The rising Sign at the Eastern Horizon is known as the



Ascendant and is the First House. First House represents

personality and fame. The native's complexion is indicated

by the color of the Ascendant lord ( brownish if the

Ascendant lord is Jupiter ) and the color of the planets

aspecting the Ascendant .

If the Ascendant lord is exalted or aspected by a benefic in

Amsa in own house or friend's house, posited in quadrants or

trines, the native will be blessed with wealth, happiness

and the eightfold Siddhis or paranormal powers.

If on the other hand, the Ascendant lord is weak,

debilitated, with malefic planets, in inimical Amsa and

aspected by malefics, the native will be unhealthy, poor and

will be indulging in self-destruction.

If the North Node is posited in the Ascendant with malefics,

he will be insulted by people. He will be tormented by

enemies and crooks.

The Effects of the Ascendant Lord in the 12 Houses

The Ascendant lord in the Ascendant If the ascendant lord is

in the ascendant itself, the native will be famous

automatically. Endowed with material happiness he/she will

be known for his/her independent spirit to live by own

efforts. The native will be fickleminded. The native will

maintain multiple interests in unrelated subjects & people.

The native will always be alert physically & mentally.

Chances are that he/she will visit foreign or far away

lands. He/she will be endowed with fame & wealth. They

command respect in their circle. They will have a magnetic

personality & majestic appearance. They will be endowed with

personal magnetism & charisma.

The Ascendant lord in the Second House Since the lord of the

ascendant is in the 2nd house the native will be graced by

scholarship. They will be blessed by many outstanding

qualities. They will be spiritual and religious by nature.

They will have a charming, magnetic personality. They will

be blessed by the gift of the gab or the divine gift of

articulate speech. They will impress others by eyes which

are penetrating and by articulate abilities. They will have

domestic happiness. They will be sweet- tongued and graceful

in speech. It is said that Goddess of Speech will reside in

them indicating poetic & communication abilities.

The Ascendant lord in the Third House Since the lord of the

ascendant is in the 3rd house, the native's courage will be

indomitable. His/her actions may be considered unorthodox

and unconventional by society. They know that character is

the greatest wealth and they should not let anything mar

their reputation. He/she have the potential to become a

great musician. Similarly if they develop their mathematical

abilities they can become great mathe- maticians. They

should be careful about their health. They are able to

maintain parallel interest or relationships with different

individuals.

The Ascendant lord in the Fourth House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 4th house the native will be born in an

aristocratic family. The native will generally be good

looking and ambitious. He/she will be a workaholic and

prosperity is sustained by hard work. The native is well

behaved in society. He/she will have good physique & and

impressive personality. They will have happiness from

mother. They will be blessed by a house and conveyances.

They will have a lot of friends. They become famous amidst

their circle. They become a leader amidst friends &

relatives. Uncles may be favourable to them. They will have

a good house with all comforts.

The Ascendant lord in the Fifth House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 5th, fame will come to the native by its own.

They become aggressive and belligerent. They may gain the

good will of the political parties in power. It is quite

likely that they will benefit from commercial & diplomatic

services. They will shine in Govt Service. They will get the

support of officials and seniors. They will be lucky in

speculation and they know the adage " You can't accumulate

if you don't speculate". If they use their intellect they

can be lucky in investments. The speculative stock market

has its charms for them.

The Ascendant lord in the Sixth House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 6th they will be courageous and

distinguished. They will be financially OK. They employ

means that are not above board. There may be debts which

they are capable of paying in time. They may join the armed

forces and reach a high official position. They will be

helped by brothers and sisters. They may be employed in the

health sector. They are advised to care of their health.

Enemies they will have in plenty and they have to be careful

about their machinations. Their success may generate jeal-

ousy amongst their enemies. They will be successful

generally.

The Ascendant lord in the Seventh House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 7th they have to be careful about the health

of their partner. It is quite likely that they may develop

vairagya and turn to asceticism during the latter part of

their life. They may wander without gaining momentum. They

experience vicissitudes and moods always alternate between

dejection & elat- ion. They may end up in a foreign country.

They may examine people & ideas in order to get at Truth.

They will become famous & trustworthy. He/she will have a

powerful personality with penetrating eyes.

The Ascendant lord in the Eighth House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 8th the native will be a scholar with

excellent academic records. They will have to be careful

about their health. They should avoid gambling &

speculation. They have love & interest for occultism. They

may give chances to others to ques- tion their character.

