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.

Edhiridai Nakshatra - Planets causing Obstruction

There is an interesting and rare concept called 'Edhiridai' Nakshatra within the parlance of Vedic Astrology. 'Edhiridai' can be translated as opposite/coming in the way/obstruction. One may have heard of 'Stambhana' or 'Vara Chakra' where a planet is said to freeze another planet. For eg. Venus is said to freeze Sun based on the weekday order. Similarly there is also a concept of Vedhaka where one planet is said to obstruct another planet and it's all the more strong when placed in a particular house from the planet concerned. For instance Venus is said to cause Vedhaka or obstruction to Sun and more so when it is said to be placed in the 11th from the Sun. 

Planetary obstruction is quite common but Nakshatra obstruction is an unusual method of analysis where each planet when seated in a Nakshatra, if another planet is seated in a particular Nakshatra from the said planet then it is said to cause an impediment. Let's look at the Planets and list of Nakshatra causing hurdles to understand this concept better.

Sun - Nakshatras 5,7,8,10,12,14,15,18,21,22,23,27 - Total Count 12
Moon - Nakshatras 3,5,7,8,12,18,24 - Total Count 7
Mars - Nakshatras 3,7,10,15,21 - Total Count 5
Mercury - Nakshatras 5,11,21,22 - Total Count 4
Jupiter - Nakshatras 6,7,9 - Total Count 3
Venus - Nakshatras 20,22,24 - Total Count 3
Saturn - Nakshatras 5,6,8,10,11,20,26 - Total Count 7
Rahu - Nakshatras 20,22 - Total Count 2
Ketu - Nakshatras 20,22 - Total Count 2

Illustrating to get a grip on the understanding behind this concept. For instance let's say Sun is placed in the Nakshatra of Vishakha. If any other planet is placed in Nakshatras 5,7,8,10,12,14,15,18,21,22,23,27 from Vishakha, then that planet will cause bottleneck to the Sun. For eg. if Jupiter is placed in Revathi, it happens to be the 12th Nakshatra from Vishakha and hence becomes an obstruction to the Sun. Similarly if Saturn is placed in Shravana which is the 7th Nakshatra from Vishakha then it causes trouble to the Sun. To explain the concept for another planet Venus, if any planet placed in Nakshatras 20,22,24 from the Nakshatra in which Venus is placed, then those planets cause a barrier to Venus. It is important to note that the Nakshatra count is based on the Nakshatra in which a particular planet is placed from the listed planet's Nakshatra and not the regular order such as 1 is for Ashwini, 2 for Bharani, 27 for Revathi etc.

Let's now understand how to use this analysis in a horoscope. This works both from the stand point of Natal horoscope and also on transits/dasas. It also applies both from a Karaka Graha stand point as well as from a Bhava Adipathi view. For eg. lets say for a Gemini Lagna, 10th house Lord is Jupiter and if there is a planet in a Nakshatra placed in Edhiridai to Jupiter ie the 6th, 7th, 9th Nakshatra from where Jupiter is placed in a horoscope it can hamper work prospects for the native. This may hold good in transit as well especially when a functional malefic planet transits the 6th, 7th, 9th Nakshatra from Jupiter's placement, it can cause problems in work environment. Similarly in Dasa Analysis, if the Antar Dasa planet happens to be in Edhiridai to the Maha Dasa planet, it can cause some inconvenience. As another example we know the Karaka for mind is Moon. If any planet is placed in Nakshatras 3,5,7,8,12,18,24 from where Moon is placed, it can cause tension to the mind. Please note this is not to be confused with Tara Bala where generally Nakshatras like 8th, 24th etc are said to be favorable on account of being Mitra, Sadhak Tara respectively.

Also to be noted is that important house lords when obstructed, they get impacted more as opposed to house lords lording negative houses. For instance if the 7th Lord planet is placed in a Nakshatra that obstructs the Lagna Lord, then it can be construed that there can be problems in marital relationship as the 7th Lord of spouse opposes the Native (Lagna Lord). However if the Lagna Lord obstructs the 7th Lord then we can say that the Native is not having interest in marriage related matters. However if a planet is lording the 6th house say, it may not be such a bad thing if opposed as majority of 6th house significations already ends up becoming negative. One more thing of interest is that Sun is the most impacted planet having 12 Nakshatras as Edhiridai, incidentally even in Tithi Shoonya concept Sun owned rasi Leo or Simha is the one bearing the brunt on 5 occasions for Tithi Shoonya.

This in brief is about the concept of Edhiridai Nakshatra. If a planet is placed in specific Nakshatras from where another planet is placed, it will cause obstruction. For eg. say Mercury is placed in Arudra, the 5th star from it is Magha and if there is another planet placed in this Nakshatra will cause trouble to Mercury. Ideally, no planet should be placed in the respective star positions from the specific planet mentioned. For eg if Jupiter is placed in Ashwini, no planet should fall in the 6th, 7th or 9th star from it which is Arudra, Punarvasu & Ashlesha. This technique can be pretty helpful when scrutinizing different facets in horoscope analysis.

                                          P.S: Picture of Nakshatras taken from internet

Hitherto Unusual Transit Methods in Horoscope Evaluation - Murthy Nirnaya and Shani Vahana

Whenever a yearly transiting planet such as Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu or Ketu is transiting from one sign to another, there is usually plenty of curiosity associated as to how it will play up for each Moon or Ascendant sign. While transits are not the be all and end all in evaluating a horoscope, it somehow inkles a dose of expectation that some turnaround is bound to take place. 

Jupiter's rounds of movement from one sign to another invokes hope that something auspicious will take place especially when it ends up going 2nd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th from Moon sign granting it the 'Guru Bala' title. Saturn's transits are usually perceived with a sense of fear especially when it tends to be Sade Sati which is 12th, 1st and 2nd from Moon sign and also Ashtama Shani which is 8th from Moon is usually dreaded. Rahu/Ketu's movement is looked at as stumbling blocks but in general it is preferred when it is transiting in to the Upachaya houses viz 3rd, 6th, 10th and 11th.

