The Twelfth House: Misery or Moksha Dennis M. Harness, Ph.D.

The twelfth house in the natal horoscope is often a mysterious domain of perplexity and paradox. According to Vedic astrologer, Dr. B.V. Raman, the twelfth bhava (house) “indicates misery, loss, expenditure, waste, extravagance, sympathy, piety, divine knowledge and worship, moksha (final emancipation) and the state after death”.

Whether an individual encounters loss or gain through the twelfth bhava is usually reflected by the natal chart, navamsa and current dasas and transits. But just as important, the attitude and consciousness of the individual exploring the twelfth house will have great influence as to what the soul learns through the experiences. How we react and respond to life’s karmic lessons is our free will or choice. As one encounters the twelfth house, it may be said that, “some pain is inevitable; suffering is optional”.

My very first experience with a professional astrologer was in 1976 and involved the twelfth house. The astrologer noted that both Moon and Jupiter were placed in my natal twelfth house and that Saturn would be transiting over these planets in the coming year. His dire prediction for 1977 was that I should ” be cautious because you may end up in jail”. This was a little disconcerting for a twenty-one year old who was moving away from his family to California to complete his college education. However, his prediction did come to fruition. My first job in California was as a youth counselor in a juvenile prison facility. I was literally in jail for up to sixty hours a week counseling adolescent boys. I have always thought that this was Divine Mother’s loving and compassionate way to balance the scales of karma for Saturn’s transit over my twelfth house planets.

In addition to the twelfth bhava signifying jails and prisons, confinement can also come thru ashrams, monasteries, and other places of spiritual renewal. The great saint of India who taught in the West, Paramahansa Yogananda stated that “seclusion is the price of greatness”. The twelfth house can teach us the benefit of aloneness, instead of the experience of loneliness. Meditation, yoga, and other spiritual austerities may be experienced through this house. Islands, remote places, and caves are also associated with the twelfth bhava.

The traditional karaka or significator of the twelfth house is Saturn. Sani or Saturn can reflect the loss, suffering, austerity of this domain. In my opinion, Ketu can also be viewed as a secondary karaka of the twelfth bhava. Ketu is the “moksha karaka” graha and also reflects twelfth house matters to an extent. Ketu is the planet of enlightenment and liberation as well as loss and confusion. Ketu placed in the twelfth bhava can reflect a deep spiritual awareness. The great saint, Mother Teresa had Ketu residing in her twelfth house of her natal horoscope.

The twelfth house is also reflective of the unconscious mind. The great Swiss psychiatrist, Dr. C.G. Jung once wrote “that which we do not face in the unconscious, we will live as fate”. One of the goals of both psychotherapy and astrology is to make the unconscious, more conscious. Both methods of introspection attempt to bring light into the caverns of the sub-conscious mind. Planets transiting thru the twelfth house can bring to light certain psychological complexes related to fear, worry and paranoia. Hidden family secrets or ancestral patterns may also be revealed. As Jung had stated; “the greatest sin” is to remain unconscious.

The twelfth house is also associated with the bed. Activities such as sleeping, dreaming, and even making love (bed pleasures) are depicted here. Benefic planets here may reflect the enjoyment of the bedroom and its related pleasures. Malefics posited here can reveal insomnia, nightmares, sexual dysfunction or lack of sexual enjoyment. The left eye and the feet are correlated with the twelfth bhava. Thus, poor eyesight and/or feet problems can occur due to afflictions to the twelfth house or its lord.

Loss of money, heavy expenditures, extravagance and debts can be experienced in relation to the twelfth house. However, this house can also reveal unusual resources and be a hidden treasure chest at the time of need. It is important to remember that the twelfth house is the eleventh house of gain from the second house (money) and also the second house from the eleventh house. It can provide the proverbial ” the check is in the mail”. Benefic planets in the twelfth house provide sustenance during the difficult times. Humanitarian or charitable work may be suitable for a benefic twelfth house person.

