An astrological perspective on the race to the White House - A tussle to the finish line

The US elections are literally days away and it's really getting heated up. The Republicans look to seize and win back the majority whereas the Democrats who are fielding their replaced candidate are looking to go all the way once again. It's a battle which has started to intensify and there is no two ways about it that history is going to beckon irrespective of the eventual outcome.

Donald Trump is looking to win a second term in 3 successive elections that he is contesting whereas Kamala Harris is vying to become the first lady president of the United States. This is the first time ever that a candidate has been part of the front running for 3 terms in a row and it's the second time that he would actually be taking on a women after successful quelling the challenge of Hillary Clinton back in 2016. Trump also could become the oldest elected President at the ripe old age of 78, a few months older than when Biden became President in 2020. Kamala on the other hand could end up becoming only the second black person to ever hold the prestigious post and perhaps become the only women president the nation has ever seen since the advent of Presidential elections which began way back in 1788 during the time George Washington was elected.

Let us look at it astrologically to dissect insights as to who has an edge in this race for President ship. Though there are multiple factors at fray worth considering, the first major affirmative happens to be that accurate birth times are available of both the competing candidates.

Donald Trump
Date of Birth: 14th June 1946
Place of Birth: Jamaica, New York
Time of Birth: 10:54 (10:54 AM)
Timezone: 4 Hrs West of GMT Day Light Saving

Kamala Harris
Date of Birth: 20th October 1964
Place of Birth: Oakland, California
Time of Birth: 21:28 (9.28 PM)
Timezone: 7 Hrs West of GMT Day Light Saving

We shall now look at their horoscopes from various dimensions be it the potential of the birth chart, the dasha timing of the planetary sequence, transits that will hold fort near to the election outcome date, running year success quotient, the impact of Panchang and so on and so forth.

First up taking a look at Trump's chart, it clearly depicts someone who is power hungry and craving for supremacy. He is a Leo rising Ascendant with the Yogakaraka planet Mars right at the tip of the Ascendant. Mars is a fiery and red hot planet which clearly personifies his character. Since it's also the most beneficial planet for this Lagna, it clearly is a terrific placement to hold. Also his Lagna Lord Sun goes into the most powerful house of the horoscope viz 10th place. 10th is all about power, position, fame and authority. The Sun though being placed in an unfriendly house it gets maximum strength in the 10th and being in a Venusian house, it clearly showcases his focus on reaching the summit. The Lagna is more of the inherent characteristic and with Mars being placed there shows his brash abrasive nature and the Lagna Lord placement indicates one's desires. The chart placements of Donald Trump clearly indicates fire in his belly. It should however be noted that his Sun is very closely associated with Rahu though it has crossed it in the zodiac belt. Rahu by itself also tends to show one's interest in the house which it is placed and in the 10th it again depicts wanting to be at the top and ruling. The planet of money & finance Jupiter is also very placed in the chart in 2nd place from Ascendant, 11th from Moon and 5th from Ascendant Lord Sun. The fact that it's also retrograde adds to the strength. The 2nd and 11th Lord Mercury being placed in it's own 11th house of Gemini gives that additional angle for craze of wealth. On the whole the outline of Trumps chart screams power and wealth in every way you look at it and what's greater in attaining this than being the President of the United States.

As per his planetary sequence he is running Jupiter Dasa currently as per the Vimshottari scheme. He started off his initial presidentship at the start of Jupiter Dasa, then suffered a setback and now again is competing for the post for a third time. At the time of result declaration, he would be running the sub period of Venus within Jupiter. Venus is placed in 12th in an uncomfortable sign for it but is 11th from the Dasa Lord Jupiter. This could indicate desires being fulfilled. Also a Venus sign Taurus happens to hold his Ascendant Lord and Rahu which in a way gains indirect strength. At the time of result announcement, the Dasa Lord Jupiter happens to be on the 10th from Ascendant and 7th from Moon which again showcases a strong factual indication of rise in power. As per Bhrigu Paddhati sequence, Trump will be running his 79th year which equates to 7 in the 12 year cycle. The 7th in general is a strong kendra house and indicates success. The house of Kumbha is also being seen by Mars from Lagna and is also placed 10th from original Lagna Lord placement of Sun. All these kind of shows that time is falling in place and seems to be on his side.

Coming to Kamala Harris horoscope, it's really tricky and quite a pitfall to decode. She is a Gemini rising Ascendant and has Rahu placed right there as a tail wind. The nodes are extremely hard to disseminate and any amount of analysis may prove futile as they can tend to be a mirage than can hoodwink in the opposite direction. Rahu can give enormous amount of success and at the same time is also completely capable of derailing. Rahu's dichotomy is hard to assess but Gemini which is a sign that's said to be favorable for Rahu can be said to be more positive than negative. Her Lagna Lord is well placed in the 5th house but is however combust by a debilitated Sun. 5th house shows one's creativity and inclination but not necessarily power driven. Also the Government related planet placed in a sign of fall does not bode well for the highest placement of power. The 10th Lord of power & hierarchy Jupiter going to the 12th also doesn't give much to write home about. Her 11th Lord of desires though being well placed in the 2nd indicates gains in wealth but again being debilitated gives a tinge that something that she's working tirelessly may end up being snatched at the last moment. The Moon is quite strong placed in the 11th house in Ashwini Nakshatra indicating someone swift and always on the move.

