Vedic Psychology considers the emotional universe to be made of three building blocks. This is very similar to the theory of color, in which the infinite spectrum of colors is a result of combining just three primary ones, usually red, green and blue. This similarity between the three building blocks of Vedic Psychology and the three primary colors is a useful analogy.
The three building blocks are:
Sattva: Clarity or Lucidity. It is analogous to pure bright green.
Rajas: Passion. Analogous to red.
Tamas: Darkness. Like a pure, deep blue.
Nothing is less useful than prejudice so let me begin by stressing that none of these three is inherently good or bad. Each have good and bad results and application. Each is useful in its own way. There is, however, a certain balance in a healthy mental state which arises when clarity becomes the primary force in our minds, and acts are the director of the other two, passion and darkness.
From passion comes creativity. If a person only has clarity – they will never do anything about what they clearly know! They will never create any result. From darkness comes destruction. Before a person can create something based on clear knowledge, they must first destroy pre-existing misconceptions which obstruct that new creation. So without darkeness both clarity and passion are crippled.
Hopefully this illustrates how all three are interdependent and no single factor is inherently good or bad.
Below is a table to help you understand, at a glance, the main effects of each mode. This information comes from the 14th chapter of Bhagavad-Gita.
Clarity
Passion
Darkness
Main Trait
Illuminating
Activating
Ignoring
Immediate Effect
Knowledge
Action
Rest
End Result
Happiness
Excessive Work
Ignorance
Characteristic
Clarity of Perception
Strong Motivations
Depression
The mode of clarity allows us to shine light upon things and thus see them clearly and understanding. Therefore it is “illuminating.” Once we have seen things clearly we should make plans and act upon our knowledge. Thus passion plays it’s positive role. To act correctly we must ignore incorrect things and we must also take time to rest and recuperate. This is the positive role of darkness.
This is the description of a mentally and emotionally healthy person – all the modes are working together under the guidance of clarity.
However, more often than not, our modes are out of balance. You can tell which mode is out of balance in a person by observing the adverse effect. If you see they are too interested in just being happy and having a peaceful life without responsibilities – there is something wrong with their clarity. If you see that they are working constantly and are pushed powerfully by their desires – you know there is an imbalance of passion. If you observe that they are oblivious to reality, and are unconcerned – simply wanting to sleep and dream or be intoxicated, their depression is clearly a result of a imbalance in the mode of darkness.
In a forthcoming article I will enumerate treatments.
In a previous article (Psychology of Vedic Astrology) I introduced the psychological underpinnings available in Vedic Astro-Psychology. Now, in this article, I want to show you just how rich these three basic building blocks become when you consider all their layers.
Please do have a look at the previous article first if you havent already, especially if you are not familiar with the three “modes” (gunas) of Vedic psychology – sattva or clarity, rajas or drive & passion, and tamas or solidity and darkness.
What you see in the first illustration is the complete circle of the sky in it’s three major divisions – the 12 solar signs, 27 lunar mansions and 108 navamshas uniting the two. If you are unfamiliar with these you can also review my articles on them (starting with Variations in a Single Sign and continuing in Differences Within a Single Sign (Part II)).
Modes of the 12 Signs
Each one of the 12 signs is connected to a specific psychological mode. You can see that they form a sensible pattern, as well. The signs of Venus and Mars carry the mode of passion (rajas). The signs of the Luminaries (Sun & Moon) and Jupiter carry the mode of clarity (sattva). And the signs of Saturn and Mercury carry the mode of solidity and darkness (tamas). This information is given in ancient astrological texts, such as the essential Brihat Parashara Hora, Chapter 4.
This is the only the first factor, however. There are many more things to consider which will create a very rich and complex understanding of the psychological nature of the various portions of the sky. From the picture we have now, it merely appears that Pisces, Sagittarius, Cancer and Leo are all equal, for example. We will learn that although they are all fundamentally sattvic or signs of clarity there is in fact a lot of gradation between them, and even within each of them.
Modality Imparted by "Modality"
As is very common knowledge, the astrological signs posses one of there types of “growth patterns” or “movement tendencies.” In English we call these cardinal, fixed, or dual. “Cardinal” means the tendency is to roam far and wide. “Fixed” means that the tendency is to stay rooted in one place. “Dual” indicates a proclivity to be multi-fasceted (or “multi-fascinated”!)
