Planets: what makes them good or bad Narrated by Satrajit Majumdar Every astrological reports tell you this

planet is good, strong and that planet is challenging etc. To assess whether a planet is ult task for an astrologer to forward principles which you t a planet which will be true good for you or not is at one hand the most diffic find but on the other hand there are same straight can easily understand to make some assessment abou for most of the charts that you analyze.

However I must caution you that these simple principles are interesting but not comprehensive to make a judgment about every chart that you will encounter. A co mpetent astrologer takes a lifetime to make this assessment and still he may be right in only 75% of the time. However before we go to these simple principles of assessment, I should first cl arify some basic hypothesis of astrology. The connection between the planet and the Zodiac Signs: Every Zodiac sign is associated with a planet, which is called the lord of the s ign or the planet is ruling that sign. I had already mentioned this in my last a rticle but I shall repeat this once again in this article also. Zodiac Sign Planet Lord Aries Mars Taurus Venus Gemini Mercury Cancer Moon Leo Sun Virgo Mercury Libra Venus Scorpio Mars Sagittarius Jupiter Capricorn Saturn Aquarius Saturn Pisces Jupiter You will observe that Sun and Moon are lords of one zodiac sign and the other 5 planets rule two zodiac signs each. These principles are same both in Vedic and Western astrology. When it comes to the lunar nodes (Rahu/Ketu), there are confl icting opinions. Most astrologers agree that Rahu rules Aquarius. Some Vedic astrologers consider that Rahu rules Virgo as well. Western astrologers usually do not assign any Lo rdship to the two lunar nodes. For them the co ruler of Aquarius is Uranus. Most Vedic astrologers attribute lordship of Scorpio to Ketu. Like Rahu some Ved ic astrologers also attribute lordship of Pisces to Ketu. Western astrologers do not attribute any lordship to Ketu. Why a particular planet is lord of a partic ular zodiac sign has to do with the similarity of nature and attributes between the particular sign and the specific planet. This nature and attribute of each z odiac sign and planet is very complex and is the crux of mastering astrology. We shall not go into those details here, but we shall see the broad characterist ics by which the attributes and nature of each Zodiac sign and planet.

The two parameters by which each sign is characterized are Sign Type and Sign El ements. There are three sign types. They are: Cardinal Sign type Fixed Sign Type Mutable Sign Type. There are four sign elements. They are: Fire Earth Air Water Each of the 12 zodiac signs belong to one sign element and one sign type as give n in the table below: Aries: Cardinal and Fire Taurus: Fixed and Earth Gemini: Mutable and Air Cancer: Cardinal and Water Leo: Fixed and Fire Virgo: Mutable and Earth Libra: Cardinal and Air Scorpio: Fixed and Water Sagittarius: Mutable and Fire Capricorn: Cardinal and Earth Aquarius: Fixed and Air Pisces: Mutable and Water. You will observe that sign type follow the sequence of 3 sign types over 3 signs and then the sequence is repeated. Similarly sign elements follow the sequence of 4 sign elements and then get repeated. What does these sign type and sign elements signify. We see each sign relates to one of the three Types . The equivalent of Cardinal type in Sanskrit is called Chara means Active.

The equivalent of Fixed type in Sanskrit is called Sthira means Firm or immovable. The equivalent of Mutable type in Sanskrit is called contains characteristic of both Cardinal and Fixed. Dwiswabhava means Dual or it

These parameters relate to the matter whereby the individual directs his/her ene rgy and is the main determinant of his/her personality depending on which are th e dominating sign types in his/her chart. Similarly each sign relates to one of the 4 elements of fire, earth, air and wat er. The sign types show the field in which the planets operate when they are located in a particular sign. Their elements indicate the different levels and the diff erent intensities in which the planets operate if they are located in a particul ar element in the chart. Fire Sign: Strong planets in fire sign show strong will, ambition, determination and discrimination. People with fiery planets dominating in the chart often see k power and a display of force and drama. Their focus is more on self and charac ter than upon interchange with others.