As per planetary sequence Kamala Harris is running the Dasa of Rahu at the moment. She did attain the post of Vice Presidency during it's tenure but whether it can go a step further and give her the ultimate hegemony of President ship has to be wait and seen. One can never discount Rahu and if it gives it can just shower unenviable level of success and power. She would also be running Venus sub period within Rahu and this certainly is a positive because Venus happens to be the most beneficial planet for a Gemini rising. As per transit, her natal 10th Lord Jupiter would be in the 12th sign of Taurus but however from Moon it would be in the 2nd which is beneficial. The roles get reversed with regard to her running Dasa Lord Rahu. It would be in 10th from Ascendant but 12th from Moon at time of announcement of winner. As per chakra sequence, Kamala will be in her 61st year marking 1st year into operation. She has her Ascendant and Rahu both within the 1st degree and at the time of results which is virtually within a fortnight of her birthdate they will be extremely active. Rahu can usurp her to greatness or can end up giving her a steep slide downwards. The Lord of the house Gemini however though placed in 5th is combust with a fallen Sun and may not connote positivity.

Looking at things from the Panchanga elements, there is a similarity between the two candidates as both of them are born in the full moon Tithi of Pournami and also in the same Karana of Bava. Many successful personalities are known to have a full moon birth and also the Karana is indicative of leadership trait. Their Nakshatra's are an anatomy of each other with Trump's Jyeshta being placed in 8th from Kamala's Ashwini. Also these 2 Nakshatra's are said to oppose each other and definitely not a good combination for working together. Kamala is born on a Tuesday whereas Trump took birth on a Friday and coincidentally both the rulers of these days viz Mars & Venus sit in Cancer in their respective charts. With regard to Yoga, Trump is born in Shubha Yoga where Sun attains prominence whereas Kamala is born in Vajra Yoga which makes Moon the planet of importance. Both Sun and Moon happen to be well placed in Trumps and Kamalas chart being housed in 10th and 11th place respectively.

Thus seeing at things from various angles:

Horoscope Potential: Trump seems to ace it here

Dasa Sequence: Advantage to Trump 

Transit in Operation: Better for Trump on the whole

Running Year: A mild fillip to Trump mostly because 7th house is stronger than 1st house

Panchanga Element: Quite neck to neck and evenly matched

Thus, from the outset it looks like Trump holds fort on most cards but however the underlying factor of Rahu can change things drastically. Rahu if it does turn in the affirmative for Kamala can see her horoscope potential getting a huge boost especially with it also being the current Dasa Lord and also the fact that it will be 10th from natal Lagna in transit plus also the fact that Rahu will get activated as 1st year will be running at the time of results. Now whether it works in the positive sense or negative sense we just cannot but have to wait with bated breath and see the eventual outcome. However since most of the factors seem to favour Trump and also the fact that in regular astrological parlance Rahu is generally perceived as more of an illusion and soaked in cynicism, one can expect that Donald Trump will just about be able to pip Kamala Harris to the post of US President in the race to the White House.

Difference of Opinions in Astrology!

One problem which Astrology as a science suffers is the lack of uniformity. Apart from that, another area of concern is the difference of opinions creeping up which causes a difference in the way a particular horoscope is viewed. These variations are especially prominent between the Northern and Southern parts of India especially. Let's look at a few areas in which various view points exist.

- Birth Star of Planets:
There is a branch of Astrology called DNA Astrology which places a lot of emphasis on the birth star of planets and this information is effectively obtained from a text called "Vichitra Jothidam". But there are also old Bengali texts mentioning about the constellations in which the 9 planets took birth and there appears to be some difference as seen below:

As per Vichitra Jothidam (followed in South):
Sun - Hastha
Moon - Mrigaseera
Mars - Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Pushya
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

As per old Bengali Texts:
Sun - Vishakha & Anuradha
Moon - Krithika & Rohini
Mars - Poorva Ashada & Uthara Ashada
Mercury - Shravana & Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni & Uthara Phalguni
Venus - Magha
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani
Ketu - Ashlesha

Additionally Brahmanda Purana and Vayu Purana has it's own take on the birth stars of planets and the list as per it tallies mostly with Bengali texts with the exception of Venus. However just one birth star is been listed here like Vichitra Jothidam unlike olden bengali texts which provides information that some of the planets were born out of 2 constellations.
Birth stars as per Brahmanda Purana / Vayu Purana:
Sun - Vishakha
Moon - Krithika
Mars - Poorva Ashada
Mercury - Dhanishta
Jupiter - Poorva Phalguni
Venus - Pushya
Saturn - Revathi
Rahu - Bharani (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)
Ketu - Ashlesha (Rohini as per Vayu Purana)

From viewing the above results, these seems to be a consistency maintained only with respect to Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. There is a mismatch especially with respect to Sun, Moon and Jupiter. For Mars, Venus and Mercury again the results don't blend perfectly when seen from all parameters.

- Special Navatara Chakra Scheme:
The Navatara Chakra or the Moon's asterisms play an important role in analysing which constellation plays a favorable role in the life of a native. Though there is no confusion of the Navatara as the name connotes 9 constellations but the total number is considered as 27 in some cases and also 28 in other cases. In South India for instance it's always only 27 stars whereas in pockets of Northern India, the factoring of Abhijit is made making the total as 28 stars. The difference creates an issue in the end result for eg the star which ends up coming as Vainasika pertains to destruction. Now let's say for a native who is born in Punarvasu Nakshatra, the 22nd Nakshatra from it namely Ashwini happens to be the star of destruction as per the 27 tara scheme. However when adopting the special 28 tara method, the Vainasika star changes to Bharani as the 23rd Nakshatra is considered in this case. This results in an altercation in analysis.