It is very easy to correlate these to the three modes of Vedic Psychology, and that is probably why this has been taught to students of that system for many, many, many years – although we are not personally sure if it has a direct scriptural basis. In any case I find it very reasonable and useful, so I include it here.
If you look at the two diagrams closely you will come to a question. For example, the first diagram shows Taurus as a red sign, a passion sign – rajas. But the second diagram shows Taurus as a blue sign, a solidity and darkness sign – tamas. Which is right?
This might really be the very first lesson one should be taught in astrology: not to ask which is right, but to ask how both things coexist!
Composite of the Rashis and the Gunas
In the diagram here, I have overlaid the previous two and it starts to make very good sense how the two of the previous descriptions coexist. Looking at this you see only a few of the original primary colors remain, the rest have become secondary colors. The primary colors remain green in Jupiter’s signs, Pisces and Sagittarius – these are still entirely sattvic areas of the sky – places connected to clarity. Primary red continues to exist only in one of Mars’ signs, Aries, and one of Venus’ signs, Libra. These two remain entirely rajasic in nature – places of intense drive and passion. Only one sign remains entirely blue, Saturn’s aquarius. This is the only sign in the zodiac which fully embraces the tamasic nature, the mode of darkness and solidity.
The rest have become hybrids, secondary colors, gradations. Leo and Cancer for example, started out pure green sattva. But now they have blended with their modal influence and have become less of an entirely sattvic place, In Cancer the green blends with red, producing brown – indicating a sign in which clarity is mixed with drive and passion. In Leo green mixed with blue to produce a teal – reflecting a sign in which clarity is mixed with solidity. Taurus and Scorpio mixed their original red color with the blueness of their fixed nature, and we have purple, an attractive color of solid, deep passions. Gemini and Virgo mixed their original blue with the green of their dual nature and thus became more verdant looking – reflecting signs in which clarity has a practical and solid application. Capricorn is a unique magenta resulting from blending itself original blue with the redness of its cardinal modality. This accurately reflects a sign which pursues solidity and rigidity with a tenacious passion.
Modes of the Planetary Ownerships
It is getting richer but we are far from finished! It is going to get far richer still!
Here is a diagram of the Vedic Psychological modes possessed by the planets who own the various signs. Mercury and Venus are have passionate, enjoyment oriented personalities – their signs are tinted red as a result. Mars and Saturn have dark, strong, angry natures – their signs are tinted blue therefore. And the Luminaries and Jupiter are concerned with clarity of perception – their signs therefore tint with the green of sattva. Again you can see it forms a sensible pattern, and this information also has thorough scriptural basis (BPHS Ch.3).
So let’s see what happens when we add this as a third overlay, on top of our previous overlay!
composite of all three factors
Now we are really getting a rich and accurate picture of the full spectrum of psychological qualities in the sky. If you know about color theory you know that brown is a mixture of all the colors. Finding the brown signs you see they are Gemini and Virgo – which belong both to Mercury. Mercury is well known as the most neutral and balanced of all the planets by far – and so are his signs, when all is said and done, the most balanced and equal of all the signs in the zodiac – carrying equal portions of each of the three psychologies. You see that Scorpio and Capricorn have a common purple – both being signs in which passion and darkness / mystique blend dangerously but powerfully. You see Jupiter’s signs outstanding as places of truly pure clarity. Actually “a picture paints a thousand words” so feast your eyes.
This is a fairly complete depiction of the psychological modalities in the zodiac, but there are variations even within a single sign. Lets consider some of the factors which create this.
Psychological Modes of the Lunar Mansions
In this diagram you see the 27 lunar mansions – each of which posses a specific psychological mode. This information may have a more ancient origin, but personally I cite Light on Life by Heart de Fouw (a book very widely accepted as thoroughly authoritative) as the source of this data. It is sensible as there is a clear pattern your eye will easily detect.
You can click these graphics to enlarge them if you wish.
The pattern is that passionate nakshatras (the Vedic term for “lunar mansion) always come in groups of three, they are always followed by a group of two dark nakshatras, and then a checkerboard of dark and clear nakshatras. Again the picture itself probably says more than my words describing it.
