Here is a very worthwhile post from a member of the Master Vedic Astrology School.
This course member is concerned that her Sun is debilitated in Libra in her Vedic birth chart. Yet she asks if the debilitation is ‘cancelled’ because she has Venus also in Libra.
Note that Venus is the ‘planetary ruler’ of the sign containing the debilitated planet, and Venus is in the same sign as the Sun, Libra in her case. She asks: ‘Does this mean my Sun will no longer be debilitated (although in Libra)?
She rightly says: Neechabhanga Rajayoga occurs when the debilitated planet is conjunct the ruler of the sign of its debilitation. ‘So is the debilitation of my Sun cancelled?’ she asks.
She writes: ‘In the case of my chart, I have my Sun in Libra at 9 degrees, which is the Sun’s debilitated position. But it is conjunct Venus which is the Ruler of Libra, and Venus is placed (retrograde) at 24 deg Libra. So is this an example of a Neechabhanga Rajayoga?’ she asks.
The answer is yes. This is one of the conditions where the debilitation is cancelled. But how are we to evaluate this yoga. There can be a risk in Vedic Astrology of being legalistic or dogmatic, rather than bringing intelligent flexibility and the needed enlightened awareness.
But Neecha Bhanga Raja yoga must not encourage ‘magical thinking’. Remember, Vedic astrology interpretation is only as good as the level of consciousness of the astrologer. That is one reason I offer my Master Vedic Astrologer Course jointly with a course that teaches the raising of the level of our consciousness and awareness. See www.templeoflight.co.uk.
The crucial point is that if indeed debilitation is ‘cancelled’, this does NOT mean it no longer exists. It means that something related to it also exists. So let’s look more deeply into the question of Debilitation of planets and also into cancellation of debilitation:
First of all: what is debilitation? Here is a statement of planets and their sign of debilitation:
The Sun Libra
The Moon Scorpio
Mercury Pisces
Venus Virgo
Mars Cancer
Jupiter Capricorn
Saturn Aries
Rahu and Ketu become debilitated in Scorpio and Taurus signs respectively.
Now let’s look deeper to see what exact degree in the debilitation the Debilitation or ‘Fall’ is at its worst. I also tuck in the issue of Exaltation of planets because this does come in to come of the forms of cancellation:
EXALTATION AND FALL OF THE PLANETS
Sun exaltation 10º Aries fall 10º Libra
Moon exaltation 3º Taurus fall 3º Scorpio
Mercury exaltation 15º Virgo fall 15º Pisces
Venus exaltation 27º Pisces fall 27º Virgo
Mars exaltation 28º Capricorn fall 28º Cancer
Jupiter exaltation 5º Cancer fall 5º Capricorn
Saturn exaltation 20º Libra fall 20º Aries
Rahu exaltation in Taurus fall in Scorpio
Ketu exaltation in Scorpio fall in Taurus
Next, let’s review what are the implications of a planet being Debilitated:
A debilitated or Neecha planet is too weak to produce good results normally signified by it.
If a planet is Neecha (in debilitation) it gives malefic results.
Neecha planets, because of their inherent weakness, give adverse results during the course of their dashas (predictive periods).
Neecha grahas i.e. debilitated planets, even spoil the impact of planets they are associated with, e.g. planets that they conjunct – and they spoil yogas caused by those planets.
Having reviewed debilitation, let’s now go on to review the six forms of cancellation of Debilitation. We have already mentioned: Having the debilitated planet conjunct the ruler of the sign it occupies. This is indeed one of the six possible conditions for Neecha Bhanga Raja yoga to exist, and it applies in the course member’s chart.
Briefly, the other five conditions are:
- When the planetary ruler of the sign occupied by the debilitated planet is Exalted (e.g. if her Venus was in Pisces).
- When the planetary ruler of the sign occupied by the debilitated planet is in a Kendra (angular) sign calculated from the Ascendant (Lagna) or Moon (i.e. the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th House in the Vedic birth chart).
- When the planetary ruler of the sign occupied by the debilitated planet and the ruler of its exalted planet are in Kendra House from each other.
