Vedic Pantheon – and the 1st lord in the 9th house


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In Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, the sage Parashara illustrates the nature of the 1st lord in the 9th house by stating that it inclines one to become a “Vishnu devotee.” I will now explain what he is talking about.

The Vedic pantheon contains many gods. There are two reason why: (1) There are many powers in nature, thus many gods, and (2) There are many different people who need different things from religion. Most of the gods have specific roles, rather like sanctified stores in the shopping mall of religion. If you need x,y,z go to God #34, if you need a,b,c go to God #28, etc. The head among the gods are Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma. Brahma is not quite on the same level as the other two because he, like the other gods, is an ordinary being invested with the power to act as a god. Vishnu and Shiva, on the other hand are directly Godhead. So these two are well known as the cheif Gods of the Vedic pantheon. Shiva has the responsibility of destroying things – ultimately the entire universe; while Vishnu takes charge of preserving the universe and its components.

The 1st lord in the 9th house increases ones interest in being moral, which in some form or another is “religion.” In a sense, the 1st lord in the 9th house – on it’s own, in isolation from other factors in your horoscope – is a symbol of the pinnacle of morality and religiousity. The author illustrates this by pointing specifically to Vishnu specifically because he, following the standard classical Vedic conclusion, considered Vishnu-centered religion the topmost evolution of morality. Why? Because it is the least selfish. After all, selfishness is the antithesis of morality! So it is very logical that the gods whose function is to fulfill desires, etc. are subordinate to the Godhead who is worshipped for the sake of morality alone.

Actually, the author does not merely point to “Vishnu-religion.” He points to a “Vishnu devotee.” This refers specifically to the Vedic spiritual path of bhakti. Bhakti is the root of all spiritual paths because it is the essence of all morality – love.

By illustrating the 1st lord in the 9th house with the image of a Vishnu devotee, the author means to communicate that this placement makes one truly moral, truly religious. It decreases the interest in religious pretention or secterian badge-wearing and increases the interest of being at the heart of what morality and religion really is all about: serving others and loving the divine.

- Vic DiCara

www.vicdicara.com

Spiritual Initiation

Spiritual Initiation

I was initiated into the “Gaudiya Vaishnava” school of the path of esoteric divine love (“Bhakti-yoga“) on Sri Nityananda Trayodashi in Vrindavana India – the thirteenth lunar day of the waxing half of the lunar month called Magha. The year was 1993.

Thus my initiation occurred during my Rahu era, so let’s take a moment to look at Rahu in my chart. She occupies Aquarius, the second house – pertaining to family, wealth, knowledge and support. Rahu here generically implies that one will have radical energy in this area, quite likely radical changes. Indeed, the nature of my Rahu era consisted of extremely radical changes in my levels of wealth, family relations, knowledge, and sources of support.

The Saturn cycle of my Rahu era was in effect during my initiation. You can notice that Saturn is the dispositor of Rahu in my birth chart. I hold it as a principle that major events are more likely to occur when cycles of dispositor and disposited coincide.

Saturn is debilitated in the fourth house of my chart, fundamentally causing me to be detached from material comforts of a domestic nature, and causing me to deeply need to understand my inner self. Clearly these factors play a major role in a person taking initiation on a path of self-realization, which involves heavy doses of renunciation.

Rahu was the subcycle planet at the time of initiation.

Jupiter was the sub-subcycle planet. Jupiter, of course, represents the guide which takes us away from inauspicious things and towards auspicious things. Thus Jupiter manifests all manner of councilors, philosophical paths, religions, priests, teachers, etc. The ultimate manifestation of Jupiter is the guru, from whom one receives initiation on a spiritual path, as I did at this time when Jupiter was active in connection with Saturn (a planet inspiring me to self-realization and material detachment) and Rahu (a planet inspiring me to be revolutionary and radically redefine my family-type associations).

Ketu was the sub-sub-subcycle planet at the time. Ketu is the most spiritual of all the planets, representing the internal pull into the original self.

In the transits at the time the Sun was combusting Saturn and Mercury. The Sun is the original ego, the soul. Combustion occurs when a planet is very close to the Sun and becomes completely obscured by the Sun’s brilliance. The effect is that the energy of the planet becomes directed inward towards spiritual goals. The Sun’s combustion of the cycle lord indicated that the self-realization and domestic detachment Saturn holds in the birth chart would undoubtedly have a spiritual outlet, as is the case in taking spiritual initiation.

This combustion occurred in my first house, identifying it as very prominent.

Jupiter was in my ninth house, the house of the guru and of religion, at the time I received “religious” initiation from my guru.

Rahu was in my eleventh house, allowing me to make a significant gain by this initiation (the eleventh is the house of gains) and also signifying that I would do something radical concerning identification with a social group (the eleventh is the house of social groups). When I became initiated I more or less accepted the concomitant identification with a specific socio-religious group called ISKCON.

