basic astrology mod 1 chap2

7/27/2019 Basic Astrology Mod 1 Chap2

1/18

Basic Course Day 2

Day 2

INSTRUCTIONS

THIS LESSON GIVES YOU THE BASIC KNOWLEDGE OF SOLAR SYSTEM,ZODIAC, TWELVE SIGNS, NINE PLANETS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS. IT ALSO

DISCLOSES THE RISING OF ASCENDANT WITH THE HELP OF VARIOUS DIAGRAMS.TRY TO UNDERSTAND IT CAREFULLY AND THINK WITH THE REFERENCE OF SUN

AND MOON, AS THESE TWO PLANETS ARE VISIBLE THROUGH NAKED EYES

FROM EARTH. AS YOU KNOW EACH DAY SUN RISES IN THE EAST. IN SIMILAR

WAY, ALL OTHER PLANETS RISE FROM EAST AT DIFFERENT TIME ACCORDING

TO THEIR MOVEMENT.

IN SIMILAR WAY, EACH DAY, A RASHI / SIGN RISES FROM THE EAST UPTO

ONE MONTH THEN NEXT SIGN AND SO ON. FOR EXAMPLE, FROM 14TH

JANUARY

TO 15TH

FEBRUARY CAPRICORN (MAKAR) SIGN RISES IN THE EAST.

Activ ity: -1. Visit any observatory near to your city or town to

get the knowledge of movement of planet andsign.

2. Look in your newspaper or in ephemeris(Panchang) of sunrise. Get the chart of sunrisetime. Here Sun will be first house and the rashi in

first house will tell you about the rising sign o

that date. Look the position of other plane

and observe them in night.

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Institute of Vedic Science

CELESTIAL SYSTEM

The mother earth rotates on its axis once in 24 hours and revolves around the Sun in365.2422 days. Various planets like Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter & Saturn also revolve aroundthe Sun. these planets have satellites revolving round them. Earth has one satellite called Moon.

Revolving around it. The complete Solar system also revolves around the centre of our GalaxyMilky Way and makes one round in little hrs than 26000 years. The Galaxy has many solarsystems with different Suns at their centres. Galaxy is shaped like two saucers placed one overthe other and our solar system is revolving around it on one side of it.

As earth revolves around the Sun, we see from earthstars around us in the sky. Onaccount of mother of Earth around the Sun, the Sun appears to move round the stars once in ayear. The line along which the sun moves is called Ecliptic. The broadband or belt in the heavenextending 90 on either side of the Ecliptic is known as Zodiac longitudinally. The zodiac revolvesonce in a day on its axis from east to west.

The zodiac is divided into twelve equal parts, for purpose of astrology, called signs, whichare named after the imagery figures, which the stars form in each division. Since zodiac consists

of 3600 0 0

, each sign will consist of 360 /12=30 . The signs are known as Rasis.Our sages identified twelve group of stars separated approx. 300 0each in the 360celestial sphere. Thus we have 12 Rasis. They divided the celestial sphere in 12 parts becausemoon moves around the earth 12 times during the time earth revolved round the Sun.

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Basic Course Day 2

THEASCENDANT

The earth is moving on its axis from West toEast so that the entire zodiac with planets andNakshatra locked in its appear to rise in the East andset in the West. All the twelve signs or rashis of thezodiac appear one by one in the eastern horizon andget a chance to rise once in 24 hours. The sign that isrising in the eastern horizon at the moment of birth,called the ascendant or Lagna. The starting point ofany horoscope is this Ascendant, which coincides withthe first house of the horoscope. The remaining signsare placed in the subsequent houses in order of signs

in the zodiac. In the North (on his head) is the Sign,Taurus, which is the 10

1

2

3

4

5

67

8

9

10

11

12

East

West

th House in the Horoscope, described below. On the western Horizon isthe Sign, Aquarius represents the House number 7th in the Horoscope. The Horoscope of themovement will look like this.

Have you any difficulty to understand? Read again after completion of Day 5.

