctions andKor disrupted sleep patterns. These are patterns I would ne"er ha"e e"en loo&ed for without the Vedic promptings. The FFth house is understood !y ;yotishis .practitioners of Vedic astrology/ as signifying money and other things that come to you easily. 8erhaps that)s the source of the modern interpretation of 7aturn in the FFth house as carrying the !elief that nothing comes easily. :xplore the house significations in Ta!le A. Notice the interactions !etween houses- e.g. acute "s. chronic illnesses- de!ts- and other pro!lems .houses J and L/M and how money comes in through the FFth- is spent in the F>th - and gets accumulated in the >nd. My >nd house is much wea&er than my FFth. As a result- money comes to me relati"ely easily- !ut doesn)t accumulate. The Vedic categories of houses ** e.g. The 4ustanas .J- L- and F> ** the houses of suffering/- and 0pachayas .@- J- FG- and FF ** the houses of impro"ement/ ** are also transfera!le to Western wor&. If many planets are in houses @-J-FG- N FF- for instance- then the person)s life gradually impro"es. If many planets are in houses J- L- and F>- on the other hand- then life is more challenging- !ut its trials teach the person to redirect their attention away from materiality and ego and towards spirituality. Vedicallythese houses C representing most of life)s difficulties C are the &eys to transforming our li"es and our consciousness. 8lanets in them- and their rulers- teach us to face oursel"es- our complacencies- our addictions- and our !lind spots. They help us recogni9e where we are o"er*attached to .and o"er*"alue/ the impermanent and mundane. And they get us to see the deeper purposes of life)s tra"ails- and e"entually to em!race change- and to align with the :ternal and the essential aspects of our own !eingness. If planets occupy the angles .houses F- ?- E- and FG/ then they gain strength- and the person is li&ely to ha"e more power and accomplishments- while if they occupy the trinal fire houses .F- 3- 2/- which represent opportunities- the person may ha"e more success and good fortune. * Ta!le A: %ouse meanings Note: I ha"e deli!erately omitted many of meanings of the houses that are shared !y !oth Vedic and Western astrology- such as the Eth house indicating marriage and the 3th house indicating children. .Note that there is some "ariation a!out where to place "arious themes among ;yotishis./ ,irst %ouse: Oou. Oour "ital force and longe"ity. Oour personality- !ody- health- complexion- and appearance. Oour a!ility to cope with life<s challenges. %ow your life wor&s out. ,ame and li&ea!ility. 8ragmatic- innate intelligence. The most important house !y far .including its ruler- see !elow/. 7econd %ouse: Oour mouth- eating and drin&ing. 7pea&ing truth or lies- sweet or harsh "oice tones. 7inging and eloquence. Oour accumulated wealth or lac& thereof- #ewels- and other mo"a!le assets you accumulate. Oour family life .and family mem!ers/. The eyes and sight. Traditional &nowledge .li&e scriptures/. Third %ouse: Oour prowess- courage- "alor- personal s&ills- and efforts. Oour arms and all manual acti"ity including writing- gi"ing massages- artistic expression. Oounger si!lings and your relationship with them. %earing. 7igning contracts. Mo"ing .!eing F>th from the ?th- it represents loss of home/. ,ourth %ouse: Oour car .or elephantsP/. Oour peace of mind- comfort- and happiness. Immo"a!le property and the land .and cattle/ that you own. 8ri"ate affairs. Ancestral property. :ducation. The heart. Water. ,ifth %ouse: Oour good &arma from past li"es. Oour a!stract mind- discernment- and intelligence. Oour

