In Vedic astrology, the ascendant determines the harmonic pattern of house
rulerships as well as how the person acts upon and perceives the world. It is also a
reflection of the individual’s physical appearance and vitality. As mentioned earlier, in
Madonna’s Vedic chart the ascendant is Leo or Simha.The ruler of the ascendant is
the Sun and is located in the twelfth house, indicating career challenges and loss of
status. When the ruler of the first house is located in the twelfth, a combination exists
that produces tarnished fame and the need for alone time away from the public eye.
Fame has its emotional costs. However, Leo ascendants are often driven to be success-
ful on stage. Calculating with the sidereal zodiac, the Leo ascendant is found in the
charts of such famous actors and musicians as Tom Hanks, Elton John, Mozart, and
Oprah Winfrey, and of such politicians as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, and
the senior George Bush.
Madonna’s Sun is located on the cusp, or sandhi,of 29° Cancer and is in mutu-
al reception, or paravartana yoga,with her Leo Moon, which helps to strengthen the
afflicted Sun. The Sun is also located in the sign of its friend, the Moon. The Moon is
well placed in the first house in the nakshatra of Purva Phalguni,which is ruled by cre-
ative Venus. Madonna’s ascendant is also placed in this dynamic lunar mansion of suc-
cess and good fortune.
Madonna also has the planet Mercury residing in her first house conjoined the
Moon, which is an excellent placement for speech, writing, intelligence, and commu-
nication that will affect the masses. Mercury is in the friendly sign of Leo (Sun and
Mercury are considered good friends in Vedic astrology), indicating good communica-
tion skills and a large library. Madonna’s Jupiter/Rahu conjunction in the third house
reflects her good fortune in the fine arts and her strong determination to succeed.
A unique feature of Vedic astrology is planetary periods (dasais the major peri-
od; bhuktiis the subperiod). They can clearly reveal future trends and development
cycles in life. They form the basis of a very powerful Vedic technique of dividing life
into specific periods of emphasis. Predictions are made based on the strength or afflic-
tion of the planetary-period ruler and aspects to it, as well as the houses it rules. It is as
if the planet ruling the dasa period becomes the president of one’s life during its ruler-
ship and the bhukti ruler becomes the vice president during its sway. In examining the
charts of famous personalities, one can see periods of introversion during weak plane-
tary periods, followed by speeches before thousands during a strong period.
Calculating One’s Planetary Period
The dasas (major periods) are based on a predetermined number of years for
each planet or node of the Moon, excluding Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The order is
based on the rulership of the 27 nakshatrasor lunar mansions. Each sign of the zodiac
contains three nakshatras of varying degrees. From 0° Aries to 13°20’ Aries is Aswini,
which is ruled by the south node of the Moon (Ketu).
The order of the planetary periods is that of the rulerships of the nakshatras,
starting with the first nakshatra of the first sign (Aries), which is ruled by Ketu (south
node) and lasts for 7 years. The next nakshatra of Aries is ruled by Venus and lasts 20
years; the next by the Sun, 6 years; the Moon, 10 years; Mars, 7 years; Rahu (north
THEASTROLOGYBOOK [711]
Vedic Astrology (Hindu Astrology)