- Maraka Lords:
Maragathipathi or Maraka refers to the house lord that can cause a killing effect to the native. In general parlance and as advocated by most texts, the 2nd and 7th lord always end up being the Maraka Lords. However there is another opinion practiced in South which advocates the Maraka Lords based on the nature of the sign depending on whether it is movable, fixed or dual. The lordships associated as Maraka as per this means is as mentioned below:
Movable Sign - 2nd & 7th are Maraka Lords
Fixed Sign - 3rd & 8th are Maraka Lords
Dual Sign - 7th & 11th are Maraka Lords

- Panchanga Lords:
Here again there exists a difference of opinion. With respect to 3 of the elements viz Vara, Nakshatra & Yoga there isn't much headroom though of course there is always a question mark with respect to whether the Nakshatras need to always be as per the Vimshottari Dasa scheme or not. However on Tithi and Karana there is a difference. For eg. in South and backed up by the Kerala Text ''Krishneeyam'',  Sasthi Tithi is ruled by planet Jupiter whereas in the Northern frontier Venus is considered as ruler of Sasthi. Most Tithis undergo a change in the ruler ship lord and similar is the case with Karana. For instance Kaulava Karana is said to be ruled by Saturn in Southern folklore whereas in the Northern regions, it is said to be ruled by Mars.

- Arudha Padas:
Arudha Pada or Bhaveshat Bhavam is largely a Jaimini concept where we calculate the efficacy of a house based on the distance it has moved from it's ownership sign. For instance Arudha Lagna or AL for a Gemini Lagna whose sign owner is Mercury if placed in 8th sign in Capricorn will end up being Leo as we need to move 8 signs from Capricorn to reflect the Arudha Pada. There are some exceptions to this rule which states that Arudha cannot be the same sign as house lord or 7th from it in which case we need to add a further 10 signs to arrive at the result. This exception based rule is mainly followed in certain sections but however these exceptions are also discarded in some traditions with just the resultant Arudha sign taken into account irrespective of it being the same or 7th from it.

- Chara Karaka Basis:
This again is largely a Jaimini concept where significators are listed based on the degrees traversed in a sign by a planet. There is however an unending debate whether 7 planets from Sun to Saturn or an additional 8th planet Rahu also should be included in the framework. The opinions are so widespread on this that most of the times there is a possibility of ending up having the wrong Amatyakaraka or Darakaraka as the case maybe.

- Aspects and Ownership of Rahu/Ketu:
This can safely be assumed that as never going to be solved. There is always a lingering question mark when it comes to these two chaya Grahas and the opinions are always at a juggernaut. Though there is a general view point that Rahu & Ketu both don't possess any aspect, there is a mixed say with respect to the aspects considered in North and South India. In the North, Rahu & Ketu are believed to possess 5,7,9 aspect akin to Jupiter whereas almost everywhere in the South, if indeed aspects are considered only 3,7,11 are taken into account. With regard to ownership, there is a general view that Rahu owns Aquarius and Ketu co-lords Scorpio but this theory does not find much footing in the South where it is largely considered as not owning any houses of it's own in the zodiac.

- Numerology of Planets
Though this is not something explicitly related to Vedic Astrology, there is a linkage of numbers with each planet ruling a specific number from 1 to 9. Here again there is a difference with respect to some of the numbers based on which planet rules them. There is a Nakshatra specialization text called 'Kumaraswamiyam' which mentions the numbers ruled by each of the planets which is different from the norm and adopts the Vimshottari Dasa order beginning from Sun.

Number ruled by Planets (Common System):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Jupiter
4 - Rahu
5 - Mercury
6 - Venus
7 - Ketu
8 - Saturn
9 - Mars

Numbers ruled by Planets (As per Kumaraswamiyam following Vimshottari Dasa Sequence):
1 - Sun
2 - Moon
3 - Mars
4 - Rahu
5 - Jupiter
6 - Saturn
7 - Mercury
8 - Ketu
9 - Venus

As you can see above, only numbers 1,2,4 align properly in both systems and there is quite a marked difference when it comes to the other numbers ruled by the planets. Mercury for instance lords #5 as per the common system but is controller of #7 when adopting the other. Likewise Venus undergoes a change moving from 6 to 9 and so do few other planets as well.

Conclusion:
These are some of the major differences of opinions that exist in the framework of a horoscope analysis. With such varied views prevalent, there can always be a question of debate arising and also toppling up the analysis with diverse variations brought into the fray. Further research coupled with intuition is perhaps the only means to bridge the gap to a certain measurable extent.

Rare Planetary Aspects in Vedic Astrology!