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SIGNS

0 0divided into 12 Signs 30The zodiac consists of 360 each. The sign of zodiac, their Hindu equivalent names, their extent of degrees, the lordship of each sign and the symbol ofeach sign is given in the table. Rahu and Ketu have not been given any lordship as they areshadowy planets whereas the Sun and the Moon are the lords of one sign each i.e. Leo and

Cancer respectively. All other planets have dual lordship.

o. Sign Hindi Name Span Lordship

0

AQUARIU

SCA

PRICOR

NSA

GITT

ARIU

SSC

ORPIO

LIBRA

VIRGO

PISCES ARIES

TAUR

US

GEMINI

CANCER

LEO

SUN

EART

H

The Zodiac and its signs

N

1. Aries Mesh 00to 30 Mars

0 0to 60 Venus2. Taurus Vrishabh 30

3. Gemini Mithun 600 0to 90 Mercury

0 0to 120 Moon4. Cancer Karka 90

0 0to 150 Sun5. Leo Simha 120

6. Virgo Kanya 1500 0to 180 Mercury

0 0to 210 Venus7. Libra Tula 180

0 0to 240 Mars8. Scorpio Vrischik 210

0 0to 270 Jupiter9. Sagittarius Dhanu 240

0 0to 300 Saturn10. Capricorn Makar 270

11. Aquarius Kumbha 3000 0to 330 Saturn

12. Pisces Meena 3300 0to 360 Jupiter

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Basic Course Day 2

PLANETS

In Hindu Astrology nine Planets are considered. Although Sun and Moon are notplanets, they are considered as Planets. Uranus, Neptune and Pluto are also included in theanalysis. Rahu and Ketu, the two mathematically calculated sensitive points, are considered asplanets, making the total number of planets to be twelve. These are as follows:

Pluto

NeptuneUranus

Asteroid belt

Saturn

Jupiter

Orbit of

planets

Sun

Mercury Venus Earth Mars

Orbit of

Halleys

Comet

Planet Hindi Name Lord of Signs

Sun Surya or Ravi Leo

Moon Chandra Cancer

Mars Mangal or Kuja Aries and Scorpio

Mercury Budha Gemini and Virgo

Jupiter Brihaspati or Guru Sagittarius and Pisces

Venus Shukra Taurus and LibraSaturn Shani Capricorn and Aquarius

Uranus Hershel Capricorn

Neptune Varun Pisces

Pluto Yam Scorpio

Rahu Rahu Nil

Ketu Ketu Nil

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What is Rahu/Ketu

Earth revolves round the sun in a plane called Ecliptic. Moon revolves round the earth ina different plane, which intersects ecliptic in a line. The point from where Moon seems to begoing up is called Rahu & the point from where Moon seems to be going down is called Ketu.These are only imaginary point but have special importance became their position define the

eclipse-Solar or lunar. If Moon earth & Sun are in line with Rahu or Ketu an eclipse is formed.Since eclipse plays an important role an earth and in astrology too, Rahu/Ketu are important andare given the status of planets.

Night

W-E

Axis North Pole

Day

Sun

The Rotation o f the Earth - Day & nigh t

Descending Node(Ketu)

Ecliptic

Ascendant Node(Rahu)

Orbit of

the Moon

RAHU AND KETU (DRAGON HEAD & DRAGON TAIL)

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Basic Course Day 2

CONSTELLATIONS OR NAKSHATRAS

Hindu Astrology further divides the zodiac in 27 equal parts.

0 20360 27 = 13

The 3600 of Zodiac is divided into 27 Constellations or Nakshatra having anextent of 130 20 each. A Nakshatra is a group of stars and their names are based on one of theprominent identifying star in the group. The names of the Nakshatra, their extent in longitude aswell as in the Signs, their lordship and number of the years allotted in the Vimshottari Dasa aregiven in the table below. All the Nakshatras are given a particular name in Hindu Astrology. The27 Nakshatras are divided into 3 groups of 9 each. Nine planets in the order Ketu, Venus, Sun,Moon, Mars, Rahu, Jupiter, Saturn & Mercury rule them. Since all the Constellations are of 13020, the first group ends at Cancer 300 starting from Aries 00 Similarly the second set starts fromLeo 00 0 0 0& ends at Scorpio 30 & the third set starts from Sagittarius 0 & ends at Pisces 30completing the whole Zodiac.