Unfortunate events may invade their life. They may try to

escape tension by taking to drugs, alcohol & day dreams

instead of meditation & prayer. These tension relieving

tendencies should be controlled. Many deaths in the family

may be witnessed.

Ascendant lord in the Ninth House Since the native's

ascendant lord is in the 9th they will be fortunate as

regards luck both material & spiritual. Oratorial skills &

commu- nication ability will be well developed. He/she will

be known as a silver tongued orator. They are dignified and

majestic and will be well appreciated by the opposite sex.

They are likely to inherit a paternal legacy. They will have

domestic happiness. They will be deeply spiritual and

religious. They will be devoted to the prece- ptors and God.

Philosophy & Religion will sway them & they may take to

asceticism during the latter part of their life.

The Ascendant lord in the Tenth House Since the ascendant

lord is in the 10th the native will have professional

enhancement & reputation. They will enjoy parental happiness

It is likely that they may feel stifled by parental

authority. Ascendant lord in the 10th is excellent for fame

in the professional sphere. When they show their sense of

discipline and workaholism it will be appreciated by the

seniors and thereby they will earn fame name and patronage.

They will grow up in the right direction only. He/she will

be a self made man with self made wealth. They may have

income from many sources.

The Ascendant lord in the Eleventh House Since the

ascendant lord is in the 11th the native will be inclined to

beauty and harmony in music, art and romance. They associate

freely with all, particularly with the opposite sex. They

are advised to guard against marital infidelity. They will

be subject to delays or difficulties in marriage. They will

not experience financial difficulties. They will succeed in

business and their fiscal success will be due to their elder

brother. Elder sisters will also be fav- ourable to them. As

far as gains are concerned they will make prof- its

commensurate with their abilities.

The Ascendant lord in the Twelfth House The native has to be

careful with money as he/she are likely to be a spendthrift.

They have a duality or polarity in their character which

they must bring into harmony. Beware of gambling. They

believe in the principle that Right means for the right

ends. They will fare well in education. They derive more

pleasure serving than being served and from giving than

receiving. They are likely to become altruists consecrating

their life for the welfare of their fellowmen. They have

self control & mastery of the senses.

Astrology and the Science of Numbers ( Numerology )

Can Numbers represent Reality ? Yes, said Pythagorus. Each

number has a vibration which corresponds to the nine

revolving heavens.

Astrology & Gemology

Flawless gems are auspicious and flawed gems are a source of

misfortune. Richard Shaw Brown, Jr ( www.agt-gems.com)

writes that the Vedic texts which state that pure flawless

gems have auspicious powers ( Garuda Purana, Agni Purana)

are correct. " After 25 years of researching and

experimenting with gemstones, it is our carefully considered

opinion that the Vedic texts are correct. Flawed gems are

simply a source of misfortune, not to mention their being

ugly ! Think about it ! How many people are prepared to

tolerate defects in their clothing, or any other personal

items they possess?. Even a single scratch on a nice

automobile is an eyesore, so why do people tolerate flawed

gems? "

Howard Beckman ( www.p-g-a.org ) writes that different

Chakras absorb different cosmic colors and nourish

particular glands in the body.

Diseases can be cured by using appropriate gems.

Astrology, Holistic Medicine & Ayurveda Regulation of Food,

Sleep and Exercise

" Food is medicine; Medicine is food " said Hippocrates.

"Food is Brahman. Food was verily born before all creatures:

therefore it is called the medicine for all" declares the

Upanishads. By stating that food is the root cause of all

ills & illnesses Vedanta have formulated one of the

foundational principles of holistic health. At least half

the ailments of man can be traced directly or indirectly to

the problems of food. Regulation of food is not easy,

because it is an addiction like alcohol. Problems like

obesity, higher cholesterol level & irritable bowel syndrome

crop up if food is not controlled. By controlling food, the

whole body comes under control. "When taste is conquered

everything is conquered " averrs Vedanta. What really

matters is not how much we eat but how much of what we eat

is transformed into bioenergy & the building materials of

life.

