12th lord in the 2nd house – Humility is the Root of All Happiness.

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In the ancient classic of Vedic astrology, Parashara Muni writes:

“Lord of dissolution (12th house) in the house of wealth (2nd house): always spending money on good deeds; moral; sweetly spoken; virtuous and happy.”

This information does nothing if not underscore the extreme importance of humility as the fundamental good quality in life, and the most essential key to positive growth. In the Vedic opinion (which you can see plainly stated by Sri Krsna in Bhagavad Gita 13.8-12) Humility is the foundation of all virtue and all realization. The 12th is the house of dissolution – specifically the dissolution of the various components which support a false sense of ego. Thus it is the house of humility.

The 2nd is the house of things which support and nourish us. Thus the lord of humility in the house of support creates a symbol stating that humility is a key factor in what brings us strength, success, support, etc. This is why the images presented in the quote above are all so positive, something very usual for images ascribed to the 12th lord by classical Vedic authors.

Spending on good: The 12th is the house of expenses, and the 2nd is the house of economic stability and foundations. Therefore the 12th lord in the 2nd house indicates that there is a lot of expense. That’s why the image by the author says “always spending.” But the full image is “always spending on good deeds.” This is because of the positive influence of humility. Humility decreases our self importance and increases our perception of the importance of others. This causes us to be more and more willing to spend our own resources, money, and energy to benefit others. This is the Vedic definition of a good deed. In short this placement increases our charitable nature.

Morality and virtue: As I mentioned earlier, Vedic knowledge identifies humility as the foundation of all morality and virtue. Because the 12th lord in the 2nd house increases our humility, it therefore also increases our access to virtue and morality.

Sweetly spoken: The 2nd is the house of what comes in and out of our mouths. The 12th is the house of humility. Thus the 12th lord in the 2nd house causes our speech to be less proud, less self-serving, more tuned in to the needs and feelings of others, more humble and sweet.

Happy: We wrongly thing that accomplishing our own ambitions and desires will bring about happiness. Vedic philosophy, however, gradually convinces us that the more we become humble the more we can concern ourselves with the needs of others, and the less with our own selfish desires. The more we concern ourselves thusly, the more moral and virtuous we become – for selflessness is the definition of morality and virtue. The more we are moral and virtuous the more we engage in good deeds meant to help others. The more we engage in good deeds the better karma we create for ourselves, and thus the more happiness we enjoy. Thus the 12th lord in the 2nd house increases our ability to be happy as a result of being humble and caring for the needs of others.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

“Weak and Surrounded by Enemies” – Sri Krishna and the 1st lord in the 6th house.

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Bodily happiness: The 1st is the house of the physical body. The 6th is the house of illness and obstacles. The 1st lord in the 6th house thus forms a symbol of the physical body surrounded by illness. This placement decreases the extent to which our bodies are strong and unburdened, and therefore can enjoy sensual and physical happiness.

This image is subject to the influence of surrounding astrological conditions. Of course, all symbolic images are, but this one is particularly so. The incarnation of the Vedic Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, was born with the 1st lord in the 6th house. He of course enjoyed the highest happiness and health. However it is a fact that the “body” of Godhead is a transcendental substance, not a physical object. Therefore it is noteworthy that this astrological position reveals the non-material, non-physical nature of the enjoyments Krishna displayed during his time on earth. Besides this spiritual point, it also illustrates astrological principles. The 1st lord of Sri Krishna was in the 6th house in an exceedingly elevated “raja yoga” – thus the 1st lord in the 6th house under positive conditions brings a result opposite to what the image suggestion. In other words, the image suggested by the author is the “stock” image related to the condition in isolation of other factors. If the other factors are good, the stock image takes a positive permutation, and visa versa. Krishna is an example of this. His 1st lord in the 6th house in one sense shows that he was completely untouched by physical pleasures; but because that 1st lord was in such a positive condition it contributed to his enjoying life on an unparalleled, transcendental level.

Enemies: The 1st is the house of the self, the 6th is the house of enemies. So the 1st lord in the 6th creates the symbol of the self feeling surrounded by enemies, troubles, worries, difficulties, detractors, and obstacles.

Again, the 1st lord in the 6th is very sensitive to surrounding conditions. Sri Krishna, for example, was constantly surrounded by enemies from the moment of his birth till the end of his life. But because the situations surrounding this 1st lord were so strong and positive, the outcome contributed to Krishna’s ability to very thoroughly and almost effortlessly crush each and every one of those relentlessly approaching enemies. The lesson here is that the 1st lord in the 6th house brings many challenges to us, but challenges are opportunities to become powerful and great. With some good influence on our 1st lord and with some good volition and determination on our part, the 1st lord in the 6th can make us conquer a host of enemies and rise about a field of obstacles.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Self-Realization and Inner Peace (8th lord in the 4th house)

In the course of working on my new readings, I have been explaining the nature of the 8th lord in the 4th house according to the imagery provided to us by the Vedic seers. The explanation of how this placement affects self-realization and inner peace is something I feel worth sharing. The original author tries to explain it with reference to an image of someone “without happiness”…