Aspects form an important area of play when analyzing horoscopes under the realm of Vedic Astrology. It is believed the planets cast their vision on the 7th sign from where they are placed apart from certain planets which are said to have special aspects. Listing below the usually accustomed aspects which are associated with the planets

Sun - 7th Aspect

Moon - 7th Aspect

Mars - 4th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Mercury - 7th Aspect

Jupiter - 5th, 7th and 9th Aspect

Venus - 7th Aspect

Saturn - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Rahu - No Aspect (Note: Some schools consider 5th, 7th and 9th aspect similar to Jupiter and sometimes even 12th as Rahu always moves in reverse direction)

Ketu - No Aspect (Note: Some schools consider aspects only for Rahu and not for Ketu but there are also other views that it holds the same like Rahu ie 5th, 7th and 9th aspect similar to Jupiter and sometimes even 12th as Ketu always moves in reverse direction)

Let's look at it from the planets in the solar system. The sequence goes about as Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto

If you consider the order above, it is clear that the inner planets to Earth viz Mercury and Venus only possess 7th aspect. Moon who is always orbiting around the earth is also relegated to just the 7th aspect and replacing the Earth with the Sun from the parlance of Geo-centric system, it also possesses only the default 7th aspect. Rahu & Ketu which are in essence derived from the Moon's orbital path around the Earth do not possess any aspect. It may also be considered as possessing the same 7th aspect but since Rahu & Ketu are in essence only one object with Rahu representing the head and Ketu depicting the tail, the aspects aren't factored into account.

However the outer planets from the Earth viz Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have extra special aspects on top of the usual 7th aspect which the inner planets from Earth possess. We are not taking into account Uranus, Neptune and Pluto as they are beyond the scope of Vedic Astrology.

The sages have also advocated a partial aspects theory which is not used much in practice. As per this methodology, each planet influences a certain visionary scope apart from it's usual full aspect. The designated planet however is given full aspect responsibility in that territory as seen below:
4th & 8th Aspect - Each planet has 75% aspect (Mars alone has 100%)
5th & 9th Aspect - Each planet has 50% aspect (Jupiter alone has 100%)
3rd & 10th Aspect - Each planet has 25% aspect (Saturn alone has 100%)

Few other branches of astrology such as Nadi Astrology, Lal Kitab Astrology, Jaimini Astrology again have their own say in defining aspects. In Nadi, each planet is said to influence heavily on planets placed in trine to them. The 2nd & 12th aspect is also considered extensively with the 2nd being considered highly powerful for a planet in forward motion as it's believed to go and touch the planet in the next sign and likewise for planets in retro motion, the 12th forms high weightage. The 3rd, 7th, 11th trine are also given a smaller slice of aspect percentage and in effect only the 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th to a planet doesn't really have much of a say with respect to aspects. Lal Kitab also has it's own unique measure of aspects. As per it, the planet in 1st house aspects planets in 7th house but the vice versa doesn't hold true. Also there are percentages given to the extent a planet placed in a particular house has on other houses. Jaimini is more to do with the signs and it's believed each movable sign aspects every other fixed sign except the one next to it and likewise each of the fixed signs aspect all the movable signs except the one next to it. The Dual signs aspect each of the other dual signs.

On exploring the subject further on planetary aspects associated with Vedic Astrology, I got to figure there are some extra hidden aspects given to some of the inner planets Sun, Venus and also Rahu & Ketu apart from the usual 7th aspect. This is also backed up by one old Tamil text called "Jothida Arichuvadi" which delineates the aspects of planets by means of a sloka. Listing below the aspects of all planets including the unknown rare ones:

Sun - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Moon - 7th Aspect

Mars - 4th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Mercury - 7th Aspect

Jupiter - 5th, 7th and 9th Aspect

Venus - 6th, 7th and 8th Aspect

Saturn - 3rd, 7th and 10th Aspect

Rahu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect

Ketu - 3rd, 7th and 11th Aspect

This may not match the solar system logic of all outer planets being given special aspects and inner planets being given just the default 7th aspect but we must also adhere and realize the fact that Vedic Astrology works largely on planetary energies. The reasons figured out for these extra aspects pertaining to Sun, Venus, Rahu&Ketu are as follows:

Sun (Extra 3rd and 10th aspect):
As per mythology, Sun happens to be the father of Saturn and we are well aware of Saturn possessing 3rd and 10th aspect. The dad is expected to have the same aspectual tendency as per his son and hence the proverb ''Like Father Like Son'' holds good here with Sun also possessing the special 3rd and 10th aspect.

Venus (Extra 6th and 8th aspect):
Venus represents 'Yoni' which translates to sexual organ. This portion is always protected by the left side and right side thigh. Even if any serious calamity takes place, it's the two sides to the left and right that always enable to protect the womb. These are the 6th (left) and 8th (right) aspect holding and protecting the 7th (yoni).

Rahu & Ketu (Extra 3rd and 11th aspect):
Both Rahu & Ketu are nodal points derived from Moon. Moon is said to rule the zodiac sign of Cancer whereas it's Mool Trikon (office of responsibility) sign is Taurus. When you count forward or backward from Cancer to Taurus you get 3,11 and hence Rahu/Ketu are believed to possess 3rd and 11th aspect.

It is interesting to note that as per this logic all the planets except Moon & Mercury have special aspects designed for them. Also if we look at the signs being aspected, all houses are being touched upon except 2/12 axis. Incidentally coming to the 2nd and 12th aspect, it is largely believed that the son of Saturn namely Mandi which is predominantly used in Southern part of India is said to have an aspect of one house before and after it's placement along with default 7th which effectively and indirectly means all houses aspects are considered if Mandi is also included in the mix. 

1st - Placement of the planets
7th - Default aspect for all planets
3rd - Sun, Saturn, Rahu & Ketu
11th - Rahu & Ketu
4th - Mars
10th - Sun & Saturn
5th - Jupiter
9th - Jupiter
6th - Venus
8th - Mars & Venus

2nd - Mandi

12th - Mandi

Houses of Foreign in Vedic Astrology - A brief Insight!