Earth Sign: Strong planets in earth signs show a strong sense of form, order, ut ility and practicality. They must seek material manifestation of their thought a nd action. Air sign: Strong planets in air sign show versatility of movement and change pri marily on the mental level and in their thought process. As a result strong plan ets in Air sign are often intellectual or the mental types. Water Sign: Strong planets in water sign bring our planetary energies into the r ealm of feelings and emotions, and they are very keen to share love, affection a nd attachment with others. You have observed that I have used the operative word of Strong Planet in a sign. This brings us to the main question in this article which are the good and stron g signs for a planet in our chart and which are not. Before we deal with this qu estion, we shall also discuss the type and elements of each planet. Once we know that the answer to our question will become self-evident. In terms of sign type and qualities: The Sun and Mars are more Cardinal or active and likely to lead and to dominate. The Moon and Venus are usually more fixed or passive, preferring to yield or to endure. Mercury and Jupiter are more Mutable or adaptable, liking change and development especially at the level of concept and idea. Saturn by itself tends to be fixed, tied to inertia, but its effects on other pl anets is to weaken them and render them mutable. The lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu, also function as disruptive or mutable forces, unless well placed in which case they strengthen the qualities of the planets and signs they are associated with . For instance Sun in mutable sign Gemini will give mutability to will and charact er because of sign type, though Sun is Cardinal type as mentioned earlier. A fixed sign Mars in Scorpio will give fixed energy and purpose, though Mars is Cardinal type as mentioned earlier. Each planet is also associated with one of the 4 elements as its dominant charac teristic. Sun is associated with Fire element. Moon is associated with Water element. Mars is associated with Fire element. Mercury is associated with Earth element. Jupiter is associated with Fire element Venus is associated with Air element Saturn is associated with Air element. No elements are associated with the nodes, they take on the elements of the sign where they are located or the planets with which they are associated in a parti cular sign or with the ruling planet of the sign they are located. In fact the planet rulership of a particular sign is basically determined by the sign type and elements of each sign and each planet, as discussed above. First we shall analyze the rational behind the planet rulership of each sign bas

ed on the considerations discussed above. Aries (Cardinal & Fire) ruled by Mars (Cardinal & Fire) Taurus (Fixed & Earth) ruled by Venus (Fixed & Air) Gemini (Mutable & Air) ruled by Mercury (Mutable & Air) Cancer (Cardinal & Water) ruled by Moon (Fixed & Water) Leo (Fixed & Fire) ruled by Sun (Cardinal & Fire) Virgo (Mutable & Earth) ruled by Mercury (Mutable & Earth) Libra (Cardinal & Air) ruled by Venus (Fixed & Air) Scorpio (Fixed &Water) ruled by Mars (Cardinal & Fire) Sagittarius (Mutable & Fire) ruled by Jupiter (Mutable & Fire) Capricorn (Cardinal & Earth) ruled by Saturn (Fixed & Air) Aquarius (Fixed & Air) ruled by Saturn (Fixed & Air) Pisces (Mutable & Water) ruled by Jupiter (Mutable & Fire) You will observe the rulership of Aries, Virgo, Sagittarius and Aquarius matches perfectly the rational of types and elements of sign and planets. In rest of the signs at least one of the two parameters of sign and planet is co mmon. But rulership of Scorpio by Mars is a total mismatch. Historically the con cepts of rulership had evolved in Vedic astrology. Initially the rulers of 12 zodiac signs were considered either Sun or Moon. The first decision was Cancer is ruled by Moon and Leo is ruled by Sun. The 5 signs in anticlockwise direction in the zodiac from Aquarius to Gemini wer e considered ruled by Moon. The remaining 5 signs from Virgo to Capricorn in the anticlockwise direction were considered to be ruled by Sun. Later on as the sag es understood more about the nature of other planets and their influence, they h ad formalized the scheme as given in the beginning where all the other planets r uled 2 zodiac signs each. The 8 th zodiac sign Scorpio is considered the most mysterious of all the zodiac signs and its ruler was decided to be Mars. Scorpio signifies action, the etern al struggle between light and darkness, the attribute of Mars but these actions are all internal and they do not manifest externally. They realized that Mars do not fully reflect or explain the mysteries of Scorpio, so they considered Ketu to be the lord of Scorpio based on it's mystical and secretive actions. Once they decided Ketu as the lord of Scorpio, they had to make Rahu as the lord of Taurus, which is opposite to Scorpio 180 degrees apart in the Zodiac because by definition Rahu and Ketu must always be 180 degrees apart in the Zodiac. Apa rt from ownership of signs, the ancient sages observed that individual planets n ot necessarily behave in their most natural and positive way in the sign they ow n, but still for each planet there is one sign in which their positive qualities manifest the best, and the sign opposite to it that is 180 degrees apart in the zodiac, if the particular planet is located their, they manifest their negative qualities in the worst possible manner in that particular sign. This they refer to as the sign of Exaltation (the best position) and the sign of Debilitation (the worst position) for the particular planet. This sign of exalt ation may or may not be the sign they rule. A more correct description will be that in sign of exaltation the planet manifes ts it's influence in the most harmonious or balanced way and in the sign of debi litation the planet manifests in the most unbalanced way. This scheme of exaltation and debilitation for each planet is as follows. Sun: Aries (exaltation) and Libra (debilitation)