Without happiness: Since the 4th house represents our inner heart, it concerns contentment and inner peace. This is the type of happiness that the 8th lord brings a shroud over. It becomes more difficult to clearly perceive what would really make us happy. Without knowing this, it is nearly impossible to find true peace. In your favor, the combination facilitates the ability for spirituality, and occult to reveal the nature of your inner self. Many people without this combination find it easier to be “in touch with themselves” and thus experience contentment and peace. But in truth the “self” they are in touch with is an illusion of the self based on temporary and ever changing identifications with a species, gender, race, nation, family, etc. Thus in the big picture their so-called peace will only bring them calamity as the hands of the clock march unstoppably towards the anihilation of everything they consider themselves to be “in touch with.” The great thing about the 8th lord in the 4th house is that it allows us to conceive of our inner self in a way that others are simply blind to. It will help you see the inner self that is invisible to common people. Basing your self-identity on this deeper vision of reality, the peace you can eventually find via mastery of your 8th lord will never be lost even after the death of everything people commonly mistake to be themselves.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

The Inner Self – Fourth House

“The Fourth House”

vaahanaanyatha bandhoosh cha
maatRi-saukhyaadikaany-api
nidhi kShetraM gRihaM chaapi
chaturthat parichintayet

vaahana – vehicles; anyatha - in another way; bandhoosh - relatives, friends, connections, ties, relations; cha - and; maatRi – mothers; saukhya-adikaani – welfare, comfort, health, happiness, felicity, enjoyment; api – even; nidhi - treasure, devote, entrust, commit, deposit, preserve, burry; kShetraM - fields, land; gRihaM - home; cha – and; api – even;  chaturthat – the fourth; parichintayet – apply cognition from all angles.

TRANSLATION

Apply your thought to the Fourth House, it shows: What one treasures, protects and is devoted to; One’s mothers and their effect, including how they enabled one to experience emotional welfare, comfort, health and happiness. It shows how one relates to land and one’s home; and shows one’s ties to relatives and friends. From another angle, it can also reveal the vehicles one possesses.

COMMENTARY

By now we have studied the two horizons, East and West – their houses, 1^st and 7^th – and the two houses below each (2^nd and 6^th) as well as the two houses above each (12^th and 8^th). We have thus come to the end of our study of the two horizons and their surrounding areas. Now we turn our attention to the sky above and sky below. We start with the Fourth House, the sky that is directly below the ground.

Treasure (Nidhi)

This is the central, most important word defining the Fourth House. Today we put our treasure into banks, safes and vaults. In days gone by this was done by burring treasure underground. The Fourth House is below the ground – therefore it reveals what you bury there – your treasures. Today this translates into what you put into your savings accounts and safety deposit boxes.

This however, is a very materialistic and superficial understanding of the word “treasure.” Any fan of Sanskrit literature will find many romantic and devotional books which use this word (nidhi) in their title to indicate devotion, commitment, and entrusting. As in, “I entrust my heart to you.” And “I treasure you, my dear!”

The Fourth House truly reveals what one is devoted to and how one experiences devotion to others. Being the deepest house below the ground, it is completely hidden from public view. It shows what we treasure within our most private heart of hearts.

It is also the house which reveals one’s spiritual connection to the mystical path of devotion as a vehicle and goal of self-realization (bhakti-marga).

Mothers (Matri)

After “treasure” the next most crucial word defining the Fourth House is “Mother’s.” The Fourth House is hidden from view, under the ground. The Mother traditionally is hidden from the public and nurtures the children from within the privacy of the home. The Fourth House, being so hidden, is therefore the most private area of the chart. Traditionally there is nothing more dear to a person’s heart than his or her mother. Our mothers hold a special place within our most private inner beings. This is why the Fourth House reveals one’s experience of and attitude towards mothers.

I purposely use the plural form here, “mothers” and not the singular “mother” as that is the intention of the Sanskrit – the culture of which declares that we all have seven mothers: (1) The biological mother, (2) the teacher’s wife, (3) the philosopher’s wife, (4) the queen, (5) the cow, (6) the nurse or babysitters, (7) the earth. Obviously these are highly culture-specific in their detail, but it makes the point that the Fourth House does not only show one’s biological mother but all mother figures in one’s life.

Happiness (Saukhya)

The author, Parashara, extends the concept of mothers using the word “api” to indicate that the Fourth House includes not only one’s mothers but also the effect of one’s mothers. What is the effect of a mother? Her private caring and nurturing and love enables us to have emotional welfare, mental health, and true happiness and comfort.

Being that this is the house hidden from public view – it tells you about the inner person and the conditions of their inner, private life.

As an aside, the Fourth House teaches us that mother figures are the most important people for the general mental health and inner happiness of human society.

Ties to Relatives (Bandhoo)

Since this house deals with our inner private emotions, it reveals the nature of our attachments (bandha). It shows how much we are attached to the emotional comforts of home, relatives, friends, and the like.

Land and Home (Kshetram Griham)

Now we move into some more ancillary themes of the Fourth House. Since it is the sky that is directly below us, under the ground, it pertains to the ground itself, the dirt, the earth – actual land that we own and use for farming or development.

Since this part of the sky is private and hidden in reveals where we go to separate ourselves from the public eye and enter a more private space: the actual house that we live in.

As a side note, the Seventh House, which is the fourth house from the Fourth House, shows the most private place in the privacy of the home – one’s bedroom.

Vehicles (Vaahana)

Finally, on a tangent (“anyatha”) the author notes that one can also discover the nature of the vehicles one utilized by examining the Fourth House. This is because we sit upon Vehicles and they hold us up and carry us about. The Fourth House is below the ground which is holds us up and carries us.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

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