Going abroad and moving to a foreign land is generally construed as a huge upliftment especially from an Indian context but however transcending back in time centuries ago that wasn't really the case. Back in the good old days, if a person wasn't able to stay in the place of his birth, it was referred to as 'Paradesam'. It was seen like as if the individual was relegated to a backward position and moving out meant that he didn't have the requisite fortune to enjoy the fruits of his homeland. He was seen as a 'Paradesi' which when translated loosely refers to a stranger or wanderer indicating movement and to put it curtly not blessed to reap the rewards from his home land. This is however a far cry from the meaning witnessed in today's day & age where anything associated with a foreign settlement is seen with pride and a sense of achievement.

When it comes to Vedic Astrology, quite a number of houses are referred in relation with foreign or abroad with the 12th house being the foremost followed by few other houses such as 10th house, 7th house, 9th house, 3rd house and even 8th house. Let's take a look at how most of these house impact and come into play when we talk about moving away from our place of birth.

12th House:
Why is the 12th house pretty important from the context of 'foreign'? For this we need to understand an underlying meaning about the Lagna Bhava and from that the effect of 12th will make more sense. The Lagna Bhava or Ascendant is the position of the zodiac which rises in the eastern direction at the time of birth. Hence the 1st house is essentially considered as the place of birth. The 12th house from any house is said to denote negation or loss to that particular house. Thus in essence the 1st house denotes our physical self and the 12th from the 1st house which is the 12th house tells us about going away from our physical standpoint. So in general any foreign place will come within the ambit of 12th house as it's basically the loss of the first house of physical existence.

10th House and 7th House:
Now, coming to why other houses get linked in the framework of foreign. The single most prime determinant of 10th House happens to be 'Profession' and if at all there is a reason for moving to a foreign place especially for permanent or temporary settlement it would obviously most likely be only connected to profession. When we go for foreign trips or honeymoons or pilgrimages etc we often return back within a stipulated period but only when it comes to work/migration we end up staying for a longer duration. The 7th house can be linked from a marital angle where a person after marriage may end up moving to another land. However the inherent holding reason of why the 10th and 7th house come into the picture is essentially a play work of how the sky is mapped and zodiac is defined. We have already corroborated the Lagna or 1st House to denote our place of birth. The 1st house denotes East and the farthest point from the East is the West which will end up falling in the 7th house. Since 1st house denotes physical place, it clearly indicates 7th to be farthest place much akin to east and west being placed opposite to each other. Now 4th house happens to be everything connected to home and your domestic environment. Applying similar logic, the 7th from the 4th happens to be the 10th house which logically showcases 10th house to be the farthest from home.

9th House and 3rd House:
Many a time these 2 houses also come into the fold. The reason is because 9th house denotes long distance travels whereas 3rd house indicates short journeys. The 9th also demonstrates higher education and pilgrimages. For education purposes it is plausible of moving away from homeland but however it doesn't really indicate a settlement and of course when it comes to divine pilgrims it's definitely only for a stipulated period of time where you're bound to return back. The 3rd is to do with short travels and can be clubbed under the category of fortnightly foreign trips for official purpose with regard to employment or unofficially via an enjoyment trip with friends. And likewise a honeymoon is also a short journey indicating a 3rd house characteristic.

8th House:
The reason largely to the reference of 8th house is because 8th from any house indicates problems to that house and being 8th from the 1st house, it may indicate that a person is better off moving away from his comfort zone. Hence the 8th also indirectly plays a role in moving to a far off place.

Thus, we see a number of houses coming into the framework when looked at the realm of moving away from birth place. Apart from all these houses, movable and strong water dominated signs also come into the fray and in general planets like the nodes and retro grade planets connote a strong away from home connection. Hence with just a placement such as Lagna Lord going to 12th house denoting a foreign settlement may end up being a futile exercise. We need to look deeper also factoring the Desh Kaal Patra (Place, Time, Individual) in understanding if a promise of moving away from homeland exists. Thus, let's briefly summarize the houses and their connection to foreign movement.

12th House - Denotes loss to the 1st house of physical existence. Also signifies "Going to another place".
10th House - Farthest house from 4th house of Home and Domestic Environment. Also signifies Profession and hence can be inferred as working in a distant land away from home.
7th House - Farthest house from 1st house of physical existence. Also signifies journey. Is also the house of marriage and hence can be linked to going away to another land after marriage culmination.
9th House - Indicates Long distance travels. Can be in the form of higher education or a pilgrimage.
3rd House - Indicates short journeys. Can be as a trip with friends & family or a honeymoon to another destination.
8th House - Denotes problems to the 1st house of physical existence. Could mean moving away from comfort zone as problems might be inevitable in physical environment of birth location.

Apakrash and Upagraha Computation in Vedic Astrology

Apart from the 9 planets which is taken in consideration as the Navagrahas in Vedic Astrology, there are also certain sensitive points which arise based on specific computations which are known as Apakrash and Upagrahas. These are also quite crucial in the judgement of a horoscope especially in the case of transits or prasna analysis. The Apakrash Grahas occur based on the degree of Sun in a horoscope whereas Upagrahas are time slots assigned to each of the 7 planets (barring Rahu and Ketu) based on which the degree in which they rise are ascertained.

