"Curses" in your Birth Chart in Vedic Astrology

...what they are and how to deal with them

Photo by sankavi on Unsplash

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on how to determine planetary aspects in Vedic astrology (graha drishti). Now I’m going to address a topic related to these types of aspects: cursed planets in your chart.

What are cursed planets?

A cursed planet refers to one that is receiving two or more graha drishti aspects from malefic planets in your chart. This means the planet is:

• conjunct, 7th, 3rd or 10th from Saturn

• conjunct, 7th, 4th or 8th from Mars

• conjunct, 7th, 2nd, 5th or 10th from Rahu

• conjunct Ketu

The Sun is technically called a “krura,” or cruel planet, but not a malefic like the planets above. However, if it located 7th from a planet or in the same sign as a planet it can contribute to a curse combination.

What does it mean?

Two or more malefic aspects by graha drishti can heavily burden a planet and make it difficult for it to fulfill it roles and function in your life. When the curse is active (more on this later), this causes suffering.

In general the suffering malefics planets bring is as follows:

• Mars=anger, rage, irritability and impatience

• Saturn=sorrow, hardship, setbacks, depression

• Rahu=confusion, distortion, anxiety

• Ketu=disconnection, disorientation, disassociation

Mars, Ketu and the Sun are Agni (fire) planets that bring heat, while Saturn and Rahu are Vāyu (air) planets that scatter and separate. A “true” curse is one that combines both a fire and an air planet.

Curses cause the most difficulty when they involve one of the benefic planets in the chart as these are the planets that are in charge of delivering the good stuff in life, not to mention overall happiness and well-being.

Here is a list of the type of suffering a cursed benefic can bring:

• Sun: issues with self-esteem, identity, feelings of shame, difficulty with authority, father or father figures

• Moon: emotional or mood disorders, lack of resilience, moodiness, difficulties feeling safe or nurtured, inability to relax, difficult relationship with mother or mother figures

• Mercury: issues with learning and communication, memory or speech disorders, issues with being teased or bullied, problems in school

• Jupiter: lack of faith, difficulty feeling optimistic, problems with physical and mental resiliency, weak immune system and/or issues with chronic illness, difficulties with teachers or spouse

• Venus: issues with relationships and self-love, creative or sexual blocks, difficulty experiencing joy, issues with jealously or envy, difficult relationships with women

In some cases, curse combinations can also manifest as physical ailments, for example, urinary tract and kidney issues with Venus, spinal problems with the Sun, skin problems with Mercury, etc.

Cursed planets also struggle to properly support the houses they lord. For example, if you have a cursed Mercury in your chart that rules the 2nd and 11th house, this could bring money problems, a cursed Venus ruling the the lagna and 9th house could bring issues to your health and problems with your father, and so on.

What to do if you have a curse in your chart

Although “curse” is quite a loaded word, in many ways it is a truthful one. Planets receiving two or more malefic aspects are bound to cause suffering one way or another.

My moon is conjunct Rahu and graha drishti from both Saturn and Mars, and I’ve definitely struggled with anger issues, depression and anxiety at different points in my life. That’s one of the things I appreciate about Vedic astrology: it gives you both the language and insight to directly pinpoint and address that which is causing pain rather than offering trite answers with a pretty little bow on the top.

At the same time, it also offers real solutions in the form of remedies, something that has really helped bring healing to my cursed moon as well as the curse combinations and other difficulties in the charts of my clients.

Therefore, the best way to approach a curse is to:

• embrace and accept it as karma you need to burn off during this life; acceptance is an important step towards taking ownership of your suffering and putting a stop to the blame game which ultimately serves no one.

• keep in mind that timing matters; since this is graha drishti, unless the curse is involving your lagna, lagna lord or moon it will only become activated by dasha. It’s always a good idea to consult an astrologer before a curse becomes active to gain insight and possible remedies before this comes to pass.

• understand what the curse means in your chart; for example, by the planet it is affecting, the malefic planets involved, which part of life will be affected, and who it will be affecting. Unless it is tied to your lagna, lagna lord or moon, curse may be affecting other people in your life rather than yourself.

• make sure you get some guidance on useful remedies to burn off the negative karma of the curse and bring more well-being and balance into your life.

The most ideal remedies should always be tailored specifically to what’s going on in your chart. However, general remedies can also be beneficial for healing and transforming a curse.

Here is a little list with some ideas for general remedies for cursed planets that are safe and effective for anyone to use.