start at the start — gainsay the primary axis

Mastering the primary axis to a fair level makes simple sense. In fact, it’s so obvious that psychologist Abraham Maslow immortalized this process back in the 1940’s as the first few lower stages of his famous hierarchy of needs. The remaining higher stages spotlighted creativity, achieving meaningful worldly goals and basically feeling like a winner. He later acknowledged (around 1970) the possibilities of further personal growth than originally allowed for. Imagine that! In the 60’s and 70’s some versions of the model added a couple further layers up the ladder to allow for self-actualization (you’re really rocking now) and even self-transcendence (read that as a belated welcome to the spiritual side of the story). The fundamental idea rests on the premise that one can only progress to higher levels of accomplishment and satisfaction by first trekking through the lower hills and forests of the mountain (love, social interaction, safety, survival).

Okay. So, nothing’s new under the sun. But at least you now know there’s precedence for JSM lesson 1 and rule 1. Taken together, they make the car go. In short, do first things first. Let’s review the rules and principles established so far and try them out on a few examples to make sure you can sport a solid handle on how this all works.

Advanced yogic practice, by definition, transforms consciousness up from the physical plane (earth) through the etheric plane (solar system) to the astral plane (sun as a star) and on further (all the other stars). Each of the three major Jyotish chart styles (south, east, north) maps to one of these. To start, consider the following chakras (wheel or chart). These are for the same person, in this case the renowned spiritual teacher and master, Paramahansa Yogananda. As you can see, the planets (archetypes) are the same in all three charts.

To be clear, all three of the major Indian chart styles can be used to analyze any and every aspect of a kundli (natal chart). Nevertheless, each style has unique advantages since it displays data to highlight specific features.

For instance, the North Indian style (shown to the right), highlights the kendras (also called quadrants or angles). These four places always correspond to houses 1, 4, 7 and 10 of a chart.

Why? Well, because these cardinal directions simply sparkle with high voltage energy and possibility. They stand tall as power spots: places which offer you tailor-made solutions for life’s major themes (health, happiness, according with nature and all that is good, wealth, fun, meaning, personal and spiritual growth). Quite a handful, huh? Take your pick. But be aware: only a few (usually one or two) of these themes will enjoy the heavens’ full blessings and encouragement. So, this chart style can help you quickly ferret out the important tasks for your journey: those one or two themes that will make all the difference.

However, beyond this, the three styles hint at three different levels of consciousness (lokas). Consider the highest level map first:

The South Indian chart runs clockwise and highlights its four corner positions. Together, these four rashis form the dvisvabhāva rāśis (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces). Together they form a grouping (also known as the dual signs) that signifies the deepest space objects normally considered in Jyotish or spiritual practice. So, this style, the Guru chakra, intimates Svarga loka (the third level up from the physical plane; it represents heaven in the Hindu scheme and corresponds to the stars beyond the sun).

In the Jyotish Star Map:

1. Dhanu (lorded by Guru) represents our home, the Milky Way Galaxy (Svarga loka)

2. Meena (also lorded by Guru) represents our nearest galactic neighbor, the Andromeda Galaxy (which is bigger than the Milky Way and by all yogic accounts, stands as Maha loka, the next loka up from Svarga loka)

3. Kanya (lorded by Budha, who in turn corresponds to Lord Vishnu) maps to the Virgo Supercluster, a great consortium of galaxies that include the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. This supercluster centers on the Virgo Cluster, a smaller group of galaxies, situated in the region of Virgo (Kanya) (Jana loka, the next loka up from Maha loka).

4. Although supremely important spiritually, at a physical level, the Virgo Supercluster now turns out to be something of a fossil and historical curio, for modern research (2014 onwards) shows that it finds home as but a moderately-sized appendage of the massively more significant Laniakea Supercluster (containing 100, 000 galaxies) which itself is headed towards a region of space called the Shapley Attractor.

   Mapped back to the ecliptic (that is, with reference to back home here on earth), this attractor sits at the border between Tula (Libra) and Vrishchika (Scorpio). Some folks place it at about 2 degrees of Scorpio, which means it has a resonance with Alpha Centaurus, a triple star system, one of whose stars, Proxima Centauri, is the closest star to our own sun. Moreover, Rigil Kent (short for Rigil Kentarus) reigns as the brightest star in this three star system and tends to its chores at about 5 degrees of Scorpio. This sits just at the end of Vishaka nakshatra (friendly place lorded by Guru) and just before Anuradha nakshatra begins (formidable and scary place lorded by Shani). Antares [scorpion] lies at the heart of Anuradha. And only the wisdom and guidance of Rigil Kent can vouchsafe successful passage past the scorpion and to the heart of Dhanu, the archer (Milky Way Galaxy).

   In Neidan Yoga and JSM, Rigil Kent keys into Kidney 6, one of the essential acupuncture points related to accessing higher consciousness. In fact, this point is more powerful than any of the conventional chakras commonly discussed. But, as you might guess, there’s a catch: it only gets fully activated AFTER the central chakras (seven in Hindu yoga) come online. But until then, Kidney 6 is nevertheless a major point to help one master dream and sleep yoga (more about this a couple webpages down the pike).