It is pertinent to note that when calculating the Apakrash Grahas, you don't need to know any other detail except for the longitude degree of the Sun as it's through the position of it only these non luminous points are deduced. Upagrahas on the other hand are considered as the shadowy son's of the planets and arise from the kalavelas assigned to each of the planets where a day is divided into two halves of eight parts each ruled by 7 of the planets from Sun to Saturn with the 8th portion being lord less (At times though it's also said this blank portion is ruled by Rahu). Thus, it is not even necessary to have accurate time of birth for Upagraha computation and we just slot them in the requisite sign in a horoscope as it will rise the same time irrespective of when a native is born across day time or night time based on the time at which each of the planetary portions rise.

Apakrash: (Computed from Sun's Longitudinal degree)
➜ Dhooma (Mars)
➜ Vyatipata (or Pata) (Rahu)
➜ Parivesha (or Parivela) (Moon)
➜ Indrachapa (or Chapa/Indradhanush) (Venus)
➜ Upaketu (or Dhwaja/Sikhi) (Ketu)

Upagraha: (Computed from portions assigned to each planet in day time and night time)
➜ Kala (Sun)
➜ Paridhi (Moon)
➜ Mrityu (Mars)
➜ Ardhaprahara (or Ardhayama) (Mercury)
➜ Yamaghantaka (Jupiter)
➜ Kodanda (or Karmuka) (Venus)
➜ Gulika (Saturn)
➜ Mandi (Saturn)

Apakrash
There are 5 Apakrash Grahas which fall on 5 different points in the 360 degree zodiac. They are all arrived with Sun as the basis and all of them are generally said to be malefic by nature. The calculation of the 5 Apakrash Grahas are as below:

- Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' (or Indrachapa + 180°)
- Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma  (or Parivesha + 180°)
- Parivesha :  Vyatipata + 180°
- Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha (or Dhooma + 180°)
- Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' (or Sun - 30°)

Rules in Computing Apakrash:
1) Ascertain the degree of the Sun in the natal horoscope.
2) Convert the degree of the Sun in a sign as per the 360 degree zodiac
3) Apply the formula with the result arrived on previous step to arrive at degree of Apakrash
4) Place the result arrived at of the Apakrash degrees as per 360 degree zodiac to the respective zodiac sign and relevant degree.

Illustration:
Lets compute the 5 Apakrash for a native born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Degree of Sun in Horoscope - Taurus 21° 13'
2) Conversion of Sun as per 360 degree zodiac - 51° 13'
3) Apply Formula to arrive at Apakrash Grahas
Dhooma : Sun + 133°20' = 51° 13' + 133°20' = 184°33'
Vyatipata : 360° - Dhooma = 360° - 184°33' = 175°27'
Parivesha : Vyatipata + 180° = 175°27' + 180° = 355°27'
Indrachapa : 360° - Parivesha = 360° - 355°27' = 4°33'
Upaketu : Indrachapa + 16°40' = 4°33' + 16°40' = 21°13'
4) Apakrash Placement in Zodiac sign with degrees
Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
Upaketu - Aries 21°13'

Note: It must be noted that Dhooma and Indrachapa will always be 180° apart and likewise Vyatipata and Parivesha will also always be 180° away from each other. Also Upaketu plus 30° will always end up being the resultant degree of Sun in the Natal Horoscope. If the total while computing exceed 360° in step 3, we need to subtract 360° from the exceeded total.

Upagrahas
The Upagrahas are basically the shadowy son's of the respective 7 planets from Sun to Saturn. Each of the planets rule a time interval of approximately an hour and half during day time and another hour and half during night time. The Ascendant degree rising at the beginning of the time frames ruled by these planets determine the Upagraha calculations. Unlike Apakrash, all Upagrahas are not considered to be malefic. The one main Upagraha considered in horoscope analysis happens to be Saturn's son Mandi which arises out of the time portion assigned to it known as Gulika Kaala. We must however be cognizant of the fact that Gulika and Mandi are not one and the same and that Mandi degree will fall somewhere within the range of the time period provided to Saturn and will always be different when compared to the rising degree of Gulika.

There are two considerations that need to be factored into account while calculating the Upagrahas
1) By dividing the day and night into 8 equal parts ruled by 7 of the planets with one portion being left blank. In the portions ruled by the 7 planets the beginning portion of it is where the respective Upagrahas will rise. This will hold good for all the Upagrahas ruling Sun to Saturn.
2) For Mandi alone, there is a feature which is given in classical texts to compute based on specific ghatikas elapsed. This is exclusively given for computation of Mandi (Saturn's son), As per vedic calendar, time is divided into Ghatikas with each Ghatika comprising of 24 minutes each. Hence there are 60 Ghatikas in a day occurring from sunrise to next day sunrise when day and nights are equal. The day time and night time are usually divided into 30 Ghatikas each but however this will have to be proportionately increased or decreased accordingly as the length of day time or night time is greater or lesser than the aforesaid 30 ghatikas.

