Tertiary Progressions and Trigger Transits in Vedic Astrology by Heikki Malaska

Article by Heikki Malaska, Finland

Index

1. Tertiary Progressions – P3
2. Preparation of P3 Data

Image 1: Listing of lunar cycles

Image 2: Listing of planetary stations

3. Example – Event: Job Reprimand
4. Example – Calculations and Charts

Image 3: P3 Data

Image 4: Main charts:

D1 Rasi, P3, Daily Transits

5. Broad Activation

      Image 5: Relevant Vargas D60, D2, D9

6. Conclusion of Broad Activations
7. Trigger Transits

Image 6: P3 triggers to D1

Image 7: Daily transit triggers to D1

8. Sextile Trigger Transits
9. Example – Sextile Daily Triggers

Image 8: Sextile daily trigger transits

9.1 Mercury Sextile Jupiter

9.2 Mars Sextile Moon

10. Vimsottari Dasa
11. Freedom of Choice
12. Ayanamsa and Chart Calculation Specifics

13. Prayer

1. TERTIARY PROGRESSIONS – P3

Tertiary progressions are a western astrology technique, which was written about in 1952 by German astrologer E.H.Troinski, in his book “Lehrbuch der Tertiärdirektionen, eine Methode.” In a more recent work, Richard Houck describes the use of tertiary progressions in his book “The Astrology of Death” (1994). Houck uses tertiary progressions with Vedic Astrology, along with Dasas and Kakshyas. I shall refer to tertiary progression by term “P3”.

The concept of P3 can be explained simply thus: each 24-hour day from birth, corresponds to one lunar month in the life of the individual (27.321582 days). By the time you live to be around 84 years of age, you have progressed through about 1100 lines of ephemeris days since your birth, which is about 3 years. According to traditional European psychology of the early development stages of children, a child’s capacity to consciously remember life events matures around 3 years of age, when their nervous system undergoes specific developmental changes.

Consider this: the 3 first years of life, is a time when most deeply embedded subconscious conditioning occurs in child’s early development. During this time we go through a “fast-rewind preview” of potential upcoming occurrences of our Life Script. After this initial “pre-flight checkup of basic settings”, all the potential is left in a dormant state, with contents of each P3-day ready to project onto the corresponding lunar month later in life. Each sensitized potential is waiting for the arrival of suitable transiting planetary influence onto that point, to manifest as a concrete event.

Planetary station is a point where planet stops while changing direction, either from direct-to-retrograde or from retrograde-to-direct motion.  For example: in the example I show you later, Venus remained stationary in place before changing from direct-to-retrograde, on the date 8.1.1958. This is an astronomical event you can see in ephemeris. Within the P3-count of my own birthchart, this projects onto a strongly sensitized potential “ready and waiting to manifest”, in my life, during the lunar month which occurred in early summer of 2014.  A planetary station from P3-daychart will project a strongly magnetized point into a future date, and transiting planets making contact with that point will have trigger concrete events.

Houck writes: “There will often be appropriate correlation between current Bhukti (or Dasa) planet and corresponding progressed planetary station, particularly at death.” Houck’s book uses numerous example charts to illustrate this. Houck also writes: “At major life events you can routinely expect tertiary angles and planets to be in perfect 4^th harmonic aspect (conjunction, square and opposition) to relevant natal factors.”

I will demonstrate with example how I use P3 to locate Broad Activation based on Jaimini’s 2^nd Source of Strength. Broad Activation prepares chart areas for upcoming trigger transits. At the end of this article you find short chapter where I discuss the specifics of ayanamsa and chart calculation.

2. PREPARATION OF P3 DATA

To get P3, you need following listings from your astrology software.

Examples are for my own chart; date format is European (dd.mm.yyyy) and time format is 24-hour clock.

Each lunar cycle will correspond to a day in ephemeris: 1^st lunar cycle of 16.11.1955/15:15 – 13.12.1955/21:40 corresponds to 1^st P3-day of 16.11.1955/15:15 – 17.11.1955/15:15. I calculate my correspondences on an Excel spreadsheet. Once I determine what is the corresponding P3-day and time, I check second listing see if the date includes a planetary station, then calculate a transit chart for the P3-date and time – which is called the “P3 chart”.