However apart from the well established means of witnessing transits, there are also other methods which are a tad different from usual. On that basis would like to highlight emphasis on the scope of Murthy Nirnaya transit as well as Shani Vahana transit. These two are not necessarily based on the sign the yearly planet is moving from the Lagna / Moon but in essence based on a particular energy which works more like a Prasna indicating what to look forward to from the perspective of these transits.

Murthy Nirnaya Transit:
This is a transit which works according to your natal Janma Rasi (Moon sign). This is common for all transits but the catch as per this method is it works based on where transiting Moon is stationed exactly at the time during the transit of the yearly planet. The computation works from Natal Moon to Transiting Moon with the anchor being the yearly transit planet and accordingly results are derived.

For the sake of easy understanding, let us take an illustration. Lets say Jupiter is transiting to Sagittarius on a particular date and time. During the time of Jupiter's transit we need to check where Moon is placed and let us say Moon is placed in Libra when Jupiter moved into Sagittarius. Now we need to compare the house Libra is placed from natal Moon position. If Natal Moon is in Aries, then we can say it is 7 signs since Aries to Libra equated to 7 signs. Now based on the signs moved, there is a bracketing of auspiciousness into 4 compartments as seen below:

1,6,11 - Very Good - Swarna (Gold)
2,5,9 - Good - Rajata (Silver)
3,7,10 - Average - Tamara (Copper)
4,8,12 - Bad - Lohita (Iron)

Based on the above example, for an Aries Moon born person, since 7 is Tamara (Copper), this transit would said to be average. The interesting feature is there is no relevance to the sign in which the main planet transit is happening which would be Jupiter and Sagittarius as seen from above case. Only the natal Moon and the placement of Moon at the time of the big ticket transit is considered which makes this method pretty unique. However the liability with this method happens to be on account of different Ayanamsa and Panchanga followed. As per one scheme of Panchanga, the planet Jupiter (say) may be transiting on a particular date whereas in another view it might be on a different date and we know Moon is ever revolving moving signs every 2 and quarter days. This can cast some issues with regard to the auspiciousness of the transit which can be an issue when using Murthi Nirnaya Transit.

Shani Vahana Transit:
This is a methodology of ascertaining transits exclusively for Saturn when it moves to a new sign or Nakshatra. Saturn is assigned a vehicle based on it's transit and accordingly results are ascertained. As per this method we need to know the Nakshatra in operation when Shani Dev changes signs in addition to our birth Moon Nakshatra. 

For instance lets say Saturn is transiting to Capricorn into the Nakshatra of Uttara Ashada. Also lets say natal Moon Nakshatra of a person is Poorva Phalguni. In this case we need to add 21 (number sequence of Uttara Ashada) and 11 (number sequence of Poorva Phalguni). The number sequence is the Nakshatras counted from Ashwini which is taken as #1 to Revathi which is #27. The total of 21 and 11 adds to 32. Now 32 needs to be divided by 9 which yields a reminder of 5. The reminder will decide the vehicle. In case it's perfectly divisible with no reminder then No.9 from the list needs to be taken. Listed below is the Numbers, Vehicles in the form of Animals and the Auspiciousness.

#1 - Donkey - Not favorable
#2 - Horse - Very favorable
#3 - Elephant - Not favorable
#4 - Buffalo - Mixed
#5 - Lion - Favorable
#6 - Jackal - Very Unfavorable
#7 - Crow - Not favorable
#8 - Peacock - Very favorable
#9 - Swan -  Very favorable

In general Swan vehicle is said to be most auspicious and Jackal vehicle is said to be most inopportune. Peacock is also said to be really favorable and Horse is considered highly auspicious. On the flip side, Crow is said to infuse plenty of tensions whereas Elephant is mentioned to give results against expectations and Donkey is indicative of lack of auspiciousness. A lion is considered good especially acting as a trigger in defeating enemies whereas Buffalo's results are said to be mixed and dependent on the work put in. Based on the above example, #5 happens to be Lion vehicle which is favorable. In this method, we can even view based on the Nakshatra within the sign Saturn is transiting and not just the zodiac sign. To explain, for a particular Natal Moon Nakshatra say Punarvasu, Saturn transiting into Uttara Ashada in Makara isn't good since 7+21 = 28 which means reminder 1 translating to Donkey that is unfavorable. However when Saturn moves into Shravana it would be better since 7+22 = 29 amounting to reminder 2 reflecting Horse which indicates very favorable. Hence this comes handy when ascertaining transits especially when Saturn transits each Nakshatra of the zodiac to understand how Saturn will pan out for each natal Moon Nakshatra.

Nakshatra Tara Balan - The Moon's Asterisms!

The Nakshatras play a paramount role in the composition of Vedic Astrology. It is important not only in the holistic analysis of a chart while judging results but also plays the part of an independent contributor which could be looked at as an esteemed exclusive system all by itself. For all practical purpose, the very mention of the name Nakshatra should by default correspond only to the placement of Moon and nothing else. Its's the Moons asterisms which is considered supreme and the entire functioning of Navatara Chakra stems from the Moon only.

The Navatara Chakra system is basically a categorization of the 27 Nakshatras into 3 sets of 9 each with all the even number stars (2,4,6,8) said to be propitious, odd number stars (3,5,7) said to induce negativity with 1 and 9 being neutral. The 9th constellation is said to connote a mixture of good & bad whereas the 1st is said to represent the individual self but known to cause tensions. This is however a broad classification of the Nakshatras and can work at most times but when we take all the 27 Nakshatras as a whole without splitting into parts we would find that at times this number scheme does not bode well all the time as there are a number of exceptions brought into the muddle. The Nakshatra based text 'Kumaraswamiyam' is also known to give the results independently of all the 27 Nakshatras based on its position with Janma Nakshatra.

Let's now take a brief synopsis about the deliverance of results for all the 27 Nakshatras beginning from the Janma Nakshatra. Please note #1 is your Janma Nakshatra and should not be read as Ashwini. For instance if a native is born in Chithra star, then it happens to be #1, Swati #2, Vishakha #3 and so on and so forth.