a!ility to ad"ise and counsel. Memory. ,ore&nowledge. Mantra and spiritual practices. 7tomach and intestines. ,ertility and pregnancy. 7ixth %ouse: Oour a!ility .or lac& thereof/ to o"ercome !oth illness and enemies. The strength of your enemies and illnesses. 7er"ants. (nset of illnesses. Acute illnesses- wounds- and losses. Anxiety and anguish. Theft. Accidents. ,amily feuds. 7e"enth %ouse: Oour influence and reputation in foreign lands. Oour sexual attracti"eness- compati!ilityand en#oyment. Adultery. Moral conduct. Aitigation. The quality of and num!er of your spouses. :ighth %ouse: Aife span. (!stacles- strife- and delays in your life. Wandering aimlessly. 1hronic and genetic illnesses and large losses. 4isgrace and scandal. =lac& magic. Manipulation and intrigue. 7udden catastrophic e"ents. Ninth %ouse: Oour father and his property. Oour fortune. 8receptors. 1ommunication with spirits- "isionsand intuition. Teaching. +espect for elders. 8urity of mind. Initiations. 1harity and spiritual deeds. 7piritual renunciation. Tenth %ouse: %onor- pu!lic esteem- and disgrace. 7uccess and great achie"ements. 6ood and !ad deeds. Appointments and promotions. +an& and position. The s&y and s&y professions .e.g. astronomer and astrologer/. :le"enth %ouse: Income- easy money- things that come to you without much effort. (lder si!lings. ,ulfillment of desires. Auxuries. +elief from duress and illness. %onors and commendations. Twelfth %ouse: Mo&sha .enlightenment/- afterlife- pleasures of the !ed- distant tra"el and residing in foreign lands- pilgrimages- charity and donations- all losses- expenditures- addictions- and extra"agancescon"alescence. A nota!le Vedic perspecti"e is that if a house has challenges .e.g. occupied !y or aspected !y 7aturn- the Nodes- or Mars or its ruler so affected or otherwise wea&/- then either the person represented !y the house or the relationship with that person is impaired- not usually !oth. 7imilarly- if a house has pro!lematic influences- then usually #ust one or two of the themes it represents are affected- not the others. ,or exampleif the 2th house is occupied !y 7aturn and Mars- there may !e pro!lems with the father or gurus or higher education- !ut not all of these areas. Malefic planets primarily impact the people represented !y a house .or your relationship to them/ and not the inanimate themes of the house. In fact- malefics can actually enhance the themes of a house- for example an afflicted 3th house may deny or cause pro!lems with children- !ut also increase the discernment and technical capa!ilities of the indi"idual. The 8lanets as 7ignificators. ;yotish also extends our understanding with its unique and accurate meanings of the planets. We already use the 7un to signify and help us understand the life themes of the father- and the Moon- the mother. ;yotish has- howe"er- extended the idea of significations in "ery enlightening ways. 8leasure and desire- for examplecomes under the pro"ince of Venus- while children are signified !y ;upiterP Aet<s examine what planets are significators for the themes of each of the houses. .7ee Ta!le =/ Ta!le =: %ouse 7ignifications Note: the first planet listed for each house is the main house significator. ,irst %ouse: The 7un for "itality. 7econd %ouse: ;upiter for wealth. Mercury for speech. Third %ouse: Mars for younger si!lings and for prowess and courage. ,ourth %ouse: Moon for mother and the emotional mind. Mars for lands. Venus for "ehicles. Mercury for education. ,ifth %ouse: ;upiter for children and wise counsel. 7ixth %ouse: 7aturn for illness. Mars for accidents and enemies. 7e"enth %ouse: Venus for marriage- wife. ;upiter for hus!and. :ighth %ouse: 7aturn for longe"ity- delays- and o!stacles. Ninth %ouse: ;upiter for guru- religion- fortune- higher learning. 7un for father. Tenth %ouse: 7un for power- fame. Mercury for commerce. 7aturn for efforts- actions. ;upiter for success. :le"enth %ouse: ;upiter for gains- income- older si!lings. Twelfth %ouse: 7aturn for losses and expenditures. Venus for pleasures of the !ed. 5etu .the 7outh Node/ for enlightenment- +ahu .the North Node/ for foreign tra"el. 0sing these significations is simple. ,or example- instead of #ust assessing children from the fifth house and its lord- you can also examine the status of the significator of children- ;upiter- in the chart. If the significator for a house aspects- occupies- or rules that house- it !ecomes the primary indicator of the house<s themes. ,or example- !y ordinary methods- 1lint :astwood)s >nd house isn)t terri!ly impressi"e with #ust 7aturn in 1apricorn therein. =ut ;upiter not only rules the second house .!ecause the house cusp is 7agittarius/ and is the significator for wealth- !ut it also aspects that house from the eighth house .see the next section/- and