3. EXAMPLE – EVENT: JOB REPRIMAND ON 24.6.2014

First example is an event from my own recent life. Here is a short description of the event and its context.

Financial problems make ends meet. Found a temporary job (6 hours per day) which did not even pay the rent. I signed up for working 12 hour shifts and ended up working with a different boss. Had never met him before, but from first encounter something about me aggravated him. Unexplainable tension, his eye was constantly upon me, I barely got replies if I tried to converse with him, he reprimanded me for not saying good morning in the “proper” way, seemed to expect I should know matters I was not informed about, kept me standing outside in the rain for 3-4 minutes before buzzing me into the workplace one morning.

I recognized the situation as projection and karmic resolution. I was being “lured” into situation by believing I had no choice, because of financial crisis. I felt confused and focus distracted, could not avoid making stupid little “slips of concentration” in my work of telephone interviews.

On the morning of June 24^th I got reprimanded by that boss, for having made mistake of saying “10 minutes” instead of “15 minutes” to a client who asked how long the interview would last. In front of everyone else, boss started directly shouting at me an official warning: mistake like that again I would be out of job immediately. That would have meant immediate financial crisis for us. His aggression threw me into state of shock, while it was going on I found myself intensely observing my internal reactions. Instead of letting my “Mars” energy come forward and counterattack, this time I consciously chose NOT to react to him in any way, not even attempt any kind of excuse for my actions, just let him have his way however it went.

After the incident I made a sadhana routine of bringing attention onto immediate job performance of any given moment, several times every day. The effort also exhausted my bodily state so my whole spine cramped very seriously in the night, made it hard for me to sit down or get up or even turn or bend. Once I got into sitting position I could be comfortable enough, so I was determined to crawl back to work day after day as long it would be offered.

4. EXAMPLE – CALCULATIONS AND CHARTS

My birth data is: 16.11.1955, time 15:15, place Lappeenranta Finland.

Image 3: P3 Data

The date of the event was 24.6.2014. This occurs in the middle of lunar cycle which starts 12.6 and ends 10.7, and counted from birth this is my 784^th lunar cycle. It corresponds to the 784^th ephemeris day counted from my birth, which becomes the P3-day.

The 784^th day in my life starts on 7.1.1958/15:15 and ends 8.1.1958/15:15. The lifedate of 24.6 falls around the middle of that lunarcycle, so my P3-value for that lifedate calculates as 8.1.1958/09:34 – that will be the date/time of my P3 -chart.

On 8.1.1958 a planetary station did occur: Venus was stationary for several hours, before turning retrograde.

In examination of the event I use 3 chart types:

• Natal positions: basic D1-Rasi birthchart
• Transit positions:
  • P3-chart which shows potentially “sensitizing” transits or planetary stations ( here 8.1.1958/9:34 )
  • Transit chart for the day/time in question ( here 24.6.2014/10:30 )
• Relevant Varga charts, for the issue under examination.

I compare all of the above at least to Vimsottari Dasa periods for the event date (here 24.6.2014 ). I examine Bhava Chalita House cusps in D1 chart (Campanus house system). I also observe outer planets (Uranus, Neptunus, Pluto) for potentially sensitized points. I use rulers of relevant karakas from D60 Shastiamsa to confirm, and from relevant Varga: in this example D2 Hora for Moon/2^nd bhava involvement, and D9 Navamsa for emphasis given by Venus as P3 station and Lagnalord of D1 Rasi chart.

Image 4 the main charts: D1 Rasi (middle), P3 chart (left) and Daily Transits (right)

Situation is about menial employment, telephone interview job, and financial trouble with paying the house rent. Karakas for work are Saturn for employment and Mercury for telecommunications (both in Sco), and 6^th bhavacusp (at 22:37 Can). Karakas for finances to make ends meet are 2^nd bhavacusp (at 01:52 Can) also Jupiter (in Leo). Moon is ruler of both bhava karakas.

Do any of these receive Broad Activation?

5. BROAD ACTIVATION

Broad Activation prepares a chart-point to be manifested by trigger transit that comes along at some point. Broad Activation occurs through rasi aspect of 2^nd Source of Strength, based on Jaimini Sutra 2.3.14: “The second is the lord, Jupiter, or Mercury aspecting, joining.” (transl. by Ernst Wilhelm.)

