HIDDEN PLANETARY SUPPORT AND INTERFERENCE IN VEDIC ASTROLOGY

EYE ON ASTROLOGY: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS OF ARGALA: FINDING EASY WAYS TO UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET HIDDEN INTERFERENCES AND SUPPORTIVE FACTORS  IN CHARTS

Argala, which is connected to hidden support or interference  is a very important concept in Vedic astrology discussed by Maharishi Parashara and in more detail by his son Jaimini and has a very important influence on peoples charts and planetary cycles which is often overlooked. It is simpler than it first appears and one has to get over all the difficult Sanskrit terms quickly and get the basic concepts down and then it is easy.

Argala means bolt or interference and is a deep karmic influence in a chart and is easily overlooked because it involves planetary combinations or house axis es  that we do not look at. These are  enough between the 2 and 12^th houses, the 3^rd and 11^th houses and the 4^th and 10^th houses on a major level. On a minor level, it can involve the 7^th  and the 1st^th houses, the 5^th and the 9^th houses and the 8th and the 6^th houses.  Argala shows the interactions of every house and planet with every other house and so often it is too complex to a matrix to consider but it can be simplified.  

Traditional one is taught that too planets in the 12th house might overbalance the 2nd house and create a negative interference while more planets in the 2nd house from anything can create hidden support.  This article attempts to translate this for the Western mind so that we can understand the archetypal patterns in psychology that move us forward and block us.  That is my purpose below in Part 1  but if you are not familiar with Argala, then you have to at least understand the basics which we will print separately and post as Part 2> . 

Basically its good to have planets in the 2nd, 4th and 11th from any house or rising sign or dasha lord but planets in the 12th, 10th or 3rd would block the supportive influence. If there are more planets negative planets in the 12th, 10th or 3rd, they block the 2nd, 4th and 11th and if there are more positive planets in the 2nd, 4th and 11th, they provide hidden support.

PART 1: MAJOR AXIS-ES and THEIR PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT

 2^{nd  (}SUPPORT)  /12^th   (BLOCKING)  :  Wealth and Gains vs.  Expenditures and Sacrifice

The 2^nd house from anything is Dhana (wealth) and provides wealth or gains for that house or period.  To give you a quick example, one of the more important combination in a chart is what planets are 2^nd from any other planet or house vs what planets are 12^th from any planet or house or karaka.   The 2^nd house is the house of gains that sustains that wealth of that house with money and food and family support.  The 12^th house is connected to service, sacrifice and expenditure and what we give away.   From the natal chart if you have benefics in the 2^nd like Mercury, Jupiter or Venus and no planets in the 12^th then you have the ability to accumulate and save money and not be hampered by abundant expenditures. If you have a lot of malefics in the 12^th house like Saturn or Rahu or Mars and no planets in the 2^nd house, then expenditures and service obligations and sacrifice in marriage may overwhelm the wealth house and pull you into debt.   In my chart, I have exalted Saturn in the 12^th creating an overemphasis on expenditures in my life but also devoting half of my working life at times to service work (seva) and charity at the cost of not building up wealth with Rahu in my 2^nd house. 

Every house in the chart can be examined in this way so if your 4^th house of property and home has benefics in the 2^nd from it and no blocking planets in the 12^th from the 4^th (the 3^rd) then there are gains from real estate.  But if you malefics 12^th from your 4^th house and no positive planets 2^nd from your 4^th house, you may take losses in real estate. 

This principle should be applied to the dasha lord or Rashi dasha also. So if are running a Pisces period which is connected to your 5^th house and you have Jupiter in the 2^nd from  Pisces and no blocking planet in the 12^th, then the period may be very powerful. If you are running a Saturn period and you have Jupiter or Venus 2^nd from the period lord and no planets blocking in the 12^th from Saturn, then the period may turn out better than expected,

This principle can also be applied to any karaka or planetary symbol.   So if you have a positive planet 2^nd from your Sun like Jupiter and no blocking planet in the 12^th from the 2^nd then you may experience gains from your father or a mentor or boss.

You can see how complex it can get for a whole chart and for all the rotations happening and there are software programs like Sri Jyoti Star that can quickly chart it all out and highlight important areas that you may not easily see.

The combinations are often complex as you may have 2 benefics,  2^nd from something but 1 malefic 12^th from something so the benefic influence is more powerful or vice versa.    Or you may have two malefics from an area and not positive influence to balance it out and it will be pulled down. 

If benefic planets are involved like Jupiter, Venus, Mercury and the Moon then the area is uplifted. If malefic planets are involved like Saturn and Rahu and the Sun, then  the planet is negatively affected. Many think that Rahu and Ketu are important also but have a backwards influence.   So when you have benefics in the 2^nd, 11^th and 10^th houses with no blocking planets in the corresponding houses like the 12^th (for the 2^nd),  the 3^rd for the 11^th and the 4^th (for the 10^th_ , then there are positive yogas or influences formed.  

THE 11^TH  (SUPPORT) /3^RD (BLOCKING) AXIS : Profits vs. courage and force needed to get one’s gains.

Having planets in the 11^th house is always positive. Benefics will create gains and income in a positive way  and fulfillment of desires from good work.  Malefics will create gains from illicit or harsh activities.

