Timing Cancer with Planetary Transits

Willa Keizer, CCH

Pt. Sanjay Rath, Guru and Guide

Introduction

Cancer is defined as a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread

of abnormal cells. Unlike normal cells, cancer cells divide in a haphazard manner. The
result is that they typically pile up into a non-structured mass or tumor. If the spread is
not controlled, it can result in death.

In the U.S., 50% of men and 33% of women will be diagnosed with cancer at some time
during their lifetimes. Cancer is the second leading cause of death for Americans after
heart disease.

As abnormal cells are not unusual in the body, cancer is really a failure of the immune
system to keep any abnormal cells in check. In Jyotish, the immune system is associated
with Venus and the jala tattwa, or water element.

Cancer occurs when the protective mechanism of Venus breaks down. Venus is karaka
for the water element, which heals and protects health. The healing moon is exalted in
Taurus, a sign ruled by Venus. By strengthening Venus, we exalt the moon. Venus and/or
Jupiter must be weak or afflicted for cancer to occur.

Strengthening Venus is crucial in cancer cases. Important remedial measures include

wearing a diamond, chanting the Maha Mritunjaya mantra, and eating yoghurt.

Medicine and other therapeutic interventions should be started on the day of the lagna
lord. At the moment of starting treatment, there should be no malefic planets in the 4th
house of healing and no planets at all in the 8th house of chronic disease.

In this paper, we will analyze the charts of three women afflicted with cancer. Case One
suffered from breast cancer which is now in remission, Case Two has a deadly form of
pancreatic cancer, and Case Three has already passed away from a rare cancer of the
adrenal cortex.

Method One: Sodhita Ashtakavarga

Sodhita Ashtakavarga (SoAV) is the twice reduced bindu (point) system for evaluating
planetary strength and their influence on the signs. It is the key to understanding Saturn’s
transits and how it can bring about disease to the native. Other planets’ SoAV can be seen
in the native’s chart for troubles that occur to various relatives. The Sun’s SoAV is seen
for trouble to father, Mars’ is seen for brothers, Mercury’s for cousins, Venus’ for spouse,
Moon’s for mother and Jupiter’s for children.
The signs with zero bindus are considered dangerous. When Saturn transits these signs,
the immune system is weak and disease can occur. They do not indicate times when the
person will die, but will show when the person is troubled by a disease and be fearful of
death.

Saturn will associate with one of the following houses: 8th, A8, lagna, badhak, or the lord
of one of these houses, and be in a house with zero points, to give the feeling of death. If
Saturn is transiting badhak, the disease will be very aggressive and ferocious. If it is
transiting 8th house it will be a slow disease process but always in the background.

Procedure

1. 3rd from AL must be associated with Saturn to indicate death from disease. So we
begin by checking for an association of Saturn with the 3rd house from AL.

2. Next discern when the disease occurred and find Saturn’s transit during that time.

3. Finally open the SoAV chart and look at Saturn’s transit house.

Case One: Breast Cancer

Chart overview:

In this chart Lagna and 8th lord Venus is exalted in the lagna, and moon is exalted in the
8th house. Moon in the 8th in Taurus or Cancer will not give death, according to Jaimini,
but it can give disease.
This Moon is giving sorrow because it is atma karaka in marana karaka stana. AK Moon
in the 8th gives a terrible traumatic childhood. The moon is unable to support Venus so
the water element is damaged. Venus needs a strong moon for the malavya yoga to work.

When the AK is in marana karaka stana in a particular house, the karaka of that house
becomes evil. The moon is angry, it is under punishment. The karaka Saturn will deliver
the anger of this punished moon.

Saturn is very malefic in this chart. It is aspected by Rahu, and is with badhakesh Surya.
From January through November 2002, she had cancer yet was kicked out of her
daughter’s house and was living on the streets. It was Saturn dasa moon antardasa, and
the atma was getting the height of punishment. Saturn is aspecting the 2nd house, the
house of wealth. It’s a yoga karaka for Taurus lagna, so it should not be so evil. It is
because of AK Moon is in the 8th house.

When Saturn or Rahu conjoins badhakesh, it is like a curse coming from the heavens.
Saturn-Sun dasa was a terrible time, while she was both sick and homeless Both the
luminaries, sun and moon, are in marana karaka stana. Only in Mars antardasa could she
get some solace, and she was finally able to get a place to because of Mars.

