Moon, Fourth House Seat of Happiness
/In the Vedic horoscope emotional resilience, is primarily determined by our emotional filters which are the Moon, the zodiac sign of Cancer that it rules, and the corresponding Fourth House. These are viewed as the seat of contentment and fulfilment and the primary indicators of the karma for happiness and satisfaction.
In fact, the Vedic Astrology Vimshotarri Dasha system used to predict the timing of events is determined by calculations based solely on the placement of the Moon at the time of our birth. Because ultimately it is our Moon, or our how we FEEL that drives how our life will unfold.
If the Moon and Fourth house are struggling in the horoscope this indicates a lack of adequate support in life, both perceived or real. They show how our primary needs of food, shelter and most importantly emotional security were met in childhood. They are therefore, often referred to as the “mother” or the capacity to nurture and receive nurturing. On a psychological level, the moon and the fourth house show where we are “at home” and where we keep going back to, even if it no longer serves us well.
Ayurveda & Emotional Health
In Ayurveda physical health is not possible without emotional health. Ayurveda calls the metabolic process that allows us to process, collect and store emotions in a meaningful way, Sadhak Pitta. This Pitta or (fire element) sub-dosha is metabolically responsible for creating the coordination between our emotions, senses, thoughts and actions. Ayurveda's goal is to help the body/mind with balanced fuel and fire to properly "cook" sensory emotional data into useful and intelligent bits of information.
Traumatic experiences from own past, or those of our ancestors are lodged in our consciousness, if not cooked processed, digested, assimilated and eliminated they leave scars on our body and mind and hold us responsible, even if we can't remember them. The truth is that only emotion that we don’t need to “cook”, or process is Love.
Recent discoveries in neuroscience also recognize that our limbic system stores emotional imprints and sets the tone for our personality by filtering events as it sees fit and deciding which facts presented to us are relevant and which are not.
Cooking Emotions
When the Moon and the Fourth house are well disposed in the horoscope it shows that we have an inherent ability for cooking our emotions with balance and equanimity. This creates an even temperament, and a sense of fulfillment regardless of our circumstances. It gives flexibility and openness to change and allows for a personality that is not dependent on black and white, but rather capable of interpreting shades, hues and nuance. Most importantly our instincts and intuition become more reliable, which makes it easier to make good decisions, including those for our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
When we process or cook emotions very slowly (or sometimes not at all) negative impressions will hang around and get lodged in the heart long after the event. Past traumas will continue to impact current actions and show up as depression addictions, sadness, lack of enthusiasm, inability to act and "why me" attitude.
Then there are those who "overcook" or "speed cook" emotions, burning them up in the process, producing anger, rage, short-term thinking., impulsiveness, or simply becoming overwhelmed with feelings.
This overcooking or under-cooking of emotions also fans Prana Vata (subdosha of Vata or air element) which regulates the intelligence of the body or the hormones and neurotransmitters.
Interestingly, in Sanskrit, Sadhaka, which means having the will to pursue and accomplish, is also the word for disciple or spiritual initiate. Other words with the same root are Sadhana, or the spiritual practice itself such as prayer, mantra or meditation and Sadhu or Siddha, describing those who have completed their discipleship.
All of these words come from the same Sanskrit root as Sadhak Pitta, the fire that cooks emotions.
So a spiritual seeker is one who is working to cultivate appropriate control over their emotions, neither over cooking nor undercooking. Without a high level of emotional resilience, the motivation to stay on the spiritual path will not be there. Also, highly charged emotions often misinterpret or superficially assimilate even the highest of spiritual teachings.
Moon and the Fourth House
Astrological indications and some of the more challenging placements for the moon:
Moon in the Eight House
Moon in the Twelfth House
Moon in Scorpio
Moon conjunct Saturn, Mars or Rahu, Ketu
Moon in Pisces.
Moon with Mercury
A new moon
Moon in Virgo/Sixth House
Challenging planets like Saturn Rahu, Mars and Ketu in the fourth house/Cancer
As you can see the Moon and the Fourth House are very sensitive, it takes very little disturbance for us to lose our naturally sustaining, cooling, nourishing and inner knowing Moon and turn it into an instrument of anxiety and fear in the mind and body. Therefore, pretty much all of us on our life’s journey will need to acquire skills to cook our emotions in a balanced way to build emotional resilience.
Sade Sati
During planetary periods or dasha related to the Moon and Fourth house, or during certain transits of Saturn over the Moon, such as Sade Sati, undigested and uncooked emotions are pushed to the surface, forcing us to confront our emotional baggage and work through our emotional blocks.
Love
While western astrology uses Sun Signs for compatibility in Vedic Astrology the compatibly calculations are based on our Moon Sign. These compatibility techniques have been used for thousands of years to arrange marriages in the Indian culture.
Remedies
Ayurveda relies primarily on the importance of sound digestive health to balance neurotransmitters such as serotonin that are produced mostly in the gut and are responsible for coordinating the senses, emotions and thoughts.
The imbalance is treated by removing the buildup of toxins in the body, re-adjusting our circadian rhythms, recommendations for the right lifestyle and diet for our unique physical and mental constitution, and then supplementing with herbal tonics to address nutritional deficiencies and build strength in the body and mind.
There is an Indian folk saying “no mother don’t worry you have Triphala, an ancient Ayurveda formula that supports and strengthens digestive health.Rejuvenating tonics such as chaywanprash, which contains over 40 herbs are designed specifically to safely balance hormones and neurotransmitters in the body.
Vedic Astrologers use more mystical methods as such mantras, worshiping the divine feminine, yagayas, donations and other spiritual practices to bring more harmony to the moon. Many also recommend wearing pearls to strengthen the lunar energy.
Traditionally, Ayurveda was always practiced along with Vedic Astrology, which is not so common today. Ayurvedic doctors and practitioners today would be well served to overlap their diagnosis and treatment with the findings of the Vedic horoscope, especially the timing of Dasha of the moon or Fourth House and Saturn’s transit over the moon, and offer psychological and spiritual guidance for those struggling with moon related mental or physical disorders.
Vedic Astrology would also benefit by addressing physiological factors such as blood glucose levels and/or imbalanced neurotransmitters and hormones. Correcting the physiological factors is sometimes required before deep spiritual therapy such as mantra and meditation can be successfully utilized.
Most important remedy for the Moon will always be providing an environment of Trust, safety and protection for the person seeking. When this is the case Most people benefit greatly from greater awareness, better acceptance and understanding of the inner influences of the outer experiences of their life.
Each life story is distinctive – the psyche of those with Moon related problems can easily accept defeat and give up hope so it is important not to rush into predictions and to stay alert to the unique situation. There are many famous people like Tony Robbins, Oprah Winfree, and Byron Katie, who have overcome the obstacles of a difficult Moon in their Vedic horoscope and gone on to help thousands of people build more emotional resilience.
Other current healing modalities can be tailored to the specifics of the horoscope, such a constellation therapy, NLP, journaling, and reconnecting and rediscovering our family roots, especially myths and stories of our culture. The key is to find an avenue which the person can relate to on an emotional, visceral and instinctual level when working with subtle influences of the planet like the Moon.