Moon: Taurus (exaltation) and Scorpio (debilitation) Mars: Capricorn (exaltation) and Cancer (debilitation) Mercury: Virgo (exaltation) and Pisces (debilitation) Jupiter: Cancer (exaltation) and Capricorn (debilitation) Venus: Pisces (exaltation) and Virgo (debilitation) Saturn: Libra (exaltation) and Aries (debilitation) Rahu: Taurus/Gemini/Virgo (exaltation). Astrologers have difference of opinion. Scorpio/Sagittarius/Pisces (debilitation) Ketu: Scorpio/ Pisces (exaltation) Taurus/Virgo (debilitation). Let us analyze the rational behind it again on the basis of planet/Sign type and element. When Sun is located in Aries, it then acquires is in more harmony to its true nature. It can ire in a positive and focused manner. But when f Libra makes it completely defocused, and the d it does not produce anything. the cardinal characterized and it then manifest all its power and f it is in Libra, the Air element o fire is totally out of control an

So Aries is its sign of Exaltation and Libra is its sign of debilitation. Hence coming back to our original question, the planet is strong and beneficial for us in our chart provided it is in its own sign and it is even better if it is in i ts sign of exaltation. It is worst for us if it is located in the sign of debilitation. If the planet i s in any other sign, the general rule is the planet will have mixed result somet hing between its best result and its worst result. However we can make further distinction about the nature of planet in our chart in other signs by analyzing the relationship of the planet with the ruling plane t of the particular sign where it is located. This brings us to yet another concept in Vedic astrology. The relationship between different planets in our chart: The first we shall talk about permanent and natural relationship between two pla nets irrespective of their position in the chart. Permanent Relationship: The planets can be broadly classified into two groups: The first group: In this group belong the following planets: Sun, Moon, Mars and Jupiter. The second group: Mercury, Venus and Saturn. The general rule is the planets belong to first group are harmoniously disposed to each other and they are permanent friends to each other. Similarly the planet s belong to second group are generally friendly to each other and are harmonious ly disposed to each other. However the each planet in first group are considered to be permanent enemies of the planets belonging to the second group or they are not harmoniously disposed to each other. The first group of planets is generally responsible for creative functions in ou r life internally and externally.

The second group of planets is generally responsible for destruction and decay i n our life function both externally and internally. We must not forget that in life as in nature both the creative function as well as the decay function is necessary to create the balance in nature. Both are nec essary. However the actual classification of permanent planetary relationship and its sp ecific scheme for chart analysis varies a little from this general classificatio n and is given below. Permanent Planetary Relationships Permanent Planetary Relationships Planet Friends Enemies Sun Moon, Mars, Jupiter Venus, Saturn Moon Sun, Mercury, Venus, Saturn Mars Sun, Moon, Jupiter Mercury Sun, Venus Moon Jupiter Sun, Moon, Mars Mercury, Venus Venus Mercury, Saturn Sun, Moon Saturn Mercury, Venus Sun, Moon, Mars Rahu&Ketu Mercury, Venus, Saturn n, Jupiter Neutrals Mercury Mars Jupiter Venus, Saturn, Mercury Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Saturn Mars, Jupiter Jupiter Mars Sun, Moo None None

Temporary Planetary Relationships: There is a temporary relationship between planets based on their exact location in the chart with respect to each other. Planets if located in signs second, third, fourth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth f rom the sign in which a planet is located in the chart (Counting the location si gn as the first) are regarded as its Temporary Friends. Planets in the same sign as a particular planet or in the signs fifth, sixth, se venth, eighth, and ninth from it are to be regarded as its Temporary Enemies . By this we see the rational is that friendship between planets occur in a partic ular chart according to location in the quarter of the Zodiac preceding and the quarter succeeding the particular sign in which the planet is located. They are close but not on top of each other. Enmity occurs when a planet is distant from a particular planet or occupying the same sign. They are either too close or too far away for their rays to combine and act harmoniously. The Composite relationship of planets: We have to combine both permanent status as well as temporary status to accurate ly assess the relationship between two planets in the chart.

This is called the

Panchadha

relationship between the planets.

The Table for compound relationship between two planets in the chart: Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Permanent Friend + Temporary Friend = Great Friend Friend + Temporary Enemy = Neutral Neutral + Temporary Friend = Friend Neutral + Temporary Enemy = Enemy Enemy + Temporary Friend = Neutral Enemy + Temporary Enemy = Great Enemy

The composite relationship between a planet and the ruling planet of the sign wh ere it is located will then decide how the planet is for your chart except in th ose cases when the planet is in its own sign or in its sign of exaltation or deb ilitation will be the quick indicator for you to assess whether the planet is fa vorable for you or not. All these constitute the Dignity of the planet in your chart.

If the dignity is exalted, own, great friend or friend, then you can conclude in most cases that the planet will be favorable for you. If the dignity is debilitated, great enemy, enemy, then you can conclude in most cases the planet will be challenging and unsupportive for you. If the dignity i s neutral then the planet is likely to give mixed results for you. To summarize the best position of the planet is exaltation, followed by own and great friend. The worst position of the planet is debilitation and great enemy. This is how you should interpret the dignity of the planet when you refer to you r horoscope chart.