To sum up: the Shapley Attractor equals or closely aligns with Rigil Kent (Tapa loka, next loka up from Jana loka). Note that Shani (Saturn) is classically related to renunciation (the hallmark of tapa loka) and this graha (planet) becomes exalted in the latter part of Libra (20 degrees). So, the rishis (great yogic adepts) progress from Dhanu to Meena to Kanya to Tula. A note worth remembering: the Tula leg is helped by energy from Vrishchika, called the Great Attractor (which sits further in towards the central parts of Vrishchika than Rigil Kent). This will be explained along with Kidney 6 after about two more pages are covered: when the discussion turns toward the upper astral plane (interface between Bhuva and Svarga lokas).

For reference, here’s the complete mapping from chart style to level of consciousness:

1. South Indian chart (Guru chakra) — Svarga loka (upper astral and lower mental plane) (in JSM, also: Maha, Jana and Tapa lokas)

2. East Indian chart (Surya chakra) — Bhuva loka (upper etheric and lower astral plane)

3. North Indian chart (Shukra chakra) — Bhu loka (physical and lower etheric plane)

The esoteric interpretation of the East and North Indian style charts will be covered in later pages. How to use all three styles within Neidan Yoga and JSM will also gradually be detailed.

JSM Rule 1 revisited — treat specific patterns

As a reminder: a chart with Mesha lagna (the natural zodiac) presents a view in align with higher realms. In contrast, your birth chart shows what gives at a worldly level. The preceding section concretized this understanding. You now know that the East Indian chart gives a vantage from Bhuva loka. It keys into Surya as a star. Whereas, the North Indian chart highlights this world, Bhu loka. It aligns with the grahas (planets and energies of this solar system).

Corollary to rule 1: work with Mesha (Aries) and Vrishabha (Taurus) first, if possible. These represent the primary axis of the natural zodiac. How about a couple examples? You’re on.

Example 1

NOTATION
Now, houses (bhava) simply designate a box (location) in a chart. They are most often numbered relative to the lagna (ascendant) which is marked as AS in these charts. For East Indian and North Indian chakras, the counting proceeds counter-clockwise from wherever the AS sits. The location with AS would be house 1. The location adjacent in the counterclockwise direction would be house 2. And so on. In JSM, we use the following time-honored notation: b# (for bhava and the house number counted from the AS). For instance, b2 for this person’s AS (in Simha) would be the next sign counterclockwise from there which is Virgo. So, b2 = Virgo in both these charts.

However, you can also count relative to any box or planet in the chart and this gets used often too (the counting for these two styles would still be counterclockwise). However, the notation traditionally used for this gets awkward. So, for clarity’s sake, from here on in, we use the following notation for counting from a given reference (sign, planet, even a house): #b from reference.

For example, in the North Indian chart above right, Jp (Jupiter, Guru) sits in bhava 10 (marked with a small 2 which means it is also the sign of Taurus). Hence, Mo (Moon, Chandra) would be 3b from Jp (counting counterclockwise from Jp to Mo gives a count of 3). Note that the traditional rule of counting is to count 1 as the place you start and then proceed. So, for this example, you count 1 for the location of Jp and then 2 for the next location counterclockwise and then 3 for the next location counterclockwise. This location has the Mo glyph. So, the Moon (Chandra) is 3b from Jupiter (Guru). Similarly, if you count, Jupiter is 11b from the Moon.

Well and good. Back to the first example. Check the East Indian chart (above left) first. This is how the native’s karma resonates at a higher vibrational level (sun as star = bhuva loka). Surya (sun) exalts in Mesha so this style orients towards Mesha which is always fixed as the top middle location. What’s exaltation? Basically, good news. A little different for each planet, the bottom line tells the story: the planet comes away feeling like a winner because its environment (the rashi it resides in) supports it big time and with all the bells and whistles thrown in for free. Thus, Surya (soul) gets exalted (empowered, fulfilled, feels like a winner) in Mesha. In particular, JSM rule 1 says to check Mesha and Vrishabha. Mesha is the reference point for this style (it is 1b from itself) and Vrishabha is 2b from the reference point of Mesha.

Subsequently, JSM rule 1 says to check the first and second houses from Mesha (= 1b from Mesha and 2b from Mesha = Mesha and Vrishabha) in the East Indian chart. These locations will always be the top middle position (Mesha) and the box just counterclockwise to it (Vrishabha).

In essence, these ARE the first and second houses of the natural zodiac (a chart with Mesha as lagna), Remember that the East Indian chart (Mesha, as exaltation place of the sun, is the reference) does not necessarily have Mesha as lagna whereas the natural zodiac does. So, the natural zodiac indicates a level of consciousness a ways deeper than the sun as a star (East Indian style). This only makes sense, for a galaxy consists of a lot more celestial cookies than just one star. For the natural zodiac, Mesha as lagna means that Dhanu (the galaxy) will be house 9 (house of the Guru, dharma and good luck).