Since Rahu was in my eleventh house, Ketu was in my fifth – the house of sadhana, which is a practice that acts as a spiritual education, bringing about enlightenment. Thus the planet of true mysticism who was active as a cycle lord was in a position indicating that by this initiation I would gain a truly mystical sadhana.

An important supporting transit on this day is that Mercury was exactly on the cusp of my Second house. This means that Mercury was exactly aspecting my natal eighth house Mercury, a planet in my chart which grants me some significant intellect to grasp mysterious, spiritual, and occult things.

- Vic DiCara
© 2010 Vic DiCara, All Rights Reserved

Ancient Prayer to Jupiter from Rg Veda

Ancient Prayer to Jupiter from Rg Veda

This is an excerpt from a book I am writing called Making Peace with your Planets. It is my translation of a prayer from the worlds most ancient surviving book, the Rg Veda (2.23). The founder of ancient astrology recommends this prayer as the best meditation for forming a peaceful and prosperous relationship with the astrological planet Jupiter.

We call to the master of the planets, the wisest of the wise, the most famous master of religion, the master of priests! Hear us! Help us! Sit with us now.

Deathless Lord of the Vastness [Jupiter], the gods learn from you how to participate in holy ceremonies. As the light of the Sun creates the rays of the Moon, you create all religion. Chase away the gloom and hatred. Mount your chariot, which destroys foes, slays demons, frees the needy and finds the light.

You preserve humanity by leading us with your wisdom. One who admires you finds no grief. Those who hate you receive wise punishment which evolves their opinions to higher levels.

Sorrow, distress, foes, fears, weaknesses and seductions flee from the person you guard. You guard us with wisdom and show us the path, so we sing to you now. Bring to ruin any traps set for us. Protect us from the evil, arrogant rapists who attack without just cause. Turn them from our path, and lead us instead to heavenly places.

Protect our bodies from harm. With your affection comfort us. Protect the gods and strike down the demons so that the unworthy do not obtain rewards. Grant us the wealth that all men want. Make our enemies destitute.

Let us be under your wing, and not fall under the rule of wicked men of guile. Against the fierce passions of wild lust you are unyieldingly strong. You make us victorious in taming these consuming vices. If even the strongest of them tries to kill us, he will be humiliated by your protection over us, for we strive to do no wrong.

The Lord of Vastness [Jupiter] overthrows the wicked who try to injure the just. With a sword of fire he burns the demons who scorn righteousness and morality.

Give to the wicked what the wicked deserve, and to the just and wise give what is excellent, beautiful, resplendent and proper! Do not let us become like they who are greedy for blessings and wealth undeserved, and have no righteous motivations!

The Great Architect brought you to life to put down the greedy and uphold the moral. Your power can split mountains and flood the world. Please receive this song, and protect our children.

Loud may we say it, with voices like heros before a large audience: “that which the righteous love is a true blessing!”


- Vic DiCara
© 2010 Vic DiCara, All Rights Reserved

Jupiter – The Moral Majority?


Moral Guidance & Positive Growth

~ * ~ * ~

That is Jupiter’s motto.

When the passion of Mars goes unchecked, war eventually erupts. That is why we need Jupiter – to keep Mars in check with morality.

You are here, in this world, because you want to enjoy the experiences it has to offer. I am here for the same basic reason. Often we want to enjoy the same thing at the same time. When that happens, Venus will try to inspire us to peacefully cooperate and share the stuff we both desire. But sharing doesn’t always work. I’m not quite sure why, but sometimes we just don’t feel like it. I guess it happens when we have too much passion for what we desire – it becomes too important to us, and we don’t want to share it or cooperate or any of that “tree-hugging” Venus stuff. That’s when Mars steps up. He makes us strong and gives us the willpower to take what we want from others and keep it for ourselves.

Well, of course, that makes for a lot of black eyes.

And bombs.

Passion is good, yes. But it gets out of control and screws everything up. It needs to be controlled. It needs guidance. Jupiter provides that guidance.

Teachers giving sound ideas

…Which form our Morals

…And then network into philosophy and ethics

…Organized into codes of law

…Ultimately connecting to God and becoming religion.

Controlled by Jupiter’s morality, Mars can exercise his passions to an extent that brings about positive expansion and growth, without going to far and becoming self-destructive.

MORALITY

I have always had a pretty intense love/hate relationship with this word. I was a young kid when stuff like “The Moral Majority” and the “PMRC” started to wield power in America. I always loved morals, but hated the idea of having them imposed on me by someone else (especially by some crusty looking grandmas in chastity belts). So I had to look carefully at what morality is all about.

What is morality all about?

Is it really needed?