- When the debilitated planet is exalted in the Navamsha Chart (the wonderful and so important Soul/Marriage chart we each have in Vedic Astrology).
- When the debilitated planet receives an aspect from the ruler of the sign it occupies.
Now let’s turn to issues of enlightened awareness about this:
Philadeepika writes that cancelled debility does not become equal to exaltation, Neechabhanga simply removes debility. He adds the warning that results produced by a debilitated planet whose dispositor is also debilitated will be the worst possible.
Actually, I would say that the debilitation of a planet does not disappear. I would say that cancellation produces a situation where the individual can overcome. Debilitation does not disappear, but it is modified – in the course member’s case by being conjunct the planetary ruler of the sign the debilitated planet occupies.
Remember, because Vedic astrology is tantric, there is never a case of the ‘tactful committee minute’ which seeks to merge and synthesise the nature of the two planets (debilitated Sun and sign-ruler Venus in her case). In Vedic Astrology the individual always experiences BOTH ends of the pole fully. The divine purpose in this is that we are thus given the opportunity to find the Divine Truth that the ‘apparent opposites’ have underlying them, to find the divine truth that the ‘apparent opposite’ points to. It’s a case of out of darkness light.
The crucial thing is that in the insight of Vedic astrology, we experience both ends of the pole. And this is done with the divine purpose that we ‘go beyond’.
The point is that we are faced with a situation that can potentially strengthen us. But usually it will only strengthen us if we do the needed work. Normally it will only strengthen us if we bring enlightened consciousness to the situations that will arise due to this yoga, if we mature.
Indeed according to some astrologers, Neechabhanga Raja yoga generally comes into operation after the age of thirty-six years.
We need to look at the question: what does ‘debilitated Sun’ actually mean?
Well the Sun is our Divine charioteer. Sun is the charioteer who holds in his hands the reins to the horses that pull the chariot that is our Self, where the horses are the other planets. If the horses are stronger than the charioteer, they could pull the chariot this way and that and overturn it and resist a clear direction being set. People with weak Sun can feel very overlooked. I did a blog about this years ago which has been very popular: Do you have a weak Sun?
Sun is also our father in our Vedic birth chart, and debilitated Sun says our father was not a central blessing influence in our life. My Sun is at 1 degree Libra in my Vedic birth chart, and I only saw my father once in my life.
But as I said, one needs to apply intelligent analysis to the planet that is said to be doing the cancelling of the debilitation. All is not totally straightforward with Venus in the course member’s chart. In her case, the ruler of the sign of Libra that the Sun is placed in is obviously: Venus. Yet this is not straightforward in her case, because Venus is retrograde in her birth chart thus requiring extra special awareness.
So, we need to be aware that Neechabhanga Rajayoga is not ‘magic’. We mustn’t deal with the techniques of Vedic astrology legalistically or dogmatically.
But then there is the ‘twist’. Yes, sometimes, genuinely, the truth is that there will be almost ‘heaven-sent windfalls’ as the energy of Cancellation is felt. This is true. I have experienced it. I have seen it. There are windfalls and heaven-sent gains. Maybe you could say they are completely unearned and out of the blue. This will be especially the case when relevant transits are also occurring, and when relevant predictive periods (Dasas) are also occurring (e.g. relating to Sun and Venus in her case).
But, normally speaking, it’s not normally ‘magic’. Normally, the truth is that Cancelled Debilitation creates a tension pervading our life that means we can be given a steady persistent boost to do the necessary work of raising our consciousness and thus and reducing the weakness of our Sun.
As Helen Hamilton who leads the associated meditation course www.templeoflight.co.uk observed: if we don’t have an adequate relationship with our father, how are we to develop the needed relationship with a heavenly Father?
My Astrology readings expertly combine western and vedic Astrology: www.starwheelastrology.com
My Vedic Astrology course is: www.mastervedicastrology.com
My western astrology course is: www.enlightenedastrologycourse.com
My phone number is 07799296821. My email is: michaelconneely@gmail.com. I hope thsi post has been of assistance, Micahel