Procedure to analyze Saturn’s transit:

1. Third from AL contains Saturn conjoined badhakesh sun, so she is destined to die
from disease.
2. The disease was diagnosed on February 26, 2001. Saturn was transiting Taurus at
that time.
3. Taurus is the 8th house containing AK moon in marana karaka stana and has zero
bindus from Saturn in SoAV.

She is currently in Saturn dasa Rahu antar dasa; there is no sign of active disease but she
is terribly depressed, bitter, and angry.

Case Two: Lupus and Pancreatic Cancer

Overview: The native suffers from lupus and had to take strong drugs that destroy the
immune system to prevent it from destroying her kidneys. This weakened immune
system is probably the reason that she subsequently developed pancreatic cancer, which
was diagnosed on July 25, 2005.

Saturn is both Lagna lord and AK, and rules the 3rd from AL. The water element is weak
with debilitated moon in the badkak house

Procedure to analyze Saturn’s transit:

Cancer Diagnosis:

1. Third from AL is owned by Saturn and aspected by Rahu and Mars. This
indicates death from disease.
2. She was diagnosed with cancer on July 25, 2005. Saturn was transiting Cancer at
that time where it gives zero bindus.
3. Saturn is aspecting the lagna by graha dristi, is the lagna lord and is in trines to
AL. The lord of Cancer, the Moon, is debilitated in the badhak house. Venus is in
lagna, and is the ruler of Libra, representing the pancreas.

Lupus Flare- ups:

Her first life threatening episode of lupus was in February 1995. At this time Saturn was
transiting Aquarius where it has zero bindus and is aspected by Rahu and Saturn. It is
aspecting the 8th house and A8 by graha dristi. Since it is graha dristi rather than rasi
dristi, it indicates that the disease is related to emotions and desires.
The second life threatening episode was in September 2001. Saturn was transiting
Taurus, which is 8th from AL and has zero bindus.

Case Three: Cancer of the Adrenal Cortex

Overview: The native has a strong moon in the 8th as in Case One, but the moon is not the
cause of the disease. She became a workaholic to prove to her father that she was good
enough. Stress and overwork damage the adrenal glands, which may have been a factor in
causing this rare cancer. All the fiery planets are in the 9th house of the father along with
Maandi and Gulika, causing toxic burnout.

Venus is in debility, and is also karaka for the kidneys, where the adrenal glands sit. She
died on July 23, 2005. The cause of death was the chemotherapy treatment rather than the
disease itself.

Procedure to analyze Saturn’s transit:

1. Third from AL has a cursed Jupiter. Because it is 3rd from AL, that curse was
operating at the time of her death, but the actual moment of death was peaceful
with remembrance of God. Since Jupiter is here, she did not die because of the
disease, she died from the treatments. Because of the curse, the people that come
to save her ended up killing her. Jupiter and Rahu are in mutual aspect by both
rasi and graha dristi, which is guru chandala yoga. Guru chandala is also in
navamsha, and again Jupiter is cursed.
2. Saturn was in Gemini when cancer was diagnosed in November 2003. Gemini is
the badhak house for her ascendant and is aspecting the ascendant..
3. Gemini has zero bindus from Saturn.
Method Two: Entry charts of the Dasa lord

The best way to analyze the health status of a native during a particular dasa is to look at
the placement of the moon and the dasa lord at the moment the dasa started. This can
easily be done in JHora by right-clicking on the dasa lord and choosing “Entry chart of
this period.” If the moon or dasa lord is associated with a dustana house, health problems
may occur. Saturn in lagna can be an indicator of disease or death.

Procedure: Analyze the following dasa entry charts by determining the position of the
dasa lord and the moon, and placing these into the birth chart. Please refer to the birth
charts used in method one.

Chart One: Dasa lord Saturn is in the 4th house of healing with natal Rahu. The karaka for
this house is the Moon. These malefics are destructive to health in this position. The
breast was the part afflicted in this cancer, and the breast is represented by the 4th house.
Moon itself was well placed with Jupiter in the 7th and helped to save her life.
Chart Two: Dasa lord is the moon, which is debilitated in badhak house with Ketu,
aspected by Rahu. Saturn is in the 6th house. She was afflicted during Moon-Rahu dasa.
The pancreatic cancer she suffers from has a very grim prognosis.

Chart Three: Dasa lord Venus is in the 6th house. The moon is well-placed in the 10th, but
Saturn is in lagna. The native passed away during this dasa.
Method Three: Transits in the Somanatha Drekkana chart

The Somanatha Drekkana chart shows our Ojas (vitality). Ojas is derived from the water
element and gives the body the power to recuperate. In the Somanatha drekkana chart, the
water element should not be afflicted.

