the 8th house

7/30/2019 The 8th House

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The 8th house has earned the dubious reputation as the ugliest house in the Jyotishneighborhood. Its the one capable of wrecking the most damage, even death, and its hard

to get more morbid than that. It can be summed up as the house of change - sudden,dramatic and intense change. As a society we love the kind of drama that the 8th houseprovides, as long as its happening to somebody else! Just consider our obsession withsensational news, reality TV shows, and thriller movies, like The Dark Night, which recently

broke all records at the box office. Its just when change affects us personally that we fearand resist it. Nobody wants to lose anything they value: health, wealth, job, loved ones,etc. So when we do, its understandable to blame it on the 8th house, its lord, or its karaka,Saturn. But do we really need another scapegoat for our woes? I mean, in addition to theboss who fired us, or the husband who left us? This article explores different perspectivesabout the 8th house, and the gifts that can be discovered alongside its typical wreckage. Italso discusses careers and events of the 8th house that are not merely ruinous.

Change and The 8th House

In Vedic astrology undesirable change is associated with influences of the malefic planetsSaturn, Mars, Rahu, and Ketu (secondarily the Sun) and the dusthana houses, the 6th, 8th,and 12th (secondarily the 3rd). Of the dusthanas the 8th house is maligned as the mostmalefic because its the 12th house (loss) from the 9th house (fortune), which makes it thehouse of misfortunes - change, death (the ultimate change), obstacles, disappointments,upheavals, scandals, reversals, chronic illness, among other typically undesirable outcomes.The classic text, Laghu Parasharisays, The Lord of the 8th house by virtue of being the12th from the 9th does not produce good results.(Ch 1 shloka 9)For instance, M.S. Mehtaquotes K.N. Rao in his book,Analyzing Horoscopes Through Modern Technique, assaying, "In the ending of any marriage the role of the 8th house or planet in the 8th is wellknown."

The malefic influences in our chart generally deliver to us our negative, undesirable karmaduring the times of their dashas and transits. They fall into the category of tamas or decayin terms of the three gunas: rajas (creation/Brahma), sattva (maintenance/Vishnu), and

tamas (destruction/Shiva). Their role is to do the astrological dirty work by passing on thenegative effects of our past actions. Therefore, during 8th house influenced time periods,such as the dasha of 8th lord or planet placed in the 8th house, a variety of difficulties arelikely to occur: pursuits resulting in disappointment, losses of things you value, etc. Youdont need to be creating negative karma at the time. Bad things can happen to nice people,due to their past, unseen karma.

Even though its valid, from an astrological standpoint, to define the effects of the 8th houseas malefic, it's our attitude about change that's important. Our happiness is internallybased, not externally. People are disturbed not by things, but by the view they take ofthem,writes Greek philosopher Epictetus in the 1st century B.C. Astrology reveals thelikely outcome of our external situation but not our internal reaction to it. That is our choice,moment to moment. We either choose to be 'victims of our fate' or we rise above it. We

either look for the 'silver lining', the 'blessing in disguise', the 'opportunity for growth,' orwe continue to feel like our situation really, totally and justifiably 'sucks.'

Blessings in Disguise

If we don't look beyond our surface frustrations to the depths of our life lessons we'remissing the greatest gift of the 8th house - spiritual transformation. The 8th house is notonly a dusthana house, but a house of moksha or liberation along with the 4th and 12thhouses. Isn't it interesting that the most malefic house is also a house of liberation? The 8th


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house takes us to our edge where transformation and rebirth are just on the other side ofdespair and death. Its a house of transition from one state to the next. Its role is not just to

create upheaval that leaves us in a sobbing heap on the floor, but to liberate us. Thedestructive principle of tamas paves the way for new creation (rajas), just as compostprovides fertile soil for new seeds to grow.

Just like compost takes time to transform from waste, the blessing that the 8th houseinvariably gives, may take time to be revealed. A rebirth is guaranteed following any kind ofdeath, but there may be a gestation period. The Dalai Lama says, Sometimes not gettingwhat you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.We all know of people whove lost their dreamonly to find that something better was around the corner, if not immediately, theneventually. A Course in Miracles says, All things work together for good. There are noexceptions except in the egos judgment.Often letting go of our judgments and learning totrust the process are the most important lessons of the 8th house.

Slaying Demons

The change of an external situation, like transitioning from a job or marriage, are obviouskinds of transformation but what about spiritual, inner transformation? The 8th house, like

its karaka Saturn, often represent the hardest life lessons in the chart, yet also the mostrewarding. Its the house of intense transformation because it corresponds to the 8th sign ofScorpio, the most intense sign. The last moksha house, the 12th house, represents theultimate dissolution of the ego, but the 8th house is often where the battle between the egoand the soul takes place. Mars, the planet of war, rules Scorpio. Its where we face ourdemons and slay them. Our demons are our compulsions, obsessions, phobias, and fears,with death being the ultimate fear. This is our psychological baggage, which is why the 8thhouse is a house of psychology. The moksha houses correspond to the water signs, and thewater element represents our past psychological conditioning, and the unconscious mind.We slay our demons by facing them and making them conscious. The great psychologistCarl Jung said, Whatever is not conscious will be experienced as fate.Just like history

tends to repeats itself, were doomed to repeat our personal history until we learn from ourmistakes. Therefore, it's valuable to take the time for reflection during the transitionalperiods of the 8th house, so we can learn from our past. "Where the wound is, is also wherethe gift is,"says Sobonfu Som, author ofThe Spirit of Intimacy. When we take the time todive for those pearls we are able to transform our lives the most. We may choose to make aresolve (vrata), like committing to a mantra practice for a specific length of time, thatsignificantly changes our karma from that point forward.Crisis Counseling and the 8th House

