In
delineating the effects of each house, the start should
again be made with the spiritual promise of each house.
By each house from the Lagna which is always the first
house. Thus, for a person born with Meena lagna the
first house is Meena, the second house Mesha and the
twelveth house Kumbha etc.
Since spiritual astrology is
generally kept a secret and astrologers do not pay
attention to it, emphasis should be laid on this aspect
both for the spiritual guidance of the person concerned
and for preparation for a fine spiritual era into
which mankind will enter after 2002 A.D.
The First House
The first house representing
oneself, shows the beginning of awareness of spiritual
side of human life. If three or more planets are in
the first house, such persons, inspite of all distractions,
can practice self-control with determination, and
successfully.
From the first house springs
the desire to enjoy peace generally and the tendency
to renounce because the first stage of renunciation
is physical.
To understand it, the Four Purusharthas
of classical Indian tradition should be understood.
The first one is Dharma (religious
conduct),
the second is Artha (the desire
to earn money),
the third is the Kaama to enjoy
life physically
and the last is Moksha to make
efforts to get salvation.
In Hindu astrology therefore
starting from the lagna there are four trines for
each the purusharthas which are: Dharma, Artha, Kaama,
Moksha Lagna Second houseThird
house- Fourth house Fifth house Sixth house- Seventh
house Eighth house Ninth house- Tenth house Eleventh
house Twelfth house respectively.
There is another set of four
trines which depends on the division of human life
into four parts,
Brahmacharya (life of celibacy)
Grihastha (the life of a householder) Vanaprastha
(detaching oneself) from house-holder’s duties) and
Sanyas (life of renunciation). The scheme of division
is the same as in the earlier trines. Brahmacharya
Grihastha Vanaprastha Sanyas The first house Second
house Third house Fourth house Fifthe house Sixth
house Seventh house Eighth house Ninth house Tenth
house Eleventh house Twelfth house.
In judging the spiritual importance
of each of these houses, these trines should be kept
in the mind. It is always important to remember that
the lagna and lord must not be ill-placed (in the
eighth house, the sixth house or the twelfth house)
and must not be afflicted by Saturn, Mars, Rahu, Ketu
particularly through conjunction or aspect.
In such a case the health may
be bad. It is sound health that alone ensures any
type of achievement in anyone’s life, including spiritual
achievements. It is in rare cases that a person with
ill health but strong sense of renunciation can be
spiritually exalted. But we must proceed on the premise
that it is sound health that is the foundation of
even good spiritual life.
The Second House
The family environment gives
to one some spiritual tendencies, which is what the
second house represents, being the house of Kutumba
(or the family one is brought up in). Faith in religious
and spiritual traditions are inherited and also acquired
generally from parents. The second house represents
it, besides, it also being the house of speech, see
the planets (particularly Jupiter, Venus, Mercury)
with out affliction to examine whether one has the
tendency to speak truth or false hood.
The second also being the house
of earnings, monetary gains etc., the charity one
does with money and gifts are also to be seen form
the second house.
Note : In this respect
the role of the twelfth house is more important.
The Third House
The third house known as the
house of valour and courage becomes favorable if there
is a malefic like Rahu, Saturn, Mars, Ketu in it.
It shows a determination to apply oneself to spiritual
practices with strong will.
Note : The third house,
according to Maharshi Parashara, is the house of upadesha
or religious preaching. The third house also is to
be seen for short and quick pilgrimages.
According to the Uttrta-kalamrita,
the third house represents the part of the palm which
is between the thumb and the index finger with which
many rituals are performed.
The Fourth House
The fourth house representing
buildings, represents the religious-philanthropic
institutions one builds and also the trusts one creates
or religious, philanthropic and other good trusts
with the money one has.
In the life of an individual
the fourth house represents his desire to pursue his
spiritual life in the quiet surroundings of a place,
house or ashram with rhythmic regularity. In the case
of a yogi it can represent pranayama or breath-control.
But if such a house is disturbed, such persons find
that by moving from one place to another only they
can follow their spiritual pursuits.
The Fifth House
An important principle of Hindu
astrology is that if a planet aspects its own house,
that house gets strengthened.
