Why Pisces is That Way

Here is how I see it:

Jupiter rules Pisces. Jupiter is the planet of ethics and morality. These are confusing topics if you try to get deep about them at all.

Since pisces is a water sign, she does try to get deep about them.

But since Pisces is a dual sign, she finds herself oscillating, bouncing back and forth between ideas. This inclination to be deep about so many complicated issues and thoughts is what makes Pisces indecisive and often beset with confusion. It also gives them inherent potential for extreme intellectual and ethical judition and erudition.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

How the Stars Create Great People

There are five special alignments in astrology which will produce five varieties of outstanding people. Basically, the alignment occurs when the right planet is in the right sign, while also being in the right house. Planet, sign, and house align correctly and enable that planet to create a truly outstanding individual – a “Maha-Purusha.”

The Right Planets

Let’s define some of that more exactly, starting with “the right planet.” The only planets which can produce this alignment are the five real astrological planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The other astrological bodies do not participate in this alignment, in fact they actually will detract from it, but more on that later on.

The Right Signs

Now: “The right planet in the right sign.” Planets travel through the zodiac constellations like you or I traveling though different neighborhoods of our city. We experience a different reception in each neighborhood, based largely on how well the locals like us and also on how well we can make use of the resources that exist in that part of town. A planet is in “the right neighborhood” or “the right sign” for this special alignment when it is in either a sign that it owns, or in the sign in which it is exalted.

So, these are the “right signs” for each of the “right planets” in respect to this particular alignment -

• Mars at home in Aries or Scorpio, or exalted in Capricorn
• Mercury at home in Gemini or exalted in Virgo
• Jupiter at home in Sagittarius or Pisces, or exalted in Cancer
• Venus at home in Libra or Taurus, or exalted in Pisces
• Saturn at home in Capricorn or Aquarius, or exalted in Libra

The Right Houses

We said that great people are born when the right planet is in the right sign and the right house. The right houses for this alignment are the cardinal directions of the sky, the four quadrants – houses 1, 4, 7 or 10.

How to Calculate It

This is alignment is recorded from rather ancient Sanskrit sources. You should therefore only look for it using the same style of astrological calculation which those ancient authors used: a sidereal zodiac (not a tropical one) with a “whole sign” house system (not a placidus or any other type of calculated house system).

Specific Results of these Alignments

When this alignment occurs, a child is born who will stand out from his or her peers. The specific planet causing the alignment will bestow from it’s own nature the specific qualities which will cause that child to excel.

Mars’ Greatness When Mars is the planet creating the alignment the child grows up to be an extremely charismatic “lovable rouge” type. He or she will become outstanding due to excellent ambition, strength, bravery, physical power and fearlessness.

Mercury’s Greatness When Mercury creates this alignment, the child becomes a sort of “handsome professor.” He or she excels as a result of outstanding intellect, beauty, fairness, and education.

Jupiter’s Greateness When the alignment results from Jupiter, the child becomes an “eloquent noble.” His  fair and sonorous speech is a very prominent factor making him stand out from his peers and bringing him extra wealth and ability to lead a happy life of noble enjoyments and sexual pleasure.

Venus’ Greatness If Venus is the planet causing this alignment, a child is born who becomes a sort of “learned romantic.” She stands out from her peers because she is extremely learned, especially in the arts, is noticeably beautiful. These qualities bring her a wealth of sexual enjoyments and money.

Saturn’s Greatness When Saturn causes the alignment, the child becomes the “leader of the pack,” the “voice of the voiceless.” He excels others due to his determination, patience, strength and – most of all – mass public appeal. He will also have powers with scientific arts.

What Elevates & Cancels Out the Alignment

Some people born with these alignments will simply stand out among their classmates, while others will stand out amidst their entire school, and still others will go on to stand out amid the entire nation, or even the entire world. Why the difference?

Because other factors besides the right planet, right sign, right house can act upon the alignment and either amplify or mute it.

Detracting Factors

If the Sun or Moon conjoin the planet causing the alignment, it becomes severely muted, even “cancelled.” This is especially true with conjunctions from the Sun, and even more so if that conjunction is within 8º or so, and thus causes the alignment planet to be consumed entirely by the Sun’s brilliance.