Nakshatra #1 - The Janma Nakshatra of the native is said to infuse plenty of tensions

Nakshatra #2 - The 2nd star is said to be beneficial and especially for money related activities

Nakshatra #3 - The 3rd star can connote some sort of danger and precautionary measures are to be taken

Nakshatra #4 - Though the 4th star in general is said to denote sukha (comforts), this is a time when people will appear to nicely talk to you but end up cheating you. Hence arises the need to be careful
 
Nakshatra #5 - It is generally said not to perform any new work when the 5th Nakshatra is in operation

Nakshatra #6 - This is said to be favorable (Sadhagam). Hence one can do and achieve anything when this Nakshatra is in transit

Nakshatra #7 - Even general good things can end up going in disappointment during this period, hence arises the need to be cautious   

Nakshatra #8 - This is a very friendly Nakshatra. Any activity performed is deemed to be a success.

Nakshatra #9 - This is said to be benefic to an extent. The general notion with the 9th Nakshatra is that it enhances and so good things can end up being more better and bad things can end up getting worse

Nakshatra #10 - This is known as the Karma Nakshatra and there are chances to get cheated

Nakshatra #11 - Though this falls in the No.2 category of Navatara, this ain't a favorable Nakshatra. It is called as Samudaya Pagai Nakshatra which denotes that society or other people will look like they are helping but actually end up deceiving you

Nakshatra #12 - This is unfavorable from the stand point of work. Any new activity or task should be prevented on this day as consequences can be harmful

Nakshatra #13 - This is highly favorable. Any activity performed during this transit time of Moon will prove fruitful

Nakshatra #14 - Fights and arguments are said to take place and hence better to avert any activity

Nakshatra #15 - This is a time when one will get good support from near and dear even without any efforts or just by even simply keeping quiet

Nakshatra #16 - Even if one keeps quiet, some unnecessary issues will tend to crop up. Hence warrants the need to be extra careful

Nakshatra #17 - This is said to induce very favorable things to take place in one's favor. Yes, this does also happen to be Chandrashtama time but the effect is negligible and the negative impact of the moon transit into the 8th house from itself is said to be problematic only for a minimal duration of time

Nakshatra #18 - This is specifically termed as Pana Pagai which translates to money related problems. It is said never to undertake any money allied transactions during the transit of the Moon in the 18th Nakshatra from Janma Nakshatra

Nakshatra #19 - Any activity undertaken will be victorious and hence this is a favorable transit time

Nakshatra #20 - This is supposed to be one of the best intervals in the lunar cycle and said to work favorably in all ways

Nakshatra #21 - This is termed as 'Maaru Patta Nilai' which translates to whatever task we perform can end up going in a reverse manner. Hence the need to be careful to avoid reversal of fortunes.

Nakshatra #22 - This is known as 'Vadha Vainasika'. Counted from this Nakshatra to your Janma Nakshatra it will be 7 and counted from your Janma Nakshatra, this will be 22nd. 7th is inauspicious and 22nd is destruction. Hence this day will not only do any good but will also induce troubles

Nakshatra #23 - It is said that some issue will crop up relating to the activity being performed. Hence the need to prevent from doing any crucial tasks on this day.

Nakshatra #24 - This is a favorable Nakshatra and especially related to land dealings. Hence for construction work, signing any land agreement, this Nakshatra day can be the ace.

Nakshatra #25 - Tends to cause mind tension. It is advised to just go about your work on your own and not indulge in anything extra as it can lead to plenty of mind issues. 

Nakshatra #26 - This is related to the community (Jathi) and it is said that one will get good name from the surrounding environment with regard to whatever work performed.

Nakshatra #27 - This is a beneficial Nakshatra and auspicious things will tend to take place during this transit period.

Hence when we look at a more comprehensive view of the Tara Bal of all 27 Nakshatras as a whole, there can be some transits which casts a different version from the general Navatara Chakra theory. Apart from this there is this concept of Vedha Nakshatra which is said to repel a particular Nakshatra that also needs to be factored.

Vedha Nakshatras:
Vedha means enemy and can show some alteration to the above result and is a concept especially used in marriage matching. Even if all things are favorable, if the Moon Nakshatra of the boy and girl happen to be Vedha, it's advised not to match. It's pretty powerful because it tends to overrule even when other events are favorable.This is a factor to assess failure, hardship and incompatibility in marriage. For this purpose there are certain stars which are repellent to the other. They are supposed to be enemies and it's advised to avoid stars that are forming vedhai (enemity) to each other. For eg. Ashwini star should not be matched with Jyeshta and likewise Arudra should never be matched with Shravana. The Mars stars of Mriga, Chithra and Dhanishta end up being Vedha to each other.

Sometimes Vedha also tends to be in 6/8 but that's not always the case. Hence not only marriage even otherwise the energy of the vedha star should not be invoked. For instance from the list above the 15th Nakshatra from Janma Nakshatra is said to confer good results. But taking eg. for a Poorva Bhadra born native, the 15th Nakshatra happens to be Uthara Phalguni which should ideally constitute beneficial results but since these two happen to be Vedha to each other, the benefits may not come to pass since it supersedes the general well being granted on account of being the Vedha Nakshatra. Sharing below the list of Vedha Nakshatras to each other: 

There is also a specific vedhai (issue) in a designated area which also needs to be factored. These are called Samuga Vedhai, Vama Vedhai and Dekshina Vedhai

Samuga Vedhai (11th constellation):
Samuga Vedhai translates to Community issues. So when the 11th star is in operational transit to one's Janma Nakshatra, issues cropping up with regard to meetings, society at large can take place. Hence if any common meeting/agreement is to take place with a larger community, it is better to avoid the 11th Nakshatra.

Dekshina Vedhai (18th constellation):
Dekshina Vedhai translates to give and take issues. Hence when the 18th star is transiting, there can be some issue pertaining to changing of hands ie giving something away to get something else. This can be used both in a good or bad way and needs to be factored accordingly.

Vama Vedhai (4th constellation):
Vama Vedhai translates to hostility issues. If there is any important occasion scheduled to take place when the 4th star is in transit, it is better to avoid if possible as there can be some unnecessary fights/disappointments or an unsavory incident taking place.