The lords of the karaka points that can give Broad Activation in this example are:

• Lord of both work/employment karakas (Sa & Me) is Mars
• In D1: lord of job/6^th is Moon, lord of money/2^nd is Moon
• In D60: lord of job/6^th is Mars, lord of money/2^nd is Venus
• In D2: lord of job/6^th is Saturn, lord of money/2^nd is Moon
• In D9: lord of job/6^th is Saturn, lord of money/2^nd is Moon
• If necessary, I might consider the dispositors of the previous lords.

Image 5: Relevant Vargas D60, D2, D9

At quick glance we can see that no rashi gets double strength Broad Activation by both Jupiter and Mercury, because Jupiter and Mercury do not rasi aspect same rashis – so the effect could be somewhat less. Where do we get activation by Jupiter or Mercury AND at least one of the lords?

Transiting Jupiter at 25:09/Can gains power of influence by rasi aspecting the P3 sensitized point of Uranus at 4:33/Sco. Scorpio in D1 Rasi gets several counts of Broad Activation:

• from transiting Jupiter as Jaimini source of strength AND as money karaka
• from transiting Saturn as karaka of employment/servitude
• from transiting Saturn as ruler of job/6^th bhava lord & money/2^nd bhava lord Moon

Since Scorpio also includes 7^th bhava, I make note that strongly boosted transiting Jupiter also gives Broad Activation to opposite Lagna/1^st bhava cusp in Taurus. This becomes important if 1/7 polarity gets hit by trigger transit.

Sagittarius gets Broad Activation by both P3 and Daily Transit charts. Mercury gives effect as both Jaimini source of strength and as karaka for communication aspect of the telephone interview job. Sagittarius receives Broad Activation also from P3 Saturn.

Strongest Broad Activation occurs in Cancer, on several counts by daily transiting planets:

• transiting Jupiter as Jaimini strength AND as money karaka
• transiting Moon as lord of job/6^th and money/2^nd bhava cusps
• transiting Saturn as karaka of employment AND as ruler of Moon.

Cancer is also Broad Activated by the highly sensitized P3-point of Venus standing still in Aquarius in the P3 chart. More accurately, P3 Venus from 16:17/Aqu rasi aspects 5^th bhava cusp at 14:24/Can.

6. CONCLUSION OF BROAD ACTIVATIONS

Whatever hits will be triggered by daily transits within Cancer, Sagittarius and Scorpio, in the grahas and bhava cusps therein, will be important within the “window of opportunity” opened up by this Broad Activation.

7. TRIGGER TRANSITS

The factors that can trigger transit events are first of all the Self factors: Sun (Atma) and Jupiter (AK in my chart). Moon does not apply because on the 24.6.2014 it was not full, not a giver. Possible triggers are also:

• Mars as ruler of work karaka Saturn in D1
• Venus as both D1 Lagna lord AND ruler of work karaka Saturn in D2 and in D60
• Mercury as Lagna lord of D60.

Image 6: P3 triggers (middle) to D1 Rasi chart

P3 Venus station triggers 5^th bhava cusp by rasi aspecting. Daily transits bring out this potential for developing intelligence and creativity as “5^th is 8^th from the 10^th”, an experience of “fall from position”, being threatened with disgraceful loss of the job. That will be a lifepath issue during this time.

P3 Mars conjuncts natal lagna lord Venus AND trines 4^th bhava cusp, within the same navamsa orb. Solving a situation that involves “rulership of work”, is “brought home to my person” and made into a lifepath issue during this time.

Moon, which is ruler of both previous bhavas, is past its full prime in P3 chart. Awareness of what would be appropriate needs has started to “darken”. This is further complicated by P3 Rahu trine-aspecting 3^rd bhava cusp, causing unrealistic expectations about what should be the proper effort on my part.

All the previously prepared P3–influence was deeply embedded in my subconscious, waiting for the appropriate daily trigger transits to come along, later in life.

 Image 7: Daily transit triggers (middle) to D1 Rasi chart

Saturn transiting Scorpio 17:12 conjuncts 7^th bhava cusp (18:49) within same navamsa orb, and graha aspects opposing Lagna point at in Taurus. Trying to create balance between individual needs and social cooperation, as it is ruled by employment at menial job, gets activated. On the psychological level the message of Saturn is always “let go what no longer serves your growth”.