SignS.No. Nakshatras Span in the zodiac

1. Ashwini 00 - 130 20'Aries

0 02. Bharani 13 20' - 26 40'

0 03. Krittika 26 40' - 40Taurus

0 04. Rohini 40 - 53 20'

5. Mrigshira 530 020' - 66 40'Gemini

0 06. Ardra 66 40' - 80

0 07. Punarvasu 80 - 93 20'Cancer

0 08. Pushya 93 20' - 106 40'

0 09. Aslesha 106 40' - 120

0 010. Magha 120 - 133 20' Leo

0 011. Purva-Phalguni 133 20' - 146 40'

0 012. Uttara-Phalguni 146 40' - 160Virgo

0 013. Hasta 160 - 173 20'

0 014. Chitra 173 20' - 186 40'Libra

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15. Swati 1860 040' - 200

0 016. Visakha 200 - 213 20'Scorpio

0 017. Anuradha 213 20' - 226 40'

0 018. Jyestha 226 40' - 240

0 019. Moola 240 - 253 20' Sagittarius

0 020. Purvashada 253 20' - 266 40'

0 021. Uttarashada 266 40' - 280Capricorn

0 022. Shravana 280 - 293 20'

0 023. Dhanistha 293 20' - 306 40'Aquarius

0 024. Satabhisha 306 40' - 320

0 025. Purvabhadrapada 320 - 333 20'Pisces

26. Uttarabhadrapada 3330 020' - 346 40'

0 027. Ravati 346 40' - 360

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Basic Course Day 2

THE LUNAR CALENDAR

In the lunar calendar two methods are followed in determining the month. According totheAmanta (Mukhymana) method the month starts on the day following the new moon and endson the next new moon. According the Poornimanta system the month starts on the next day aftera full moon (Poornima) and ends on the succeeding full moon. The Amanta system of lunar

month starts on Sukla Paksha Prathama ending onAmavasya and Poornimanta system of Lunarmonth starts on Krishna Paksha Prathama and ends on Poornima. The twelve lunar months areas follows:

Months name Corresponding Gregorian month Corresponding Solar month

Chaitra March April Meena

Vaisakha April May Mesha

Jyeshta May June Vrishabha

Ashadha June July Mithuna

Sravana July August Kataka

Bhadrapada August September Simha

Aswina September October Kanya

Karthika October November Thula

Margashirsha November December Vrischika

Pausha December January Dhanu

Magha January February Makara

Phalguna February March Kumbha

THE PLANETS

The essence of astrology lies in understanding the meaning of the planets. The meaningof the sign houses, aspects and other astrological factors are determined by the planets that ruleand Significate them. Astrology is nothing but the science of the planets, as the forces of thestars manifest through them.

Astrological thinking is planetary thinking, using the planets as Significator, andencompassing all domains of life and the evolution of consciousness. Most of the action that weperform in life follows the nature of the planets that dominates us.

The Sun and the Moon, the two great luminaries, are the most important planets; next inimportance are mars, Jupiter and Saturn as the major planets beyond the orbit of the Earth. Thencome Venus and Mercury as the major planets within the orbit of the Earth and always close tothe Sun.

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PLANETSAS BENEFIC OR MALEFIC

Planets have long been classified as to whether their influence is benefic or malefic.

1. Benefic planets generally increase, promote, expand, or bring to fruition the affairs otherplanets, signs, and houses that they influence. Malefic planets, on the other hand,generally decrease, obstruct, limit, or destroy the affairs of the planets, signs and housesthat they affect. In a broad sense, one could say that malefic planets cause disease,difficulty, delay, conflict, separation, poverty and suffering. Benefic planets promotehealth, ease, comfort, peace, harmony, abundance and happiness. Yet in actualprediction, planetary influences combine in many different ways.

2. Malefic planets can function in a positive way by negating negative factors in the chart(like disease or poverty). Such instances of negative influences canceling each other inthe chart represent great good fortune. Not influences canceling each other in the chartrepresent great good fortune.

3. In the same way, benefic planets can function negatively. Too many benefic influencescan render people weak and self-indulgent and make their life easy, superficial and

without challenges.Moreover, planetary nature changes through association, through the aspects between

planets, and through the nature of the signs, and houses in which they are located. Friendshipand enmity between planets also comes into consideration here.

Which planets we consider to be benefic or malefic also depend upon what we want inlife. Life has many domains, and what is good for one field or life may not be good for another.For the spiritual life, which depends upon detachment, malefics like Saturn can be very positivein destroying our desires and aid in driving our consciousness inward.

A planet may give wealth or prestige but weaken ones health, furthering some of the outer goals

of life but not all of them.

