Level 3 · Lesson 7 of 8

Aspects and conjunctions

8 min · Goal: Work out which houses each planet in a chart aspects, and read a conjunction.

Drishti — the gaze

An aspect in Jyotish is called drishti, meaning sight. A planet looks at certain houses from where it sits, and influences them without being there. This is how a chart becomes connected: houses that hold no planets can still be strongly affected.

Every graha aspects the 7th house from itself — the one directly opposite. That is the universal aspect and the place to start.

The special aspects

Three planets have additional aspects, and these are worth memorising because they do a great deal of work in reading.

Mars additionally aspects the 4th and 8th houses from itself. Jupiter additionally aspects the 5th and 9th. Saturn additionally aspects the 3rd and 10th.

So Jupiter in the 1st house aspects the 5th, 7th and 9th — three trikona-and-kendra houses, which is part of why Jupiter in the Lagna is considered so favourable. Saturn in the 1st aspects the 3rd, 7th and 10th.

How this differs from Western astrology

Two differences matter. Vedic aspects are counted by whole houses rather than by degree orbs, so they are easier to work out but blunter. And they are one-directional: a planet aspects a house, but the house does not aspect back. Western astrology treats aspects as mutual relationships between planets; Jyotish treats them as a gaze cast forward.

There is also a separate system of rashi drishti — sign aspects — used in some schools, particularly in Jaimini astrology. You can safely leave that aside while learning.

Conjunctions

When two or more planets occupy the same house, they are conjunct and their significations mix. The reading depends on which planets: benefics together generally support each other, a benefic with a malefic is mixed, malefics together intensify.

The mixing is not always intuitive. Mars with Saturn is classically difficult — one pushes, the other restrains. Moon with Jupiter forms Gajakesari yoga, which you now know is very common. Sun with Mercury is nearly unavoidable.

Where degrees are available, closeness matters: planets within a few degrees interact far more strongly than planets merely sharing a sign.

Try it with your own chart

Map the aspects in your chart

  1. For each planet, count seven houses forward and note the house it aspects.
  2. For Mars, additionally count 4 and 8 houses forward. For Jupiter, 5 and 9. For Saturn, 3 and 10.
  3. Now look at your most important houses — the 1st, 7th and 10th — and note which planets aspect each.
  4. Note any house that receives a Jupiter aspect. Those are protected.
  5. Note any conjunctions and which planets are involved.
Open your chart

Key points

Check yourself

Saturn sits in someone’s 4th house. Which houses does it aspect, and why does that matter?

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