Ever wonder what really is behind the decisions you make?
Your gut feeling is strong, but where does it come from? Emotions and memories surface, and you sense their compelling force. You might feel they are coming from inside you, but that is only part of the picture. These forces that you experience have a parallel in cosmic forces, set in motion eons ago.
After all, the boundary between inside and outside, between “me” and “other” is a creation of ego identity, necessary for ordinary life to proceed but in actuality an artifice. The atoms that make up your body are the same as the atoms that make up anything else, patterns of waves or particles vibrating at certain frequencies. The same is true of your subtle body and the subtle energy that pervades the cosmos: both are patterns of the same subtle energy.
Each planet in Jyotish is a configuration of subtle energy. It has a Shakti or power that exists on the astral planes, anchored in space by the focal point of the physical planet in the sky. In India, the nine planets of Jyotish are regarded as deities. 
They are worshipped as the powers that move and shape human destiny. Together they comprise Universal Shakti, the primal matter/energy out of which everything is made. Each separately represents an aspect of Shakti. From the point of view of the individual, the nine planets function like archetypes. Their archetypal energy shapes your foundational character and influences your journey through life. They fashion the karma of your soul; they govern the flow of karma that ripens over time.
The Sanskrit word for planet is “graha”, which means that which grabs you. The planets are an energy that grabs you. Each graha is an astral force that grasps your consciousness or dominates your being in a particular way, depending upon the exact planetary configuration of your birth chart and the exact position of the planets at any given moment of time. The orbits of the planets form an ever-shifting pattern, which can be precisely delineated and measured. Your moods, your decisions, your desires reflect that movement, because everything in the cosmos is interconnected and interdependent. The Shakti of the planets is in you too! Your subtle body mirrors the celestial bodies; microcosm mirrors macrocosm. The Nine Gods that are the grahas are the gods that govern your psyche and guide you through the experiences of this life.
Incredible power comes from understanding what all this means for you. Power to make a difference in your life, both materially and spiritually. When you understand the nature of the planets that shape your character, you can align your power with theirs. You can work with rather than against the momentum of the cosmos.
So next time you are trying to decide something, stop for a moment to think what is really going on. What are the forces working on you? Can you identify the energy that is grabbing you? How are the planets shaping the very stuff your mind is made of? Which way will you turn in the moment?
Maybe it is a small thing . . . a friend is going through a rough patch and needs to talk to you. You have a full day planned already, but this text comes out of the blue and you sense the desperation. Will you cancel everything to meet your friend?
Maybe it is something momentous . . . an opportunity for a career change comes your way. Your life feels settled, all the pieces in place. But this new position comes along, a fantastic opportunity for your advancement. It is made for you and you love the sound of it. Only one issue . . . it would mean relocating to South Africa. It would mean uprooting your kids, leaving your friends, selling your house. Will you go for it?
No right answer to any of these questions. Everyone reacts differently, and the rich variety of action and reaction makes up the incredibly diverse tapestry of human existence. But the energy that grabs you in the moment, making you turn left or right, has a name. It has a form on the subtle planes of existence. In India, it is revered as a deity. Its trajectory through time delineates the unfolding of karma.
Karma is the law that governs the flow of action and reaction, cause and effect. Karma set everything in motion long ago, when Shakti awakened from her long slumber, when the One became the Many, when the world of appearances came into being. Whatever decision arises in the moment for you has its origin in certain karmic seeds, sown long, long ago– long before you were even born into this life.
Jyotish studies karma, and so attempts to understand something of the mind of God. Though the full picture of karma remains a mystery, unfathomable by the human mind, intelligible patterns do exist, and these we can read. Meaningful patterns exist throughout nature; however, those formed by the celestial bodies stand out with exceptional clarity. As the nine planets move through space in relationship to the stars, they speak a language we can decipher. From it, we can understand so much about who we are, why we are here, and what is the purpose of our existence in this particular incarnation.
With this knowledge as foundation, we can see with more clarity what is the path of wisdom before us. When you understand the significance of your own Vedic chart, you can participate in the unfolding of your destiny with conscious awareness. You can make positive change in your life and modify the trajectory of karma. Though it is indeed true from an absolute perspective that time is an illusion and the “future” is as determined as the “past”, from a relative perspective–which is where we are–we experience time as linear, and change (or the appearance of change) is possible.
When you understand the energy that grabs you, you can respond with discerning awareness, harmonising your efforts with the rhythm of the cosmos. Out of this understanding, a beautiful dimension of sadhana (spiritual practice) can develop as well. Each planet is a deity, and you can honour its power as it lives in you. Devotion to the grahas becomes devotion to your unique soul essence. It becomes acceptance of and gratitude for life as it is. Spiritual graces flow through the medium of the grahas. Understanding the grahas in your life becomes a channel for receiving that grace.
Om Shanti