Planets as Benefic and Malefic, Natural Disposition

Greater Benefic Jupiter

Greater Malefic Saturn, Rahu

Lesser Benefic Venus

Lesser Malefic Mars, Ketu

General Benefics Moon, Mercury

General Malefic Sun

The Moon is variable, being a strong benefic when away from the Sun and bright innature, yet it becomes malefic when close to the Sun, It is more benefic when waxing and moremalefic than waning. Mercury, like the Moon is a general benefic, but being mutable in nature, ittakes on the nature of the planets with which it is associated, and so is sometimes regarded asneutral.

The lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu, are generally more malefic than their planetarycounterparts, Saturn and Mars, but as shadowy planets they are more likely to take on the natureof planets with which they are associated. In this way they can sometimes function as benefics.

A planets natural disposition as benefic or malefic can be overridden by other factors, yetwe find that natural benefics always do some good, even when otherwise malefically disposed.Natural malefics, similarly always do some harm, even when otherwise beneficially disposed.

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Basic Course Day 2

The Sun in the Fifth House tends to deny children or create difficulties with them. In theSeventh House it can give separation or delays in relationship.

However, the Sun in Vedic astrology is regarded as a sattvic or spiritual planet. Thismakes it different from the other malefics, which are regarded as tamasic or unspiritual in quality.

DESCRIPTION OF PLANETS

The SUN

The Sun is the visible form and presence of the deity. It is the image, the face of Truthitself. The Sun is God, the Divine incarnate in nature. The Sun is the Deva, the deity. To theancients the Sun was the One God, which was the unity of truth; in our birth charts the Sunshows our divinity and point of focus, our center and central purpose in life. According to thesolar religion of the Vedas, the Sun is the Atman, the Self of the entire universe. The Sun is theDivine Being who dwells in the hearts of all beings as the true Self. The Sun symbolizes cosmic

intelligence, pure consciousness or the enlightened Mind.

The Sun is our local manifestation of the cosmic or universal light. It brings to us theLight, life and love from all the stars, whose children we are. It is connected with the Suns insubtle realms as well as this physical world. It is a doorway to all the domains and powers oflight. All the planets shine with the reflected light of the Sun; they represent different solar rays.There is only one real light, which is the Sun, which is all lights, and which is inwardly the light ofthe mind.

1. A malefically disposed Sun creates pride, arrogance, and tyranny.

2. A weak but spiritually disposed Sun makes us receptive, self-effacing and eager to dogood. We seek to sacrifice ourselves but do not know what to give ourselves over to.

3. The Sun rules the heart, the organ of circulation and vitality. And a weak Sun may giveproblems with that organ.

4. The Sun represents the ego. It shows our impulses towards power, prestige, fame, honor,respect, authority and control all the things that give value and pre-eminence to ourindividual selves.

5. In terms of family relationships, the Sun represents the father. We can red through it thelife of our father, our relationship to him and his influence upon us. It is the role of thefather to shape our sense of self, to provide us with direction and self-worth in life.

6. The Sun gives the power of independence, the capacity to become a value of a light untous. It promotes the growth of intelligence. While destructive of form and expression, it

elevates the being and the intrinsic worth of things.

The MOON

The Moon indicates the cosmic feminine force. The Moon is the Goddess or Devi. TheMoon is its creative force. According to the Vedas, the Moon was born from the mind (Sanskritmanas). Yet the Sanskrit term for mind has a different meaning than the usual Western one.

The Moon shows the mind, which is our dependent, reflective, usually conditionedconsciousness.

1. Afflictions to the Moon show personality disorders, difficulties in relating to other people,and emotional disturbances. A badly placed Moon gives wrong imagination,hallucinations, and psychological turbulence.

2. The Moon, like the Sun is a sattvic or spiritual planet. It gives faith love, openness,surrender, peace and happiness. People with such a spiritual Moon usually have a strong

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connection with a traditional religion and may have had monastic past lives. They havesweet, tolerant and humane dispositions, which can become saintly. The main weaknessof the religious lunar type is that such people can become too orthodox.

3. As a sensitive and mutable planet, the Moon can be easily influenced and overcome byother planetary energies. Saturn can darken or depress it, or give it detachment. Rahu

can cloud it or cause us to lose power over our minds, which it rules. Mars brings conflictand aggression into the lunar mind.

4. The Moon represents inertia as well as responsiveness. Through our lunar sensitivity wecan become accustomed to a life of pain, sorrow or ignorance, as well as to one of joyand truth.