This brought to surface what was prepared by P3 Mars conjuncting Rasi Lagna lord Venus.

Jupiter (my Atmakaraka) transiting Cancer creates a loose trine, within the same navamsa orb, to natal Sun (Self factor) and Saturn. Jupiter wants to expand awareness of “how you already have, more”; Saturn wants to contract and restrict awareness to “that which you can realistically hold”; Sun wants to sacrifice into the cosmic flames “everything which is less than the Truth that shines from within.” No wonder the experience of that moment impacted me so strongly even of physical body level, leaving me confused for days.

Self-factor Sun transiting Cancer hits 2^nd bhava cusp within the same navamsa orb. Simultaneously it also triggers graha aspect to opposing 8^th bhava cusp. This connects to the “8^th from the 10^th” situation I described previously with P3 chart (image 6). Polarity of 2/8 is about creating balance between external/materialistic and internal/emotional needs and expectations. This made me ask myself: with how much personal effort do I wish to maintain the belief that “in order to be happy, I must build external material security” – OR what if I surrender to the emotional peace within and let that radiate outward into manifestation of life in abundance and serenity?”

One more thing to consider is transiting Mercury (26:13/Gem) which trines transiting Rahu (26:18/Lib) to the degree. The unrealistic expectations about my own effort, which were sensitized by P3 Rahu trine-aspecting 3^rd bhava cusp, are triggered here as illusion of how “easy play” it would be to succeed in the communication-aspect of this job doing telephone interviews; although I had been successful in similar work years in the past, now I just could not maintain enough concentration, kept making stupid slip-ups and mistakes in my speech routine, and interpreted what the client was saying instead of actually listening to it. I had difficulty staying focused at present moment.

8. SEXTILE TRIGGER TRANSITS

Brihat Parashara Hora Sastra gives instructions on how to calculate aspects based on the longitude of the grahas:

“On the third and tenth, on the trines, on the fourth and eighth and on the seventh a quarter increase on the aspect, so also increase the effects.”

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: Narration of Graha Sphuta Drishti, 3;

Transl. by Ernst Wilhelm

Sextile (60 degree) graha aspect corresponds to the “third”, which calculates to 15 virupas with quarter increase of strength. Usually the “third” is only considered for Saturn, who receives full strength of 60 virupas for this aspect.

“All full with the seventh. Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, however, are special with the third and tenth, the trines and the fourth and eight respectively.”

Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra: Narration of Graha Sphuta Drishti, 4;

Transl. by Ernst Wilhelm

The type of Jyotish I practice with my clients and meditation students, is consulting inner development and self exploration and expansion of awareness. In this context I have learned to examine sextile aspects for trigger transits, because they keep showing up frequently.

To understand the sextile aspect, you need to consider how it points to a larger context. The sextile is part of an inner development process. When transiting planet conjuncts a natal planet or bhavacusp, they initiate a process which culminates in the next similar conjunction. This process has points of reward (trine), points of review (sextile) and points of testing for reality-check (square). If the process is found unfeasible or unfavorable, it can be aborted at the opposition and replaced by another pursuit. if that happens, the aspect that would be second trine (240 degrees) in the process, becomes the first sextile for the new issue.

Combination of trine and square/Kendra is also involved in Dharma. When a Trine lord and a Kendra lord form a sustainable yoga in birth chart, the person is engaged in actions (Kendra) to promote his Dharma (Trine).

9. EXAMPLE – SEXTILE DAILY TRIGGERS

Image 8: Sextile daily trigger transits

9.1 MERCURY SEXTILE JUPITER

Mercury is the Lagna lord of D60 Shastiamsa. Jupiter is AK, the karaka of money, and the ruler of Moon who is lord of 2^nd (money), 4^th (home) and 6^th (job) bhava cusps.

Transiting Mercury at 26:13/Gem has just finished sextile-aspecting Jupiter at 29:56/Leo, within the same navamsa orb.

Retrograding Mercury transited this navamsa orb during 18.6-23.6; I examine trigger transits with marginal of +/- one day.

