In Maharashtra – the land of the Great Marathas – there is a famous saying and it is, in reality, the greatest irony. The saying goes like this â We want Shivaji – but not in our house – rather in the neighborâs house.â
Chatrapatti Shivaji Maharaj – one of the greatest warriors and wise ruler – the world had ever known! Fighting against the mighty Mughals – Shivaji established Swarajya- (self-rule) where every religion was respected, where everybody had the freedom of expression. He dedicated his whole life for the betterment of the people of his region which is now âMaharashtraâ – and yet, the people of the state have coined this famous saying – âThat Shivaji is Great – but it is better to have him in the neighborâs house but not in ours!â
RISK. Nobody wants RISK. DANGER. Nobody wants to face DANGER. Unsafe. Nobody wants to live a life that is always on the edge of the sword!
And the Great King Chatrapatti Shivaji Maharajâs life was full of RISKS, DANGERS. ADVENTURES. VALOR. FIGHTS. Always on the edge of the sword! And that is how this saying was originated – its essence is that âwe all love Shivaji, we respect him, he is our God – but we would want him to be born in the neighborâs house but not ours!â
Such is the mind of the common man. Small mind. Small heart. Shallow life. Shallow understandings! HE is not willing to have someone as great as Shivaji in his house – a rabbit cannot host the LION – to host a LION – you got to have the heart of a LION – the vision, the daring, the understanding of a LION! And so the commoners cannot be blamed – with shallow people what else can you expect?
Common men love and respect Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Bose, Bhagat Singh – but just ask them – would you like to have a son like one of these great men?
And very few would step ahead! Because the common is perfectly aware that to have someone as great as these men – he has to – let them go – he cannot bond them in marriages, in that typical four walls of âfamily lifeâ – he has to let them go – he got to have the daring to sacrifice his son or daughter for the NATION – for the GREATER INTEREST of the people! And so not everybody is willing to take this risk – they want a ânormalâ mediocre life for his son or daughter – where there is not much risk, not much of sacrifice – you see – it pains to read this – right? Truth is hard – but the truth is the truth – you may ignore it – but the truth remains! The masses – the commoners are too much afraid of all that ârisksâ their comfort zone – it is only one in millions – who dares to JUMP – he or she JUMPS first and then thinks later!
But common man thinks a lot. A lot of energy is spent on thinking, planning – when in reality you donât know what is going to happen the next moment!
Somebody as courageous, as innovative as Steve Jobs (Apple Founder) could ârelateâ with Neem Karoli Baba – long back when he was planning to form a company which is now APPLE – he had visited in the early 70s to meet Neem Karoli Baba! It is said that Babaâs favorite fruit was Apple and maybe that is what inspired Steve to have his companyâs name and logo as Apple!
So such unique men can understand. They can relate to the depth of the matter. Steve Jobs had to suffer a lot – the company he formed – later forced him to resign – until he was called back in his later years of life! And it was his return that enabled Apple to come up with the revolutionary idea of i-phone! Today i-phone has become the cherry on the cake – the most glamorous phone.
One has to understand men like Steve Jobs – one has to understand the innovative, the risk-taking – the dynamic attitude of such great men.
But people are just happy with i-phones! Shallow life, Show-off life – if i-phone is great – then how great must be the man who introduced such a masterpiece to the world. But people donât care for the depth – they are just happy to have an i-phone!
Everybody wants a safe life, no risk, no danger, just to warm up in cozy comfort zones. People are just happy to know about the comfort zones (houses) of the horoscope. 8th house makes them uncomfortable. 12th house matters make them uncomfortable. The commoners fear the 8th, the 12th. They cannot understand, they cannot ârelateâ! You can ârelateâ with a certain person – only if his and your understanding is on the same level – only then the understanding is possible, only then the âresonanceâ is possible – then there is a music to it – then there is a joy to it! But shallow people are more. So understanding rarely happens. And so disputes are more than harmony. Hate is more than love. Criticism is more than appreciation!
The commoners are not willing to dive in the unknown – for that courage is required and not many people are courageous. Not many people are risk-takers!
The 12th house is the way towards the unknown, the unseen, the beyond!