5. Such a well-placed and spiritual Moon is often found in the charts of yogis and otherconscious individuals. Functioning in its lower nature as impressionability to massinfluences and collective traumas, an ill-placed and malefic Moon may frequently befound in the chart of criminals, the insane, or those suffering from neurological disorders.

6. On the level of human relationships, the Moon represents the mother. Through it can read

her nature, her influence and her longevity. It also shows our birth, and through it we canread the difficulty or ease of our birth and the factors that brought it about. The Moonindicates the home, or where we feel at home.

7. The Moon has love and friendliness for all. Such a benefic Moon is found in the charts ofdoctors, healers or psychologists, as well as good mother and wives.

8. The Moon is our social nature and indicates our social concerns of interchange andcommunication. It shows our general propensity for relationship, how we receive othersand view society.

MARS

Mars is the great planet of energy. He relates to our passions, our emotional and vitalcapacity for self-protection.

Whereas the Sun and Moon represent our masculine and feminine nature generally, Marsand Venus do so specifically. They are the planets of sexuality and the relationship between thesexes can be read through them.

1. A strong Mars provides us the energy, independence, will and self-confidence to carry ourendeavors, qualities it shares with the Sun.

2. The malefic nature of Mars is well known in most instances of violent death, whetheraccidental or intentional. Mars can also indicate premature death in a chart, as with theloss of the partner, particularly the loss of a womans husband.

3. Mars indicates arms and muscles and gives physical prowess. A good Mars is necessaryfor physical strength and athletic performance. It gives sexual vitality to the male.

4. Mars is a critical, perceptive and discriminating planet, on the positive idea, he gives goodskills at speech and oratory as well as good logical faculties. The lawyer, politician andscientist need such a strong Mars. Mars similarly gives mechanical skill.

5. Mars rules tool, weapons, machines and their usage. He is the planet of research anddevelopment. Technology and war go together as aspects of Mars energy we have notyet understood or controlled properly. Mars causes us to develop energy but it does notnecessarily give us the wisdom or love to use it properly.

6. On a higher level, Mars directs us to the yogas of knowledge and energy, and gives self-

discipline and asceticism. A strong and spiritual Mars is good for the practice of ritualsand yogic techniques. Methods of directing occult and spiritual energies.

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Basic Course Day 2

7. Combined with Jupiter, positive side of Mars comes out as the capacity to make greatachievements in life in harmony with law and truth. Combined with Saturn, its negativeside usually predominates, creating selfish, perverted or criminal tendencies, particularlywhen there are no balancing factors.

MERCURY

Mercury, on a higher level connects us with our inner capacities, the deeper powers ofthe mind. As Jupiter represents the higher or abstract mind. Mercury indicates the lower orconcrete mind, the intellect or informational mentality.

1. Mercury governs writings, education, calculation, and directed thought. He is the fastestmoving of the planets and thus is indicative quick comprehension, facility, ease andplasticity in expression. Mercury provides for the quick correlation of ideas, the fastinterchange of information or of things of value.

2. Mercury is a child and indicates the state of childhood generally, particularly the periodbetween infancy and adolescence. Afflictions to Mercury can cause health problems in

childhood, troubles in the home life or difficulty at school.

3. Mercury breaks down barriers between people and reveals a common humanity andcommon human needs.

4. Mercury is an important factor for determining our vocation, for that is what we do in life tocommunicate with others: our vocation is our interchange with society. Mercury showshow we appear and how we function in the network of transactions that makes up theworld of things and ideas.

5. He tends to value communication and public opinion more than truth, and becomedependent on whatever is the strongest environmental influence.

6. Weak mercury makes us rationalize things to suit our purpose. It creates immaturity,

naivet and folly. It can create dishonesty, a lack of properly defined boundaries. If themind orients itself toward the perception of truth, the vision of the eternal, then it will seethe falseness of the external world and the reality of the inner consciousness.

7. In Sanskrit, Mercury is Buddha, which means intelligence and cognition, and relates tothe buddhi, the faculty of determination whereby we discern the real from the unreal.

8. Good Mercury give good humor and psychological balance. He imparts a mentaladaptability that is also playful. He is the trickster but can become deceptive. Whenafflicted Mercury becomes the fool, the idiot.

9. Afflictions to Mercury do not always give lack of intelligence or intellect, however. Theymay cause some other harm like speech defects, nervous system disorders or neurosis.

