EYE ON THE SKY: MYSTERIES OF THE 12TH HOUSE
Astrologers tend to superficially lump 12th house challenges into losses and expenditures and foreign places but it is much richer. The 12th house is deeply valued in the Vedic tradition because it brings in the deep subconscious realm and the rich spiritual realm of the void that leads to enlightenment if we can grasp its ineffable mysteries. Great things can happen if we are willing to unlock its mysteries. Some of the additional 12th house significations include:
Loss on the material level leads to merging with the infinite for Moksha.
Loss of individual identity to gain freedom.
House of clairvoyance, intuition, dreams.
Sleep and dreams—subtle mind is active.
Powers developed from isolation and meditation
Blind spots and hidden enemies
Blocks to Moksha
Deep subconscious churnings.
Sacrifice and service often connected to marriage as well as charity work.
The 12th house represents this deep subconscious void of very deep karmic patterns that are so ineffable that they can bring up deep emotional and psychological crisis-es and ineffable fears when experienced. It represents a realm of all of the deep dangers of the mind that are invisible, whether caused by karma, hidden enemies, or the perverted logic of your own subconscious.
According to Ptolemy, an ancient astrologer, the 12th corresponded to that part of the sky, just above the horizon, where stars were obscured by the “thick, misty exhalations from the moistures of earth.” According to the Egyptians, stars here were lost in, and debilitated by, the sun’s light at sunrise. Hence it is a vast hidden realm that is frightening and it represents our blind spots to our weaknesses and this will require a whole article sometime. That means planets and placed here, their significations and the houses that they are connected may represent deep flaws in our personality that we just may not be able to see. Mars placed here, connected to enemies or the 6th house can be connected to secret enemies. Venus placed here may give great sexual energy but it may be an escape and addiction that is way of not dealing with our deep subconscious fears. It may create a blind spot around extravagant spending and indulgence that run our life that we may not have control over.
Dashas and transits to the 12th house often bring up mental crisis, emotional churnings, desires to retreat into meditation and ashrams or if the 12th house or its owner if very afflicted or poorly placed, can lead to mental confinement and imprisonment to that we can deal with this crisis.
If we can solve the mysteries of the 12th house and our deepest karma than deep healing can occur, unlocked talents can be released and if you have a spiritual Guru, then enlightenment may dawn. But for most of our lifetimes, the 12th house will bring deep suffering and this unconscious dread beneath the surface and we tend to deal with by checking out. If we are on a spiritual path, we may turn to meditation, spiritual retreats and this is the deepest way to transform but for the mass population, the tendency is to check out with addictive patterns, sexual play or abusive substances.
The 12th house is the house of sacrifice and service so the key is that when we help others, we move through our own self-absorption and personal problems and get a chance to transcend ego and solve the mysteries of the 12th house. Giving to charity is also a way of quickly dealing with problem when you are busy. Take a meditation or yoga retreat or do some deep psychological work and crack the mysteries of the subconscious. In all cases, the 12th house beckons us to transform and to move beyond.
Sometimes, if we have badly afflicted placements connected to the 12th house like an afflicted Mercury/Moon connection with poor dignity, we may be thrown into a quasi-mental health crisis which forces confinement, retreat and pushes us toward deepest healing of our most trouble areas of our psyche. Sometimes deep sickness can emerge leading to hospitalization and this retreat forces us to reflect on the deepest areas of our life and beckons us to transform our lives.
Twelfth house experiences often create situations that seem beyond our power and they force us to call to Higher power and if we are willing to surrender our ego, then the Divine will answer. In that moment of powerlessness and if we can get to a place of “thy will be done,” we have a chance for a moment of grace. Deep mystical experience can sometimes dawn here and propel us on our path.
If the 12th house is a house of sacrifice, seva and charity. It is often connected to marriage as traditionally we sacrifice our personal life for our family and our children and if we are able to surrender in this realm and not grumble it can bring great joy. It is the house of seva or selfless service where we give of our time unconditionally to help others and in doing so can grow beyond our small ego and attain good merit which leads to moksha.
The secret of the 12th house is to give to others in need when your own deep psychological and unconscious fears come up. When we get out of our small ego and give to others, then we become Bigger and the small self can move to the large Self. For those with no time, this can be accomplished by giving to charity and people in need and this is one way to get through the difficult karma of the 12th house.
My experience is that karma connected to the 12th house is our deepest challenges in life and through lifetimes. If we can master their hidden influences, then we can gain liberation. Through repeated service, meditation and sacrifice, we can be liberated. If we fail the call of the 12th house and ignore its teachings, its possible that we can end up with mental breakdowns, periods of hospitalizations or deep periods of needing to be alone by ourselves to sort out our deepest issues.
So when we experience deep 12th house patterns, do we move toward distractions like our cell phones, the TV, the refrigerator or do we answer the call and do our work and move beyond our small self and help others? Do we explore our deepest fears and unconscious patterns that are keeping us very small. The challenge is up to you. It is frightening and it is exhilarating but we must answer the call or plunge into despair or deep suffering.
Scorpio and Libra rising now are experiencing a lot of 12th house transits with Sun and Mercury in the 12th house for Scorpio rising and Venus and Mars in Virgo for Libra rising. Capricorn rising is about to go through a deep shift into this realm for the next two years with Saturn having entered into Sagittarius and doing a 12th house transit and for Leo rising, Rahu in the 12th is doing a 12th house transit and stirring up deep psychological patterns to heal.
My work with subconscious patterns and astrology can help bring these deep patterns to the surface so they can be healed.
In my upcoming class on Secrets of the Houses, we will explore all the permutations of the 12th house in more detail and I will be giving a talk on at the Sedona Vedic Astrology Confrerence, Nov. 30th to Dec. 3rd. (www.sedonavedicastrology.com)
If you enjoyed this article, consider our new course on Sundays, starting Nov 12th. Secret of the Houses. This goes beyond basic understanding and explores past life karma in connection to the houses, spirituality, psychological growth, new predictative techniques for forecasts, the connections to the the four aims of life and more. Early bird sign up by Sunday, Oct 28th is 225.00.There are 3 spaces left in the class. Tapes available for review or missed classes on video. Broadcast over Go to Meeting and enjoyable in the comfort of your home.