Short-term immediate daily concerns (Mercury) do not feel significant when they fall upon the desire for holistic long view perception of life’s meaning and purpose (Jupiter). Attention seeks greater understanding and turns toward larger issues of life. The current employment felt unsatisfactory in the long run, given the fact they would provide work on week-at-a-time basis at the most. On 18.6 I started looking for further job opportunities, came across such almost immediately and sent in my application; nothing ever came out of it. At the same time I came to understand how I could write my Jyotish reports literally in the form of a “life story script”, developed the basis for this method and wrote my first reading in such format. These things receded more into background by the event of reprimand I got on 24.6, and the stress that grabbed most of my attention for some time after that.

The function of this sextile was to provide energy and inspiration to prepare for the upcoming conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter, which would close the process that had started on the previous such conjunction on 24.8.2013. At that time, after our Meditation Teacher Training, I had began to study Jyotish from a different perspective, looking for my own angle. Much of it was tedious trial and error stuff; I was first of all going through lot of material to see what I needed to learn, then investing time into learning it. My plans of making Jyotish into a realistic livelihood, on practical level, seemed to fade further away. Part of my attention distracted into figuring out how to have financial support while I did my R&D work. Eventually that got me into this job, rather desperate temporary solution since it did not even pay the rent.

This process culminated when transiting Mercury conjuncted Jupiter on 15.8.2014. We had applied to government services to get partly support for paying our rent, and on this date we received official approval for our application.

9.2 MARS SEXTILE MOON

Mars is ruler of Saturn (employment), ruler of Sun (authorities), and ruler of 6^th bhava cusp (job) in D60. Moon is ruler of 6^th (job) and 2^nd (money to support yourself) bhava cusps.

Moon is seeing life through “colored lenses” of personal needs; Mars is strongly opinionated desire to defend own logic. Mars on Moon could give quite emotionally biased fervor for defending own stand, BUT:

• the “vriddha” (old) Mars does not have strength to stress the “yuva” (adult) Moon
• Mars and Moon are not enemies
• contact occurs through sextile aspect.

Sextile-phase of the process means temporary ease and balance, opportunity to review recent events and take initiative action for whatever needs changing. Moon also represents the desire and ability to adapt. The last sextile before the final 360-degree conjunction helps prepare for changes that are coming as the cycles draws to a close.  I already described in the “Example – Event” paragraph how I deliberately chose to restrain my “martial defense impulses” when “attacked” by the shouting boss. Totally internalizing Mars energy was my choice of preparation.

This process started at the Mars-Moon conjunction on 29.10.2012. Me and my wife had spent summer and fall of 2012 to implement total life change, close the books on our previous life, and move overseas for at least 6 months to go through Ascension Meditation Teacher Training. On this date, we arrived at our training facility. Returning to Finland in the summer of 2013, we started to integrate our new vocation into a practical way of making a living. This process, which included me getting reprimanded in the job, completed with transiting Mars conjuncting Moon on 7.10.2104 – the same day I got official notice that I start receiving unemployment support benefit from the government.

Comparing both sextile aspects, you can see how they both culminate in a similar event. To see these events as “solution” requires for me face personal issues, let go of restricting beliefs and start seeing life as it is in reality. Behind everything was my rajasic, ego-centered belief about what is “my success”, how “I am the doer”. This was a process of “asteya” – stop trying to force life to fit my expectations, surrender instead to how it wants to be lived.

10.VIMSOTTARI DASA

Image 9: Vimsottari Dasa, 5 levels

On the date of the event (24.6.2014) I was running Ra/Ju/Ve/Ma/Ma dasa. MD lord Rahu had opened up the “stage of awareness” for misguided expectations like “I have no idea what I am doing”. Rahu conjunct Moon in Sagittarius activates 2^nd and 6^th and 5^th bhava cusps, through their ruler Moon. Being in 8^th from Lagna, Rahu directs chaotic unexpected changes to the 1^st bhava cusp through Lagna lord Venus.

Antardasa lord Jupiter rules Rahu and activates all the same bhava agendas. On the mental level my mind attaches itself onto repeated thoughts of “I am confused about how to direct my lifepath along work and money related issues.”

Pratyantar lord Venus narrows the focus down to mutual agenda of 1^st and 6^th. The initial thoughts about money being the problem do not matter that much any longer, my emotional reactions start to revolve mainly around “me” (1) creating external “enemy” (6) by projecting my emotional insecurities onto others.