therefore !ecomes the primary indicator of the le"el of wealth. Whene"er a planet aspects the house it rulesthat house is there!y enhanced- and Mr. :astwood certainly has earned a lot of money. 7ignificators add a new dimension to the analysis of life factors- often clarifying situations otherwise unexplained in the chart. The Vedic Aspects. (ne principle that Vedic astrology teaches us is that planets aspect .and influence/ opposite houses- whether they are occupied or not. This is an important principle also practiced in ancient 6ree& astrology. Aoo& at the house opposite where 7aturn is placed- for example- and you)ll immediately see the "alue and effecti"eness of this premise. 1her- for example- has 7aturn in the first house- and all of her relationships ha"e !e fraught with difficulties. 7onny =ono was incredi!ly controlling .7aturn/ of 1her- clearly em!odying the first house 7aturn)s aspect on the se"enth house. Aoo& at the importance you place on the themes of the house opposite the 7un- how much pleasure you get from the house opposite Venus- and how asserti"e you are in the house opposite Mars. A second Vedic concept is that certain planets ha"e ownership of particular aspects. In Vedic astrologye"ery planet ma&es con#unctions and oppositions. =ut Mars- ;upiter- and 7aturn ha"e special aspects that no other planets ha"e. The special 7aturn aspects are the !ac&wards square and the forwards sextileM Mars) aspects are the forward square and the !ac&wards quincunxM and ;upiter)s special aspects are !oth trines. .All of these are whole house aspects- e.g. counting from and including the house Mars is in- go !ac&wards six houses for its !ac&wards quincunx aspect./ Modern astrologers can translate this concept into their Western practices !y paying special attention to !oth the natal aspects and the transits that fit into these categories. When 8aul Newman<s 7aturn .the ruler of his chart and his 7un sign- and closely sextile to his Ascendant/ recei"ed a forward sextile from 7aturn- his son died in a tragic drug o"erdose .and no other outer planets were forming ma#or aspects to his chart at the time/. In other words- Vedic astrologers disco"ered a deeper potency to these aspects of 7aturn- Mars- and ;upiter that we can use in our wor&. As I mentioned- you can apply these special aspects to empty houses- not #ust to planets. ;anis ;oplin)s fourth house 7aturn aspects the first house !y its !ac&wards square- and her childhood intro"ersion .she was shyan A student- a loner- and a"id reader/ and her negati"e self*concept .!ecause of her disfiguring facial acneand her self*hatred for !eing o"erweight/ shows the operation of this aspect !y a strong .retrograde/ 7aturn on the house of the self. Vedic astrologers also see these aspects as connecting house themes. ,or example- 7aturn in the first house connects the career .FGth/ ** the !ac&wards square ** and efforts and s&ill .@rd/ ** the forwards sextile ** with identity and !ody .Fst house placement/. ,red Astaire- who had 7aturn in the Fst house- certainly used his !ody- with effort and s&ill- in his career. ;yotishis also loo& at aspect con"ergences- i.e. when two or more planets aspect the same house .whether it is occupied !y planets or not/. A tragic example of aspects !oth connecting house themes and con"erging on houses is shown the chart of 6race 5elly- who had 7aturn and Mars aspecting !oth the ?th house of con"eyances .she died in a car crash/ and the Lth house of death. Vedic Methods of 1hart :"aluation 8erhaps the most useful cross*pollination from Vedic to Western astrology is in adopting Vedic methods of e"aluating !oth charts as