Lunar mansions do not exist in a vacuum. They co-exist with the solar signs (united by the navamsha). So let us overlay this on the solar composite and see what we can see.
Effect of Lunar Mansions
Again, the picture says things better and more succinctly than my words. But let me point out a few things that are really striking to me. You will see in Piesces that there are two places of absolutely cleargreen sattva and that this brightness of sattva exists nowhere else to such a pristine degree. You will also see that some areas of Cancer are more sattvic (clear) than others. You will also see that in the passionate signs of Aries and Taurus there is a stretch of lunar mansion bridging the two which is far more passionate than most any other place in the zodiac, even more passionate than any place in the bright red Libra.
This is really a fantastic image, holding so much rich information.
We could, and will, go a step further and consider the navamsha signs. We will assign to these their primary gunas as depicted in the second illustration in this article.
Full Composite
Overlaying this we get some wonderful information. This illustration describes the exact nature of each point in the zodiac, in divisions 3º20′ wide! Look at the varieties of colors along the outside edge of the wheel – where “all things are considered.” This shows you, visually, the variation of influences which occur in the zodiac. Careful contemplation on this image is a must because so much data is encoded visually into the colors! You should enlarge and download it.
A few things stand out – the navamshas of Cancer, Sagittarius and Pisces within the main sign of Pisces, for example are very brightly green (sattva). We see the runner ups are the same navamshas found in Cancer! Cancer has really made a “come back” and proven to have some specific spots in it which are highly clarity oriented!
The blues in Aquarius and purples in Capricorn attract the eye, of course, but we find some other stand out cases of tamas in the Virgo navamsha within Scorpio and even in the Gemini navamsha within Leo (a most unexpected place, no!?)
Next, consider the planets!
As we showed in the 5th illustration in this article, each planet has a guna as well. Jupiter, for example, possesses the mode of clarity (sattva). When Jupiter (or another sattva planet: Sun or Moon) enters into the more bright green sections on the outer rim of the zodiac wheel – the quality of clarity there will really light up and come to life. For example, Jupiter in the Sagittarius navamsha of Pisces (a very likely location of Jupiter when Sri Krishna was born, for example). Satrun in the middle portion of Aquarius is another example where the “blueness” of that tamas will really light up as a result of the blue tamas of that portion of the sky combining with the tamas of Saturn.
In short you could make another square for each planet, the size of each compartment in the outer ring of the final diagram. Color that square with the color of the psycholog possessed by that planet – and then play with moving that square over the outer rim of the chart – the planet’s color will interact with the charts color and produce, sometimes, very striking results – and this is why certain planets become very striking and powerful when they occupy certain very specific points in the sky!
Psychology is the study of the inner modes of a person’s experience of life. Vedic Wisdom identifies three different modes of psychology:
Sattva – The primary characteristic of this mode is clarity. This mode influences people to think clearly and calmly, “level headed”. It enables us to experience life more objectively, seeing things for what they are.
Rajas - The primary characteristic here is passion. Passion colors the clarity of the previous mode, sattva. “See the world through rose colored glasses.” This popular saying points to a person whose emotions influence the way they experience life. Rajas is not objective or level headed, it is passionate and ambitious. It lacks patience, but has tons of drive and power. It is the fuel of creativity.
Tamas - When the coloration becomes very thick, it becomes a cloud and creates darkness, the keyword to describe this psychological mode. This is the psychological night. It brings calmness and sleep. Relaxation. It is slow, but deep and heavy. It is very strong, so when it becomes linked with anger, destruction occurs.
I feel it is very important to eradicate the implied value judgements from the outset. May people who acquaint themselves with these Vedic psychological principles assume that clarity is better than passion, and darkness is worst of all. This is wrong.
All the modes have their important uses. Without tamas you could not sleep, for example, and you would die. Without Rajas you would not wake up in the morning. Without sattva you would just chase your passions everywhere, leading to tears in the mode of darkness. So you see, all three modes are interdependent. A lot like “Rock, Paper, Scissors” – each of the three has it’s uses as well as it’s faults.
That said, we have to acknowledge that Sattva is the ideal leader of the other modes. When a person allows the mode of clarity to lead and direct their passions and their relaxations, then this person truly enjoys long term happiness and success.
