How bad are dussthana houses?

One of the first things someone learns when they take up the study of Jyotish is that some houses are better than others. Alas, there is no socialism in Vedic astrology! Actually, three of them are considered to be downright malefic so that planets placed in them become damaged and their lords can similarly create problems for the houses they tenant. But just how true is this basic rule of Vedic astrology in practice?

Certainly, the dussthana houses (6, 8,12) have more negatives associated with them that the other houses. The 6th rules disease, theft, conflict, legal problems, the 8th rules death, obstacles, and scandal while the 12th rules losses, social isolation, and punishment. Not exactly enticing stuff. But while these meanings are real enough, it’s important to remember that they will only manifest if the houses and planets therein are afflicted or weak in some way. If the planets are strong, then only the positive version of the house meanings will manifest. The 6th also rules robust health, triumph over enemies, service and healing, the 8th rules inheritance and unearned income, ancient and secret knowledge, longevity, while the 12th rules enlightenment, gains from foreign lands, and sexual pleasure.

Al Gore (Mar 31 1948 12.53 pm EST Washington, DC) , for example, has a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in Sagittarius in his 6th house. Gore has enjoyed excellent health throughout his life, has had few if any significant legal problems, and has generally prospered in most areas of his life. Hard to say that the 6th house has done much damage to those planets. One way that the 6th house energy has manifested is that it has pushed him into politics which is naturally adversarial. Since the 6th house is associated with conflict, it makes sense that Gore has been so successful in that area. Despite his loss to George Bush in 2000, he remains one of the most respected members of the Democratic party. The key here is that the Moon-Jupiter are strong, unafflicted planets. Moon rules the first house, while Jupiter is in its own sign of Sagittarius.

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey (Jan 29 1954 7.51 pm CST Kosciusko, MS) has Sun, Venus and Mercury in her 6th house. She is one of the richest women in the US and was recently voted the most influential women in the world. Somehow, I don’t think those dussthana placements are causing too many problems for her. This is especially true since Sun and Venus rule her 1st and 10th houses. This stellium in the 6th house will tend to display the positive side of the 6th house (and the houses that the 6th house planets rule) because they are unafflicted, their dispositor Saturn is exalted in Libra, and they aspected by benefic Jupiter which also rules the favourable 5th house. We could make a good case that the 6th house influence manifests in Oprah’s ongoing interest in holistic healing and promoting the self-help movement.

Evangelical minister Billy Graham (Nov 7 1918 3.30 pm CST Moorhead, MN) is perhaps America’s most famous religious personality. He has shared prayers with the last ten US presidents all the way back to Truman. He has Sun and Venus in his 8th house in Libra. Unlike many of the television evangelists who followed in his footsteps, Graham has been scandal free throughout his long career. Clearly, most of the favourable significations of the 8th house are manifesting in his life. He has enjoyed longevity -- he is still preaching at the age of 86. He has received millions of “unearned” dollars through contributions to his ministry, although he has been careful not to take too much of it for personal use. And his knowledge and faith in the Bible is unparalleled, another favourable 8th house signification.

Pop singer Madonna (Aug 16 1958 7.05 am EST Bay City, MI) is one of the richest and most famous entertainers in the world. And yet she has both Sun and Venus placed in the 12th house. Has she experienced losses, imprisonment, or a lack of self-confidence? Hardly, although one might ponder the possibility that fame has its own downside that might imitate some of these unfortunate 12th house indications. Nonetheless, we can see how Madonna’s 12th house planets have largely displayed their positive side. For the past 10 years, she has been actively pursuing a more spiritual and enlightened life. She has also spent a lot of time in foreign countries seeking religious and cultural insights. And if the media reports are even partially true, certainly Madonna is something of an expert when it comes to sexual pleasure. All of these things are contained within the portfolio of the 12th house. This is due to the strength of both Sun and Venus in his chart. Their sign dispositor Moon is extremely well placed as it closely conjoins the ascendant, the most powerful point in the entire horoscope.

So these are a few examples that I hope support the notion that dussthana placements aren’t invariably negative. I feel these houses often get a bad rap because astrologers are often forced to make quick judgements rather than careful ones. Also inexperienced astrologers will sometimes prefer simple rules rather than examining the complete circumstances of each planet. There are no short cuts to a full and balanced assessment of each planet’s condition and influences. House placement and rulership are just two out of many factors that shape how a planet’s energies will manifest in the horoscope.

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North Korea nuclear test

As a result of the October 9th nuclear test by North Korea, Kim
Jong Il (Feb 16 1942, no time) and his bizarre retro-Stalinist regime
have moved into the limelight. There are a couple of telling patterns
in his chart that show his desire to standout. Transit Ketu (1 Virgo)
is aspecting his natal Uranus (29 Aries). Natally, his Uranus is square
his Sun, making this contact quite pivotal for the whole chart. This transit
effect pushes Kim to act suddenly and impulsively since these are
significations of both Uranus and Ketu.

A source of difficulty for Kim is the applying Saturn (29 Cancer)
opposition to his natal Sun (3 Aquarius). The November station of
Saturn will coincide with intense pressure and opposition to his rule.
No doubt some level of UN sanctions against North Korea will pass by
then and begin to hit hard. The Saturn-Sun opposition is one of the
most difficult aspects so I would expect the mood in Pyongyang to
grimmer than usual.

Look for Kim's problems to multiply over the next one to two years.
His secondary progressed Sun squares his Pluto. This shows power
struggles and confrontations where he comes out on the losing end.
January 2007 looks like there may be some significant incident
involving foreign governments that doesn't go his way. This may
involve some military dimension, but it doesn't look major. I would
expect more armed opposition to North Korea later in 2007 as Saturn
again opposes his Sun and Pluto conjoins his natal Mars. At the end
of 2007, the nodes will aspect both his Sun and Mars, the planet of
violence. This time will also coincide with secondary progressed Mars
squaring Pluto in Kim's chart. This is a classic Western signature
for violence. While it is hard to be definite about predictions when
the birth time is not known, but the late 2007 early 2008 period looks
very dangerous for Kim and his repressive regime. His days as Dear
Leader may be numbered.

Gold tanks

As signs of an economic slowdown meant a reduction in inflationary fears, the price of gold has fallen sharply in the past few days. Gold's decline mirrored the drop in the price of oil under $60 a barrel. Clearly, the two commodities are moving in tandem. The lazy man's explanation can be found in transit Saturn's near exact conjunction to the Descendant.

No surprises here really. I had predicted back in the summer that gold would retest its June lows in the $550-560 range and that is what's happened. The Saturn aspect is a problem, and with Uranus still backing off Jupiter, there is little upward price pressure from the planets.

I expect the price to bounce around $600 (mostly under) for another month or two. I wouldn't be shocked to see it fall below $550 either. I think a major turning point should be when Uranus turns direct on November 20. Even then, the price may not make any dramatic upswing. December will probably see it above $600. The bigger increases will likely occur after January 1. Again, I think it's very possible for gold to eclipse the May highs of $725 by April 2007.