Yes, it really is needed. I hung out with a lot of punk rockers all throughout my life. A lot of them were into the “anarchy” idea – which is really quite a misunderstood concept. The punk rock ideal of anarchy is not, “We don’t need morality.” It is, “We don’t need your morality.” There is a huge difference.

Everyone, even an anarchist punk, knows that you need morality. The only person who would say, “We don’t need morality at all” would be a psychopath who enjoys seeing destruction engulf the world. Because without morality that’s what happens. Without Jupiter, Mars goes nuts, “off the hook” so to speak. We need morality because passion is a double-edged sword. Morality teaches you how to use that sword without cutting off your own arms in the process.

Morality is supposed to be the reason why you refrain from doing anything and everything you want to do on the basis of your passion alone. For example, many men want to have sex with just about “anything that moves.” But, thankfully, the majority of them usually stop themselves. Why? On the basis of their morality. They understand a reason why it is not acceptable to have sex with a woman who does not consent, or is not emotionally ready, so they desist.

Most women love to shop. It would be easier to take stuff than to pay for it. But the majority of women usually stop themselves from shoplifting. Why? Again, because some moral inside her says, “no that’s wrong.”

Whatever the reason for curtailing your passion – that reason is Jupiter.

Jupiter does not just stop you from doing “no no’s.” He also provides positive alternatives. To the horny male, for example, Jupiter will inspire him to treat his wife or girlfriend better and improve his sexual enjoyment in that relationship. Jupiter inspires the shopaholic woman with better ways to earn more money with which she can by everything her little heart desires.

Morality / Jupiter stops passion from going in destructive directions, and encourages it towards paths that are positive and growth-enabling.

When Jupiter is influenced by harsh, imposing planets you get morality which is forced upon others – like the ones I dreaded as a kid. But Jupiter on his own or in cooperation with other kind and wise planets simply encourages individuals to understand right and wrong on their own terms, in a moral way for the benefit of all concerned.

TEACHERS

Morality is based on reasons. You are not supposed to punch a kid at school when you get mad at him, right? Why not!?

That’s why kids ask “why” all the time. We are asking them to follow morals without giving them the reasons that the morals are based on! If a kid understands a reason well, you can rest assured he will “behave.” And if there is a kid who just wont behave… the main thing you need to do is get her to understand the reason why what she is doing is “wrong.”

This is where teachers play their role.

Teachers educate. What does that mean? It means that teachers give us reasons. Teachers are not supposed to teach what is right and wrong – they are supposed to teach the reasons why things might be right or wrong. When you give a human being a good solid reason for something, you can be sure that they will see things your way and will abide by the basic rights and wrongs thereof. If you give a kid good rational understanding of the world he will grow up to be a moral adult, without a shadow of a doubt.

So morals originate with reasons, and reasons originate with teachers. Teachers therefore manifest the energy of Jupiter.

“Teachers” come in many varieties: Teachers teach in school. Philosophers are teachers for whom all of society is the classroom. Councilors are teachers who specifically deal with one student at a time. “Gurus” are teachers of esoteric subjects. All sorts of teachers are manifestations of Jupiter.

PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS

The basis of Jupiter is morality. Morality is built upon reasons and ideas, which one acquires through education and teachers. If you collect morals together and network them into a system, you have “ethics” or “philosophy.”

Most people, even most good people, are not really philosophical or ethical. A philosophical and ethical person has a system behind their goodness (or badness). A good person does good things, but a person with good philosophy knows why he or she is being good. A bad person does bad things, but someone who has a bad philosophy is intentionally and systematically bad.

To become “philosophical” you start by searching out the common threads among all your ideas, reasons and morals. You then use those threads to tie common things together into an inter-related network of morals, which becomes a system of ethics, a philosophy.

Here’s one out of a billion possible examples: Let’s say we have a guy who does not like violence. If he examines that moral he will discover the underlying reason behind it. Maybe in his case the underlying reason is that he thinks intellect is stronger than muscle in the long run. Now lets say this same guy discovers and adopts vegetarianism. If he is just a “good person” thats the end of it. But if he is “philosophical” he will search for a common thread shared between vegetarianism and his other morals. Of course, he will discover many common threads – so he will tie vegetarianism to non-violence and form an even stronger ethical network. He may even go out searching for other things that have common threads with his new network of ethics. Thus he expands his philosophical life.

If you looked at his chart, Jupiter would have to be dominant and abundant. Why? Because he is so philosophical!

LAW

Your personal ethics are for you to life your life by. But if you take the same exact thing to a social scale, you have “law.”

Human beings all have various morals, so they each live by different ethics. But there is a sort of “gravity” which pulls similar people together. People with similar ethics tend to find one another and form groups. They look at the others in their group and say, “Hey – we all believe its wrong to hurt people unnecessarily, right? Right! OK, lets make it a law.