Nakshatra Tara Bal Summary:
Let's summarize the 27 Nakshatras as per the usual Navatara Scheme and see which of the Nakshatras are good from the 9 sets of 3 Nakshatras each and also bearing in mind the concept of Vedha

Nakshatra Set 1 (1,10,19) : It can be seen that the 19th Nakshatra in general is said to be beneficial whereas 1st and 10th does not infuse much positives

Nakshatra Set 2 (2,11,20) : Here the 2nd and 20th are said to be favorable but 11th isn't said to be of much benefit

Nakshatra Set 3 (3,12,21) : All the stars in this set viz 3,12,21 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 4 (4,13,22) : In this set only 13th is said to be very favorable. The 4th Nakshatra isn't of that much benefit and the 22nd is perhaps one of the worst Nakshatras on account of being Vainasika

Nakshatra Set 5 (5,14,23) : All the stars in this set viz 5,14,23 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 6 (6,15,24) : Here all the 3 Nakshatras viz 6, 15, 24 are said to be favorable

Nakshatra Set 7 (7,16,25) : All the stars in this set viz 7,16,25 are supposed to be unfavorable

Nakshatra Set 8 (8,17,26) : Here all the 3 Nakshatras viz 8, 17, 26 are said to be favorable though we must keep in mind that the 17th star could be Chandrashtama as it falls in the 8th rasi from natal Moon

Nakshatra Set 9 (9,18,27) : It can be seen that the 27th Nakshatra is said to be really beneficial with 9th being mixed to an extent but largely beneficial whereas 18th associates with much negativity

Hence overall, the following Taras from the Janma Nakshatra are said to be relatively auspicious as compared to the rest. These are the 2nd, 6th, 8th, 9th, 13th, 15th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 26th and 27th Taras from the Janma Nakshatra which account for 12 out of the 27 Nakshatras. Also seeing the entire 27 Nakshatra Tara Bal scheme can be more useful in order to time important periods.

The Big Jupiter Transit to Sagittarius!

Everyone is awaited with bated breath for the impending Jupiter transit which is looming large as it get sets to enter it's own sign of Sagittarius. Transits of slow moving planets such as Saturn, Rahu/Ketu and Jupiter generally garner a lot of interest among the general public and very many are curious about how it will play out for them. To be frank, just with a single planet transit nothing really can be deduced and in essence studying these transitory phenomenons just portray a glimpse of how the upcoming picture is likely to shape up. I suggest don't take transits too seriously but just use it as a generic indication in the overall scheme of things.

Jupiter along with Venus is considered as the only two pure natural benefic planets in vedic astrology. There is an extra footprint for Jupiter because it's transit is somewhat sporadic taking place only once a year on an average as opposed to it's contemporary Venus who transits a sign virtually every other month. Thus, you will see Jupiter coming to this particular sign of Dhanus Rasi or Sagittarius zodiac after almost 12 years and next time it is expected to happen again after only another dozen years. Also the fact that it will be congregating with Saturn & Ketu who are already stationed in the sign of Sagittarius adds that dose of extra prominence. And for the uninitiated, let me share a bite of a masala chilli spicy information. The last time these 3 planets joined forces in the fire sign of Sagittatius was behold way back almost 300 years ago in 1723.

While studying transits, the two key reference points are the Ascendant (body) and the Moon (mind). The Ascendant or Lagna harps on the physical angle where as the Moon rasi throws it's weight on the emotional side. These two many a time are complementary and is known to signify the physical framework and mental structure of an individual. As per all shastra's it's the moon sign which is pivotal when ascertaining transits but factoring in the Lagna also makes sense as any horoscope in general is always read with reference to the Ascendant being the first house. Apart from these two indexes, it's valid to also perhaps consider the karaka planet in question which is Jupiter as it would add an extra dimension in knowing how many signs Jupiter has moved from it's own natal placement. After all, this transit is all about Jupiter and it's known to have an expansive tendency.

I believe it would be futile to look at transits without considering the tool of Ashtakavarga which is a point based handy system and designed quite exclusively for transits. One important point to note in the placeholder is that even in this system, it's the planet Jupiter that contributes the maximum points of 56 out of a maximum of 337.

As mentioned out of the 56 points contributed, it casts 9 benefic dots or points to the Ascendant whereas the Moon is bestowed with only 5 benefic dots.
From the Lagna, Jupiter is given benefic dots in houses 1,2,4,5,6,7,9,10,11
From the Moon, Jupiter is given benefic dots in houses  2,5,7,9,11
Thus in essence out of a possible 24 points (12 for Lagna & 12 for Moon), Jupiter is conferring 14 points (9+5) which is only about 60%.

We find here that places 2,5,7,9,11 are commonly beneficial from both the point of view of the Lagna as well as that of the Moon with the Lagna additionally benefiting the 1st (temporal strength), 4th (default place of exaltation as per natural zodiac), 6th (service) and 10th (fame & recognition). Jupiter in essence is the karaka for the 2nd (wealth, resources), 5th (children & intelligence), 9th (father, luck) and 11th (gains, desires). Jupiter placed from itself is given benefic dots in houses 1,2,3,4,7,8,10,11. It is interesting to note here that Jupiter is devoid of being a benefic when it transits into the 5th and 9th from itself. Some food for thought here as I believe this could be on account of Karako Bhava Nashaya concept which indicates that the signifying planet fails to give results for the houses it connotes and we know that the fundamental natural karaka of Jupiter is 5th house and as per default rasi / Kala Purusha chart it holds ownership of the 9th house.

Thus, lets now look at the signs where Jupiter is expected to cast his auspiciousness in the upcoming one year time frame in the office of Sagittarius. One needs to look at both their Ascendant sign & Moon sign and infer the result accordingly.