In summary, there are many methods to consciously explore the twelfth house. Psychotherapy, astrology, hypnosis, journal writing and working with one’s dreams can be effective tools for exploring the unconscious mind. Meditation, prayer, and other spritual practices can also assist one in contacting the super-conscious mind of the higher Self. The ultimate goal of “transpersonal psychotherapy” and Vedic Astrology is God Realization or Moksha. Exploration of twelfth house activities can assist us in finding our way home to God and the state of consciousness we may experience after our final liberation.

The following is a brief synopsis of the grahas in the natal twelfth house. Of course, the sign of the planet, aspects, and current dasas/transits will greatly enhance the interpretation and outcome.

Planets in the Twelfth House:

Sun: Hermit nature, need for seclusion, absent father, lack of family support for ego-development, dominant mother, low self-esteem, the power behind the throne, trouble with authority figures. Search for personal identity.

Moon: Lack of nurturing as a child, absent mother, fear of appearing childish, need for meditation time, enjoyment of the bedroom, sensitive to sound, water is healing, success in foreign lands, spiritual mother with different religious beliefs, raised by siblings.

Mercury: Good for writing and keeping a journal, psychic nature, tendency to ramble in speech, excellent for research and working behind the scenes, poetic, worry or fear issues, creative dyslexia.

Venus: Good bed pleasures, fear of loss in love, little public display of affection, trouble in early marriage, hidden treasures and gifts. Love of mystery, good longevity, peaceful death, attains heaven.

Mars: Kuja Dosha, early marriage may end in divorce, passive-aggressive personality, possible hidden abuse issues, good for hatha yoga. Assertiveness training may be beneficial.

Jupiter: Good for meditation and yoga, Guru may be absent, hidden financial resources, discouraged to expand past parents narrow belief systems, attains heavenly state after death.

Saturn: Need for spiritual discipline, path of service, issues with fear and withdrawal, feet and/or eye problems, sexual dysfunction. Father not available, may seek older mates, heavy debts.

Rahu: Difficulties with sleep disturbance or sexuality, difficult to diagnose illnesses, astral disturbances, need to focus on sadhana or spiritual practices.

Ketu: Good for moksha or spiritual liberation, intuitive gifts, need for spiritual community or ashram, enjoys distant travels. Need to create a peaceful living environment.

The Outer Planets (not utilized in traditional Vedic Astrology):

Uranus: Good for astrologers, unconventional, inventive mind, may have had originality stifled by family of origin. Underlying nervousness.

Neptune: Creative inspiration, need for fantasy time, poetic, psychic, escapist tendencies, need moderation with drugs, alcohol, transcendental mind. sensitive, compassionate, need time near water.

Pluto: Repressed sexuality and passion, tantric yoga may be helpful, fear of owning one’s power, manipulation of others, intense womb experience.

Vedic Astrology and Cartography – Dr Dennis Harness, Sedona


Dennis M. Harness, Ph.D. is a professional vedic astrologer and lecturer who received his doctorate degree in Counseling Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, California.Dennis M Harness, Ph.D – Vedic Astrologer

For more than twenty years, Dennis has studied both Eastern and Western astrological techniques with some of the world’s most respected astrologers. He has published numerous articles, research papers and book chapters in the fields of astrology, psychology, and medicine.

Dennis was a founding member of the American Council of Vedic Astrology and served as president of the American College of Vedic Astrology, located in Sedona, Arizona, from 1999-2009. His book, The Nakshatras: The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology, is published by Lotus Press and continues to be one of the few works dedicated to uncovering the mysteries of these important, and often overlooked, asterisms of Vedic Astrology.

Now More Than Ever We Need Mindfulness ~ Larry Yang

As we already are feeling divisiveness of current politics and upcoming presidential elections…

As we feel into pain and complexity of people holding seeming irreconcilable values which actually harm each other, on topics like the economy, immigration and same-sex marriage…

As even people’s intentions for doing good in the world, whether through nonviolent dissent, or simple holiday shopping to provide for a family’s happiness is met with pepper spray and handcuffs…

Now more than ever we need our Mindfulness Practice.