These three psychological modes almost never exist in a pure and pristine form. You rarely if ever will encounter anyone or anything which is purely and exclusively in any one of these three modes. Rather you will find infinite blends of the three. The color theory is very helpful to consider here. Think of Sattva as yellow, Rajas as red, and Tamas as Blue. These are the three primary colors. Combination of these three in different proportions results in the infinite colors of the spectrum.
Every individual you meet, every situation you are in, is a unique blend of these three primary colors – creating a unique experience in the spectrum of life.
Implications
Much like how vedic medicine (Ayurveda) defines “health” as a balance between the three principles – circulation (Vata), metabolism (Pitta), and structure (Kapha) – similarly vedic psychology defines “mental health” as the proper balance between the three modes: clarity, passion, and darkness.
However what is very important to achieve psychological health is to allow sattva - the mode of clarity – to take the role of leadership and guidance in your life. Your clear thinking will give proper direction to both your desires to succeed and your desires to relax. To put it succinctly, proper “balance” is not sustained until the mode of clarity is allowed to direct the other two modes.
It is a long, enjoyable, and gradual process for a person to learn to give his or her sattva the steering wheel. The vedic psychologist acts as a guide for this.
A vedic psychologist will assess the modality of a persons’s psyche. They will determine the current combinations of the three modes, and identifying that, will advise the individual which modes are out of balance with the other modes. Each individual will have a somewhat unique way of achieving the balance – and this is where the psychologist becomes a true artist.
Additional Reading
To benefit from vedic psychology, your psychologist must very deeply understand the three modes and their implications and connections. To give such understanding here in a single article is beyond the scope here. But I will point you towards the 14th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita as an excellent starting point.
Assesment
There are various means of assessing the inherent balance or imbalance in a persons’s psyche. Vedic medicine is very linked to vedic astrology, and so to is vedic psychology. We utilize astrology as both a diagnostic tool as well as a guide to the appropriate therapeutics.
Each planet and sign has a psychological mode. By “sign” we mean the 12 zodiac signs everyone is familiar with – Aries, Taurus, Gemini, etc. But we also mean the 27 signs of the lunar zodiac, with which most modern westerners are not acquainted. I will list them here.
Planets and Signs
The agents of clarity (sattva) are
The Sun, Moon and Jupiter
Cancer, Leo, Sagittarius and Pisces
The dvi-svabhava (dual) natured signs – Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces. (Thus Sagittarius and Pisces are thoroughly sattvic, while Gemini and Virgo are partially so)
The agents of passion (rajas) are
Venus and Mercury
Aries, Taurus, Libra, & Scorpio
The chara (cardinal) natured signs – Aries, Cancer, Libra & Capricorn (thus Aries and Libra are thoroughly rajasic while Cancer and Capricorn have this quality blended with another)
The agents of darkness (tamas) are
Saturn, Mars and the two Nodes (Rahu & Ketu)
Gemini, Virgo, Capricorn, and Aquarius
The sthira (fixed) natured signs – Taurus, Leo, Scorpio & Aquarius (thus Aquarius is purely tamasic whilethe others are hybrids)
Lunar Signs
The modes of the lunar signs are more detailed and rich. Each lunar sign has three layers of modality. The deepest layer describes the core interest of the sign, the middle layer describes the flavor of that interest, and the outer layer describe how it visibly acts.
The first 9 nakshatras (lunar mansions) – the ones falling within Aries to Cancer – all have passion as their root interest. They want to create! The next 9, falling between Leo and Scorpio, all have darkness as their core interest. They want depth and strength. The final 9, falling between Sagittarius and Pisces, all have clarity as their root interest. They want to understand things for what they really are.
Within each group of 9 are subdivisions of 3. The first 3 have passion as their second layer, flavoring the way they pursue their core interest. The next three have darkness, and the final three have clarity.
Finally, each lunar mansion has it’s own modality on it’s outermost layer. The pattern repreats starting at the first lunar mansion with passion, the next being dark on it’s outer layer, the third being clear. And so on through all 27.