Results of Zodiac Signs:
Mesha / Aries: Transiting in to the 9th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (9th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (9th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Rishaba / Taurus: Transiting in to the 8th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (8th sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (8th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Mithuna / Gemini: Transiting in to the 7th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (7th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (7th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Karka / Cancer: Transiting in to the 6th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (6th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (6th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Simha / Leo: Transiting in to the 5th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (5th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (5th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Kanya / Virgo: Transiting in to the 4th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (4th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (4th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Thula / Libra: Transiting in to the 3rd sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (3rd sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (3rd sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Vrischika / Scorpio: Transiting in to the 2nd sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (2nd sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (2nd sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Dhanus / Sagittarius: Transiting in to the 1st sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (1st sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (1st sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Neutral

Makara / Capricorn: Transiting in to the 12th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Negative (12th sign is not favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Negative (12th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Bad

Kumbha / Aquarius: Transiting in to the 11th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Positive (11th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Positive (11th sign is favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Meena / Pisces: Transiting in to the 10th sign of Sagittarius
Lagna - Benefic (10th sign is favourable from Lagna)
Moon - Malefic (10th sign is not favourable from Moon)
Overall: Good

Individual Score for all 144 Lagna & Rasi combinations:
The table below assigns scores for all 144 Lagna and Rasi combinations. The tool used for this is Ashtakavarga benefic dots given for Jupiter's placement with respect to both Lagna and Moon. A beneficial placement from Lagna is given 40 points whereas a beneficial placement from Moon is given 60 points. The reason Moon is allocated slightly higher weight-age is because study of transits in general are reckoned with respect to the level of the mind which in essence is the rasi in which Moon is positioned in the Natal horoscope.

Statistical Analysis:
- Houses 3,8,12 are bad for Jupiter both from the angle of Lagna as well as Moon. Hence the 3 major zodiac signs facing the brunt this time happen to be Rishaba (Taurus), Thula (Libra) and Makara (Capricorn).
- Houses 1,4,6,10 are good for Jupiter from the view point of Lagna but not from the Moon. Thus the neutral signs for this Jupiter transit are Karka (Cancer), Kanya (Virgo), Dhanus (Sagittarius) and Meena (Pisces).
- Houses 2,5,7,9,11 are great for Jupiter from the lens of both the Lagna as well as that of Moon. The propitious zodiac signs with regard to this particular Jupiter transit are Mesha (Aries), Mithuna (Gemini), Simha (Leo), Vrischika (Scorpio) and Kumbha (Aquarius).
- Out of the above 5 zodiac signs, the best of the lot can be said to be Mesha followed by Simha as Jupiter is not only a friend to both Mars (ruler of Mesha) and Sun (ruler of Simha) but it's presence as ruler of Sagittarius means it holds ownership to their trikona lords viz 9th and 5th lord respectively. For Scorpio also it's highly favourable but just slightly lesser as we are more inclined to the place of Dhanus which happens to be 2nd lord for Scorpio and hence not as felicitous as owning 5th and 9th lordship. This would be followed by Kumbha (ruled by Saturn) and Mithuna (ruled by Mercury) as Jupiter holds kind of a neutral relationship with these 2 planets.
- Combining Lagna and Moon, we have a sum total of 144 positions (12 Lagnas & 12 Moon signs) out of which 60 places (42%) are providential and 36 places (25%) are not conducive from both stand points. 48 places making up roughly 33% is favourable from Lagna perspective alone.

Conclusion:
This is just a high level cockpit analysis of Jupiter's transit to Sagittarius. A horoscope has a plethora of factors to be viewed and transits happen to be just one solitary area. Again even from the transit angle, we have looked only at a particle of Jupiter and things could take twists & turns with the other big fellow Saturn also expected to move signs very soon. However, despite the inherent limitations, transits act as a gleam of light and tends to be a trigger point source especially when one is looking forward to an event taking place. You never know, the torch of transit can add that extra impetus with Jupiter's light of reflection being the harbinger that you're really looking forward to.

Yearly Transit Horoscope Charts in Vedic Astrology

Everyone is seemingly interested to know what the upcoming year holds for them and in the astrological parlance there are methods to deduce how things are likely to pan out through the yearly charts. There are different variations of reading yearly charts and I am listing below snippets of the methodologies adopted and how to utilize them. In my humble opinion, Vedic Astrology is a very vast tool and just with one factor you cannot really come to a conclusion. Results should be witnessed from a unified wholesome picture and the more factors supporting with basis points, the higher are the chances of events fructifying.

I shall now list down 7 types of Yearly Transit charts and give a low down on what they are all about and how to use them.
- General Transit Chart
- Tajika Solar Return Chart
- Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
- Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
- Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
- Sudharshan Chakra Dasha Chart
- Progression Chart

General Transit Chart
This is the general way of reading transit charts taking the fixed position of Moon as per your Natal horoscope and reading the other planets with reference to the natal Moon position. It's a good ploy to do the same with the Ascendant as well as most of the time Lagna & Moon go in sync with one another with the Ascendant representing the physical aura and the Moon projecting the mental mindset. The chart can be drawn up at the time of date of birth of every year concerned and the transit placements of planets need to be considered with respect to both Lagna and Moon. In case an impending planet transit is to take place few days from your birthday date, it is good to keep that in mind as well. Additionally it would also be good to check the position of the planet in transit with respect to the same planet as placed in the natal chart. For instance if Jupiter was in Aquarius at birth but at the time of charting yearly horoscope if it is in Sagittarius, it means it's placed 11 places from it's own natal position which could indicate conferring some sort of gains.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth Ascendant is Cancer and natal moon is in Virgo. For instance if it's the 24th year of an individual and we find that at time of drawing up of chart, Jupiter is placed in Scorpio. We know that Jupiter in transit is said to give best results in 2,5,7,9,11. Thus, we can infer that from a physical point of view Jupiter shows positive results but however from a mental framework Jupiter in 3rd is not said to be favorable and hence we can say that overall this transit of Jupiter will be of a middling level ie successful from view point of physical self but negative from an emotional point of view. Like this we can assess the scope of other transit planets also with respect to both Ascendant and Moon.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope by fixing the Natal Ascendant and Moon as the base and reading the transits of planets based on this reference
Transit of Planets: Considered into account and effects needs to be read from both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with reference to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon

Tajika Solar Return Chart
This methodology as the name suggests adopts the Solar Return Chart but here we do not fix a Lagna or Moon and all the 9 planets in addition to the Ascendant are read as per what is projected in the map of heavens at the time when chart is cast. The chart is drawn up at the time of the solar return which effectively means the degree stamp in which Sun returns to its natal position which would most likely be on the date you were born or a day apart either side. Tajika has a few other specific factors to be kept in mind such as Lord of the Year which is key and generally considered to be the strongest among 5 factors mentioned below:

A) Lord of the sign occupied by the Sun or Moon:
If the Solar return chart commences at day time, then lord of the sign where sun is placed in Annual Horoscope is considered whereas if the solar return chart originates during night time, then lord of the sign where moon is placed in Annual Horoscope needs to be considered. For this purpose, Day time is reckoned from sunrise to sunset and Night time is accounted from sunset to next sunrise
Illustration:
Let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM. Sun's Natal degree is 12.20'. Let's say we are casting the chart for the 33rd solar year and the time when Sun touches it's Natal degree is at 4:45 PM, then lord of sign where Sun sits needs to be taken, if however it was 8:40 PM in the night when sun reaches it's natal position, then Lord of sign where Moon is sitting has to be considered.

