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CHAPTER XII :: PERSONAL PLANETS IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY
(Originally published in RISING STAR, the Newsletter of the Mensa SIG)
Personal planets are meaningful to Vedic astrologers in several ways. First and foremost in importance is the ascendant lord, the planet ruling the first house. It is also customary to look at the planet in whose sign the lord of ascendant is located in the chart (known as the sign dispositor of ascendant lord). The planets ruling the star and star-subdivision of the ascending degree also play a key role, as does the lord of the lunar sign (sign dispositor of the moon). Then comes the planet that is the most advanced in longitude in a sign, known as the "atmakaraka" (significator of self). Finally, there are the lords of the navamsha and other harmonics of the ascendant.
With so many ways to interpret the personal planets, things could easily get out of hand as one wades through a chart! However, there are several ways to separate the wheat from the chaff. The simplest way is to consider the relative strength of these entities.
Vedic astrology attributes several sources of strength to planets. Although it is a matter of personal preference borne out by experience, I usually look more carefully at strength determinants based on the degree of exaltation, angular/directional disposition and sign-friendship (uchcha, kendra, dig and moolatrikonadi balas, respectively). The strongest of all personal planets wins. Sometimes, the same planet appears on the personal planet list on several counts (e.g.., moon in cancer ascendant!), and obviously this is an important consideration to pay attention to. In general, the ascendant lord, the ascendant sublord and the dispositor of the natal moon are worthy of closer attention because they generally play an important role in judging the effects of planetary combinations (yogas).
Atmakaraka (the most advanced planet in any sign in a chart), has a practical problem associated with it. It is well-known that sidereal longitudes required for vedic are generally derived from tropical longitudes by subtracting the equinoctial precessional quantity (ayanamsha) from those. Depending on the drummer one follows, these "corrections" could differ from each other by up to a couple of degrees or more. Obviously, a planet that is near the cusp of signs is very likely to turn out to be the youngest (least longitude in the sign) or the oldest (most advanced longitude in the earlier sign), based on the ayanamsha value chosen. The potential for error, therefore, exists and must be kept in mind in order to avoid falling in the trap.
The personal planets indicate the 'self'. Many astrologers tend to describe people as being primarily of the nature of any one planet (a martian or jupitarian person!), but in truth, such pure types are rarely encountered. Most of us embody the essence of several planets and these qualities are hopefully blended and expressed in a harmonious manner. When the blend is not harmonious, personal chaos could surface as a discernible trait, neuroses or worse.
When the personal planet is in a benefic house (angles, trines), the stronger it is the better. The planet should also be well-supported by other benefic planets (lords of 1, 4, 5, 7, 9, 8 and 10th houses) in the chart so that it can ride the 'waves' when they come crashing in! The stronger these planets are the smoother one's life generally is.
On the other hand, if the personal planet(s) be in malefic houses (6th, 8th or 12th), then there could be a lot of self-doubt, misery, pain and isolation in one's life. When strong, the evil propensity of the planet generally increases! It stands to reason, therefore, that the personal planet will be weak in strength when placed in one of these houses == the major exception being a situation where the ascendant lord is also the personal planet. A weak ascendant lord in the 6th, 8th and 12th could reflect a propensity to chronic sickness, lack of mental peace and confidence or self-worth, low self-esteem, self-imposed limitations and trepidation, or else reckless actions and self-inflicted danger, damage and loss. Typically, people with the ascendant lord in the 6th house can look forward to a lot of self-exploration as they work through self-doubts in order to regain/enhance their self-worth.
The sign/house in which the personal planet is found can color the outlook of the person regarding the issues that (s)he considers important in life, either by necessity or by being cast in a certain role by force of circumstances. The adaptability/adjustment potential of a chart can be revealed by noting the nature of the planet and that of the sign it is placed in. A watery planet such as moon is more comfortable in a movable or mutable watery sign (cancer or pisces), not as much in a fixed sign such as scorpio, where it is debilitated. It is exploited to the best of its potential in the fixed earthy environs of taurus, where the watery mental energies of the moon are transformed from ideas that irrigate into actions or tangible products. No wonder the moon is exalted in taurus!
Mars, on the other hand, is a fighter; it meets its challenge and shines in the confining saturnine sign of capricorn (exaltation), but its dynamic fiery energies tend to fritter away in the movable and watery cancer (debilitated). It becomes too easy and tempting for mars in such a situation to blow off steam too frequently and the critical pressure necessary for meaningful activity never builds up.
The other houses/lords that the personal planet(s) is associated with (by location, aspects etc.) indicate the issues that the nativity would need to tackle or be faced with during the lifetime. Indeed, the personal planets form the core of the horoscope and their linkages are necessary to give fruitful experience in life. This is especially noted during the dasha periods of the planets that are associated with the personal planet or during its own dasha. The experiences are much more immediate, seeming important and more fulfilling regardless of the outcome. In a sense, one's personal planet could be considered as one of the key planets that is involved in matters of karmic importance. This is obviously escalated many folds if inherently karmic planets such as the lunar nodes are associated with the personal planet.
It is often difficult for those new to astrology to hone in on the key areas in a chart that so much resembles a maze. Concentrating on the personal planet(s) and other planets associated with these could provide a crucial starting point to focus one's delineation upon. The most important experience in a person's life is that which touches one's self and "self" is essentially what the personal planets represent.
©Copyrighted by Crystal Pages (1995)
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