How to Interpret
You should evaluate two factors:
The Ascendant (this means including the condition of the Ascendant Lord)
The Moon
Obviously, the Ascendant will describe the psychological modalities which tangibly manifest themselves in the natives practical world – their habits of eating, sleeping, being clean, being punctual, etc. etc. The Moon, on the other hand will describe the modalities which affect the way the patient thinks and feels.
First asses the Lunar Mansions, because they are so rich in information all by themselves. My ascendant is in Uttara-Ashada. This lunar mansion is sattva at the core, rajas in the flavor, and sattva in it’s manifest expression. As you would expect I am very concerned with having a tidy, neat, orderly living environment – I live according to schedules and checklists, etc. And I do it all with a passionate flavor.
The the Lord of my Ascendant is in the lunar mansion called Krittika. This one is rajasic in it’s core and flavor, but sattvic in its outer way of going about things. So you find a rather pure blend of clarity in my outer layers. So you know that I go about my daily practicalities in a most methodical and organized fashion. The flavor of it all (2nd layer) is purely passionate – so you know I am very passionate about it. I get disturbed and upset when my organization and clarity is infringed upon. My root nature is a blend of sattva & rajas – so from this you can safely infer that the reason why I am passionate about being organized, etc. is because I feel that it will help me fulfill my passions to know things clearly for what they really are.
Looking at my Moon – she is in Rohini – which is a lunar mansion that is rajasic at its core, tamasic in flavor and rajasic again in how it appears on the surface. Sure enough my mind is very creative and passionate – and I have a sort of dark, deep, and inflexible flavor about it. Because it is rajasic on the outer level as well as the inner level it is obvious to people that I am passionate emotionally and creatively, and that is just the obvious way my mind works.
Other Techniques
As you see, merely consulting the lunar mansions alone gives you a whole lot of very accurate information. But if you are good at astrology you can go further. Here is an outline.
What are the signs that the Ascendant occupies, in the birth chart, in the navamsha, and in the drekkan? Consider the modal nature of those signs.
What planets conjoin the Ascendant in the first house – what modalities to they contribute?
What planets aspect the Ascendant, and how strongly to they do so? Consider the modal nature of those planets
What planets are in the 10th House?
In the 4th House?
Weight these with descending strength, moderately.
Repeat the process for the Ascendant Lord (for simplicity you can omit steps 4 and 5 here) – blend the two together, the values you have ascertained for the Ascendant and the values you ascertained for the Ascendant Lord.
Repeat the process, all 5 steps, for the Moon. (So step 4 means, what planets are in the 10th sign from the Moon? etc.)
Consider the scores you arrive at in this way alongside what the lunar mansions told you on their own.
Now you have a good psychological profile for the person whose chart you are evaluating. This is where the science sort of fades out and the art and skill fades in – now you need to help the person achieve their optimal balance based on what you have just assessed as their psychological starting point.
Vic DiCara clearly explains the psychology of identity – organizing our identity layers into 3 major categories: physical, emotional and ideological, and correlating those categories to 3 astrological focal points: the Ascendant, Moon, and Sun. He then illustrates how to interpret the effects of these three points on an individual’s identity – using the chart of the Hindu Godhead, Sri Krishna as a practical illustration.
This episode will be fascinating to those interested either in Astrology or in getting an “insider’s view” of the famous and controversial Krishna. Those interested in both topics will find themselves completely engrossed and delighted!
Part 2
Script
LAYERS OF PAPER IN FRONT OF LIGHT, MOVING OFF ONE BY ONE
VOICEOVER
Identity… What is “Identity?”
We build an idea of ourself as the light of our conscious being filters through all the layers of concepts we hold about who we are.
SEATED
VIC
Boy or girl? Young or old? Rich or poor? Black or white? Catholic or Protestant or Muslim or Hindu?
These are all layers of sediment that we have accumulated around the core of who we really are. What happens when we look inwards and ask “who am I” – consciously or not – what we wind up seeing all these layers.
There are infinite paper thin layers surrounding the true core of who we are, and forming our conventional “identity.” But we can group all of them into three distinct categories.
FLASH PHOTOS PERTAINING TO THE THINGS MENTIONED IN THE DIALOG, THEN RESOLVE TO A GRAPHIC OF THE “ASC”
VOICEOVER
First of all, we have the physical category – Race, gender, social class, income bracket, fashion choices, these primarily fall into the PHYSICAL category of identity filters.
