Hidden Flaws By Rising Sign: The Achilles Heel
Andrew Foss and Barry Rosen
This article is based primarily on a lecture given by Andrew at the Spring 2015 BAVA International Conference as also notes made by Barry at this and other lectures by Sanjay Rath and Bill Levacy. It introduces and explains the traditional concept of an inherent issue for each Zodiacal sign.
Our rising sign, which is called the Lagna in Vedic astrology, represents our personality, our temperament, disposition, tendencies, confidence, self-love and self-esteem and its afflictions reveal our inherent internal struggles. If the owner of the rising sign is strong and well-placed in his own or exalted sign or in friend’s houses or aspected by benefics, then he brings out his best qualities. More often than not, because we are human and working on perfecting our life, there is some affliction to the rising sign or its owner and therefore, the more challenging qualities come out.
There is also an inherent flaw or Achilles heel for each rising sign. The more complex rising signs that are owned by Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn have life-long issues related to one of the planets. in Part 1, we will discuss the five signs that get a bit out of balanced based on their elements and the opposing elements that they have difficulty with. Part 2 deals with the Achilles heels of the other signs.
Part 1: Secret Of The Elements
The five remaining signs have flaws connected to the elements:
ARIES: has problems with water
TAURUS: has problems with fire
CANCER: has problems with earth
LEO: has problems with air
SCORPIO: has problems with space
Fatal Flaws Of The Elements:
Aries has problems with water or jala, the water element, and hence they may have difficulty with emotion, love, food and connecting to the public. Venus and the Moon become difficult planets for them creating relationship problems unless the Moon and or Venus is well placed in the chart or if the fourth, eighth and twelfth houses offer some compensation. The antidote is connecting more to Mother Divine energy through mantras or worship. If Mars or the first house is afflicted, the Aries rising people have to be careful with impatience, selfishness, “I want it now,” arrogance, recklessness, and leaving tasks undone.
Taurus has problems with the fire element or Agni and hence they have a problem with ‘get up and go’. The fire planets, Sun, Mars and Ketu have their issues but are essential for accomplishing anything. Taurus is known for being the most earthy of the signs and the most grounded. They can get stuck with the tendency to hold onto money or material things in their life. Taurus needs help with the fire signs and fire planets and if they are well placed then this helps. Lots of fiery and vigorous aerobic exercise is important to get this sign moving. There can be a tendency toward heaviness, depression and melancholy and one can sense why Jupiter here might cause problems with weight gain, or even diabetes despite being an auspicious planet in an auspicious sign. Taurus has to be careful with sweets if Jupiter is afflicted. Jupiter or Venus afflicted in the chart can create stubbornness, inflexibility, greedy, laziness, self-indulgence, ultraconservative positions, intolerance and over-accumulation.
Cancer: This rising sign has problems with the earth element and hence with material success and structure and manifesting in the material world. Hence a strong balance of well-placed planets in Capricorn, Taurus and Virgo can be helpful to offset this latent flaw. A well-placed Venus or Saturn can offset this imbalance particularly if they are well-aspected or are in Taurus or Capricorn. Cancers have to actively focus on saving money and getting motivated for worldly success. Often, they would rather just meditate and bathe in the wonders of the spiritual world. If the moon or the first house is afflicted, Cancers have problems with being too dependent or clingy, hoarding, hypersensitivity, moodiness, winsomeness, abandonment and picking dysfunctional friends and partners. Forcing themselves to get grounded in the material world is essential so doing earthy activities like building and carpentry and gardening is helpful. Increasing the fire element through active and fiery aerobic exercise is important to get the solar plexus enlivened and get the fire moving.
Leo: Leos have problems with the air element or Vayu and hence Saturn and Rahu need to be strong or strengthened in their charts Archetypically, the king needs good servants to be successful and hence needs a good relationship with Saturn and yet Leos have the most difficulty with Saturn. Health and longevity can be an issue if Saturn and Rahu are not well-placed in the natal birth chart. If the Sun is afflicted or the first house is afflicted, Leos may have to deal with vanity, arrogance, boasting, condescension, domineering, having problems with subordinates, being power hunger, and letting career take over their lives and create imbalances. Increasing the water element and cooling off the heat with swimming can be helpful. It may be wise not overdoing intense aerobic energy to make sure the air element does not get out of balance. Of course, it all depends on the individual chart. Exercise is good but one should not get dehydrated or depleted.
Scorpio has a problem with space or Akasha and have difficulty holding everything together as they have a strong ability to intuitively go into the ether realm and deeply connect and expand their consciousness. Their strong quest for Moksha needs the Divine connection to remind them that all is well and God and the Divine are taking care of them. Jupiter is the remedy for this affliction as they need the Guru and knowledge. This helps to gather and ground consciousness and bring things together and take them out of meditative isolation. Community becomes important to prevent isolation and being alone. Pisces and Sagittarius need to be strongly prominent in the chart and Jupiter connected to Mars or Ketu to re-balance this affliction. If Mars, Ketu or Scorpio is afflicted, there will be problems with being too critical, possessive, vengeful, hypersensitive, controlling, grim, being victimized in relationship, overworking and excessive worry. Very grounding and earthy activity like gardening is essential for them and even something like light weight-training can aid them combating the lightness that can overtake them. Grounding yoga is helpful.
Again, charts are very individual and we do not ever want to stereotype people by sign but sometimes it is a way of putting one’s finger right away on a core problem of a person’s entire life. We hope the reader finds this knowledge as enlightening as we did.
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