That gives you a good hint at the reason why this cancellation occurs. The Sun and Moon are the natural outstanding personalities in the heavens. The other five planets cannot express their greatness fully when they are in the presence of the true king and queen, the Sun & Moon.

To a lesser extent, an aspect from the Sun or Moon to the alignment planet may reduce the greatness of the alignment.

Another detracting factor is a conjunction or, to a lesser extent, aspect from a malefic planet – especially if that malefic is one of the lunar nodes: Rahu or Ketu. You should also check the sub-charts, especially the navamsha, for detracting conjunctions and perhaps also aspects.

If the aligning planet is the owner of difficult houses in the chart, the potency of the alignment can be dampened.

Finally, if the planet is “weak” despite being in a good sign, the alignment will lose power. Vedic astrology has an excellent system for mathematically describing the strength of a planet, called the Sixfold Strength System (shad-bala), if you know this system or have access to Vedic astrology software you should always consult the shad-bala score to get the strength of the aligning planet and use it to judge to potential strength or weakness of the alignment itself.

If you don’t know how to calculate shad-bala or don’t have the software to do it for you – it’s something very important to learn about, but is unfortunately way outside the scope of this article.

Enhancing Factors

Having described what makes the normal alignment become less powerful, now I will tell you what makes it become more powerful.

First of all, there may be a bit of a gradation inherent in the alignment itself. If the alignment occurs from a planet in exaltation you can expect it to have a bit more inherent strength than the same alignment occurring from a planet in it’s own sign. You can subdivide the own signs further if you know what a “moolontrikona” sign is (except for Mercury it is always the masculine one of the two signs owned by a planet). That sign will generate a little bit more inherent strength.

If the Planet causing the alignment also owns important and benefic houses in the chart, the alignment’s strength amplifies.

A factor which will dramatically multiply the strength of a Greatness Alignment is if that alignment occurs not only in the correct houses counted normally from the ascendant, but also in the correct houses counted starting from the house of the Moon and, secondarily, the Sun. It will be easier to spot this than it seems. You can spot it like this: if the Sun and/or Moon is also in a cardinal direction / angular house (house 1, 4, 7, or 10) – as long as they are not in the same house as the alignment planet, of course - this amplifying condition will occur and the strength of the alignments greatness with dramatically enhance.

Also, if the alignment repeats itself in the navamsha sub-chart it will be significantly enhanced. In fact as long as the alignment planet is just in a good sign and not conjunct malefic planets in the navamsha the alignment gets proportionately enhanced.

Multiple Alignments

In some charts there will be more than one such alignment. For example, Mars may be exalted in the 1st house while Saturn is also exalted in the 10th and Jupiter in the 7th. Clearly the more alignments, the more outstanding the individual. To predict the specific nature of the results you will need to do a bit of “cooking” to correctly ascertain how the qualities of each alignment will mix and blend.

I will say though, that a single greatness alignment which is spotless and enhanced will create far more outstanding individuals that would a triplicate of alignments which are dampened.

Timing the Fruition of the Alignment

These Greatness Alignments are very special in that they are among the few alignments in astrology which don’t need to wait for an appropriate time in the chronological dasha cycles before they can manifest. They will have a general overall effect on the person throughout their entire life. Of course, during the dasha cycle of the alignment causing planet there will be even greater benefit.

Impossible Alignments

It is interesting to note that a person born under a rising sign which belongs to Jupiter or Mercury will never be able to have a Mars-type greatness personality (because the right signs will never be in the right houses at the same time). Mars is too single-minded and headstrong to become exceedingly positive in the personality of those born to the fair-minded and equanimical signs of Mercury and Jupiter.

Conversely it is impossible to have a Mercurial Greatness unless ones rising sign belongs to either Jupiter or Mercury. Intellect rarely produces great leaders, who are more often brutish and opportunistic. Therefore the possibilities for Mercury’s intelligence to create truly excelling people only arises when either Mercury (the archetypical student) or Jupiter (the archetypical teacher) owns the rising sign.