B) Lord of the Ascendant in the Birth Horoscope:
This is plain and simple, you take your original Ascendant as seen in birth horoscope and consider the ruler of the sign for the lord of the year.
Illustration:
If one is born in Mithuna Lagna, then Mercury is to be considered and likewise if one were born when Aquarius was rising, then Saturn has to be taken into account since it rules Aquarius.

C) Lord of the Ascendant in the Progressed Horoscope:
This happens to be the lord of the sign where the Ascendant is stationed at the time the chart is drawn which is when the Sun reaches its exact natal degree position.
Illustration:
Lets say when Sun reaches it's Natal Degree in the Solar Return chart, the Ascendant at that point of time is Capricorn. Thus, Saturn being ruler of Capricorn is to be considered for Lord of the year

D) Lord of Muntha:
It is believed that for every completed year, the Ascendant moves a sign. Muntha is said to travel one sign in each year beginning from the natal position. We need to consider the Lord of the progressed Ascendant for the year in reckoning to determine the Lord of the year.
Illustration:
Lets say natal Lagna is Gemini and we are now drawing up chart for the 26th year. In this case the 1st year begins with Gemini and it completes a cycle in the 12th year with Lagna being in Taurus. The same channel operates for years 13-24. Lagna returns to Gemini for the 25th year and in the 26th year it will be in Cancer. Thus, the Muntha sign will be Cancer and the lord of Muntha will be Moon.

E) Lord of Thrirasis:
This depends on whether the solar return chart is erected during day time or night time. Based on that a fixed lordship is assigned to all signs and wherever the Ascendant of the Solar chart falls depending on whether it was during the day or night we need to look up to the Day time and Night time planetary rulers of the signs and select them accordingly.
Aries - Sun (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Taurus - Venus (Day), Moon (Night)
Gemini - Saturn (Day), Mercury (Night)
Cancer - Venus (Day), Mars (Night)
Leo - Jupiter (Day), Sun (Night)
Virgo - Moon (Day), Venus (Night)
Libra - Mercury (Day), Saturn (Night)
Scorpio - Mars (Day), Venus (Night)
Sagittarius - Saturn (Day), Saturn (Night)
Capricorn - Mars (Day), Mars (Night)
Aquarius - Jupiter (Day), Jupiter (Night)
Pisces - Moon (Day), Moon (Night)
Illustration:
let's say Sunrise is at 6:05 AM and Sunset is at 6:09 PM and the solar return chart is determined at 4:20 PM which falls in Day time in the Ascendant of Scorpio, then we need to consider Mars being the Day lord of Scorpio. Likewise let's say the solar return chart is cast at 9:15 PM which falls in Night time in the Ascendant of Leo, then we need to take Sun since it is the night lord of Leo.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart by giving importance to the Lord of the Year comprising of 5 key factors
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Yearly Solar Chart (When Sun returns to it's exact degree point in the zodiac sign)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tajika  Lagna arising for the year and also subjecting a magnified zooming to the assessed Lord of the Year.

Tithi Pravesh Lunar Return Chart
The Tithi's are the one's that make up a lunar month and each of the months consists of 15 Tithis constituting the brighter half and another 15 Tithis representing the darker half. The Tithi one is born assumes paramount importance as it is formed based on the inter-relationship of the Sun (Father) and Moon (Mother) and hence can be an important reckoning to indicate the start of a new birth. Thus, the return of the Tithi in the respective luni-solar month is considered as the orientation of a new year. It can end up being a few days away or after your actual Birthday date as a lunar year tends to be shorter than a solar year. The Tithi Pravesh Chart is constructed at the exact time containing the remaining tithi percentage of your birth in the respective luni solar month. As it's like a new arising, reading a chart based on the remaining tithi percentage can give a basis of how the year is likely to pan out.

Illustration:
Let's say if someone was born in Shukla Paksha Tritiya Tithi with 40% remaining in the lunar month of Pushya when Sun was stationed in the sign of Capricorn. Now lets say for 32nd year if we are computing Tithi Pravesh chart, we need to cast the chart when Sun returns to the sign of Capricorn and the respective Shukla Paksha Trithiya Tithi is operating and having 40% remaining percentage. The Lunar month could continue to be Pushya or even move to Magha on account of ensuring Sun ends up being in the same rasi as that of birth.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on Lunar return chart considering the remaining birth tithi percentage
Transit of Planets: Fully taken into consideration
Chart Erection: Luni-Solar Chart (When Sun and Moon re-unite to form the exact Tithi percentage remaining as witnessed at birth in the respective solar month in which Sun is transiting)
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets based mainly with respect to the Tithi Pravesh Lagna occuring for the year.

Lal Kitab Varshapal Chart
This is employed based on the principles of Lal Kitab Astrology. In this chart we do not consider the positions of any planets witnessed presently as per the transits but instead deploy alterations to the positions of the planets as per the natal chart making planets change houses. Lal Kitab does not give importance to signs and the first house is always reckoned from Aries. For instance if at birth you are having Sun, Mercury, Venus in the 8th house, in year 30 all these planets will move to 12th house, in the 10th house in 31st year, 6th house in 32nd year and so on and so forth. There is a 120 year table noting down the houses where the planets placed in your natal chart will move for that particular year in operation.