As a rule, for any chart (or any point of reference), the AS (or reference point) represents the individual or energy at an ordinary level whereas 9b from the AS (equals bhava 9) or 9b from the reference will always show the dharma of the AS or reference and provide a read out of a much deeper level of energy dynamics. This morphs into a rule later on: treat both the reference and 9b from it.

Back to the chase: You always have endless details that could be considered when checking a chart but here we only focus on what empowers or damages the first two houses. The idea (check the previous page for a brush-up, if needed) hinges upon the basic fact that, in terms of the North Indian chart (so AS = lagna = personal intelligence, is the reference), one must deal with and succeed, at least moderately, with worldly life (primary axis = bhavas 1 and 7) before having any real chance to proceed along the spiritual path (secondary axis = bhavas 4 and 10).

From Surya’s viewpoint (Surya as star = bhuva loka; Surya as graha = bhu loka), this person abounds with blessing: Guru in second house from Mesha; and lagna lord, Mangala, conjunct Surya in Surya’s own rashi, Simha. So, here you have clean energy to manage the primary axis and empowerment of the lagna from its fifth house. Thus, no major issues at the spiritual level. Check! What about back down on earth (bhu loka)?

The North Indian chart (on the above right) often has the best grasp of what really happens. That is, the East Indian and South Indian charts fix the rashi positions so they fundamentally look up to the stars to read out the heavens’ opinions about what should happen. But the action takes place down a notch or two among “lesser beings” (grahas, the earth, natives of this planet). They all have a significant say in the matter too. In this case, the person enjoys a landslide of powerful energies in both the first and second houses. Too much energy, in fact.

However, here we just note if there is some type of workable energy to contend with the inevitable obstructions and attacks and deceptions that come from the world (bhava 7 relative to AS) as a matter of course while living a normal life. The answer, for this chart, peals soundly … yes. Too many malefics in the second house will cause problems but in light of making hay with spiritual progress, the goal always arches to vouchsafe some useful energy to the primary axis (sort of like a deceptive maneuver in martial arts or other competitive situations).

Hence, once you kindle the primary axis flame and have some stature, fluency and power in worldly matters (you can pay your bills, live life a little and basically, you’re feeling okay—if not outright happy) then all further efforts go toward developing the secondary axis (get on the bus for really worthwhile and consistent spiritual practice).

Therefore, for example 1, this person has loads of personal clout, is not altogether a saint, has some connection with those in spiritual power and could progress to the next stage of spiritual focus (develop the secondary axis). Keep the analysis simple but sensible. The native here could move on to a spiritual path. But if she or he does is a different matter. That will be covered in due course. For now, we just check if the possibility exists.

Hence, the formula for deep spiritual practice demands effort on your part. The first price to pay is wading your way through the primary axis—and not faking it. Life eventually turns on those who pretend to have some skill with the basic life skills (primary axis). So, your first mission? Sail and fly toward authority and integrity. This is personal authority and integrity. Stockpile the requisite tools neatly in your larder of character and personal skill. Not a ton. But enough. Enough to find a way through the ordinary duties of life. Then, on you go to authority and integrity at a spiritual level. It’s not easy. But in this world, anything really worthwhile, is really worthwhile pursuing whole-heartedly … regardless of price.

To recap: The previous lesson advised you to explore the primary axis (house 1 to house 7). This lesson takes it one step further: to succeed, you must do more than explore; you must actively gain a solid foothold along the primary axis. And only then, begin to focus all your major efforts on spiritual cultivation (that will be along the secondary axis = house 4 to house 10).

Like an esoteric master of martial arts, you aim to bolster your own position and simultaneously defuse the opposing negative forces. With steady practice you will learn an invaluable skill and insight: the grahas CAN be influenced positively through the right energy work. In Daoism, the corresponding formula reads: progress along the esoteric path = mingong (physical and etheric levels) + xinggong (astral and mental levels). This is the heart of neidan (energy work along the body’s midline = central energy channel) and will catapult you quite a distance ahead in your travels toward higher consciousness.

Of course, life provides the best feedback and some adjusting might be warranted given the circumstances at hand in a person’s life. This feedback loop applies all the way through the spiritual journey. Hence, there is a goal; there is a strategy; the Jyotish charts are used to fine-tune the tactics; AND, Life (with a capital L = all other players in this crazy universe) has its own thoughts about what happens. In short: you are at work; your karma is at work; and energies beyond your karma are at work.

So, always, always, always keep an eye out for the simple details of your life: are you on track? how’s your path accord with the times (transits, dashas, all other worldly and other-worldly factors)? As needed, adjust your plan. But don’t give up the ship. Ever. If you stick to the plan and steps as taught in all true yogic traditions, you will find your way through—every single time—it’s a promise made by great beings from all esoteric traditions both here on earth and throughout the galaxy.

Example 2
Here’s a different pattern to contend with. In example 1, the person had a connection to higher energies (Sun as star = houses 1 and 2 of East Indian chart) and some personal energy available (earth and planets = houses 1 and 2 of North Indian chart). Have a look at the following two charts. What do you think?