Similarly, if one is born under a fixed rising sign (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, or Aquarius) Jupiter cannot form his greatness alignment.  Jupiter’s greatness manifests in the ability to grow, procreate, and expand generously. The influence of a fixed rising sign limits this too much.

Saturn’s greatness can not manifest to those whose rising signs belong to the impartial and fair Jupiter and Mercury. Saturn’s strength, power and fixed tenacity requires the rising sign to be either ambitious (a cardinal sign) or strong (a fixed sign).

Venus, whose motto is to love all and create harmony and peace in this world, is the only planet whose greatness can manifest for all rising signs.

Thoughts on Debilitation

If this great alignment is produced when the right planet is in a good sign and a strong house – what can be said if the right planet is in a debilitating sign in an important house? Take Saturn, for example. If Saturn is exalted in Libra, which is the 10th house, a potentially fantastic “Saturn’s Greatness” alignment occurs. But what if Saturn is instead debilitated in Aries, in the 4th House? Does the opposite effect occur? Does the person become obscure, menial, and neglected?

I can only tell you what I personally think, because I have not yet seen this question addressed in any of the ancient classics. But I think the answer is a conditional “no.” There is no special Anti-Greatness Alignment described for this combination of conditions. Furthermore I would add that debilitation is as extreme a condition for a planet as exaltation. Therefore, if anything, the debilitated variety of this alignment would still create an outstanding individual, potentially, who stands above his or her peers as a result of their ability to learn the important lessons taught to them by that debilitated planet.

This is only my speculation at this point. I have not researched it.

But I do have something further to say, on which I have been able to observe a bit in practical experience. One most consider the phenomenon of neech-bhanga. That is, one must consider the effect of a debilitated planet who has the debilitation rectified as a result of a specific set of conditions (outside the scope of this article to describe). Since the ancient astrological authorities have many times and in many places described these “cancelled debilitations” as being equivalent in many ways to exaltation, one can reasonably posit that an alignment causing planet who is debilitated in a quadrant house will cause the Greatness Alignment to manifest if that planet receives cancellation of debilitation. In such cases the rest of the normal modifying rules for the strength of the alignment would also apply.

I will offer my own chart as an example of this principle. I have two debilitated planets in angles. Saturn in Aries in my 4th house and Mars in Cancer in my 7th house. Yet both of those debilitations meet the criteria of neech-bhanga and are thus rectified, mitigated, or “cancelled.” Therefore one can speculate on the basis of the logic I just mentioned, that I should potentially enjoy the effects of two Greatness Alignments, one from Saturn being equivalent to exalted in my 4th house, and another from Mars being equivalent to exalted in my 7th house.

However, one should the proceed to apply the normal rules. We find Mars conjunct the sun within just a few degrees and therefore combust. Thus we don’t expect to find any effect from a Mars’ Greatness Alignment. In Saturn’s case, however, we find that his alignment recurs from the Sun as well as the Ascendant, and that it is assisted by an aspect from a benefic planet, Jupiter. Therefore we expect to find fairly significant effect from a Saturn’s Greatness Alignment in my horoscope.

This assessment does accurately match the nature of my experience and my life.

Technical Names

For those from India or more familiar with Vedic Astrology I will note the technical names of these alignments (“yogas”) here. If that’s not you, this section is ignorable.

The entire class of alignment is known as the pancha-mahapurusha yoga. When Mars creates the yoga the subclass is ruchaka yoga. When Mercury creates it, bhadra yoga. Jupiter creates the subclass called hamsa yoga. Venus creates malavya yoga. Saturn creates sashi yoga.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Holistic Astrology Techniques

How in God’s name do you make sense out the cryptic symbols of an astrological chart?

First of all you have to learn what each individual planet, house and sign represents. You can’t skip that.

So let’s say you learned that and are pretty comfortable with your understanding of it. You still look at a birth chart and get cross-eyed with confusion. You start chasing fading footprints of what this planet in that sign means, or what might happen when that planet is in this house; when planet a aspects planet b, etc., etc., etc. An avalanche of facts comes crashing down around you, and you try to dig your way out and somehow turn all that rubble of raw information into some sort of coherent and accurate unified interpretation…. but (except for a few essentially lucky guesses) you pull your hair out and resort to crying.