Time Frames ruled by the Planets and time of Upagraha Rising:
The following are the portions ruled by the 7 planets in each of the days along with the information of elapsed time intervals in which the Upagrahas rise on each of the days from Sunday to Saturday

Kala - Sun:
Kala happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Sun. The time intervals ruled by Sun in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Monday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Tuesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Wednesday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Thursday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Friday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Saturday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part

Paridhi - Moon:
Paridhi happens to be the shadowy son of the luminary Moon. The time intervals ruled by Moon in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Monday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Tuesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 4th part
Wednesday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Thursday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Friday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part
Saturday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part

Mrityu - Mars:
Mrityu happens to be the shadowy son of Mars. The time intervals ruled by Mars in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Monday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Tuesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 5th part
Wednesday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Thursday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Friday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part
Saturday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 8th part

Ardhaprahara - Mercury:
Ardhaprahara happens to be the shadowy son of Mercury. The time intervals ruled by Mercury in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Monday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Tuesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 6th part
Wednesday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Thursday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Friday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part
Saturday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 1st part

Yamaghantaka - Jupiter:
Yamaghantaka happens to be the shadowy son of Jupiter. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Monday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Tuesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 7th part
Wednesday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Thursday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Friday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3rd part
Saturday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 2nd part

Kodanda - Venus:
Kodanda happens to be the shadowy son of Venus. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Monday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Tuesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 8th part
Wednesday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Thursday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Friday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part
Saturday - Day Time 8th part, Night Time 3th part

Gulika - Saturn:
Gulika happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn. The time intervals ruled by Jupiter in each of the days are as follows:
Sunday - Day Time 7th part, Night Time 3rd part
Monday - Day Time 6th part, Night Time 2nd part
Tuesday - Day Time 5th part, Night Time 1st part
Wednesday - Day Time 4th part, Night Time 7th part
Thursday - Day Time 3rd part, Night Time 6th part
Friday - Day Time 2nd part, Night Time 5th part
Saturday - Day Time 1st part, Night Time 4th part

Mandi - Saturn:
Mandi also happens to be the shadowy son of Saturn but the rising point is different than that of Gulika. This is based on the Ghatikas elapsed during day and night.
Mandi is said to rise after the following time intervals during day time and night time
Sunday - Day Time After 26th interval, Night time after 10th interval
Monday - Day Time After 22nd interval, Night time after 6th interval
Tuesday - Day Time After 18th interval, Night time after 2nd interval
Wednesday - Day Time After 14th interval, Night time after 26th interval
Thursday - Day Time After 10th interval, Night time after 22nd interval
Friday - Day Time After 6th interval, Night time after 18th interval
Saturday- Day Time After 2nd interval, Night time after 14th interval

Rules in Computing Upagrahas:
1) Ascertain whether a person was born during day time (sun rise to sun set) or during night time (sun set to next day sun rise)
2) If day time born, note the sun rise and sun set time of the day and if born in night time, note the sun set time and next day sun rise time.
3) Ascertain the length of duration of the day time or night time in minutes duration
4) Next divide the duration length into 8 equal parts or kaalas.
5) Next check the week day in which the native was born which could be any day between Sunday to Saturday.
6) See the portion ruled by the planet which will be one of 8 equal parts .
7) Figure out the time frame ruled by the planet which will be spanning a duration of approximately an hour and a half.
8) Mark the start, middle and end of this time slot ruled by the planet. The beginning rising time is most crucial but however it would also be prudent to mark the middle and end time as a check point.
9) Convert duration of the sunrise and sunset in Ghatikas and multiply with the elapsed portion of Upagraha by 24 which is value of a Ghatika in minutes divided by base denominator of 30 ghatikas. This is performed only for Mandi calculation.
10) Cast the horoscope for the rising time of the Upagrahas and note where the degree of the Ascendant (Lagna) falls. This would be the degree of the Upagrahas in the horoscope.

Illustration:
Lets compute all the Upagrahas for a person born on Jun 6th 2019 at 1.10 PM in Chennai, India.
1) Native born time - Day time
2) Since day time born - Sun rise time 5:45 AM and Sun set time 6:30 PM
3) Length of duration - 12 hours 45 minutes = 765 minutes
4) Average duration - 765/8 = 95.625 minutes rounded to 96 minutes
5) Check weekday - Thursday
6) Part ruled by 7 Planets :
Sun - 5th part
Moon - 6th part
Mars - 7th part
Mercury - 8th part
Jupiter - 1st part
Venus - 2nd part
Saturn - 3rd part
7) Figure time period ruled by all the planets -
Sun - 12:09 PM to 1:45 PM
Moon - 1:45 PM to 3:21 PM
Mars - 3:21 PM to 4:57 PM
Mercury - 4:57 PM to 6:33 PM
Jupiter -  5:45 AM to 7:21 AM
Venus - 7:21 AM to 8:57 AM
Saturn - 8:57 AM to 10:33 AM
8) Mark Start Time, Middle Time and End Time of all Planets -
Sun - Start time 12:09 PM, Middle time 12:57 PM, End time 1:45 PM
Moon - Start time 1:45 PM, Middle time 2:33 PM, End time 3:21 PM
Mars - Start time 3:21 PM, Middle time 4:09 PM, End time 4:57 PM
Mercury - Start time 4:57 PM, Middle time 5:45 PM, End time 6:33 PM
Jupiter - Start time 5:45 AM, Middle time 6:33 AM, End time 7:21 AM
Venus - Start time 7:21 AM, Middle time 8:09 AM, End time 8:57 AM
Saturn - Start time 8:57 AM, Middle time 9:45 AM, End time 10:33 AM
9) Check the rising time for Mandi based on Ghatikas elapsed (Start Time + Length of Duration in Ghatikas*Specific end duration of Ghatika /30 ghatikas*24 minutes per each Ghatika)
Mandi - 5:45 AM + 31.875*10/30*24 = 5:45 AM + 255 minutes = 10:00 AM
P.S: 31.875 is obtained by dividing 765 minutes which is total sunrise time by 24 minutes per Ghatika
10) Rising Ascendant of Upagrahas as per points 7 and 8 above for Mandi
Kala - Leo 20° 29'
Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
Mandi - Cancer 19° 29'