The Ascendant is the astrological factor holding jurisdiction over this physical category of identity.
PICKING OUT DVDS OF OBLIVION, LORD OF THE RINGS, DOCTOR WHO, UNIQUA.
VIC
Then there are deeper layers… created by our preferences: – our favorite games, movies, tv shows, & music… our subjective opinions on things like these form the basis for our emotional experience of life.
LONG TRANSITION RESOLVES TO GLYPH GRAPHIC OF MOON.
VOICEOVER
All the layers in the emotional category of identity are under the astrological jurisdiction of the Moon.
MONTAGE OF PRABHUPADA, EINSTEIN, MARTIN LUTHER… RESOLVE TO GLYPH GRAPHIC OF THE SUN
VOICEOVER
Still deeper down, very close to our core awareness itself, are the very subtle layers of ideological conviction. Our moral outlook, religious viewpoints, political stances… these are examples of the layers composing the ideological category of identity – which is primarily the jurisdiction of the Sun.
SEATED
VIC
One of the most common and important functions of modern astrology is to improve our awareness and understanding of who we really are, our truer identity. By interpreting the Ascendant, Moon and Sun we can understand the conditions of the physical, emotional and ideological layers of who we consider ourselves to be.
VIC
Let’s see this in action, using the fascinating horoscope of Sri Krishna, which I introduced you to in the previous episode of this show.
FILM THE CHART, I WILL POINT TO VARIOUS THINGS IN IT AS I GO ALONG
VIC – OFFSCREEN
What immediately grabs your attention in Krishna’s chart is that he was born just as the Moon was rising. Therefore his Moon and Ascendant are under nearly identical astrological conditions.
Persons born with the Moon rising (not just in the first house, but very close to the ascendant) are going to find that the emotional layers of their being are unified and melded with their physical identity. Their emotions will have a huge impact on their health, looks, etc. And similarly their physical surroundings will have a deep emotional impact on them.
Krishna was born with an exalted Taurus Moon rising. This is a very significant reason why the results of this physio-emotional oneness were overwhelmingly positive for him.
AT DESK
VIC
Actually, this is beginning to point to a crucial point of Vedic philosophy: advaiy jnana tattva – the non-duality of godhead. Vedic philosophy states that all the layers of identity become perfectly unified and fused in the enlightened state. Krishna, who Vedic tradition holds to be an incarnation of godhead, does not inhabit a physical body, but Godhead manifests a form which physical senses can perceive, but which is non-different from his inner being.
FILMING THE CHART ITSELF
VIC – OFFSCREEN
Thus, Krishna appeared exactly when the Moon was rising – to manifest a birth in which the physical layers of identity (the Ascendant) are in perfect unity with the emotional layers of his identity (the Moon).
SEATED
VIC
Let’s look at some of the things that will shape the nature of the unified physical and emotional layers of identify in this horoscope of Krishna’s – as an example to help you understand this process of interpretation.
FILM CHART
Planets in conjunction with the focal points of identity will have strong effects. The Moon conjoins Krishna’s ascendant. This tells you that he identified himself as a beautiful, charming, mystical, and creative fellow. In fact the exaltation of the Moon is a strong initial hint that Krishna’s opinions of himself were dead on the money.
Another planet in the first house of this chart is ketu.
AT DESK
VIC
Ketu is a wormhole taking the tangible realities of the empiric world and bridging them directly to the metaphysical realities of the occult world. In this horoscope we see Ketu conjoining both the Moon and Ascendant. This indicates a person whose physical and emotional self is inexplicably tied into the infra-subconscious metaphysical world.
The identical Moon and Ascendant in this chart hint loudly that we have a person with a highly unified body and mind, but Ketu takes it one step further and reveals that both the body and mind of this native are directly linked to occult reality. Krishna’s physical and mental self is a tangible expression of a spiritual, occult reality. Krishna’s mind and body are one, and both of them are manifestations of an occult reality. Thus in godhead there is no duality, even between body and soul.
CLOSEUP OF SANSKRIT DISSOLVING TO A PICTURE OF KRISHNA SPEAKING TO ARJUNA
VOICEOVER
Indeed, the Bhagavad Gita portrays Krishna himself explaining this in a very straightforward way: avajananti mam mudha, manushim tanum ashrita, param bhavam ajananto mama bhuta-maheshvaram.