Illustration:
Let's say someone were born in Cancer Lagna with Jupiter in the first house, Moon & Mars in 3rd house, Sun/Mercury/Venus in 4th house, Rahu in 5th house, Saturn in 8th house and Ketu in 11th house. Now if we were to draw up Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for say 25th year, one needs to look at the placement of planets in the 25th year as seen below:

House No. of planets as per horoscope               1 2  3  4 5 6 7 8  9 10 11 12
House position of planets in 25th year                 1 6 10 3 2 8 7 4 11  5 12  9

Thus as per Lal Kitab Varshapal chart for 25th year, Jupiter will be in 1st house, Moon&Mars will be in 10th house, Sun/Mercury/Venus will be in 3rd house, Rahu in 2nd house, Saturn in 4th house and Ketu in 12th house. Please note chart ascendant will always be Aries and Rahu/Ketu need not be in 1/7 axis when drawing up the Varshapal chart.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on shifted planetary position of houses as per 120 year Varshapal Table reckoned from each running year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the shifted house positions of planets from natal chart

Bhrigu Chakra Paddathi Chart
This method does not employ transit positions and the key to this measure is rotating the Ascendant each year in a house in cycles of 12. The 1st house rules the first year of one's life, 2nd house rules the second year, 3rd house rules the third year and so on and so forth with the 12th house ruling one's twelfth year. Now, this cycle is continued with the 1st house ruling the 13th year, 2nd year lording the 14th year etc. Please note the positions of the planets are static and don't change at all. It's just that with each year passing by, that particular house gets activated and we can expect results with respect to the particular year and house in question.

Illustration:
Let's say someone has just turned 28 and is entering into his 29th year. Now since we are taking cycles of 12, we see that quotient is 2 (12 times 2 is 24) and reminder is 5 (29-24). Hence we can say that the 5th house is getting activated and we must see results based on which planets are sitting in that house, the aspects it receives and the position of the owner of the 5th house. In case we are looking into the horoscope of a Simha Lagna native, then Dhanus being the 5th house gains prominence and we need to look at the planets placed in Sagittarius as well as the aspects received and also importantly analyse the role of Jupiter being the house lord of Sagittarius.

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on planets placement in natal chart by shifting the Ascendant one house for each year
Transit of Planets: Not taken into consideration
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the activated house by considering the placement of planets, aspects received and the role played by the lord of the activated house

Sudarshana Chakra Dasa Chart
It is a technique where a yearly chart is studied from 3 different base points namely the position of  Ascendant, Moon and Sun which is said to denote the body at physical level, mind at mental level and soul at spiritual level respectively. In this system each of the 12 houses beginning from the 1st house is allotted a period of one year and chart for a forthcoming year is read by shifting all of the Ascendant, Moon & Sun individually to the year in question and reading the effect of the transiting planets based on the horoscope erected which adopts the solar return chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's birth horoscope has the Ascendant in the sign of Aries, Moon in Virgo and Sun in Pisces. If we want to read about the upcoming events in the 16th year, we need to consider the number 4 since we are dealing with a cycle of 12 and 16 divided by 12 will give quotient of 1 and reminder 4. Now we need to shift each of Ascendant, Moon and Sun 4 signs from their respective zodiac positions and read the solar return chart based on all these 3 reference points indicating the body, mind and soul. Thus in this case the 3 reference points will be Physical/Body Level Ascendant Cancer (4th from Aries), Mental/Mind Level Moon Sagittarius (4th from Virgo) and Spiritual/Soul Level Sun Gemini (4th from Pisces)

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based on solar return chart considering 3 reference points - Ascendant, Moon & Sun by progressing them at the rate of one sign per year
Transit of Planets: Considered into picture and effects needs to be read from all 3 basis points
Chart Erection: Solar Return Chart in each year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the transiting planets with respect to the progressed Ascendant (body), Moon (mind) & Sun (soul).

Progression Chart
This is a hypo illusionary chart utilizing the planets taking a year or more to transit such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu and Saturn. These are the planets whose transits we anticipate with an extra dose of excitement as there is plenty of expectations on the kind of results which they are going to bestow for those born in each Lagna or Rasi. Based on the year in question, we extrapolate how many signs these forces would have traversed based on their average transit motion which is considered as 1 year for Jupiter, 1 and half years for Rahu/Ketu and 2 and half years for Saturn. Most likely, these planets may match up with the same positions as seen in the running transit chart.

Illustration:
Let's say someone's natal Jupiter is in Cancer, Rahu in Libra, Ketu in Aries and Saturn in Capricorn. Now assuming we are drawing up chart for 22nd year, Jupiter will be Aries (Since one round of 12 gets completed in Gemini with the 13th year beginning in Cancer onwards and by counting one year for each sign the 22nd will be in Aries). Rahu will be in Leo (Rahu travels in reverse and hence one round of 18 years which is 1.5*12 gets completed in Scorpio. 18-19.5 years will be in Libra again, 19.5 to 21 years will be in Virgo and 21 to 22.5 will be in Leo). Since Rahu is in Leo, Ketu will automatically be in Aquarius being exact opposite. With respect to Saturn, it'll be in Virgo (Saturn travels 2.5 years in a sign and hence would have crossed 8 signs from natal placement at age of 20 which is 2.5*8 and will be in the 9th sign which is Virgo from 20-22.5 years of age).

Summary:
Methodology: Reading of yearly horoscope based upon utilizing those planets taking a year or more to transit across a sign
Transit of Planets: Not considered in reality but more as an extrapolation
Chart Erection: The date of birth in every year
Focus: Read the horoscope inferring the progressed position of yearly transit planets such as Jupiter, Rahu/Ketu & Saturn with respect to both Natal Ascendant and Natal Moon.

Being Beautiful, Winning Beauty Contests and the connection with Aishwarya Rai!

There was a discussion about what makes one to be bestowed with beautiful looks and also on top of that make you win international pageant contests such as Miss World etc which are conducted on a global platform. Looking at it from an astrological POV, obviously the birth chart should have some correlation to suggest someone is breathtakingly beautiful but in addendum to that transits also matter a lot and perhaps even the running dasa period to put that beauty into optimum use and at the right time to win international honours.