This is, clearly, not the right way to go about interpreting a chart. The biggest problem that we face when we look at a horoscopic chart is the question of where to start. If you start in the right place you will get an accurate reading. It’s like building a home. You can’t start by painting a wall. You have to start by preparing the lot, then laying the foundation, etc. Even though these initial steps will be forgotten more or less by the time someone moves in, if you don’t get them right you wont be able to even make a house that can stand through a rain and breeze.

Before you start picking out the individual pieces of the horoscope, you first need to prepare the lot and lay the foundation: which means you must first asses the entire chart as a whole.

To do so, you have to employ pattern recognition.

Pattern Recognition - Nabhasa Yogas

Look at the chart with a “soft focus” – from “far away” – just recognize the general patterns and shapes in the chart as a whole. This will not help you make any specific conclusions or predictions in and of itself, but it will allow the things you do later on in your interpretation of the horoscope to be accurate and real.

In Vedic Astrology there is a collection of about 1,000 patterns you should try to recognize, called the Nabhasa Yogas. If you are unlucky you will have someone tell you to memorize them all. Consider yourself lucky because I would never do that to poor old you!

Four Pattern Types

All of the myriad patterns of nabhasa yogas fit into 4 simple categories

1. “Refuge” Patterns
2. “Camp” Patterns
3. “Visibility” Patterns
4. “Numeric” Patterns

Refuge Patterns – “Ashraya Nabhasa Yogas”

Refuge patterns classically involve recognizing which modalities are predominant in the chart as a whole (fixed, moving, or dual), by evaluating which signs the planets and ascendant occupy, or “have taken refuge in”. I also like to extend this to recognize the elemental character the chart (earth, water, fire, air).

Camp Patterns – “Dala Nabhasa Yogas”

Camp patterns classically involve recognizing the predominance of either benefics or malefics in the chart as a whole. I also extend this to recognize the rebellious vs. authority camps of planets.

Visibility Patterns - “Akriti Nabhasa Yogas”

Visibility patterns have some important subgroups…

1. Long Arcs
2. Short Arcs
3. Angles
4. Checkers

Long Arcs cover the hemispheres of the sky / chart. There are four hemispheres – above, below, east and west. If you are looking at a chart were most or all of the planets are in a specific hemisphere, then the nature of that hemisphere must become an important foundation for how you interpret the rest of the chart.

The pattern is strongest when the planets form a continuous chain in a single hemisphere. Technically there is a 5th pattern which forms if you get a string of planets covering 7 houses, but not falling entirely into one of the four hemispheres.

Short Arcs cover the four quadrants of the sky: Houses starting from the East, West, Above and Below. Take a step back from the chart and see if most of the planets clump up or string together in one of these quadrants. If so, it will define a strong underlying theme which will help you make decisions about how to interpret the rest of the chart.

Angles involve prominent patterns occurring in the angular houses of the chart. There are two groups of angles – the quadrants (kendra) which are houses 1, 4, 7, and 10, and the triangles (kona) which are houses 5 and 9 (and 1, technically house 1 is both a quadrant and a triangle).

Checker patterns form when all the planets are in odd houses (or conversely if they are all in even houses).

Numeric Patterns - Sankhya Nabhasa Yogas

These patterns involve simply counting the total number of houses that the planets occupy.

Effects of these Patterns

I am going to reiterate here that these patterns do not create definite effects in and of themselves, anymore or any less than a plot of land and a foundation define the appearance and utility of the house built upon them. The effects of these patterns is where you go first when starting to interpret the horoscope – to get the general color and context upon which you can build the rest of your more specific interpretations most accurately.

Here’s the next important thing to say to you: you have to ignore rahu and ketu (the lunar nodes) as well as any sub-planets or modern planets when trying to recognize any and all of these patterns. These patterns only involve the placement of the 5 real planets and the 2 luminaries, the Sun and Moon.