Other planets, like Jupiter, can give good intelligence, but without strong Mercury therewill be difficulty in expressing it, particularly through the written word.

10. Mercury is very important in modern culture and represents one of its most beneficialpowers the need to establish open communication that must lead to a world culture.Telephone, radio, television, and computers are products of Mercurial needs, aligned withthe engineering capacity of Mars.

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JUPITER

Jupiter is well known as the most helpful, generous and benefic of the planets. InSanskrit, he is called Guru, the spiritual teacher or the guide. He signifies dharma, the law of ourinner nature, which is the law of creative evolution and self-realisation.

1. Jupiter is the planet of intelligence not the intellect that depends upon information orrefined discernment (and which is more generally indicated by Mercury), but the formlessintelligence that goes back to eternal law and ultimately to the eternal itself.

2. Jupiter is the planet of creativity. He signifies outer creativity, such as our children. FromJupiter the state of our children is to be ascertained their number, sex, health, andrelationships with them.

3. As Mercury tends to show our outer career in life, how we relate to society on a practicallevel, Jupiter indicates our inner career, where we really find out personal fulfillment andwhat we enjoy doing. He indicates our spiritual mission in life, while Mercury representsour outer expression.

4. Jupiter represents joy in living, the positive spirit. He is the great optimist who always

sees the good. In him all sorrow, depression and melancholy are overcome or turned intoa learning experience. Jupiter is the planet of luck, grace, favour and fortune. He giveswealth, abundance, prosperity and success.

5. In the higher sense, Jupiter is the Divine grace that can fulfill all of our needs without ourseeking. He gives religious merit and spiritual beneficence. When Jupiter is with us, alllife and the entire universe is with us because he is that cosmic beneficence.

6. On the negative side, however, we can become overly optimistic through the expensiveJupiter nature when it is afflicted. We will imagine the best and not guard ourselvesproperly. We will be vulnerable to the deceptive schemes of others.

7. A Jupiter which functions too outwardly can make us materialistic enamored of wealth

and caught in conventional values and beliefs. We may become self-satisfied, toocontent and caught within the status quo.

8. Jupiter likes music and can indicate musical talent. He likes shows, ceremonies, paradesand rituals. He can make us into showmen. On a lower level, he likes parties and canmake us self-indulgent. With his love of expansive energy, his influence can make agood entertainer.

9. On a higher level, Jupiter indicates the priest and is concerned with propriety, formalityand hierarchy.

10. Jupiter shows our devotion and dedication in life, As such, it often signifies the husbandin a womans chart. It will show his nature, his health, and her relationship with him.

11. Jupiter reveals the expansiveness of our spirit, just as Saturn indicates our capacity tocontract or concentrate. It is no wonder that people all over the world have always soughtthe energy of this planet for inner as well as outer prosperity and creativity.

12. Jupiters influence functions better if tempered with that of the Sun or Saturn, which aremore stern and realistic. All planets, even Jupiter, represent energies that are one sidedand require proper balancing for true harmony.

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Basic Course Day 2

VENUS

Venus is well known as the Goddess of love and beauty. Venus is the Significator of art,poetry, painting, music and dance.

1. On the lower or outward level, Venus shows our seeking for pleasure, comfort, andluxury. She represents the pleasure of the senses and the comforts of the body. Shegives sensual attraction and serves to make either the woman or the man majorappealing to the opposite sex.

2. Venus is the seductress. Her web can catch our energy like a spider and drain away ourfire, our positive will in life, as we pursue her favour, which is fickle or hard to get andimpossible to keep. She is dreamy, wispy and elusive, and controls us simply becausewe are always seeking her.

3. Inwardly, Venus is the morning star, the light of inspiration that is first spark of the sun oftruth. Venus is our aspiration to the good, the beautiful and the pure, our devotion totruth, She is our love, which in its true nature is the love of truth.

4. Venus shows our natural tendency to beautiful things, to make things reflect their pure or

astral forms. Our Venus works on our world to bring it into harmony with its innermeaning as a play of delight.

5. Venus represents the astral light. She opens us up to the kingdoms, the realms of beautyof the Gods. These include not only the realms of art and myth but also psychic abilities,powers of visualization and creative direction of the mind force.

6. The Sanskrit name for Venus, Shukra, means brilliant light and heat and alsoindicates the reproductive fluid.

7. A strong Venus gives sexual power, which on inner levels can be transmitted into astralor spiritual power and strength of will. A strong Venus can give charisma or power ofpersonality. This may be a capacity to inspire or a giving of enthusiasm.

