Purpose of life and Vedic astrology - Part 1

The most fundamental, deepest and subtlest aspect that can be explored through use of Vedic astrology or Jyotisha is finding what Samskaras(tendencies/impressions) an individual is carrying from past lives and what he/she needs to focus upon in current life in major way. Often when we talk about the purpose of life, general perception quickly assumes it’s about work life, the best career or business that is suitable. This is extremely gross and even wrong perception. The purpose of life though really cannot be judged and summarized in one line, still when seen in bigger context, it means what a person needs to focus upon majorly in current life. Through journey in this cosmos, a Soul experiences many events, life times and acquires many impressions, which when judged on some parameters can be said as bad or good ,but in reality apart from domain of good and bad, it’s all about evolution of a person by varied range of experiences .Vedic astrology is one the subtlest tool that can be effectively used to analyze the areas/aspects where a person needs to be focused ,or in other way of stating it, areas where person’s attention will be pulled by challenging/sudden events which can be repetitive in nature.

Mercury in 12th house

What is actually the twelfth house? Loss ,troubles and alike? haven’t you been tired listening and reading to the such restricted versions coming from half hearted explanation and complete absence of a desire to find most contemporary interpretation of Vedic Astrology ? We should never forget that analyzing planets & time periods according to present social circumstances is what will give deserving place to this Divine knowledge, otherwise its bound to be looked down. Coming back to twelfth house, interpretations can be many and among important one, it represents the escape mechanism when faced with severe circumstances, how an individual will respond to most critical of situations .We see some people giving in to addictions of various kinds when they confront loss, be it material or any emotional one ,while some choose to respond silently with glimpses of Lord Shiva, who drank poison with ease. Yet there are another set of people who see an opportunity to look beyond limitations of this world ,recognizing that all material possessions are bound to get dissolve in whirlpool of time.

Mercury in 11th house

Out of twelve houses, that represents various aspects of human existence, eleventh house has always been considered auspicious in terms of gains of material nature .This is the house of hopes and new desires .If we see in progression, eleventh house will come after the tenth, which looks obvious if from the viewpoint of basic mathematics, so is that it? not actually. When we pass through tenth house ,it represents the domain of one’s Karma, where one interacts with different variety. After successful journey through tenth house, as a result of experiencing contrast ,new hopes and desire to explore something fresh is  born and that’s where zone of eleventh house starts.

Mercury in 10th house

Paralyzed, that too unconsciously, by traditional limiting views on tenth house,its definition and scope looks confined to matters of career only.Obviously this is partially true, and there is indeed more to this house. This is the house which tell us about one’s contribution towards society, the word Dharma will aptly describe this house, which means following inner instincts that lead to fulfillment of destiny. This is the house which tell us how we are perceived by masses .In his book Steven Forrest correctly mentioned that tenth house shows how we look to the people who do not know us. In more subtle sense this house describes quality of Karma that one engages in present incarnation.

Mercury in 9th house

Placement of any planet in strength in ninth house is indeed a strong point in any chart. Mercury in power here is quite a desired factor in a horoscope.When we talk about ninth house ,the traditional ways to express its inherent qualities are travel and philosophy .Now travel indeed forms an integral part of this house, especially the long ones .New ideas and exposure to different cultures is also intimately connected with this house ,which in-turn require one to travel to distant places so that difference in culture becomes visible and can be experienced.

Mercury in 8th house

While examining the planetary influences in eight house, one needs to be extra careful as there is tremendous pressure from the traditional interpretations, which condemn this house to the limits that feeling of fear become apparent, along with the sadness when we silently acknowledge within ourselves that our planets in 8^th house have gone waste ,as jewel thrown in a deep well .It is but natural for most of the interpreters to jumble upon facing the affairs of this house, as indeed eight house is an area of mystery ,which pose serious challenge to get decoded. But once we become non-judgmental towards journey beyond rational mind and accept our fears and basic instincts, understanding of eight house becomes more comprehensive.

