1) On several occasions even the best astrologers are perhaps bemused due to the many indications of a house cusp and the karakatwas, rulership of planets. Let us consider an example and examine the 8th cusp falling in Cancer ruled by the moon in a chart. Say the native were to approach an astrologer for a reading and was interested to know about a surgery and also a court case that they are presently involved with. The 8th cusp represents both those cases of surgery and also the court battles. Also planet mars is said to rule surgery and when he has connections with the sixth house he shows one’s enemies. Involve Mercury with a sixth house connection and then you have subtle difference in predicting surgery versus court case. Since the moon holds lordship over both those events, it demands not only an astrologer know his rudiments before he jumps into predicting the dates of such events but also the clients birth time accuracy has to be to the second of arc so it doesn’t lead to wrongly predicted dates.
2) No planet is completely good nor there is a planet that is completely evil. It is common to note that many amateur astrologers jump to conclusions when they see an exalted planet in the D1 chart and predict great things about the native just to later realize it was done haphazardly. Likewise a debilitated planet doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t produce anything good in one’s life. If there is any astrologer out there who draws such quick conclusions about a native’s chart then one can safely conclude that he is not well versed in this divine science.
All planets are here to teach us and direct our life towards our destiny. With that we inch one step closer to our higher self. Consider an example of a planet like Jupiter who is deeply exalted at 2.10 degrees in the D1 chart in sign cancer then one indication of that is such a native may be very creative, optimistic, happy, religious and have a philosophical approach to life. Also he/she may accumulate enormous wealth in life (provided there are powerful wealth yogas in the chart) or he/she may have children that make them feel like an exalted native. If it is a female native she may also marry a person who has an exalted dignity in the world (since Jupiter is the natural producer of spouse in a woman’s chart).
But here is where it’s gets tricky – that same exalted Jupiter in cancer in D1 will suffer debilitation in the D7 chart of progeny. Jupiter is the most important planet in the D7 chart and indicates the dynasty one creates in this lifetime. Children are the simplest form of dynasty that one creates. As a result of him suffering debilitation, the native may not have the fortune of bearing any children in this lifetime.
That is very profound concept because although Jupiter is considered as the greatest of all benefics in astrology he may not be that beneficial when it comes to some important spheres of life like in the above example. Such is the irony and intricacies of astrology. Only an astrologer who has solid foundation about this science will be able to untangle the different knots of karma seen in a native’s horoscope.
3) Angles and Trines – The foundation of the chart!
The angles represent the Vishnu houses in astrology. These are houses 1,4,7,10. The trines represent the Lakshmi houses in astrology. These are the houses 1,5,9. These houses serve as the foundation of any chart. The first house is the common factor in case of both the Vishnu and Lakshmi houses. It is a dharma house and most importantly represents the physical health, native’s path – the direction he/she is traveling in this lifetime. A person can have all great combinations to be a king, establish an empire etc. but if he has a trashed first house then that is serious blemish as it indicates physical suffering on accounts of bodily ailments and also adharmic mentality. The fourth house in the context of a native represents his/her emotional well being along with basic worldly knowledge to some degree. It is house of the mother and it is well known fact that mother is the first teacher of any child. A well-disposed fourth house indicates a person who is emotionally stable and able to visualize his impact on the world.
The 7th house is the house opposite the lagna and is house of the other people. That is also the house of public glory, business partnerships and spouse. If the 7th house or its lord is well situated a person benefits from the above indications. She/he will find happiness in the married life and also have harmonious relationship with other people in the world. As a result of this the native will develop a sense of security about the self as they now notice their reflection (7th house is the reflection of 1st house) being validated. On the other hand if the 7th house or its lord is trashed, all the indications of the house are trashed too. The 10th house is the karma bhava and is the house that represents the actions one takes in this world along with the native’s father. In today’s context it also represents the career and the worldly responsibilities the native has to fulfill in this lifetime. If the 10th house and it’s lord is well placed it indicates a smooth manifestation of the career and also that the native takes right action in the world. The opposite is true if the 10th house or its lord is trashed.
In addition there are two most important trine houses. The 5th house represents the creativity, intelligence, children and past-life fortune of the native. A great 5th house and its lord go a long way in augmenting the entire indications of the chart. If the 5th house or its lord suffers on account of malefic influences such natives may have difficulties with their creativity and even having children. The 9th house on the other hand represents the parents as a unit, teachers, present-life fortune and religious/spiritual/philosophical inclinations. If the 9th house and its lord are in great shape in the chart, the native will benefit from all the above indications. However, if the 9th house and its lord are bombarded by malefic influences then that will shake the entire foundation of the chart.
The importance of the knowledge of Vishnu and Lakshmi houses is to re-iterate the fact that not every single person on earth will have the punya (auspicious inherited karma) and bhagya (fortune) to attain all that they desire in this world. The world just doesn’t operate in that fashion and such is harsh realities represented by Saturn who is the planet of Karma and ruling Lord of Kala (time). If a person has all of the six prime factors great health, emotional stability, decent relationship life, great parents, teachers and children along with a fantastic career then such a person is considered to be very fortunate. The percentage of such people in today’s ascending Dwapara Yuga is a meager amount and maybe less than 4% of the world population.
To conclude if a native is getting ahead in life on account of even 3/6 (50%) of those indications being met then he/she is still better than the average Joe elsewhere on earth who may just have 1/6 (16.6%) of those substantial things in his life. If a person has 4/6 of those indications in their life then in my opinion such a person has no reason to complain as he is above average (66.6 %) person on this planet. That is as good as it gets. It is very important that you assess your current situation in life and understand this rule of relativity and not expect too much from an astrologer on accounts of subjective analysis.