We need the Freedom that Mindfulness invites for us — the freedom that we do not have to follow the unconscious patterns of acute reactivity. We need to remember that it is possible to notice deeply what is happening, understand it with some wisdom, treat it with some of the compassion inherent in our humanity, and move into responses and actions that are of benefit — that is, to move toward that which lessens suffering and creates happiness, not just for us as individuals, but us as a collective world.

Our Mindfulness practice, whether it is on the cushion paying attention to the emotions and thoughts that weave between the breath and bodily sensations, or whether it is in the world paying attention to our actions and behaviors which emerge from our emotions and thoughts, is always a reminder that in order to change any unhealthy or harmful patterns — in order to transform any suffering — we have to first become aware of the patterns themselves. We cannot change anything that we are not aware of. This is also true of our collective transformation into a culture that meets the needs of greater numbers of people and beings: We first have to become deeply aware of the conditions that we are living within, and then that will guide us into transforming the world into a better place to live.

On a personal level this may show up within the experience of intense emotions. Often we are driven by unconscious motivations of our emotional landscape. How often do we feel lost in the rage or the upset that sometimes arises? The powerful impact that Mindfulness brings is that the experience of being aware of the rage is not the rage itself. Being mindful of all the sensations of rage or anger is not being lost in or consumed by the fire. How often do we actually feed the experience of anger without examining what is really happening? Do you find yourself pouring fuel on the fire of rage, or even getting angry at the anger? What might be happening other than the thoughts or emotions inflaming the fuel?

If we examine closely, we will likely find that the experience of anger and rage have pleasant sensations associated with them. Pleasant sensations are always seductive. That is the nature of “pleasant.” And generally, without an awareness practice, unconscious conditioning impels our human experience to desire more pleasant sensations — without any questions asked. We begin to enjoy the sensations of feeling angry and even feed them with experiences such as self-righteousness, or a sense of “better-than,” or even revenge. The deceptive nature of the pleasant feelings of rage is that the behaviors and actions which emerge do not always lead to less suffering in the world. Much of our behavior and actions in the world are driven by the immediacy of this kind of reaction toward strong emotions or acute pain. These actions often lead to more suffering — unless there is Mindfulness.

Anger is an important barometer possibly indicating when boundaries have been crossed, or injustices have occurred or oppression has been inflicted. However, anger can also have an unconscious life of its own when it is not met with the central question of our Awareness practice, which is also a vital choice-point of Buddhist spiritual practice: Will this lead to more suffering, or will this lead to less?

Life is complicated and this is not always a clean or clear decision point. Our practice simply invites us to do the best we can — to be as mindful, aware and kind to whatever arises, even our intense emotional landscapes. The personal mantra that I have developed to navigate through the complex dilemmas and social issues arising currently is:

Can I be mindful and loving of whatever arises.
If I can’t be loving in this moment, can I be kind.
If I can’t be kind, can I be non-judgmental.
If I can’t be non-judgmental, can I not cause harm.
And if I cannot not cause harm, can I cause the least amount of harm possible?

Our awareness practice does not simply end with how it applies to our personal life. The Buddha did not design an individual practice that solely leads to personal salvation or enlightenment. The invitation of the Buddha’s teachings is to make our Mindfulness relevant and integral to not only our personal journey towards happiness, but our collective transformation towards Freedom. It is written in the Satipatthana Sutta:

The Noble Ones abide contemplating internally, they abide contemplating externally, they abide contemplating both externally and internally.

This practice of applying awareness to our internal personal experience and the external collective experience is how we create Freedom for all beings — it is how we become aware of what needs to be transformed. Referencing our current reality, to change the dynamic of the 1 percent and the 99 percent, we first need to become fully aware of the suffering and the disparities involved, and how these disparities actually cause harm to the 100 percent, not just the 99 percent. In addition, not everyone in the 99 percent is aware that that they are part of the 99 percent.