AND when Saturn sits in 12th – he brings along his censorship. Now all that is adventurous, dynamic, thrilling is restricted. Now the beautiful treasures of the 12th house are locked. The person is quick to become frustrated over small matters, small failures. You see – the very source of the beyond is locked – as if the âaliensâ cannot connect with the native or in simple words – the ancestors – the angels cannot connect or relate with the native. The forefathers want to share the âmessageâ with the native but they cannot – the doors are locked! Such a native lacks âideasâ – because how the ideas will come? The doors of the 12th are locked – ideas come only from the cosmic terrestrial and you can receive those âideasâ only if your âantennaâ is in the position to receive. Here the âantennaâ is blocked. The person feels suffocated. He or she is moving around, with a smiling face – but inside – they feel suffocated. And because there is no âopeningâ towards the beyond – ideas lack and lack of ideas leads to lack of fortunes! And so 12 Saturn also stress out the finances – the bank savings. Health issues also crop up – because when cosmic suffocation exists – the health cannot blossom. Connections with all that is âforeignâ – is also blocked or restricted. Generally, such a man travels within the country but not outside the country or his place of origin.
Such a placement is a signal from Saturn – that in past life you were allowed to connect with the cosmic world, with the foreign world – but âchapâ you messed up with the liberties showered upon you – so now this life – I am going to lock you up on this front – be aware! âLock you upâ – people at the base level – souls that are not much evolved – if other aspects are of negative nature than this 12 Saturn often leads to –Â imprisonment!
But why? why so? It is simple. 12 Saturn is aspecting the 2nd house of VALUES, ETHICS, PRINCIPLES. All of these virtues are scaled down by Saturn 12. And so the native has no further support of Lord Jupiter – then – man, he or she is in trouble. Imprisonment at some stage of life is not ruled out!
To all my readers, followers and friends – remember how Saturnâs intensity of DRISHTI works:
SATURN 3rd Drishti – 100%
Saturn 7th Drishti – 75%
Saturn 10th Drishti – 50%
When you are standing at the main door of your house – who falls in a much closer view – much effectively – the house opposite to you or the house just next to you? Obviously – next to you-you can very well see or hear what is happening in the house next to you than in the house that is opposite to you.
Similarly SATURN aspects more intensely on the house next to it – in this case the Ascendant! That is why a woman or man with Saturn in Ascendant is in a far better position than a person with SATURN in 12th!
Saturn 12 – casts its Drishti on Ascendant (health, personality), Finance, Service/Job/Health & Fortune – basically casting his censorship.
Saturn 1 – casts its Drishti on Second (Bank Balance/finance) – Property/House, Marriage (Delays in marriage but not denial), and CAREER (delays in career matters/success matters related to his or her profession)
So overall – Saturn 12 and Saturn 1 are twins. More or less – the effects are similar except that SATURN 1 – does not face the blockage of connecting with the foreign world or the cosmic/supernatural world – that is one major difference and a rewarding one for Saturn 1 men and women!
FEAR. When 12th house is blocked by Saturn – the FEAR FACTOR is more than the FAITH FACTOR. Yesterday – a man received a call from the Police. He did not pick up the call. He just became worried – fearful – why the Police gave him a call? His transiting Saturn 12 would not let him live in peace – FEAR is constantly on his mind! Then his good friend inquired – by calling back on the same number – on the other end – and the Policeman said: âIt was a wrong number – by mistake, we called on your number, sorry for calling.â
So this FEAR of the Police (12th house) FEAR of unknown trouble, unexpected problems (12th house) FEAR of the unseen, the supernatural, the ghosts, the black magic – all of this – whatever is âsmokyâ instantly becomes a reason of FEAR!
And the truth of life is that LIFE begins where FEAR ends!
FAITH in GOD – in the divine Master – has to come out of LOVE and not FEAR!
But temples are packed with devotees – with pilgrimages who are coming at the feet of the LORD – not by Love – but because of FEAR!
You are fasting on every Mondays. And one Monday you missed – you just missed by chance – now-now what? Immediately you are haunted by FEAR. Now what Lord Shiva will say – now what Lord Shiva will do – now what will happen!!! You see – the majority of those who say that I believe in God or I visit temples or I perform certain poojas or rituals are doing it out of FEAR. TRUTH is very hard. Many of you may simply hate me – but that is fine, I donât care, because I am not here to get upvotes, I am here simply to share the truth.