The next thing I need you to understand is that I am going to describe the most extreme case of each pattern. If you get close to the pattern it will start to become recognizable. It doesn’t have to be an exact match to my description, though the more exactly the pattern in the chart matches the classical pattern I describe here, the more throughly it will color and set the tone for the rest of the chart.

For example, an Opposite Quadrant 1&7 pattern forms if all the 7 planets are in houses 1 and 7. So lets say you are looking at a horoscopic chart with 6 planets in houses 1 and 7, and just one somewhere else. Don’t be silly and think that you are not going to get quite an effect from this pattern anyway. The strongest effect would be if literally every planet were in houses 1 and 7, but if one or even two or three planets stray from this axis, you will still get the patterns effect, although it will not be as intense.

Refuge Pattern Effects

Modalities

If you have a chart with a predominance of planets in signs of a single modality that will significantly influence the overall nature of everything else in the chart. Here are the modalities and their characteristics.

	Cardinal	Fixed	Dual
Home	Likes to move & travel	Stays in one place	(un)Comfortable anywhere
Preference	To achieve goals	To strengthen foundations	To understand
Desires	Speed	Durability	Options
Decisions	Makes them quickly	Minimizes need for	Decides not to choose
Mentality	Seeks new ideas	Cherishes old ideas	Sees multiple points of view
Best Trait	Ambition	Determination	Flexibility

The more you see a buildup (or lack) in specific modalities, the more the nature of those modalities will set the tone for everything else in the chart.

I will also note that if you find charts with evenly distributed modalities, that is arguably another pattern in and of itself.

In this example chart, 5 planets (include the ascendant, heavily in fact) are in cardinal signs. 3 are in fixed signs. None are in dual signs. You immediately get the feeling that the rest of the interpretations you make will favor a lot of rapidity, movement, and questing. And things which require flexibility, neutrality and dispassion will not be favored elsewhere in anything you interpret (due to the lack of dual signs). The native’s stability will pertain to his emotional and intellectual experiences because of the planets in fixed signs, the Moon is one and is exalted in a prominent house. The native’s instabilities will pertain to physical and material things because this is the primary mode in the chart, and because the ascendant is in this mode.

You can and in my opinion should do this same sort of assessment for the elements predominant in the chart. I also suggest that this evaluation can be extended through the 6 important varga sub-charts – particularly when evaluating the Moon and Ascendant.

Camp Pattern Effects

If there is a predominance of malefic planets in the kendras you will be able to favor interpretations of the rest of the chart which involve the use of strength, ambition, competition, distress, strife and challenge. If there is a predominance of benefics on the other hand, color your interpretations to highlight the role of grace, morality, harmony, and blessings.

In the example chart above the kendras (angles) hold 4 planets: 3 malefics (Saturn, Sun and Mars) and 1 benefic. It appears that the malefic camp is somewhat more prominent in this chart. In fact, the native does experience life mainly in terms of challenges, struggles, and ambition to become strong and overcome distress. Malefics work more in one’s favor when the rising sign belongs to a malefic, as is the case here, with Saturn’s Capricorn rising and under the aspect of Benefic Jupiter. It is impossible to tell from the illustration here, but Jupiter sits more or less exactly at the heart of this 10th house quadrant and therefore get’s his “weight” amplified in this pattern assessment.

Visibility Pattern Effects

Long Arcs

1. All planets under ground: Color the rest of your interpretation to favor themes of privacy and accumulation of goods and wealth.
2. All planets above ground in the sky: favor themes of visibility, extroversion and lack of secrets.
3. All planets to the East: There is a theme that the native will want to take foreign or external things and internalize them. Color your interpretations accordingly.
4. All planets to the West: The theme is the use of inner powers and secrets to obtain external results.

In this chart all the pattern forming planets fall between house 4 and 10. Therefore they are all in the Western hemisphere. The theme of the chart therefore should be using inner powers and secrets to obtain external results.

The native spent significant time and effort as a leading member of a movement for social change based on  spiritual and internal secrets and principles. Most everything in the native’s life is colored by this theme of connecting the inner self to the outer world.