Sir William Osler pointed out many years ago " Only a small

percentage of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to

waste and loss of energy". In holistic health, food should

be revered & a proper attitude towards food should be

developed. " Be thankful for all food, for food is Brahman "

said Vivekananda. Six hours have been prescribed for all

even though requirement of sleep varies from person to

person Research studies have indicated that even moderate

levels of exercise bolster the immune system. No amount of

sleep is sufficient for unwinding the mind for it is always

in a tense state under the stressful conditions of modern

life. Antidotes to stress include yogic techniques like

Meditation, prayer, cultivation of the Witness attitude &

practice of absolute self-surrender to the Divine, which

enable us to avoid a lot of unnecessary stress. Doing

nothing or simply lying down is not relaxation. The muscles

when stretched bring in relaxation as it frees them from the

tense condition. Some of the yogic Asanas are highly

effective because they can relax the muscles. There will be

focal point in the body which reflects the mental tension

which one finds oneself in. That focal point of mental

tension should be identified and you can choose that type of

yogic exercise which will relax the muscles & tendons of the

specific focal point of tension in you.

Regulation of Breath "Breathlessness is deathlessness "

averrs Yoga. Regulation of breath gives tremendous

relaxation.Pranayama, without the help of a bona fide

Master, can lead to serious complications. What is needed is

the practice of breathing deeply ( as deeply as possible )

through both the nostrils & then slowly breathing out (

without breath retention ). This kind of regulated deep

breathing can be done at any time, even in your office.

Psychosomatic pain can be alleviated by these simple yogic

techniques more effectively than allopathic pills or

tablets. Here we employ the internal pharmacy of Skill power

in lieu of the external pharmacy of Pill Power!

Vedic Holistic Medicine ( Ayurveda) gives priority to the

Whole and not to the parts, contrary to chemotherapy which

treats the parts only.

Astrology & Yoga

All knowledge is threefold (" Thraigunya Vishaya Veda "). In

Freudian Psycho-analysis we have three impulses, Id, Ego and

Supergo. The Vedantic Satwa, Rajas and Thamas correspond to

these impulses. The mind is always gripped by these three

impulses. Sometimes we are Rajasic ( worldly ) and go after

wealth. When intense anger and other negative emotions grip

us, we are Thamasic. When divine qualities like Love and

Peace influence us, we are Satwic ( divine ). The Ego with

its ten heads ( symbolised as the ten-headed Ravana ) is the

major block in attaining Self_Actualisation. The ten heads

of the Ego are Lust,Anger,Pride, Avarice, Sloth,

Covetousness, Attachment, Mind, Intellect, Conceit &

Egoistic Mentality. Only when the ten heads of the Ego are

removed can we hope to get Self-Realisation. ( Symbolically

only when the Ravana in us is destroyed ). When we do our

yoga, we will be assailed by three type of Ego. Rajasic (

wordly ), Thamasic ( bestial ) and Satwic ( noble ). In

order to overcome the three types of Ego, we are given

certain commandments.

" Ma the Sanghostha karmani " - (Let there be not in you any

attachment to inaction. ) This commandment is given so that

we can overcome the Thamasic ( bestial ) ego.

" Ma Karma Phala Heturbhoo " - ("Dont expect any reward")

This commandment is given to protect us from the Rajasic (

wordly ) ego, which always expects rewards for work done.

"Ubhe Sukruta Dushkrute " ( "Be beyond good and evil " )

This commandment is given to us to overcome the Satwic Ego,

for one should not hang on to Punya ( divine merit ).

In other words, during the process of Yoga, we will be

assailed by all sorts of negative thoughts. Our aim is to

identify with the Source of all thought, the Self. We will

find, as we progress on the path of yoga, that these

negative thoughts leave us slowly and steadily. Conquering

our negative aspect is not easy. The negative elements in

man are the true villains.

Alone, powerful & cruel are the dark and dreadful forces

that profit from the reign of Night and Ignorance and they

dont want any change in the body. We have to annihilate them

one by one.

In tragic life, God wot

No villains need be, passions spin the plot

We are betrayed by what is false within !

The entire Vedic wisdom is contained in one word " Transcend

". Transcend both pain & sorrow, transcend the triune

attributes of Nature. Transcend negativity !.

Astrology & Occult Vibratory Chemistry ( Tantra )

Tantra focusses on the Chit-Shakti, the Consciousness-Force

latent in the Universe. The entire Universe is the play and

display of this Cosmic Force and this Force is latent in

human beings as the Kundalini. She rises from the Root

Chakra to the Crown Chakra during Meditation. Tantra is a

similar discipline like Yoga and is very important from the

Divine perspective.

Books as the source of knowledge

Dante's Divina Commedia or Goethe's Faust were never the

product of the Rational Mind. They were the products of the

Intuitive Mind. Books can instruct, they can teach & they

can elevate man from the mundane to the sublime !