a whole and specific houses. In ;yotish- the first house- its occupants- significatoraspects- and ruler are the fundamental factors in determining the quality and outcome of a person)s lifeincluding how well they are li&ed- how healthy and long li"ed- and how much happiness they achie"e. The !asic method of analysis focuses first on the ruler of the Ascendant .called the ruler of the chart in modern astrology- and lagnesh in Vedic astrology- !ecause the Ascendant is called lagna/. The ruler of the Ascendant is one of the most important planets in the chart. Its status influences the entire life- and all transits and ma#or cycles !y it and to it are of ma#or importance. The main gemstone ;yotishis prescri!e for impro"ing one)s life is for this planet .if there are no contraindications such as rulership of house J- L- or F>/. All of us would !enefit- therefore- !y gi"ing much more weight to the ruler of the Ascendant than we normally do- and seeing its "ast influence on the life. After assessing the Ascendant ruler- next we examine the status of the occupants of the first house- and then its significator .the 7un/. ,inally- loo& at the aspects to the first house .e.g. !y planets in the se"enth house- or if you really want to follow Vedic methods- ;upiter in the 2th or 3th- 7aturn in the FFth or ?th- and Mars in the FGth or Jth all of which aspect the Fst house/. To e"aluate the tenor of any other house- do the same analysis. ,irst loo& at its ruler- then its occupants- next its significator- and finally the aspects to the house. The first two factors usually comprise a!out LGQ of the influences on a house. This type of systematic analysis helps to determine all of the influences on each area of life. Another useful Vedic method unra"els the am!iguity of con#unctions of two or more planets. 7imply assess

which of the planets is strongest- and its themes will dominate the con#unction. In Vedic astrology- a planet is strong if it is in its own sign- its exaltation sign- retrograde- or with directional strength .dig !ala/. :ach of the planets has directional strength in a different house: ;upiter and Mercury in the Fst house- 7un and Mars in the FGth house- Moon and Venus in the ?th house- and 7aturn in the Eth house. 8lanets are wea&eston the other hand- if they are com!ust within J degrees .or the Moon is dar&- i.e. within E> degrees of the 7un/- or in the sign of their de!ilitation .the sign Western astrologers la!el fall/. Ain&ages in the chart. +ulership of houses is strongly emphasi9ed !y ;yotishis. ,or a planet to rule- for example- !oth a challenging house .J- L- or F>/ and an empowering house .F- ?- 3- E- 2- or FG/ diminishes the fortunes of the latter while strengthening the former. =ut more importantly- dual rulerships com!ine !oth house)s themes in the person)s life. ,or example- with 7aturn ruling !oth the 2th and FGth - career is more li&ely to in"ol"e tra"el- teaching- or spirituality. (r with Venus ruling the FGth and the @rd- one puts a great deal of effort .@rd house/ into their career. This lin&ing of houses is an in"alua!le tool- and allows the mind to gain deep insights into a person)s life. 8lanetary 8eriods- the Vedic method of Vimshottari 4asa. ,inally- we come to the foremost predicti"e method in Vedic astrology: Vimshottari 4asa. Vimshottari 4asa is a method of prediction that shows the sequence of planetary periods that starts at !irth. The sequence of planets is the same for e"eryone- !ut the planetary period at !irth is determined !y loo&ing at the placement of the natal Moon. The planet that rules the !irth Moon)s lunar mansion .Na&shatra/ is the first planetary period. .Oou can explore Vimshottari 4asa using the Western Astrology software programs 7olar ,ire 3 and 5epler ?.J .or later/- or !y using Vedic software./ ,or example- if you were !orn with the Moon in early 7agittarius Tropically- your Moon would !e in the Na&shatra of Anuradha- ruled !y 7aturn. As a result- you would start out life in a 7aturn period- followed !y a Mercury period- and so on. =ecause the periods .dashas/ are long C from J to >G years in duration C Vedic astrologers di"ide each period into planetary su!