I am often asked about fate and free will when it comes to Jyotish (Vedic Astrology). This is a complicated subject that involves past life karmas (the results of actions taken in a past life that are playing out in this life), and is something that I continuously work toward understanding. That said, there are clear ways to see how much impact these past life actions have on our sense of self and the way that we navigate the world around us. In fact, this is one of the first things that I look for in a chart. I ask, how much capacity does this individual have to grasp the opportunities around them? Can they see what is available to them? Can they, as the influencers like to say, manifest the life that they want to live?
If you look at an astrology chart, you will notice a pattern of bhavas, or houses, with a diamond in the center. That diamond consists of houses 1, 4, 7, and 10 (going counter clockwise; 12 o'clock is house 1; 9 o'clock is house 4; and so on).
When I see a chart without any planets in the central diamond, that tells me that much of the circumstances of the person that I am reading for are in fact shaped by the karmas that they came into this life with (the results of actions taken in a previous life). This doesn't mean that people who have these configurations are without any ability to carve their own path, but it does mean that circumstances and events in their lives might have a lot more power when it comes to shaping their sense of self and their identity, and it is through this lens that they will navigate the world.
You know when your friend falls for someone who is just kind of shitty, but they can't tell because they are wearing rose tinted glasses? The glasses prevent them from being able to see the other person sitting right there who is just fawning over them. This other person could be perfect for them, but the rose tinted glasses prevent them from seeing beyond the surface of what they are looking at (the shittiness), and they are blinded to options outside of their narrow view. It isn't their fault, they literally cannot see them! The glasses have completely obscured both the truth and this other person.
The ability to even see the opportunities around you is key to being able to seize them, and if you cannot see them, it can be difficult to create a life beyond the view of whatever glasses you might be wearing. It can be harder to dream, to manifest, and to take hold of all that the world has to offer (but it isn't impossible).
When a chart has planets in the first house, depending on the planet and its condition (is it exalted, debilitated, etc), this lets me know that the person will probably be able to see and seize opportunities. They might have an easier time making decisions around whatever this planet represents and the houses that it owns, and they could probably carve their own destiny in regards to these areas, but when the time presents itself.
Take for example someone born with Jupiter in the first house in the sign of pieces. This is an extreme example, because Jupiter is the lord of Pisces, so it has a lot of power in this constellation. It also has what we call "directional strength" in the first house, which is a pretty big boost, so this is a powerful position for Jupiter, the most beneficent planet. I would immediately know that this person is able to navigate social spaces with relative ease. They would gravitate toward education and spirituality, and would probably be in leadership positions in their professional life. They would probably be generous, and would go out of their way to help others, but they would be humble about it. People will listen to them. They could teach. They could preach. They would have influence, and people would look up to them.
Sounds great, doesn't it? But the thing with astrology is that Jupiter isn't the only planet, there are others, and they have their impact as well. The part where fate versus free will comes in is that even if the other planets reveal tremendous tragedy, poverty, trouble with family, and so on, the presence of this strong Jupiter in the first house, at the "head" of their being, would help them to navigate the tides in a way that will support a strong sense of self. Their gaze or perception of the world wouldn't necessarily be limited by these events. In fact, because Jupiter is associated with expansion, their experiences might be magnified in a way that enables them to see the web of connections beyond their individual experience or what happened to them. They might be able to see how what happened in their life aligns with those of others, and they might look toward using their voice and influence to help those people or to change the situation at a higher or systemic level. This is one way that someone with this configuration might be able to seize opportunities in spite of adversity.
I have to mention that timing is important here too, because even thought they might have the ability to see and to grow with the events that take place throughout their lives, they might not fully step into or embrace opportunities until they enter the period of time during which Jupiter matures or rules over their chart, the Jupiter dasha (I will probably go into dashas a bit in another post).
In Sanskrit, the term for planet is graha, which translates roughly to "that which grasps." If we look at a chart in terms of the things that grasp, or take hold of us, we can see how the actions that we take might be influenced by or even the result of or will of these great graspers. Say you are grasped by the fiery planet Mars in a way that makes you impatient, reactive, and even sometimes combative. It might be helpful to see this side of yourself not from a place of judgement, but in terms of having been grasped by something outside of yourself. You can learn about yourself in terms of your relationship to this grasper, and you can work toward recognizing and undoing these patterns so that you can heal your relationship to yourself, to others, and to Mars.
This is just an example of how a chart might reveal how and where we wear blinders or rose tinted glasses. It shows the extent to which the opportunities around us present themselves as obvious or are obscured. I feel that this is really important to bring up in a session, because I believe that even being aware of these patterns can help us to work with and change them. If we know that we have a hard time seeing beyond our limited vision, we can work with what we have and slowly we will be able to see beyond our scope. There are so many ways to change how we navigate the world around us, and just knowing that we might need a new prescription can help us to see what is even there.