This is a process that is beginning to expand. Some of the 99 percent might have a few more creature comforts than others (i.e. “pleasant” conditions in life); however, this does not mean that they are not oppressed by a larger system in place. Our collective consciousness is in the midst of being raised. And this collective awareness raising is not separate or different from the deepening of our personal mindfulness practice, internally and externally.

What we do on the meditation cushion to create clarity of mind, openness in our hearts, and mindfulness of our thoughts, emotions and actions is not any different than the work we do in the world to create a better life for all of us. As many spiritual masters and social activist elders have told us, from Mahatma Gandhi to Audre Lorde, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” Mindfulness can be the practice that connects our individual spiritual path with the path of all beings. Our paths toward Freedom are the same. We are not separate from one another.

Thich Nhat Hanh writes:

When you break through to the truth, compassion springs up like a stream of water. With that compassion, you can embrace even the people who have persecuted you. When you’re motivated by desire to help those who are victims of ignorance, only then are you free from your suffering and feelings of violation. Don’t wait for things to change around you. You have to practice liberating yourself. Then you will be equipped with the power of compassion and understanding, the only kind of power that can help transform an environment full of injustice and discrimination. You have to become such a person — one who can embody tolerance, understanding, and compassion. You transform yourself into an instrument for social change and change in the collective consciousness of mankind.

Thich Nhat Hanh describes one of the meanings embedded in sati, or mindfulness, and that is the capacity to remember what will lead to freedom in our lives — remembering that our personal and collective path toward Freedom is not dependent on any external conditions. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has spoken, “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” In his wisdom, he prepares us that Justice, as worthy a task as it is in our lives, will take longer than any of us would like. It will require the efforts of the many rather than the few. And it will require every spiritual attribute we can muster.

There is tremendous injustice and unfairness in our cultures, our society and our world. And the teaching is that Freedom is not even dependent upon Life being fair or just. True Freedom does not mean to be in a place where there is no problem, struggle or oppression. True Freedom means to be in the midst of any and/or all those things, and have clarity in our minds, openness in our hearts and integrity in our actions. This is the kind of Freedom that will allow us to move through even our most difficult struggles with greater ease and benefit for us all.

Now more than ever, we need to remember this.

Larry Yang teaches meditation retreats nationally and has a special interest in creating access to the Dharma for diverse multicultural communities. Larry has practiced extensively in Burma and Thailand, with a six month period of ordination as a Buddhist monk under the guidance of meditation master Ajahn Tong. Larry is one of the core teachers and leaders of the East Bay Meditation Center and is on the Spirit Rock Teachers Council. He is one of the coordinating teachers of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leader training program.

The Greatest Truth Never Told: 29. The Key To Freedom 30. Normalcy Bias 31. Cognitive Dissonance 32. Doublethink

29. The Key To Freedom

30. Normalcy Bias

31. Cognitive Dissonance

32. Doublethink

The Greatest Truth Never Told: 15. Men Go Mad In Herds 16. What You Really Fear 17. Always Fed The Exception 18. The Decision Matrix

15. Men Go Mad In Herds

16. What You Really Fear

17. Always Fed The Exception

18. The Decision Matrix

The Greatest Truth Never Told: 10.The Mathematically Inevitable Collapse 11.The Largest Event In Human History 12.The Great Depression Is The Best Case 13.The Paths To Success 14. Aware and Prepared

10. The Mathematically Inevitable Collapse

11. The Largest Event In Human History

12. The Great Depression Is The Best Case

13. The Paths To Success

14. Aware and Prepared

…To Be Continued

Martin Luther King – I Have A Dream Speech – August 28, 1963

I Have a Dream Speech
Martin Luther King’s Address at March on Washington
August 28, 1963. Washington, D.C.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

The Greatest Truth Never Told: 5.The Pyramid 6. I Think? 7. What Are We Holding On To? 8. The Shift 9. Things That Cannot Go On Forever

5.The Pyramid

6. I Think?

7. What Are We Holding On To?

8. The Shift

9. Things That Cannot Go On Forever

To Be Continued…..