*periods .!hu&tis/- so that at any time- you can !e said to !e under the primary influence of one planet- and the secondary influence of another. ,or example- %arrison ,ord achie"ed great fame for his role in 7tar Wars during his Mercury ma#or cycle .maha dasa/ and ;upiter su!cycle .!hu&ti/. Western astrologers can see that he has an exalted ;upiter in 1ancer in the FGth house con#unct !oth Mercury and the Midhea"en- and that indeed when these factors were acti"ated- his career would really ta&e off. Vimshottari 4asa tells us when a person will manifest the themes shown in the !irth chart. ,or yourself and your clients- notice especially when the ma#or and minor cycles of Vimshottari 4asa in"ol"e planets that ha"e a relationship to each other .e.g. in aspect/ in the !irth chart. These are crucial times for the resolution of andKor fruition of life long patterns. There is another way for Western astrologers to employ Vimshottari 4asa. Ta&e note of what planet was ruling the period at !irth. This re"eals the tone of the family and the "ery early life- whether one was !orn to #oy and happiness- or to struggle or sorrow. It is no accident- for example- that Marilyn Monroe)s childhood was so incredi!ly difficult. In her early years- her challenges included !eing raped .at age FF/- and her mother !eing committed to a mental hospital. 7he started out life in a Mars 4asa .with Mars in the arduous Lth house/- followed !y the 4asa of the North Node .also considered challenging- especially in the F>th house/. It wasn)t until her ;upiter 4asa !egan- in F23G- that her life !ecame !etterM she started ma&ing films- and !ecame famous. 1onclusion. =y opening our minds to the insights and methods of our :astern allies- we Western astrologers will enrich our understanding of astrology immeasura!ly. :"en our understanding of core concepts- li&e houses- nodesand planets- can !e greatly extended !y listening to Vedic teachings. If you really wish to recei"e all of the !enefits that ;yotish has to offer- I suggest that you go !eyond simply applying the ideas in this article to your Western practice. =y studying this wonderful :astern !ranch of astrology- you<ll expand your astrological awareness incredi!ly. AN4 in Vedic Astrology In Western astrology- we commonly loo& at !oth positi"e and negati"e influences on a house or planet and try to weight and !lend them into a cohesi"e assessment. ,or example- if a planet is aspected !y !oth ;upiter and 7aturn- we might see which aspect is stronger .i.e. smaller or!/ and then attri!ute that aspect- and the planet ma&ing it- as !eing the predominate influence. In other words- if a person had ;upiter Trine 7un with a > degree or!- and 7aturn 7quare 7un- with a E degree or!- we would conclude that the person is more often expansi"e- happy- and generous .;upiter traits/ instead of o"erly serious- fearful- tense- or inhi!ited .7aturn traits/. If- howe"er- we were doing the same analysis in Vedic astrology- we would use the AN4 principle. The AN4

principle states that: whene"er se"eral planets influence a house or planet- AAA their effects will manifest. In other words- if a planet is in the Lth house- there will !e challenges in the life pertaining to the themes of the planet and the houses it rules and aspects. This will !e true e"en if the planet is a !enefic .e.g. ;upiter/- is aspected !y !enefics .e.g. Venus/- and rules positi"e houses .e.g. the Fst and the FGth/. All of the positi"e elements will manifest too- !ut not necessarily at the same time as the negati"e ones nor in the same areas of life. In other words- positi"e yogas- !enefic influences- etc. do not cancel negati"e yogas and malefic influences .nor the opposite/. The art of Vedic astrology- then- lies in !oth the timing of e"entsi.e. when and where !oth positi"e and negati"e significations will occur- and how to ameliorate negati"e cycles