8. Modern culture is bringing out aspects of a negative occult Venus in the mass media,with its cult of sex and violence. However, we will probably avoid the destruction thatAtlantis suffered. Though we will experience some major difficulties from our ignorance.

9. A strong Venus is very helpful in any chart, as it indicates our capacity to love and oursense of refinement, beauty and purity. Love is the strongest power, and is this regardVenus possess the power to overcome even mars.

10. Yet an afflicted Venus is one of the most difficult things to overcome because it allows usto be taken in by appearances. This lower side of Venus is much in evidence in ourculture with its emphasis on sensory pleasures.

SATURN

Saturn is traditionally the most difficult of the major planets, the legendary king of themalefics. Though Saturn possesses a higher and more beneficent side, at least from thestandpoint of the spiritual life, even this is stern and exacting, a power of discipline, asceticismand solitude.

1. Saturn brings about limitation and obstruction, hindrance in self-expression and in self-manifestation, which may become oppression and adversity. As Jupiter is the optimist,Saturn is the pessimist, Jupiter is the positive teacher of the soul: Saturn is the negativeguide.

2. Saturns power to limit or destroy should not be underestimated; its positive value must

not be forgotten. Destruction is the necessary counterpart for creation, as decay anddeath are required for new life and growth.

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3. Our fear of Saturn measures the degree of our attachment to the material world and ourinability to face the ultimate issues of our existence. Saturn shows us the limitation of thisrealm, which is the necessary but painful lesson we must learn to find our way into theunlimited.

4. Our fear of Saturn measures the degree of our attachment to the material world and our

inability to face the ultimate issues of our existence. Saturn shows us the limitation of thisrealm, which is the necessary but painful lesson we must learn to find our way into theunlimited.

5. Saturn gives bad luck, misfortune, difficult karma, or an unfortunate destiny. Yet theseafflictions do not necessarily come upon a soul because it has been evil or slow to evolvein past lives.

6. The influence of Saturn is to delay and withhold. As the slowest moving of the planets, heretards things and holds back their development. His Sanskrit name Shani, means hewho moves slowly.

7. Saturn is the Significator of old age, the God of time who brings on the degenerative

process of aging, the failure of our faculties and our powers. A badly placed Saturncauses premature aging. Saturn takes away our vitality, whether on a physical or on amental level.

8. As nervous planets, Saturn obstructs nerve functioning. He may cause numbness,paralysis or degenerative neurological disorders. His obstructing and repressing influenceon the mind promotes neurosis or insanity.

9. Saturn causes poverty, deprivation and want. He keeps us in bondage of servitude, underthe domain of others. Yet Saturn also causes us to retain what we possess. Saturnindicates property, land, or fixed assets.

10. In the lower sense, Saturn is the planet of selfishness. It indicates our most deep-seatedand obstinate ego drives. Saturn is our survival instinct, our need to maintain our

separate existence, which is even stronger and more basic than our sexual drive. Most ofour materialistic values, like the need for wealth, are little more than glorified survivalvalues and bear Saturns limitation and poverty of vision.

11. Saturn represents darker side of the mind and baser elements of life: crime, perversity,and paranoia. It indicates the underworld, the lower astral realms.

12. A strongly malefic Saturn is prominent in the charts of criminals or the insensitive. Itsnegative side comes our particularly in association with Mars, another cruel planet. On alower level Saturn represents the gross body and the senses, the elemental forces, whichdominate us.

13. As the power of darkness and obstruction, Saturn is the enemy of the Sun and the Moon,

and has an eclipse-like effect upon them. Only Jupiter has the power to really balance outhis influence, though Venus and Mercury can refine it to a great degree.

14. Yet Saturn is not only the lowest of the planets; it is also the highest. Its lesson is themost difficult but the most rewarding.

15. In Hindu mythology Saturn is the son of the Sun. The Sun moves in a chariot directed bySaturn. Saturn is the yogi in meditation. He can give complete detachment andindependence. He is the one who stand-alone and goes beyond the limitations of themasses.

16. A well-placed and strong Saturn is necessary for the spiritual life. In fact, it is necessaryfor creating anything of enduring value in any domain of life. Saturn gives the

concentration, sense of detail, discipline and seriousness necessary ot deal with the greatchallenges of life.