Short Arcs

1. Planets start in the East: Planets all fall in houses 1, 2, 3, or 4 – everything in the chart is far more likely to take place within a domestic, hometown scope.
2. Planets start at the Nadir: Planets all fall in houses 4, 5, 6, or 7 – the rest of the chart is colored by the motivation to use the emotions and intellect to fulfill material desires.
3. Planets start in the West: Planets all fall in houses 7, 8, 9, or 10 – Interpret the rest of the chart understanding that the native is a fighter who can survive difficulties and be fierce.
4. Planets start at the Zenith: Planets all fall in houses 10, 11, 12, or 1 - Give preference to other interpretations which favor a spirit which wanders to distant places, cultures and ideas.

This example chart does not have a strong short arc pattern. But if pressed you can recognize that 5 of the 7 pattern forming planets are in houses 7, 8, 9 or 10. Therefore there is some extent of the West Short Arc pattern (called Shakti Nabhasa Yoga in Sanskrit).

In fact the native has travelled all over the globe multiple times, has adopted a foreign culture and has a wandering spirit. This pattern colored the chart such that other more specific placements to this affect could easily make their effect known (for example, Rahu in the 2nd house and the 12th Lord in the 10th house).

Angle Pattern effects

1. Two consecutive quadrants. This pattern forms when all / most of the applicable planets are in just two quadrants, and those quadrants are “square” to one another, not opposite. The effect colors the chart to favor things which promote a person who has strong desires and greeds, as well as the power to conquer and fulfill those desires.
2. Opposite quadrants, 1 & 7. This pattern forms when all / most planets are in houses 1 and 7. The effect is challenging and brings to the fore themes of life vs. death and self vs. others.
3. Opposite quadrants 4 & 10. Formed when all / most planets are in houses 4 and 10. Makes the chart more prone to facilitate challenges involving public vs. private and home vs. office.
4. A spread of malefics in 4 & 10 while benefics are in 1 & 7. The effect makes the chart more supportive of placements causing the native to be likable and attractive while still being ambitious and brave. The public persona is strong, but he is clearly a good person.
5. A spread of benefics in 4 & 10 while malefics are in 1 & 7. Makes the chart more supportive placements making the native philanthropic and self-controlled. The public persona is benefic and he is strict towards himself.
6. All planets occupying the quadrants. This is an extremely powerful pattern. The more planets you have in quadrants the more the person becomes famous, appreciated, beautiful and powerful
7. No planets occupying the quadrants. This is not as powerful as the previous but still very effective as a pattern. It promotes humility and similar good qualities.
8. Triangles. If all/ most of the planets are trine to one another, you should recognize one of four variations on this pattern – which is very strong and indicates a person of great power in a particular area.
   1. All planets in the fire triangle (1, 5, 9) – Promotes dharma power. The chart becomes more supportive of socially active persons.
   2. All planets in the earth triangle (2, 6, 10) – Promotes artha power. The chart becomes more supportive of financial accumulation.
   3. All planets in the air triangle (3, 7, 11) – Promotes kama power. The chart becomes more supportive of enjoyment and perceptivity.
   4. All planets in the water triangle (4, 8, 12) - Promotes moksha power. The chart becomes more supportive of a need for self-understanding and realization.

The example chart does not show any strong patterns from the above, but one can note a mild accumulation of 4 out of 7 planets in the quadrants, causing the 6th pattern above to start being felt. This pattern somewhat helps the chart take advantage of opportunities for fame, power and good looks.

In evaluating the triangles, one finds 1 planet in the fire triangle, 1 in the earth triangle, 2 in the air triangle, and 3 in the water triangle. Therefore the chart is most fertile towards anything which indicates a drive towards self-understanding and self-realization.

Checker Pattern Effects

If you have a chart where all / most of the planets are in odd houses, or all/most are in even houses, you have a chart with a very strong foundation that can support any other indications for fame, power, rank and blessing. This pattern creates a wheel of sextile aspects and is therefore known in Sanskrit as the chakra. Technically, chakra (meaning “wheel”) is the name for the checkerboard pattern occurring in odd numbered houses, while the name for the same pattern occurring in even houses is samudra (indicating the waves of an ocean).