FEAR dominates our life. And I am encouraging all my followers and my readers to replace this FEAR with LOVE. When you fast out of love – your fasting is fructifying. When you are visiting Lord Ganesha, Shiva or any GOD – out of LOVE – then your PRAYERS are heard, your PRAYERS are answered. But these so-called PRIESTS and PUNDITS have made GOD – a whole business of FEAR – FEAR AND FEAR AND MORE FEAR!
The day you are visiting the Church, the Temple, the Mosque – out of LOVE FOR THE LORD and not out of FEAR – you have âarrivedâ – your prayers are going to be answered!
Courage is needed. And courage comes only when there is something far more important than fear.
Saturn 12 blocks this courage. Brings ignorance or rather signify ignorance. And ignorance brings fear. And Fear makes you miserable, vulnerable.
Those people who continue to live in their comfort zones have no real adventure – the real thrill in their life. Such a person lives without any adventure lives without fear but also without happiness. He lives a convenient life, comfortable, cozy, but dull, stupid, meaningless, with no joy, no song, no dance; nothing ever happens into his being, he simply vegetates. From birth to death he simply goes on dying every day, each moment, slowly. Of course, his death is so slow that he cannot feel it. It is a kind of slow suicide.
People have chosen this kind of slow suicide just because they want to avoid all fear. This is avoiding life itself, and if you avoid life you are avoiding God.
Somebody asked Mark Twain once, “What do you think are the three best things in life?”
Humorously, sarcastically, he said, “The first best thing is never to be born. The second best thing is to die immediately after birth. And the third best thing is to die as soon as possible.”
But his humor has a tremendous truth in it. That’s your logic too, that’s the logic of the average mind, that’s the logic of mind as such.
Mind is very much afraid of the unknown because the mind feels capable when you are functioning within the boundaries of the known. Mind means knowledge. You are acquainted with it. You know all the pros and cons; you know what to do, what not to do. You have passed through the same route so many times that now you can pass with closed eyes without any fear of stumbling into anything or falling or going astray. You can function like a robot. Mind consists only of the known. The moment you start inviting the unknown in, the mind freaks. The mind says, “No, this dangerous. I am not willing.”
And that is exactly what a Saturn 12 person says âNo, this dangerous. I am not willing.”
It is the state of closed mind! See – how beautiful astrology is! Saturn 12 is indeed a closed mind. And God comes, happiness comes, joy comes – only to a mind that is OPEN – only to a mind that is willing to go beyond – to the unseen – to the unknown!
A wise man is a meditative man. And a meditative man is always moving beyond the mind. He is perfectly aware that MIND is a monkey, that MIND is an illusion – and so his effort is always to overcome the MIND.
The intellectuals are following their MIND. The intelligent are following their HEART! Understand the difference, savor the difference.
The mind goes on thinking about truth, and the truth goes on waiting to be realized, but the meeting never happens. The meeting is possible only if the mind stops functioning because mind means the past, mind means the future. The mind is never here now. Whenever you start thinking, you are going astray. If you stop thinking, suddenly you are at home. You had never gone from there; the whole wandering is like a dream. Otherwise, you have lived in God, you have lived as gods â thatâs the only way to be. But you donât realize it, because you go on thinking about it.
And the sole purpose of this human life – is to move from the MIND towards the HEART – and thatâs precisely what meditation is!
But a man who has Saturn 12 finds it difficult – because his âbeyondâ (12th) is now restricted – the signals of the cosmos cannot be received – the satellite is impotent to receive the signals – the person remains âblockedâ – and the irony is that the person never realizes this âblockageâ – he or she is busy in their âlimitedâ version of life!
With Saturn 12 – you become a limited version. With Jupiter 12 – you become an unlimited version! But what exactly is this fuss about limited and unlimited – and the answer you will find in this insightful words of Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi:-
Saturn 12 – a great hurdle between the unconscious and the conscious mind. Connecting the unconscious with the conscious becomes difficult – moreover 99% with this placement – never even realize that how much of ignorance has taken over – they simply continue to exist and operate in the utter darkness of ignorance.