The best bet native to study about this is perhaps renowned beauty queen Aishwarya Rai who not only possesses ethereal looks but also managed to win India a Miss World title after a really long period of time. Let's take her case since it's believed that her birth details are kind of accurate.
Birth details are as below:
DOB : 1st Nov 1973
POB : Mangalore, India
TOB : 4:05 AM
Ayanamsa : Raman 22-02-43.86

She is Virgo Ascendant, Poorva Ashada Nakshatra (Pooradam in Tamil) and her 4th house attains dignity with Venus, Moon and Rahu all placed in the fiery dual sign of Jupiter owned Sagittarius. These three planets individually are said to confer exceptional elegance and imagine all three of them sitting together makes her a timeless beauty. One must also notice Venus and Moon sitting in the 4th attains Dig Bal (Power). Her Lagna Lord Mercury is strong and retrograde in 3rd house and we do know she possesses exceptional communication skills.

Now let's come to the actual time when she won the event which took place in Sun City, South Africa on Nov 19th 1994. She had just finished her 21st year and stepping into her 22nd year. Looking at her solar chart 1st Nov 1994 (exact degree of Sun as at birth), you will find that she is Capricorn Ascendant with Mercury/Moon in 9th and Jupiter, Sun, Venus and Rahu combined in 10th house of Libra. And on the date of winning (19th Nov 1994) you'll still find Venus/Rahu together along with her natal Lagna lord Mercury and Sun has moved out of debilitation and closely associated with Jupiter alongside Moon being exalted in Taurus giving rise to an auspicious pournami yoga with the magical rays of Jupiter also overseeing proceedings.

Look at the glorious interplay of God. At birth Rahu/Venus conjunct, 22nd year solar chart also they are conjunct and on the day she won the title also it was conjunct. Moon which talks about the mental make up also attains impression in all these cases and on top of it the Sun was shining brightly coming out of debilitation at the time of her creating history. Her original Lagna Lord Mercury also is super powerful.

The icing on the cake was that the title was won when Moon Maha Dasa (planet in 4th house attaining dig bal in natal chart) and Mercury Antar Dasa (Lagna lord) was running for her. You could even go one step further and say the event happened in her Mars Pratyantar Dasa (8th lord in 8th house giving sudden overnight fame). Hence basically the 3 Magical M's (Moon/Mercury/Mars) working in unity to create world wide success.

Thus, in effect the universe did all it's tricks to make this event transpire. This is just from rasi chart without even going in to the divisional charts.

To cut the long story short, moral of the tale is you need to have the following planets strong for being beautiful and winning beauty contests.
Moon : Mind (Mental framework)
Sun : Grace (Royal radiance as it's a world event)
Venus : Beauty (The primary core for an event of this magnitude)
Rahu : Expansion (To expound the prevailing factors and give overnight success)
Lagna Lord (Mercury in this case) : Desire (The soul which is running towards it's desired path)

Jupiter Transit Libra to Scorpio 2018!

When seeing transits, we need to see 2 things. Lagna or Ascendant (body) and Moon (mind). Sun (soul) should also be considered but it's at an elevated plane so let's leave that. But there should definitely be a sync between body and mind viz physically and mentally. Just looking at Moon sign alone (mental well being) isn't good enough if physically things don't work out and vice versa. So we need to tweak results based on how effective both are. If both are positive will be excellent, if both negative it won't be good. If one is favorable you can expect mixed results. Apart from Guru (Jupiter), you need to also factor Shani's (Saturn) placement in the scheme of things as it is the planet which stays in a sign for the longest period of time. Ideally even Rahu/Ketu should be considered but since it's going to move in a couple of months time, we can consider it separately later. Just a small breakdown of how long approx planets transit in a sign.

Saturn 2.5 years
Rahu/Ketu 1.5 years
Jupiter 1 year

All others planets such as Venus, Mercury, Sun, Mars transit approx every 1-2 months time and moon moves every 2 and quarter days. That's why we don't ascertain transit for these planets since they are constantly moving.

Now let's see what the zodiac signs point out based on this transit.
Mesha (Aries) Lagna/Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 8th and Saturn in 9th both which don't seem to be ideally placed.
Rishaba (Taurus) Lagna/Rasi : Mixed. Jupiter in 7th is quite favorable but Saturn in 8th will give stumbling blocks.
Mithunam (Gemini) Lagna/Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 6th is not favorable and Saturn in 7th is known to cause delay.
Katagam (Cancer) Lagna/Rasi : Good. Jupiter in 5th is auspicious and Saturn in 6th is also good placement especially for competitiveness.
Simha (Leo) Lagna/Rasi : Mixed. Jupiter in 4th isn't bad but Saturn in 5th isn't really favouring things.
Kanya (Virgo) Lagna /Rasi : Not good. Jupiter in 3rd is very weak and Saturn in 4th house of comfort/lifestyle isn't a nice placement to have.
Thula (Libra) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 2nd house of family/wealth/income is strong and Saturn in 3rd is also helpful.
Vrischika (Scorpio) Lagna/Rasi. Mixed. Though Jupiter is in 1st house which is said to be auspicious but Saturn sitting in 2nd isn't really good. Also last phase of 7.5 yrs Sade Sati is currently undergoing.
Dhanus (Sagittarius) Lagna/Rasi. Not good. Jupiter in 12th in house of losses and Saturn in 1st which indicates peak 7.5 years Sade Sati
Makara (Capricorn) Lagna/Rasi. Mixed. Jupiter in 11th in house of gains and desires is fortunate but Saturn in 12th indicates 7.5 years Sade Sati has started which will bring in some hurdles.
Kumbha (Aquarius) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 10th and Saturn in 11th. Jupiter in 10th is not supposed to be very favourable and can give changes on professional front. Its kind of a mixed placement but is aided by a strong Saturn placed in 11th which can confer blessings.
Meena (Pisces) Lagna/Rasi. Very good. Jupiter in 9th in house of blessings and Saturn in 10th house of work/profession which seems to be a good combo.

Best to worst from top to bottom:
Meena (Pisces)
Katagam (Cancer)
Thula (Libra)
Kumbha (Aquarius)
Makara (Capricorn)
Rishaba (Taurus)
Vrischika (Scorpio)
Simha (Leo)
Mithunam (Gemini)
Mesha (Aries)
Kanya (Virgo)
Dhanus (Sagittarius)