The 3^rd house is about courage or force which allows us to get our house’s goals or needs met and having the intelligence to to carry that out.  Our siblings may be involved in supporting  this and often malefics do well in the 3^rd house because it forces us to complete with our siblings and creates growth to become better and more successful. As one of my teachers, Robert Koch has pointed out,  one has to think of the third as ‘efforts’, while the 11th as ‘gains which come of their own accord.’ If planets in the 11th are circumvented by more planets in the 3rd, then the person has to work hard and exert considerable effort to gain ground. If it is the reverse, with more planets in the 11th than the 3rd, then gains come easily and with little effort as they result from his past good actions.   Again the 11/3^rd axis can apply to planet 3^rd and 11^th from any house or from any dasha lord period or rashi dasha house.
THE 4^TH (SUPPORT) /10^TH (BLOCKING) AXIS : HOME VS. WORK.

 The 4^th house is connected to happiness and gains from vehicles and property and the ability to delegate work.  Jupiter, Moon or Venus in the 4^th will create happiness and mental balance while a malefic like Rahu in the 4^th will create happiness from material gains like the accumulation or property . 

The 10^th house is Virodha or interfering with the 4^th house of happiness  as work takes us away from home. More planets in the 10^th may create success at work but at a sacrifice to being happy at home. If the 10^th house is more powerful than the 4^th, then you may have to work harder and not have the support and the ability to delegate from your employees.

SECONDARY ARGALA: (Consider more minor in impact)

7^TH HOUSE (SUPPORTING )  VS. 1^ST HOUSE (BLOCKING) :  SELF VS. PARTNER

 So let look at the 1^st and 7^th axis.     More positive planets in the 7^th house like Jupiter may create more wealth and happiness from spouse  or multiple spouses or partners ( we have to be modern here).   Whereas more planets in the rising signs means a disinterested or unavailable  attitude toward spouses. More malefics in the 1^st like Mars and Saturn and Rahu  or Ketu so often create marital problems due to more self-importance or dominance or maybe even low self-esteem from Ketu or Saturn.  Hence the 1^st house with malefics will block the 7^th house of marriage.    Still more benefics in the 1^st and no malefics in the 7^th may uplift the marriage as Jupiter or Venus in the 1^st and no malefics in the 7^th may still be positive.

I think this axis can create dependency/co-dependency problems. Malefics like  Ketu or Saturn in the 1^st may create co-dependency in relations where one spouse is subservient to the other.  Rahu or Mars or the Sun in the 1^st may create a dominating partner who may destroy the marriage due to his dominance.  Too many malefics in the 1^st is a blocking and interference to marriage.

 THE 5^TH (SUPPORT)/ 9^TH (BLOCKING) AXIS:  SELF-DETERMINATION VS ADVISORS

The 9^th house represents protection and past karmic support from Gurus and elders and father while the 5^th house represents the intelligence and planning needed for the future.

The  9th house stands for fortune,, guru, and past live good karma, while 5th is the future that you are creating through your own discrimination. So one can say that the 5^th house is more empowering as it comes from your own efforts and sometimes is blocked and creating conflict from your Guru or father creating conflict. 

 More benefics in the 5^th house will allow you to override will allow you to plan effectively and create blessings while more malefics in the 5^th house will create bad planning.  In contract, more benefics in the 9^th house will allow good advice from your father and Guru and wife (Venus), business partner (Mercury) and will block bad plans.

While more malefic planets in the 9^th house will lead to bad advice so avoid advice from Rahu characters (low integrity manipulators) if placed in the 9^th or father if Sun placed in the 9^th or low integrity mystics if Ketu placed in the 9^th house or from employees if Saturn placed in the 9^th house as they will block your own innate intelligence to move forward. 

 THE 8^TH (SUPPORT)/ 6^TH (BLOCKING) AXIS:  DIFFICULT KARMIC GAINS VS BLOCKS FROM ENEMIES OR EVERYDAY WORK.

8^th house karma creates suffering and new beginnings from transformation. It can create inheritance or money from partnership or insurance policies without working and it can create acute illness.  Out of the loss of a loved one, or accident, or death or sickness, we can sometimes have positive gains from an experience—but not without a price.  Benefics in the 8^th like Jupiter, Venus and Mercury (when unafflicted and with dignity) may create money or gains in partnership, from spouse or partners.  While 8^th house karma is difficult, it can often bring gains and support although most of us do now want the suffering that comes from 8^th house gains.

6^th house karma  is related to hard working, fighting,  bad habits and obstacles that shorten longevity.  Too many planets in the 6^th obstructing the 8^th may upset business and relationship. Too many debts or health problems from too many planets in the 6^th or too much impact on bad habits may upset and block the delicate transformations that want to be happening in the 8^th house.  So too many planets in the 6^th, even if they are malefics that will allow us to overcome our vices and enemies can upset the transformational qualities of the 8^th house.

 SUMMARY: So this is a very complex topic that probably requires an 8 week course like everything in Jyotish but we have to pay attention to these axis-es and the delicate karmic balances that are between these houses.  

Planets places in the 2^nd, 11^th and 4^th and 5^th and 7^th houses and 8^th house without obstructions from their opposing houses bear fruits particularly if there are more benefics.

More planets blocking those planets in the 12^th, 3^rd, 10^th, 9^th and 1^st and 6^th positions can block otherwise good planets and cannot be ignored. Particularly malefic influences in these house cause more block problems.

In accessing the fruition of any karma, one has to look at the hidden interference of Argala.

Special thanks to Freedom Cole, Sanjay Rath and Marc Boney for their knowledge  and support in helping me understand the basics of this complex subject.

Here to help before all of this energy gets stirred up.  Sign up for a reading at www.appliedvedicastrology.com under the Request tab.   Have an exciting end of the summer!