The Greatest Truth Never Told : 1. The Riddle 2. Believe Nothing 3. The Tea Cup 4. Total Freedom

Part 1. Denial

The Greatest Truth Never Told (TGTNT) is a video series that has been 7 years in research and development. It is centered around the truth that humanity has been enslaved over and over again throughout history. TGTNT lays out the case for even the most cynical and indoctrinated individual that…

The paradigm which we operate under is mathematically going to end.
The end of the world as we know it does not mean it is the end of the world.
The way of life we are currently leading is pulling humanity down and should be shown the door.

We cannot change the world to make our self happy or free.
We must change our self to make the world happy and free.
The awakening process is a very hard road for those with no guidance.
All of the problems we face in the world start and stop within our consciousness.
When you realize that you have this power, nothing can stop this change.
Humanity can has the ability to truly free themselves once and for all.

And that is just Part 1. of Denial.

1. The Riddle

2. Believe Nothing

3. The Tea Cup

4. Total Freedom

.....To be continued

Freedom and Fullness: Two Forms of Enlightenment (Ken Wilber)

Freedom and Fullness: Two Forms of Enlightenment (Ken Wilber) from Integral Life on Vimeo.

If you want to understand a term like “enlightenment” and make sense of what appear to be conflicting and confusing spiritual claims, this is your first stop. Because in thousands of spiritual books that fill book stores we learn of amazing and transcendent-sounding experiences from spiritual seekers. Are these people encountering God? Are they delusional? What’s going on here?

In the video with Ken Wilber you’ll learn about different states and stages of consciousness. States are intrinsic to human consciousness but can be interpreted in profoundly different ways. You’ll learn that spiritual traditions are masters of the “state” experience. (Hmmm, but so are drug dealers…)

The spiritual book The Power of Now is a sensational book that sometimes catalyzes people into a “non-dual” state of consciousness. Often interpreted as a mystical state of oneness with God, non-dual literally means “not-two,” where the separate sense of self dissolves and what remains is a blissful feeling of oneness with everything. No subject, no object, not two… This state of consciousness is how enlightenment is traditionally understood, and contemplative religious traditions the world over have made practices that induce this state in their adherents a central part of their spiritual training.

A non-dual state is only one form of enlightenment – what we call horizontal enlightenment because states form a horizontal right angle progression at each and every vertical stage – though it is the one most focused on in the spiritual path. It is important to remember though that states of consciousness are always filtered through and interpreted by the stage of consciousness through which someone perceives reality. So although awesome mystical states can be profound and spiritually-provocative, human beings have often gotten into trouble as the states have been interpreted by different religious orthodoxies to imply different things.

In this video we hear Ken also talking about stages of consciousness, which progress as our view of reality becomes broader, deeper and more inclusive. Stages are the 2nd form of enlightenment – vertical enlightenment because stages progress upwards through evolution – and by progressing in our stage of consciousness, by cultivating a broader perspective, we literally “see more” than we did before. (As an approximate metaphor think of how an adult “sees” more than the teenager, and the teenager sees more than the child, who sees more than the infant, and so on…) We are in-light-ened as if a light switch has been thrown and we can see more of the room we’ve been living in. This leads us to encounter more freedom and wholeness as we see ourselves as a broader tapestry of a universal story…

States and stages of consciousness may be one of the most important contributions to the religious dialogue in centuries, and may well play a fundamental role in the future of spirituality. Mastery of the various states of consciousness (e.g., gross, subtle, causal, and nondual) determines the amount of freedom you can experience in life, while development through the many stages of consciousness (e.g., magic, mythic, rational, pluralistic, and integral) will determine the degree of fullness you can experience.

By recognizing these two types of enlightenment you’ll enhance the amount of warmth, light, and consciousness you have to share with the rest of the world.

Butterfly: The Mysteries of Transformation/An Inspirational Story about Life – “The Man and the Butterfly”

“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly.”

* Richard Bach*” ILLUSIONS”
Music: Paul Avgerinos, www.Round SkyMusic.com

An Inspirational Story about Life – “The Man and the Butterfly”