This should be seen very closely
in the case of the fifth house around which revolves
the realization of the potency of mantra, yantra,
because this house is important in two ways: in the
case of the individual whose horoscope is being examined,
it represents the spiritual merit of his past life
and in the case of his father, it is the house of
his spiritual merit of his present life. It is a good
fifth house that bestows viveka or a sense of discrimination
and deep spiritual wisdom born both of the reading
of scriptures and spirituals practices.
The Sixth House
In the life of a spiritual practitioner
fifteen types of distractions are normal. More often
than not these take a person away from the desired
spiritual path. To overcome such distractions, a malefic
in the sixth house is always good. As it is, a malefic
in the sixth house is good for ensuring sound health
and the tenacity to overcome obstacles. In spiritual
life this house helps in developing one pointed concentration.
The Seventh House
This house of sex is also the
house of sex-sublimination. It is when the kundalini
power rises high that sexual lust gets transformed
into love and a sadhak feel the spiritual vibrations
of the rising kundalini.
The Eighth House
It should be noticed that the
fourth house is the house of spirituality and salvation
in the trines given before. The eighth house is the
second of such house, but being a secret house (eighth
house is a hidden house) one practices one’s sadhana
in secluded and cloistered places. It is true that
this house also represents agonies which must include
spiritual disappointments in the act attaining a blissful
state of samadhi.
The Ninth House
Next to the fifth house, the
house on which all astrologers lay greatest stress
for spiritual development is the ninth house. Yet,
there is a controversy among astrologers whether it
is the ninth house or the fifth house that is to be
seen for the spiritual merit of the past life.
While majority of astrologers
see the fifth house or the merit of the past life,
it is also logical to see that after the eighth house
of samadhi that the spiritual merit of this life blossoms
out. The ninth house therefore is to be examined for
all acts of penance, pilgrimage, worship of gods.
It is the house which represented the last stage of
full spiritual development, after which one can become
a guru or a spiritual guide. This house also is for
father, who is one of the early gurus of a child.
Note : The fourth house
which is the first house of the moksha triangle represents
mother which is why serving one’s mother is the service
to adi-guru (the first guru).
The ninth house, the last of
the dharma triangle, shows the importance of service
to one’s father, as the key-note of religious progress.
It is for this reason that the Sanskrit saying, “Matri
devo bhava” (let mother be the goddess) and “Pitro
devo bhava” (let father be the god) is the eternal
lesson children are taught to lay poper foundation
of their spiritual life. Inferentially, those who
are cruel to their parents cannot hope to be spiritually
successful in their practices. This is a harsh spiritual
reality which will not be palatable to many modern
young people. Yet an astrologer cannot afford to overlook
this.
The Tenth House
The tenth house is the house
of those deeds which are noticed. A person who has
potentised a mantra and has become a guru, wins social
recognition through his deeds (even misdeeds). It
is for this reason that Jupiter, the greatest benefic
is preferred most in this house for holy deeds because
the tenth house is the house of religious, spiritual
and ritualistic deeds.
Note : In the case of a guru
the tenth house shows the quality of his deeds, along
with the lord of the tenth house.
The Eleventh House
In a spiritual sense, the eleventh
house is a very enigmatic house. Benefics in it will
attract one to worship of many gods and great scriptural
scholarship and authorship. Many planets in it will
bring, as donations to a guru, lot of money as the
eleventh house is the last of the kama triangle or
desires. Such desires can be good and evil. The eleventh
house is thus the house of the last of the temptations
a religious person has to face, which must be overcome
to reach the final destination, salvation.
The Twelfth House
The twelfth house, the
condition of the twelfth lord and Ketu are the salvation
giving factors. A bad twelfth house can ruin all the
spiritual promises of an otherwise good horoscope.
Note : What has been given so far here is
only a bare outline of the spiritual promise inherent
in a horoscope. These very promises are to be examined
in greater details through many other finer analyses.
The use of Vimshamsha (one- twentieth division horoscope)
will have to be brought into use. Jaimini astrology
should be used before any predictions about anyone’s
spiritual life is given otherwise, spiritual astrology
more often than not becomes a wild goose chase. Note
: A safe and sound method which an astrologer can
adopt is to make a proper use of the navamsha (one
ninth) division of a horoscope and examine the fifth
and the ninth lords and houses of navamsha and then
the twelfth lord. Together with all this, the most
important factor in the spiritual evolution of a person
is to see what (dasha in Vimshottari ) sequence one
has got in life. The most favorable periods are the
periods of the fifth and the ninth lords.