Note: The small difference in beginning time portion ruled by planet and rising time of upagraha is on account of rounding off time in minutes to the nearest decimal place. Calculations at a seconds level can yield more accurate results. For checking the rising degree of Ascendant, Traditional Lahiri Ayanamsa has been utilized. Sunrise time is considered based on the equation of 'The center of Sun's disk being truly on the eastern horizon'

Summary:
Listed below are the zodiac signs and respective degrees in which the Apakrash and Upagraha will rise as per the attached worked out illustration:
Apakrash:
1)Dhooma - Libra 4°33'
2) Vyatipata - Virgo 25°27'
3) Parivesha - Pisces 25°27'
4) Indrachapa - Aries 4°33'
5) Upaketu - Aries 21°13'
Upagraha:
6) Kala - Leo 20° 29'
7) Paridhi - Virgo 14° 16'
8) Mrityu - Libra 7° 44'
9) Ardhaprahara - Scorpio 0° 17'
10) Yamaghantaka - Taurus 20° 51'
11) Kodanda - Gemini 13° 10'
12) Gulika - Cancer 4° 57'
13) Mandi -  Cancer 19° 29'

Information:
It can be inferred that there are a total of 13 bodies comprising of Apakrash and Upagrahas. There are views stating that both the female planets Moon and Venus don't have Upagrahas and hence they should not be counted as part of the scheme. However since there is a time slot allocated to these planets based on when they rise, they have also been factored into account. Another opinion is that Gulika and Mandi are one and the same and there are also views that Gulika rises during the beginning whereas Mandi rises at the middle period of Saturn's time. This is not true as when the calculations are performed independently based on elapsed Ghatikas, the time differs somewhat from the exact mid point of Saturn's time zone. However it is clear that Mandi's time also will fall within the portion pigeonholed for Saturn.

The Apakrash are 5 in number and they are all based on the Sun's degree. If we look at things from a helio centric perspective, the planetary order is as Mercury -> Venus -> Earth -> Mars -> Jupiter -> Saturn -> Uranus -> Neptune -> Pluto. The planets before and after Earth namely Venus and Mars are considered and have been given the names Dhooma and Indrachapa. The Moon always revolves around the earth and hence Parivesha is considered for the Moon and the 2 nodal points of the Moon are Rahu and Ketu which have been assigned Vyatipata and Upaketu respectively.

The Upagrahas are 8 in number comprising of all the planets ruling the days of the week namely Sun for Kala, Moon for Paridhi, Mars for Mrityu, Ardhaprahara for Mercury, Yamaghantaka for Jupiter, Kodanda for Venus and Gulika for Saturn. Mandi happens to be another son of Saturn and rises within the slot assigned for Saturn but at a slightly different time.

Primer of Different Branches of Vedic Astrology

Astrology is an ocean and there are so many different dimensions of viewing a chart. What caught my attention is that different branches of it focus more on a selective area going deep only in that particular zone to help predict pointed results. Let's take a birds eye view of these sub branches of Astrology.

- 'Jaimini' is study of 'sign' based astrology
This form of astrology largely depends on the degrees in a sign. The basis of classification of the rasis as Movable (Cardinal), Fixed (Static) and Dual (Mutable) form a major role in delving in further. Even the aspects work on this placement with the movable signs aspecting all the fixed signs except the one placed next to it and the fixed signs aspecting all the movable signs except the one next to it. The dual signs however aspect each other in the same dual category.

- 'Nadi' is study of 'planet' based astrology
Nadi Astrology is a huge branch by itself within the realm of astrology but one defining feature of it happens to be that it largely works on the significations of planets and how they influence one another. Each planet has certain characteristics associated with it and based on the planets it touches results tends to get formed. In most versions of Nadi Astrology, the Ascendant or Lagna doesn't even have a say. It works purely on planetary relationship.

- 'Lal Kitab' is study of 'house' based astrology
Lal Kitab extensively touches on the Houses and the scope is seen extensively from the Natural or what you call the Kala Purusha Horoscope which adopts Aries as the Ascendant. The Ascendant is done away with and the houses are mapped always with Aries as the Lagna. The results are all based on planets in different houses and the yearly chart movement of planets into different houses forms a major say in delivering results. The aspects also works on a house to house basis.

- 'KP' is study of 'star' based astrology
Krishnamurthy Paddathi or KP system as it's called placed much importance on the stellar constellation in which the planets are situated. It is a hybrid version of western and Indian modes of astrology as it adopts the Placidus system for casting charts. The signifying feature of KP is that as per this methodology adopted, the owner of the star in which the planet sits is said to have the major say and direct the results accordingly.

- 'Vedic Astrology' is a study of combination of planets, signs, houses, stars and lot more.
Vedic Astrology however is an amalgamation of all the above methods and considered to be the most supreme of all systems. Thus no individual method can ever supersede the ocean that is traditional vedic astrology though they help in supplementing by providing useful information but on a holistic point of view none surpasses Vedic Astrology.

Note: There are also other techniques such as Prasna, Palmistry, Muhurthas etc which can be said to be an off shoot and helpful for astrological pursuits.