Information on Ojas is particularly important to holistic practitioners who are working to

support healing though strengthening vitality. Homeopaths, Ayurvedic doctors, and
acupuncturists can all use the information in this chart to see which elements are
afflicting the vitality and can make treatment decisions based on the problems shown in
this chart.

The Somanatha Drekkana chart also gives crucial information on prognosis as we can see
how badly the Ojas is afflicted by the transits. A heavy affliction to this chart at the time
of diagnosis indicates a blow to the Ojas, and suggests a bad prognosis.

The depletion of Ojas takes place continually from age 18 in a steady progression, but
can worsen with challenging transits. The moment of diagnosis itself causes a terrible
loss from the shock to the mind and the moon. The moon represents mana
(consciousness) as well the water element, so the shock and fear at that time directly
harm the Ojas.

Toxic treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy may keep deadly diseases such as
cancer at bay, but these treatments also weaken the Ojas. Death from cancer is often
caused by weakness and starvation as the cancer cells destroy the appetite. This is another
symptom of depleted Ojas.

The element that opposes water is the fire. The fire will boil the water away. Sun and
Mars are the fiery planets that can afflict the lagna or moon, causing the Ojas to be
destroyed.

The fire element must be afflicting the lagna or the Chandra lagna to cause illness. The
lagna is the supreme intelligence with the power to cure everything. Recovery is more
likely if the lagna does not get hit by the transit of the fiery planets. If the fiery planets are
afflicting the moon rather than the lagna, the disease was caused more by a mental state
such as chronic depression. In this case, the prognosis may be more hopeful as the lagna
itself is not afflicted.

The air element dries the water up, so the airy planet Saturn is also very negative in this
chart. If Saturn is afflicting the 2nd house, the Ojas will be destroyed.

Death is end of Ojas, so the 2nd house, or sometimes the 8th house in this D-3 chart will
be afflicted with a diagnosis of cancer. Any planet in the second house, or the lord of the
second house, can destroy the Ojas.
We examine Saturn (air element), Rahu (air element shock to the moon, the mind) and
the Sun, and Mars (fire element) in the D-3 chart. The transit moon confirms the day that
the fear-inducing diagnosis came and must be conjoined or aspected by Rahu, which
causes the shock to the mind.

Procedure

1. Make a chart of the moment of diagnosis and note the positions of the following
planets in the rashi chart:
Sun and Mars: fiery planets which boil away Ojas
Saturn: airy planet which dries up Ojas
Rahu: airy planet that dries up Ojas but also gives shock to the mana (moon)
Moon: karaka for the mind that receives a shock from Rahu on the day of
diagnosis.

2. Determine the location of these planets in the Somanatha D-3 natal chart. Look
for the following factors which deplete Ojas:
Transit Mars and/or Sun are aspecting the natal Lagna or the Moon
Transit Saturn is associated with the 2nd house
Transit moon is being hit by natal Rahu.

Case One:

Transits at time of diagnosis:

Sun is in Aquarius, the lagna of this chart. It is boiling away the Ojas.
Mars is in Scorpio, aspecting the lagna, also boiling away the Ojas.
Saturn is in Taurus, which is owned by Venus in the 2nd house. Venus carries the energy
of Saturn to the second house as it is Saturn’s dispositor, so Saturn is drying up the Ojas.
Rahu is in Gemini, aspecting the second house and drying up Ojas.

Case Two:

Transits at time of diagnosis:

Sun is in Cancer aspecting the lagna, and is lord of the 8th house.
Mars is in Aries transiting over the natal moon.
Saturn is in Cancer aspecting and lording 2nd house.
Rahu is in Pisces, and is co-lord of the 2nd house.
The transit moon is in Pisces aspected by natal Rahu.

Case Three:
Transits at the time of diagnosis:
Sun is in Libra, afflicting the moon.
Mars is in Taurus, afflicting the lagna.
Saturn is in Gemini, which is the 2nd house and contains natal Saturn.
Rahu is in Aries.
Moon is in Cancer, over natal Rahu.

Conclusion

These methods of evaluating transits can help an astrologer or health professional

determine likely periods of illnesses such as cancer, as well as severity and prognosis.
They can also help determine which element is afflicting the Ojas. Through
understanding the afflicting element, we can choose appropriate herbal treatments or
astrological remedial measures.