In Astrology – there is nothing bad and good as such. It is simply a representation of your Karmic accumulation. The past actions performed out of ignorance can always be corrected. An astrologer is basically to bring you to the stage of awareness – once you are aware, once you become conscious – on your own – you start taking the right actions – the corrective actions and then there is a song to it, music – a dance! Then life is no more a problem but a garden of bliss. Remember – there is nothing called BAD. There is nothing called SIN.
There is always a solution to your problem. Saturn 12 also has a solution. In the past life/lives – God had been too kind with you – but you misused – took advantage of HIS grace – did many âwrongâ things, used your power to connect with the higher energies for selfish reasons – so basically your consciousness continued to take a backseat – you continued to become more and more ignorant – more ignorance gave birth to more selfishness and ultimately you have reached to this Saturn 12 stage – where God has finally put a latch on your spiritual freedom – the understanding of spiritual realms.
So now what is the solution? The doors to the beyond are locked. What is the solution? Do you remember your childhood days? When you would act too badly out of ignorance (childhood ignorance) – your father or mother would scold you and ask you to first behave properly – become a good boy or good girl and then the showerings of grace and love will be unlocked!
Similarly, you have to first address the state of your Jupiter – your consciousness – your righteousness – your awareness! And so the solution in astrology terms is simple – Start fasting on Thursdays – Visit Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu temple – Donate food – all that is sweet and nutritious by nature. Meditate. Wear a yellow topaz – there is no harm in wearing yellow topaz – it is the safest gemstone – one could ever think of and also beautiful.
Just focus on raising your consciousness – with more consciousness – your Jupiter will improve – and if not in this life – at least for the coming lives – your effort in raising your awareness (Jupiter) will help you unlock the gates of the 12th house and GRACE will come rushing towards you – the beyond, the unseen, the unknown – will soon come to hold your hand and walk you through the many seen/unseen difficulties of life!
12th is the climax. 12th is the liberation. In 12th lives the unseen, the unknown – the angels. You will come to the 12th – the climax, the point of liberation (moksha) – the ultimate realization – only when you have lost everything – only when you have dropped all that had been a hurdle between you and the Master – your lord! And so to the material world – 12th is the house of loss – but to the spiritual world it is the most beautiful house of all houses – for âthe cup is useful only when it is âemptyââ! Then the divine can come, then the grace can be received. The 12th is the MOUNT KAILASH – yes it is the end. New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings! 12th is the beginning of the ASTRAL Journey – it is the ABODE of LORD SHIVA!
In ancient Rome, Diogenes was a great spiritual master. And he would roam naked and yet Alexander the Great would come to seek his blessings! And he would carry a small wooden bowl in his hand. That was the only possession he had – just to help him drink some water. Then one day – as he roaming around the town – he saw a dog drinking water from the nearby river. And said to himself – âIf a dog needs nothing to drink water – then why should I hold on to this wooden bowl?â
AND then everything was dropped. NOTHING was left – Diogenes laughed at himself – only the WISE can laugh at himself!
In this âNothingnessâ – Diogenes rejoiced. He laughed, and he continued with his spiritual journey – those who came to him – were blessed with many wonderful experiences – they were totally transformed into something that they never had imagined of!
âNOTHINGNESSâ – the 12th house is this nothingness! Blessed is the man whose 12th house is pure and positive!
Nothingness is the basis of everything.
12th is the beauty. The real gold is found in the 12th – the gold that the world has been chasing all their life is not to be found in any other house than the house of 12th – rest all is fake gold, the real gold is only to be experienced in the ABODE OF MOUNT KAILASH – the ABODE of the 12th!
Jai Bhole! Shiv Bhole! Har Bhole! Let us rejoice in the Abode of the 12th – the Abode of Lord Shiva. Let us be more and more meditative. Let us focus on doing good, the greater the quality of our KARMA – the greater is the quality of our meditation. Remember always – it is all âconnectedâ!
Aum Namaha Shivay! Aum Namaha Shivay!
For more spiritual insights and motivation- you all can avail my published books – âHow to overcome Rahuâ & â Gift of Consciousnessâ on Amazon. Print book copies are shipped across all geographies.
Jai Shri Ganesha! Jai Guru!