A crisis is the most potent time for transformation, because its during a transition that newseeds are sown. Albert Einstein said, In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.However,making a major shift, especially inner, is not easy. After all, were creatures of habit, andusually defend against changing them. Harville Hendrix, the author of the best sellingbook, Getting the Love You Want, talked about his experience of counseling couples for over25 years in a TV interview. He said, When it gets really bad thats when its about tochange. And most people leave when its really bad, so they never get to the change. I thinkthats such a tragedy.We frequently play the role of crisis counselors as astrologers, because clients often comefor a reading while in a transition. This makes it a unique opportunity to facilitate positive


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change.

This is the chart of a woman who tried for more than two years to heal her marriage butwas unsuccessful.

Natal Chart

She came for a reading during her three year Rahu-Venus dasha. Notice how Venus isplaced in the 8th house, and retrograde. Its also in a tight conjunction with the 8th housekaraka, Saturn, which is debilitated in Aries. In the year since starting her Venus sub dashashe had separated from her husband, moved to another state, and had her second child.Needless to say, it had been a tumultuous time as a single mom.

However, it had always been an unstable relationship with her husband. They had met andmarried while she was in her Rahu-Mercury dasha, with Mercury being closely aspected byMars, the 8th lord from the lagna and the Moon. Mercury is also in the 8th house in theNavamsha chart, conjunct debilitated Saturn and Venus in Aries.


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Navamsha Chart

They had separated in her Rahu-Ketu dasha, but she was still determined to work thingsout. However, by the time Venus began it was clear he wasnt willing. This made itnecessary for her to make a major shift even though she was pregnant with their secondchild.

In typical 8th house fashion, her sub dasha of Venus has been extremely difficult, yet hasalso led to very positive transformation. The reason she wanted a reading was tounderstand the karmic reasons why she married her husband, as well as to get clarity abouthow to avoid this situation in the future. She had been spending much time studying thepsychology of relationships since Venus began. Venus is not only in the 8th house ofpsychology, but its the 9th lord and conjunct the 5th lord Saturn. This reveals that her

Venus dasha was not only been a time of intense change due to its position in the 8thhouse, but also of acquiring knowledge and wisdom due to the influence of the trinal lords.

Its important to assess the strength of the planets causing the malefic influences of the 8th

house. In her case, Saturn and Venus are natural friends, and are both vargottama. Inaddition, Saturns debility is cancelled by its association with Venus, its exaltation lord.These factors soften the malefic influence during her Venus sub dasha.

Heres the chart of a woman who came for a reading shortly after starting her 1 yearMoon-Saturn dasha.


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Natal chart

Notice how Saturn is the 8th lord from various lagnas in the chart: the ascendant, Moon,Sun and the dasha lord, also the Moon. Major areas of her life were in flux: job, home, andrelationship. She was about to quit her job, and could either move to a foreign countryshed never been to with her boyfriend, or face being alone. What made it even more

challenging was that shed normally use her intellect to solve problems, but since startingher Moon dasha shed been very emotional and withdrawn. Notice how Saturn is aspectedby the 7th lord, Jupiter, and also aspects and rules the 7th house from the Moon. Thiscombination of being in a Moon dasha and the sub dasha of the 8th lord, revealed that thiswas not just about the potential move with her boyfriend, but about past unresolvedrelationship issues that were preventing her from moving forward with clarity.

Astrologers, Dur Yogas and the 8th House

Since a major role of astrologers is to assist clients through transitions, its not surprisingthat the profession itself attracts people with 8th house connections in their own charts.

Usually the 8th house or 8th lord will be connected with either the 10th house (career), the1st house (self, identity), the Moon (mind, emotions), or the Sun (personality).

The following chart is of astrologer Marc Boney.


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Natal chart of professional Vedic astrologer

Notice how Marcs 10th lord, Mercury, is in the 8th house, and conjunct the 8th lord, Mars.His other profession is as a management consultant, where he assists high poweredexecutives through transitions in the work place. This is shown by the 10th lord conjunct theexalted Sun in Aries. Both of Marcs professions, astrology and management consulting, canbe explained by the 10th lords placement in the 8th house, since they both assist clients

through transitions.

However, this interpretation can be confusing because his 10th lord is involved in a DurYoga, which is defined by the 10th lord being placed in a dusthana house. Dur meansdifficult and a Dur Yoga is characterized as giving difficulty to ones career. Is this alwaysthe case? No. The 8th house represents breaks and separations, as well as breaks fromconvention. An innocuous effect of a Dur Yoga involving the 8th house is having aprofession with a work schedule with built in breaks. For instance, consultants who taketime off once theyve completed a contract, or a session with a client. They workindependently and create their own hours, instead of having a conventional forty hour a

week job. Astrologers fit into this category and often have Dur Yogas involving the 8thhouse, as in Marcs case.