Numeric Pattern Effects

These patterns are subordinate to the others mentioned already. Let’s say for example that you have a chart where all the planets are in two houses / signs. That forms a numeric pattern: the two sign pattern. But it also might form an angular pattern from the Visibility group described above. If that were the case you should ignore the numeric pattern because the visibility pattern will be more dominant in it’s effect.

For example if Capricorn rises when all the planets are in Capricorn and Cancer you will have a numeric pattern – all the planets are constricted to two houses. But you will also have an angular pattern – Opposite Quadrants 1 & 7. The Opposite Quadrants pattern should be the one you primarily focus your attention on.

Here are the numeric patterns -

1. All planets in ONE house: This is very rare and promotes extreme imbalance. It is one of the most difficult patterns possible.
2. All in TWO houses: Still very difficult, making the chart very vulnerable to any interpretation involving problems with wealth and parents.
3. All in THREE houses: Difficult, but at this point the native can more easily fight against the difficulties and turn the challenges into opportunities. This pattern therefore promotes other chart indications that paint a picture of a person who fights against others, is commanding, even dictatorial, and who protects and defends herself.
4. All in FOUR houses: Balance. This pattern promotes the ability to benefit by living life in a balanced way.
5. All in FIVE: Passion. This pattern makes the chart more fertile for indications of material desires and accomplishments.
6. SIX houses : Honest worker.
7. SEVEN: If each one of the 7 pattern-forming planets it is a separate house in the chart, the pattern promotes anything else in the chart indicating that the native would be able to become learned, skilled, well rounded and helpful towards others.

The example chart here shows a pattern of the 7 planets occupying 5 houses. Therefore the exalted Moon in the 5th house should be colored with an interpretation that is more consonant to the procreative and fertile nature of that house. The same of the planets in the 8th and 7th house. In fact from nearly all angles this chart appears to belong to a person the late great sexologist Dr. Kinsey would have really gotten a lot of good material from.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

What is a “Dasha” in Astrology?

An astrological birth chart will spell out (to those who know how to “read” astrological language) the promises which destiny makes you in your lifetime. But it is the dashas – the chronological planetary cycles or eras in your life – which will determine if and when fate will be able to fulfill those promises.

Literally, the Sanskrit word dasha means “The edge, hem or border.” We use this term in astrology to refer to the borders of the major eras in a person’s life.

The planets have a certain cadence and rhythm with which they come to the fore in the life of a human being. Knowing the schedule of these dasha cycles in your life allows you to map the effects in your birth chart to various periods and eras in your life.

These cycles do not follow the familiar solar zodiac, but instead take their cadence from the more mysterious lunar zodiac, divided into 3 groups of 9 signs. Each one of the 9 astrological planets “owns” one of the lunar mansions in each group. The order of the cycles is:

• Ketu
• Venus
• Sun
• Moon
• Mars
• Rahu
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Mercury

The First Cycle in your life always belongs to the planet who owns the lunar mansion occupied by the moon when you were born. So if the Moon was in a lunar mansion owned by Venus when you were born, the first dasha era in your life would belong to the Venus, followed by the Sun, then the Moon, Mars, etc.

Each cycle has a specific duration of time – thus defining the borders of eras in your life.

• Ketu for 7 years
• Venus for 20
• Sun for 6
• Moon, 10
• Mars, 7
• Rahu, 18
• Jupiter, 16
• Saturn, 19
• Mercury, 17 years

The distance that the Moon had traveled into the mansion she occupied when you were born equates to the amount of your first life cycle that will have already elapsed before you were born. So if you were born when the moon was halfway through a mansion owned by Venus, you would have half of her normal cycle left (which would be 10 years) before you moved on to the Sun cycle, etc.

All the promises indicated in your birth chart can only be fulfilled under the right conditions – when the time is right. The dasha cycles will reveal to an astrologer who knows how to interpret them, in connection with the ongoing planetary movements called transits - exactly when and if those right times will happen.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com