Sookshma dasa level starts to pull things together energetically; here we get Mars residing at 6^th from Lagna and ruling also the 7^th bhava cusp (trying to understand myself through projection/interaction with other). 7^th gives 1 by bhavat bhavam, so Mars activates agendas of 1, 6 and 7 – these three bhavas get activated clear through all five Vimsottari levels.

At the Pranadasa level, Mars is also the nature of the energy that manifests as the concrete event. Mars pranadasa started on 24.6.2014 at 10:45 – the reprimand took place sometime after 11:00. Pranadasa level changed into Rahu at 22:29 that evening – my massive back/spine cramp occurred between 21:00-22:00. Few days later, in the early morning hours of 26.6 around 5:00, I woke up from a lucid lifelike dream: I was inside a raging volcano crater, lying on a ledge that was rolling from side to side. It was difficult to hang on, so I let myself fall into the burning lava. Sinking in, I observed mental images of my mother and father separate from me and burn into ashes right in front of my eyes. I woke up, realizing I was sleeping on the hard wooden floor in order to ease my backpains. Pranadasa level had changed into Jupiter at 4:38 on 26.6.2014.

11. FREEDOM OF CHOICE

Consider what kind of role polarity plays in the whole process. Polarity shows up in transiting Sun triggering both 2^nd and 8^th bhava cusps. These opposing positions provide a choice-point: attachment to material or attachment to emotional security – or maintain calm in the worldly game of loss and gain, by consciously choosing your internal state of being regardless of material or emotional circumstance. This choice determines how the potential of  P3-sensitised 5^th bhava cusp comes out in the event.

12. AYANAMSA AND CHART CALCULATION SPECIFICS

Richard Houck did P3-analysis with sidereal Jyotish charts. Based on his experience, he ended up using his own Ayanamsa by subtracting 5 minutes 10 seconds from Lahiri. In pages 40-41 of his book “The Astrology of Death” Houck gives full listing of the Ayanamsa he used.

In my own work and my chart examples, I use tropical rashis with sidereal nakshatra positions, as taught by Ernst Wilhelm. He calls this Ayanamsa “Dhruva Galactic Center, Middle of Mula” with additional setting of “Dhruva Equatorial Longitude for Nakshatra position”. For Moon dasas I use length of Nakshatra day.

Ernst Wilhelm has given following instructions about calculating this ayanamsa:

“Nakshatra positions are based on the galactic center for calculating nakshatra dasas using the Moon’s position. Calculate the galactic center in equatorial coordinates, then make that point the middle of Mula and find the equatorial positions of the planets and measure them from the middle of Mula. When the Sun enters Ardra the earth is closest to the galactic center at the middle of Mula, as the beginning of Ardra is exactly opposite the middle of Mula.”

13. PRAYER

This article, which was several months in the making, finally came together on the 15.10.2014, when I was running Ra/Ju/Su/Ra/Ve Vimsottari dasa. Rahu and Jupiter activate quite a few bhava cusps, but the mutual agendas that flow clear through all 5 levels of Vimsottari dasa are the 1^st and 4^th. Venus who is Lagnalord and Pranadasa lord, rules the lord of 7^th bhavacusp (Mars) and 7^th gives 4 by bhavat bhavam.

For me this process is very much about two things. First, the inner heart (4), the bearing foundation of happiness: being happy because I choose to, regardless of circumstance. And second, how I commit to walking my lifepath (1), by what vocation I choose to seek my place in life.

Brahmarpanam brahma havir

The act of offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman

Brahmagnau brahmana hutam

Into the Brahman fire, offered by Brahman

Brahmaiva tena gantavyam

It will reach Brahman alone

Brahma karma samadhina

Through the harmony of actions, which is Brahman

 Bhagavad Gita IV:24 / Engl.tranls. Savitr Ishaya

About Author: Born 1955 in Lappenranta, Finland. Study and practice of Sanatana Dharma Meditation since 1998. Teacher of Ishayas’ Ascension Meditation since 2013. Study, practice and research of Jyotish Vedic Astrology since 2011 – first TM Maharishi Jyotish, then expanded to other sources through Saptarishi Astrology, lately to teachings of Ernst Wilhelm. Developing own research along the way.