Heres the chart of a professional psychic, with a successful practice for over 30 years.Notice that he has a Dur Yoga formed by a Parivartana Yoga (exchange of signs) betweenthe 8th and 10th lords, the Sun and Venus.


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Natal chart of professional psychic

Its during 8th house influenced dashas that people often get interested in astrology andmetaphysical subjects. The 8th house is a house of depth, seeing beyond the obvious to thecausal level, to the hidden meaning. This is why astrology, psychology, metaphysics as wellas research are all associated with the 8th house. It is the most mysterious and the leasttangible house.

When I first went to India in 1992 I studied with R. Santhanam, the translator of manyclassic Jyotish texts. After reviewing my chart he said, "I see you began studying astrologyduring the sub dasha of your 8th lord. This also happened to me. I took up astrology in thedasha of my 8th lord."Since beginning the sub dasha of my 8th lord, my life had changedradically. My mother died suddenly, I was in a career transition, and I began studyingastrology intensively to find answers. After getting my first reading I became hooked, andbegan taking as many classes as I could. Within a year I was in India studying with R.Santhanam.

R. Santhanam and Vaughn Paul, Dec 1992Research and the 8th House

The 8th house is a house depth, seeing beyond the obvious to the hidden meaning at the

causal level. This is why astrology, psychology, and metaphysics are all associated with the

8th house. However, any profession that explores hidden knowledge, like research, could

have combinations involving the 8th house.

Heres the chart of a woman who has a conventional job doing research on public policy for

a state legislature.


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Natal chart of researcher in state legislature

Notice how she has the 8th lord Moon placed in the 10th house. As the 8th lord, the Moon

represents sleuthing into unexplored regions, while being placed in the sign of Virgo makes

her work very practical, analytical and detailed. The Moon is also aspected by Mars, the

12th lord, and Jupiter the 4th lord from the sign of Pisces. Any moksha house or water sign

contributes to the field of research since they represent hidden, deep, and secret pursuits.

Heres another example of a researcher, but in the field of physics.


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Natal chart of researcher in physics

Notice how the ascendant lord, the Sun, is placed in the 8th house with Ketu. In addition,

the Sun is a karaka of the 10th house, and its conjunction with the 12th house karaka,

Ketu, in the 12th sign of Pisces further contribute to his skill in probing to profound depthsof insight.

Other People's Money and the 8th House

A more tangible gift of the 8th house is receiving money from inheritances, grants,

insurance policies, or simply snatching it from your wifes purse! The 8th house is the 2nd

house (gains) from the 7th house (relationships) and represents other people's money in

general, especially one's spouse.

The following chart is of a client who received a huge inheritance in her Venus-Moon dasha.


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Natal Chart

Her father had passed away and left her with a fortune that changed her life completely.

She had been working as a therapist and suddenly didn't have to work another day in her

life.

Notice in her chart that Venus, a natural benefic and a temporal benefic for Libra rising, is in

the 8th house in its own sign of Taurus. Venus is also in the 11th house (gains) from the

Moon and in the 2nd house from the Sun. From many angles, Venus certainly represents

the possibility of receiving a large sum of money in her Venus dasha. The 8th house, as

previously mentioned, is the house of death and is also the 12th house (loss) from the 9th

house (father). The inheritance came while Jupiter was transiting through her 2nd house of

wealth and aspecting both her mahadasha planet, Venus, and her sub dasha planet, the

Moon.

This was, of course, a mixed blessing since she had the experience of grief and a new foundfinancial freedom simultaneously. This demonstrates how our lives are complicated and why

we can't just evaluate a dasha period in simplistic terms like 'good' or 'bad'.

Heres another example chart of a man who worked with other peoples money for over 35

years as a tax accountant.


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Natal chart of tax accountant

Notice how his 10th lord, Moon, combines with the 8th lord Venus, and Jupiter. The other

important combination is his raja yoga in the 8th house between the 9th lord Mercury and

the 4th lord Saturn. This powerful yoga was activated during his consecutive Saturn andMercury dashas, which spanned the most successful years of his practice.

Ultimate Lessons of the 8th House

The 8th house represents many things, but it cant be underestimated for its ability to

create change during its dasha. When we're going though intense change it can be helpful

to think of the wheel of samsara or illusion as being an actual wheel. The closer we get to

the center or hub the less spinning actually takes place. This is why meditation and spiritual

practices are so important because they pull us back into the peaceful center of our beings

so we can stop spinning out with our minds. The way out is in.

In Marianne Williamson's book, The Gift of Change, she says, "The most important thing to

remember during times of great change is to fix our eyes anew on the things that don't

change. Eternal things become our compass during times of rapid transition, binding us

emotionally to a steady and firm course."The 8th house is where we face our extreme

vulnerabilities and where we realize our invulnerable Self.

the 8th house

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