We make laws to protect our ethics. Laws make sure that the group continues to value the core ethics which defined it as a group in the first place. “We all agree on this, let’s make it a law so no one in the group can violate it.”

Tribes form on the basis of a group of people having similar education and ideas, which causes them to have similar morals, and therefore similar ethics. They socially recognize these common ethics by making them “laws.” Their laws set them apart from the next tribe, because that tribe has different ethics, based on different morals – all because they were educated differently and thus have different reasons and ideas in their heads.

Some tribes find that their laws are pretty similar. They gravitate together and form bigger units, like kingdoms, whereupon they unify their laws and ethics. Kingdoms also gradually gravitate towards other kingdoms with similar laws, or are destroyed. In either case larger groups form called states, and eventually nations. At the current point in human history, nations are starting to coalesce into unions like the E.U. And there is the beginning of an even bigger push towards global nationality. This is all the gravity of laws forming larger and larger groups.

This is all the work of Jupiter.

RELIGION

Religion is complicated. The main reason it’s so complicated is that people are not comfortable with open (-minded) discussion of the topic. Let’s break the ice.

Religion is multifaceted. In the ultimate sense the purpose of religion is to reform the link between the human soul and God. The word itself actually means just that. But religion is many things, and many of them have little to do with this highest ideal of the word.

As far as Jupiter is concerned, Religion is an expansion of law.

Let’s review how this is so. Jupiter starts with morality – the reasons why you stop your passion from doing anything and everything it wants. Similar morals link together and become ethics. People with similar ethics link together and translate their common ethics into laws. How does law expand to the next stage?

By connecting itself to the ultimate authority figure, God.

Thus law becomes religion.

Its kind of common to hear astrologers say “Jupiter represents religion.” But this is a bit of an unfinished statement. Religion is really a huge topic with so many aspects to it. In fact every planet plays an important role, with each creating a different aspect of religion. But Jupiter is the planet who creates the most dominant facet of religion – the part of religion that acts as a god-authorized system of laws.

There are some diehard fans of this sort of religion. But at this point in history the majority of humanity (at least of the vocal section of humanity) is a bit disturbed and fed up with the “god-given unquestionable law” aspect of religion. I would count myself among them. We are really tired with immoral human beings letting their passions take them anywhere they want because somehow they got the bulk of society to fear the idea that an angry man in the sky backs up the rules they made to satisfy their own agendas.

But its important to realize that, in principle, Jupiter’s religion is good.

To understand why, we have to rewind and refer back to our understanding of what karma is in the first place. Karma is mother nature’s method of causing the soul to “grow up” and evolve towards enlightenment. What is enlightenment? It is realization of your relationship to the ultimate whole, to “God.” What Jupiter likes to do is take morals, ethics and laws and link them to God. And this is good in principle because regaining ones link with God is the ultimate purpose of our existence in this karmic world.

God-based law is theoretically a positive thing for mankind. But when harsh and selfish planets influence Jupiter too strongly, religion becomes the ultimate tool for mass manipulation and control.

POSITIVE EXPANSION, CHILDREN

We went into a lot of detail about how Jupiter controls the passion of Mars through morals, ethics, laws and religion. But we may have lost sight of why.

Jupiter sees the wonderful, beautiful potential in human beings. He sees us as creatures blessed by Mars to be full of energy and passion and opportunity to exercise our freewill and alter the course of our destiny. But he is no fool, he also knows the pain and suffering this same passion and self-will can bring down upon us. This is why Jupiter wants to control Mars. He wants to save us from using our energy in self-destructive ways. He wants to help us use our energy in positive ways encourage our immediate and ultimate growth and evolution.

That is why Jupiter creates morality, ethics, law and religion – tools which he hopes will lead us in a positive direction and direct our energy and effort towards our own growth and spiritual evolution. So you should always think of Jupiter as the planet with the most fundamentally positive outlook. People and things with positivity and positive attitudes are being energized by Jupiter.

Whenever you see things which expand, grow, and get bigger – you are also seeing Jupiter’s energy. Oh, my! What are you thinking!? Well you are right, Jupiter represents children and reproduction.

Children allow the human race to expand and grow. They are also the ones who begin the process of morality: teachers educate children and these children thus develop morals and set the Jupiter process in motion.

Children are, by their very nature, humanity’s most positive asset.

SUMMARY

Jupiter wants to help us benefit, not suffer, from our energy and independence. So he becomes the teacher who creates positive ideas in the minds of children. This ideas become the reasons behind positive morals. Those morals link together and express themselves as strong ethics and philosophies. Philosophy attains it’s pinnacle of expansion when it links our morals and thoughts to the Fountainhead, “God” – and becomes religion.

~ * ~ * ~

Jupiter’s Motto: Moral Guidance & Positive Growth

- Vic DiCara

http://www.vicdicara.com

©2010 Vic DiCara, All Rights Reserved