MENTAL ILLNESS & Its dignosis from birth chart |Thomas k Joseph

Nowadays, several thousands of people suffer due to “Mental illness” for various reasons like stress and strain in modern world; financial problems, family unrest and society-turmoil and the like. Classical astrological texts did focus on some of the possible indicators of severe mental illness.

The "Jataka Tattva", an ancient vedic astrology text, gives a list of some of the following alignments of planets in the natal chart of a person as possible combinations causing mental illness:

1. Jupiter is in the ascendant and Mars is in the seventh house or vice versa.
2. Saturn is in the birth-lagna and Mars is in the 5th, 7th or 9th house.
3. Saturn is in the 12th house and is conjunct with a waning (ksheena-chandra) Moon.
4. Saturn is in the birth-lagna, Sun is in the Vyaya (12^th) house and Mars or the Moon in a trine (kona, 1, 5, or 9^th house).
5. Association of Saturn and the lord of the second house with the Sun or Mars.
6. Birth occurs in the hora of Saturn or Mars, a Sun-Moon conjunction in the lagna, the 5^th or the 9^th , and Jupiter in a quadrant (Kendra, 1, 4, 7 or 10^th house).
7. Mandi (the malefic sub-planet that has no physical existence but has a Saturn-like malefic quality) is in the 7^th house, afflicted by a malefic. The same rule may apply if Mandi is in the 5th house.
8. Rahu and the Moon in the birth-lagna, and malefics (like Saturn, Mars) in the trines. (i.e., "Pishacha Grasta" Yoga, a combination for being overtaken by the "spirits", indicative of phobias.)

This must be corroborated by other factors such as:

1. Afflictions to the Moon (mind), Mercury (nervous system) and Jupiter (maturity / wisdom). Particularly, when all three of these planets are afflicted, conditions leading to mental illness are highly possible.

2. The fifth house can correspond to thinking, logic and wisdom. If the lord of the 5^th house is afflicted, the person suffers mental disorders.

3. The lagna and / or Aries, both indicate the head; if they are afflicted the person is mentally ill.

4. Kemadruma Yoga - This is a condition occurs when the moon has no planets in either of the signs flanking it. When there is no planet in the 2^nd or the 12^th from the moon, the soundness of the mind may be spoiled. Again, the entire natal-chart needs to be examined carefully.

Example

This person suffers from schizophrenic illness; he is unable to work / do any job due to constant problems with his hearing "voices" , that is "auditory hallucinations." Based on Jataka Tatva, ancient text on astrology one can explain his natal-chart as follows :

Ketu	Aries	-5-	Mars
-2-	RAASI		Cancer -7-
Lagna Jupiter Saturn	RAASI		Rahu Moon
		Libra Rahu	Sun. Venus. Mercury Mandi

Sun	Jupiter Ketu		Mercury
	Nava Amsa		Cancer
	Nava Amsa		Leo
	Lagna Mars	Rahu	Saturn Moon Venus

1. Jupiter is in the birth-lagna and Mars is in opposition in the seventh house. Jupiter is in his own house, in Sagittarius and is strong; so he is a "relatively well" schizophrenic)

2. Saturn is also in the birth-lagna, conjunct with Jupiter. This creates a restriction on the otherwise strong Jupiter in Sagittarius.

3. According to the Jataka Tattva, the next possible indicator of mental illness is if Saturn is in the 12th house associated with a waning Moon. In the Rasi chart, although the Moon is indeed waning, Saturn is at 18 degrees and the Ascendant (lagnam) is at nearly 23 degrees in Sagittarius, so even though Saturn precedes the lagna, it is still by Vedic standards in the 1st house. However, in the Navamsha the situation is reversed, there is a new moon, but Saturn is in the 12th house. So the rule applies in this case.

4. The next rule in Jataka Tatva does apply here, as Saturn is the lord of the second house and aspects both the Sun and Mars. The second house is relevant as it refers to (vaak) speech. This rule is applicable because this person has difficulty with communication.

5.Mandi a malefic (like Saturn) is at nearly nine degrees in Virgo in the tenth house. Mandi is not in the seventh house, but it is doubly afflicted by both Mars and Saturn. Mandi is conjunct with the Sun, Mercury (exalted) and Venus, all of whom share this unfortunate dual aspect from Mars and Saturn. The person has suffered severe shame about his inability to maintain his employment. He keenly desires to work, and earn; yet he fears a repetition of his brief earlier employment experiences, which preceded the onset of his first mental illness. It was then that he began to suffer from his inability to concentrate due to constant hearing voices.

6) Moon is afflicated: the Moon, while not in a Kemadruma Yoga is flanked in both adjacent houses by malefics, Mars and Rahu, causing a Papa Kartari Yoga. This does not bode well for the planet Moon, that is the significator of feelings and emotional reactions.

7) Mercury is afflicted: Mercury, significator of reason and intellect, although is in Virgo (own / exalted house), unfortunately suffers aspects from both Saturn, Mars and in the proximity of Sun in the rasi chart.

8) In the Nava amsa chart, Mercury is formidably opposed by Mars in Scorpio.

9) Jupiter is afflicted: Jupiter, planet of wisdom is conjunct with Saturn and opposed by Mars in the rasi. In the Nava amsa, Jupiter is conjunct with Ketu in Aries in the seventh house.

10) Birth- lagna is afflicted: The lagna is conjunct with Saturn and opposed by Mars in the rasi. In the Nava amsa, lagna is conjunct with Rahu and flanked in adjacent houses by both Mars and Saturn.

11) Nakshatras (Constellatios) Analysis : Now we examine the connections of planets and the Nakshatras (constellations) and Nakshatra rulers and the interconnection of the planets and the Nakshatra rulers that they are located in:

1. Lagna lord Jupiter is in the Nakshatra of Mula, which is ruled by Ketu. Ketu is in Purva Bhadra, which is ruled by Jupiter. This establishes not only a Jupiter / Ketu connection, but also a connection between the first, 2^nd and 4^th houses, dealing with the self, the mind and the home, private life, mother and peace of mind (4th).

2. The Moon is in Ashlesha ruled by Mercury. Mercury, in turn is in Hasta, which is ruled by the Moon. The houses affected here are the seventh, eighth and tenth. The Moon itself is in the eighth, a dushsthana (malefic) house. The eighth (randhra) can be associated with "mental sufferings and psychological afflictions."

3. Lagna and Saturn are both in Nakshatra Purva Ashada, ruled by Venus. Venus is in Chitra ruled by Mars. Mars is in Mrigashira, its own constellation.
The planets are located the first/seventh/tenth houses and own six of the twelve in the chart houses. So here is a very powerful connection for deeper analysis of the relations and effects. Rahu is also in a Venus-ruled Nakshatra - Purva Phalguni.