It's quite interesting to see the interplay of different forces of nature while reading the horoscopes. How the nine forces of nature have numerous impacts on the 12 houses. The interplay is so precise that when somebody gets to see the first glimpse thereof, one almost gets convinced that there is no free will and everything is destined. Unless one enquires deeply into the nature of charts, this belief is going to grow stronger with each passing day.
The nine planets of Astrology may be divided into three broad categories. The first category is the planets that represent the energy of three different types. Jupiter represents the energy of expansion, while Mars represents physical energy, and Venus represents quantum energy. These forces are the driving force behind any action. The second category of planets in Astrology is the causal planets, which are the storehouse of our habit patterns and past karmas. Saturn represents very dense Karmas or habit patterns that have been accumulated in the absence of awareness and strong ego-centricity. The Sun represents Karmas or Habit patterns, which are achievement-centric and make a person take initiatives and start ventures. The Moon represents habit patterns of karmas that aim towards bringing harmony and setting up systems.
The third category of planets is the mental planets. Mercury represents intellect. It analyses and calculates. It makes the difference between good and bad. It represents the rational mind. Rahu represents emotional aggression or "Mana". When Rahu is active, Mercury takes a back seat. When a person is emotionally aggressive, the rational brain just stops working. Ketu represents "Chitta", which stores past memories and traumas. When we are under the influence of Ketu, our rational mind fails to guide us. It is as if the brain is hijacked by emotions, and the neural signals do not reach the neo-cortex (rational brain) at all.
When our entire existence is being driven by so many forces, where is the scope for free will? The natal placement and transit of Mercury, Rahu, and Ketu will reveal whether we are under the influence of any emotion for the time being. The relative strength, weakness. and placement of different planets will decide our natural inclinations and energy. Then where is the free will? We are acting under the influence of all these forces. In fact, who is acting under whose influence? Whether there is an actor on the stage who has free will to perform, or the actor is just acting as per the script written by the director. Is our behaviour also scripted by these forces of nature?
That's the whole battle of Kurukshetra. On the one hand, there are the Kauravas, and each one of them is attached to something. Duryodhana has a very strong attachment to his ambition to continue to rule Hastinapur, and Bhishma has an attachment to his vow. He has a very strong sense of doership. Dronacharya has a very strong attachment to his desire to take revenge on Drupad. Karna has a very strong attachment to take revenge on the Pandavas and especially Arjuna, and to prove that he is the best archer. All of them chose to fight against the Pandavas. Pandavas, too, have strong attachments. Arjuna has a very strong attachment to social validation and feels like running away from the battlefield rather than fighting the battle against his elders. Yudhistira has a strong attachment to his concept of Dharma. The difference is that the Pandavas "choose" Krishna as their guide and challenge and drop their attachments. They are ready to challenge their comfort zone, being guided by pure awareness. They are ready to enter the domain of the unknown, holding the hand of Krishna. In the process, they challenge almost every established rule of society. This is what the Mahabharata tells us. We play with the possibilities, being manifestations of free will, when we are guided by Krishna. When we are guided by ignorance-driven attachments, we are under the influence of those 9 forces of nature.
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