Mercury in 7th House

To effectively understand planetary influences in any house, we should at least grasp the basic characteristics of that house .The descendent as it is called, being opposite to ascendant ,the seventh house traditionally stands for marriage .But it  feels very meager to get satisfied with such scarcity of description of any house, of course there has to be many sides to it, with more subtle meaning hiding in seemingly simple verses .Also this house has been associated with partnership or business .Now can we sense any inherent similarly between these two aspects? Obviously there has to be more than superficial words, which will enable one to successfully comprehend the meaning of this house , paving a clear way to further understand how planets and signs modify its basic quality.

Mercury in 6th House

The sixth house in a chart represents the area where we need to focus on our own efforts without paying much attention to results it will bear. Thats why this house is traditionally called as house of Service. Now what exactly service means? Though the beauty is that there can be multiple interpretations of one term, here digging deep within ourselves and bringing forth our deeply buried qualities of working selflessly or working with motto of achieving just more than personal gains will truly present this house. Now its interesting at this point to discuss some of the attributes of Mercury which  will help us to get a clear picture of how its placement here manifest and why in classical texts sixth house is said to be primarily Mercury’s favorite one.

Mercury in 5th House

The house of creativity and pleasure as it is often called in traditional ways, fifth house in subtle forms presents the ways in which joy will be perceived by an individual .The idea of fun varies among us and how and where one’s mind will bent can be seen from placement of planets and signs in this house. Mercury when placed here will give its traits to individual and accordingly psyche will be molded in a way that idea of pleasure will be derived from all the activities that pleases this planet or which come under its domain. Obviously alteration effect of other factors will play its own role separately, if any.

Mercury in 4th House

Mercury in fourth house can be a boon to a chart provided its strong .When we say Mercury should be strong it means that it should either be in its own sign or in signs of its friends Venus and Saturn. So in Gemini and Virgo it gets strong ,and in-fact in Virgo it gains maximum strength .In Taurus ,Libra, Capricorn and Aquarius too it will be pretty strong. Any conjunction of Jupiter, Venus or any functional benefic of the chart with this Mercury add to its strength .Mercury when strongly placed in fourth house will give an inbuilt desire to learn and grow in life. Such persons often have profound foundations for pursuing education in its most prestigious forms ,and for them indeed education matters a lot as they define person on the basis of their formal degrees and ability to indulge in intellectual conversations arising from facts and statistics gathered. Their childhood is often peaceful and often they seem to be too naïve on their face, but inside they are quite dynamic beings, especially in the thought domains.

Mercury in 3rd House

Each house in horoscope basically represents an important aspect of human life, and twelve house completely cover all possible departments in relation to human existence. The nine planets (Vedic astrology do not consider effect of Pluto, Neptune, Uranus and other recently discovered planets) also signify some aspect of our life in most unique way .For example if we take Moon ,then talking on very primary level ,it signifies emotions in an individual and one’s mind set towards events ,and fourth house in chart signifies deep depths of one’s subconscious and define boundaries about one’s ability to receive and comprehend normal as well as subtle thoughts and emotions .So for Moon it will be very comfortable to be placed in fourth house as this house will help Moon to flourish its characteristics in most comprehensive manner.

Mercury in 2nd House

Mercury is quite well placed in second house, as Messenger of Gods, Mercury have a basic instinct to exchange thoughts and being placed in second house make it vibrate in most beautiful way .Here Mercury can express itself fully, provided its strong and not affected by other difficult planets .Whenever Mercury is strong in chart it gives its trait to individual and in this house this tendency becomes even more strong. Persons with Mercury in second house will be extremely curious to learn .Their childhood is often symbolized by exploring many fields either through reading books or by giving serious attention to what goes around them. These people are great analyzers of any situation and comes up with genuine and impartial view of any event .Mercury here gives the ability to sense things and these people generally have tremendous comprehension powers, which often comes from their own learning.

Mercury in 1st House

Mercury in first house is quite an ideal placement for this planet. People having such placement of Mercury are endowed with many qualities that are much sought after. Mercury by its very nature is youthful, active in thought domain, interested in intellectual debates and loves to gather knowledge on many subject. For Mercury depth of knowledge never matters, rather it is very much interested in expanding its reach.Mercury in first house makes one very cheerful personality ,until other factors alter this behavior .