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Basic Course Day 2

RAHU AND KETU

The nodes of the Moon are very important in Vedic astrology. The north node is calledRahu or the Dragons Head; the south node is called Ketu or the Dragons Tail. Rahu and Ketuare regarded as secondary or shadowy planets. The lunar nodes show the times when the solarand lunar forces obstruct each other or cancel each other out. They are thus very sensitive points

that cause repercussions in the total field of planetary forces.

1. Rahu, the north or ascending node, is the point at which the Moon crosses the ecliptic tothe north. Ketu, the south or descending node, is where it crosses to the south. Northnode is thus ascending, expanding, externalizing, but it expands or externalizes a force,which is largely negative. The south node is descending, contracting and internalizing.Hence in the Vedic system the south node is less negative than the north.

2. Western astrologers regard the nodes karmically. The north node is seen as a point ofgood karma from an unselfish past life, in which the individual used his or her energies forthe general good. The south node is regarded as a point of difficult karma from a past lifein which the individual furthered his selfish interest at the expense of others.

3. The north node, Rahu, is said to be like Saturn, while the south node, Ketu, is comparedto Mars, Yet the nodes have a subtler, more psychic and difficult to neutralize force thanthese two malefics.

4. That the two nodes are malefic is quite logical. They indicate the factors that causeeclipses, which block out the light of the great luminaries, the Sun and the Moon. Thesouth node, as completing this karmic cycle, is more generally fortunate than the northnode that begins it. Because the energy is being internalized and withdrawn.

5. Vedic astrology does recognize that the lunar nodes (more commonly the north node)can function in a positive, Jupiterian manner, when associated with a strong planet or in astrong position. As shadowy planets, they take on and magnify the power of the planetswith which they are combined. Rahu in the tenth house, for example, boosts up our

career influence, particularly if the tenth lord is also strong.6. Rahu is regarded as the main planetary factor behind insanity, neurosis, neurological

disorders, possession by negative entities and other such abnormal sensitivities of themind and nervous system. This is particularly true when Rahu influences the Moon andother factors representing the mind, like Mercury and the fourth house.

7. Ketu creates doubt, disturbance, and willfulness, a critical and narrow vision in life thatleads to conflict and argument. While Rahu shows an individual carries away by masstrends, Ketu shows the individual caught in his own contracted energies, isolated,alienated, and obstinately separate.

8. The north node, Rahu is the shadow of the Moon, or the negative Moon. It has the powerto obstruct, negate, cover or darken the Moon (the mind). The south node, Ketu, is theshadow of the Sun or the negative Sun. It has the power to cover or darken the Sun (theself).

9. As the negative Moon or the negative side of the mind, Rahu represents illusion,hallucination, trance, psychosis, paranoia and other such negative mental states. As thenegative Sun or the negative side of the self, Ketu represents self-doubt, lack of self-confidence, and lack of self-worth, which can lead to self-aggrandizement ormegalomania.

10. On the positive side, Rahu puts us in harmony with positive social trends, and givespopularity, prestige, fame and power. It imparts an almost psychic sensitivity to masstrends and a capacity to use them. Ketu, in the positive sense, imparts great powers of

concentration and powerful perception, with psychic and spiritual powers.11. Rahu usually functions best when placed in a strong house, like the ninth or tenth, with

the ruler of that house powerfully placed elsewhere, preferably in an angle or trine.

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12. Ketu means a flag. It has the power to boost up the effects of strong planets with whichit is conjoined. A planet located in its own sign or exalted while conjoined with Ketu gainsconsiderable power.

13. A strong Rahu gives worldly powers and success, the fulfillment of outer desires, but notusually inner fulfillment. It can give rise to worldly desires than can never be fulfilled;

however successful the individual may be its outer good luck is combined with an innerunrest. Ketu gives sudden and unexpected results for good or ill, depending upon itsplacement.

Qualities of Planets:

Sun, Moon, Jupiter : Satwik

Venus, Mercury : Rajsik

Mars, Saturn : Tamasik

Elements of Planets:

Mercury : Prithivi

Moon, Venus : Jala

Sun, Mars : Agni

Saturn : Vayu

Jupiter : Akash

Cabinet of Planets:

Sun and Moon : Royal couple

Mars : Commander-in-chief

Mercury : Prince

Jupiter and Venus : Ministers

Saturn : Servant

basic astrology mod 1 chap2

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