“Fools who don’t really know me say that I have taken birth in a body. They don’t realize that my very nature is occult, transcendental, and in complete mastery of all the layers of material existence.”
SEATED
VIC
The conditions of the planet who owns the sign occupied by one of the focal points of identity will also tell you a lot. For example, in this chart the Ascendant and Moon occupy Taurus, which belongs to Venus – who was in the 6th House of the sky when the native was born.
We explored the implications of this placement in detail in the previous episode. So now let’s move on.
CHART
VIC
The Sun controls the deepest ideological layers of our identity. In this chart, the Sun occupies the The 4th House – the deepest part of the sky, governing the deeper, more private aspects of our life. It is, by its very nature, the Moon’s domain.
In Krishna’s horoscope the Moon’s domain is occupied by the Sun. This adds momentum to the theme of Krishna’s unified identity by indicating oneness between the Sun and Moon. It unifies the ideological layers of the native’s identity with his emotional layers… which have already been unified with the physical layers, and which are all tied to transcendence by way of Ketu.
SEATED
VIC
The Sun is in his own sign, Leo in this 4th House. Leo’s influence hints that Krishna’s ideological moralities are highly autocratic. That Leo is the 4th House in this chart is a significant reason that Krishna’s self-determined morality was so deep a feature in him, deeply embedded within many of the fascinating and unconventional events of his life.
SEATED
VIC
If we are to summarize our evaluation of the three layers of identity in this example chart, we would say that the three of them are unified around the Moon. So, let’s take another look at that Moon.
YUNIKA’S FOOTAGE OF ESCONDIDO MOON
VOICEOVER
The Moon is the ruler of the mysterious night, the subjective realm of intangible shapes and elusive feelings. This specific Moon in this chart is exalted and strong not just in the obvious zodiac sign of Taurus, but also in 4 out of 10 of the harmonic divisions of his exact position. The extreme prominence of this Moon is indicative of the opinion held by many that Krishna is not even an common incarnation of Godhead, but the most mysterious and esoteric of all beings.
GORGEOUS PICTURES OF KRISHNA
VOICEOVER
The Moon is the most charming and beautiful of any heavenly body. To have this Moon so super-excellently adorning the First House and Ascendant indicates a person’s whose physical appearance possesses unparalleled beauty and charm of a highly mystical magnetism.
DESK
Pulling BRS off shelf
VIC
In fact Krishna is so strongly associated with the Moon that the greatest of India’s medieval poets, Sri Rupa Goswami, wrote a poem about Krishna in which every word has a double meaning identically suitable to Krishna and the Moon alike.
KRISHNA MONTAGE
VOICEOVER
(read verse 1.1.1)
AT DESK
VIC
The Moon in Krishna’s chart wants to tell us a very elevated and hidden secret: that the deepest nature of Godhead is not one of power, majesty, and grandeur, but one of all-attractive charm and beauty. Godhead, like the Moon herself, is the source and ultimate reservoir of all happiness, pleasure and bliss.
We will examine this in more detail, from an astrological perspective, in the next episode.
Vedic Psychology considers the emotional universe to be made of three building blocks. This is very similar to the theory of color, in which the infinite spectrum of colors is a result of combining just three primary ones, usually red, green and blue. This similarity between the three building blocks of Vedic Psychology and the three primary colors is a useful analogy.
Psychology is the study of the inner modes of a person’s experience of life. Vedic Wisdom identifies three different modes of psychology:
These three psychological modes almost never exist in a pure and pristine form. You rarely if ever will encounter anyone or anything which is purely and exclusively in any one of these three modes. Rather you will find infinite blends of the three. The color theory is very helpful to consider here. Think of Sattva as yellow, Rajas as red, and Tamas as Blue. These are the three primary colors. Combination of these three in different proportions results in the infinite colors of the spectrum.
Much like how vedic medicine (Ayurveda) defines “health” as a balance between the three principles – circulation (Vata), metabolism (Pitta), and structure (Kapha) – similarly vedic psychology defines “mental health” as the proper balance between the three modes: clarity, passion, and darkness.
