[ILanaRea]

Lesson 4: Mahadasha

I am currently in Mercury mahadasha and Ketu antardasha. The qualities of Mercury mahadasha are linear, enhanced communication, analytical, creative and flowing. I see this dasha, when balanced, as the “get stuff done” period. Unbalanced, the dasha feels like a vata imbalance – too much thinking, doing, etc. – which can lead to nervous exhaustion and fatigue. The quality of Ketu is intuitive, psychic, abstract and seeking solitude, reflection, and doing less. I see Ketu as a period of surrendering what no longer serves – physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I entered Mercury in spring 2024 and Mercury/Ketu in July 2026. My experience aligns with this dasha/antardasha. Mercury was a welcome relief after coming out of 19 years of Saturn’s karmic lessons. My creativity and ability to express myself flowed again and I no longer felt like I was driving with brakes on. Mercury and Ketu are almost opposites. I feel the key to navigating this antardasha is surrender. I feel Ketu’s influence as I have withdrawn more than usual. I am letting go of attachments that no longer feel important. It is a surrender that also feels like a relief from unnecessary thought and overactivity. And because I have been studying my chart for a while, I entered into this particular season protecting my agni and my nervous system, as well as my mind. Doing so is making this particular period nourishing and healing in the “tear down to the very foundation and rebuilding” sort of way, instead of the period being exhausting, confusing, frustrating or debilitating with the suffering of resistance and attachment.

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Lesson 3 – Bettina – from our conversation the other day, I can totally see glimpses of these placements in your life. We could spend a lifetime studying our charts and find how none of what we have encounteered, enjoyed and endured is random.

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Lesson 3 – Randall – yes, what I love about the D9 is that it shows more of our inner workings and evolution. It can be so easy to be stuck on the physical aspects of our body and life. Often those aspects and challenges are what is propelling the inner growth. I’m glad that you see how you have grown in where you seek validation 🙂

[ILanaRea]

Lesson 3: The D9 Chart

On the D9 chart:

The Lagna lord sits in Taurus, which is ruled by Venus. Ketu is present in this house. On the D9 chart, the lagna lord represents your true identity, inner disposition and who you evolve into as you grow up. On my chart, this placement indicates a life direction and desire for Higher Intelligence/Consciousness, spiritual counseling of self and others, and a regular meditation practice, which follow an evolution over the years to go within to find my loving, safe space (Taurus) vs seeking that shelter outside of me. Ketu brings detachment, as well as desire for spiritual liberation, privacy and quiet away from the ego-validation of my youth.

Moon sits in the 5th house of Virgo, which is ruled by Mercury and Rahu. Having Moon in this house shows how my mind works: creative and intuitive (Mercury) and yet analytical and methodical (Virgo). In the 5th house of intellect, creative expression and past life merit, this placement shows a proclivity to balance reason (logical/analytical) with feeling (creativity, intuition, empathy), along with the ability to see through people’s walls and to break down complex, spiritual concepts into digestible pieces for others to understand…it feels like I have done this before. My biggest weakness can be losing balance from too much drive (Mercury/Rahu) on a creative or intellectual project and letting either reason (overthinking, analysis-paralysis) or feeling (over-empathy, emotional decisions) dominate and pull me off the rails. Because Mercury features strongly on my D1 chart, I have seen/can see where my mind and drive can pull me way out of balance energetically and physically, raising Vata and then Pitta. The lesson here is that my ability to keep balance and boundaries directly affects my health and wellbeing.

Both of these placements fit with what I have experienced in this life. Since childhood, my deepest desire has been jivan mukta (liberation), which I reconnected to during the latter five years of Saturn Mahadasha. The fact that I see myself more as a lifelong spiritual counselor (vs Ayurvedic practitioner, life coach, or any past job/title I have had) is not surprising, and it is the space in which I feel most aligned and in flow. I have also noticed an ability to analyze a situation and to see into another person’s mind, helping them unravel the threads of a problem. I am a very private person and prefer to live a simple life, without too many attachments. Moving a lot as a military kid and losing close family members has taught me compassionate detachment in life. And, kriya yoga is where I feel most at home and has been the best tool for quieting and balancing my mind and helping my overall wellbeing.

[ILanaRea]

Lesson 3 – Bettina – thank you for sharing your insights in such details. I agree, and have seen this wound wash (mixed with salt) to be very beneficial when my daughter had all 4 wisdom teeth surgically removed. Having her irrigate with this wash kept her off of some pretty powerful drugs and antibiotics that would have destroyed her gut biome. She healed up nicely.

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Lesson 3 – Randall – my experiences were similar. But, astringent, sour, and bitter. This fits with my constitution’s needs and areas that I focus on blood heat and keeping the liver agni firing.

[ILanaRea]

Lesson 3

Tastes in Triphala:
I notice the rasas in the following order: 1) astringent (Kashaya) 2) sour (Amla) 3) bitter (Tikta)

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Bettina – Class 2 – I agree. Routine, strong boundaries on exertion of mind and body, and meditation have helped me a lot to reign in my Mercury energy. But I am also very intuitive (moon is in my 9th house), and by having these routines, I am better able to calm a restlessness of the mind so that intuition has room to communicate clearly.

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Dana – Class 2 – We have the same configuration for this house! I completely resonate with analysis-paralysis! Also I have noticed a locked up sensation in my hips that goes away when I acknoweledge that something is bothering me. It feels protective. Like – you won’t move until you acknowledge what is bothering you. It is very helpful knowing that my mind plays such a role in my health. An Ayurveda doctor told me last year that my health concerns were not rooted in my diet or lifestyle, they were rooted in my mind. That was a huge shift for me and I saw rapid improvement afterwards. The analysis-paralysis of trying to perfect what was already pretty darn good gave way to relaxing and working on what was causing the anxiety or worry in the first place (that manifested as physical symptoms to get my attention).

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Ananda – Class 1 – I have a similar configuration but with 7 of my planets grouped in the 8th, 9th and 10th houses. From my own research over the years, I for sure have seen their influence, especially when I went through Saturn mahadasha, which my understanding is the period of karma lessons and accountability. 19 years of back-to-back lessons.

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Magdelena – almost all of my planets are clustered in the 8th, 9th, and 10th houses. And like Sandino mentioned, the lords of the empty houses have a lot of influence. I think even the rulers of the nakstrata padas for each planet as well? But that’s getting ahead of myself. You could study your chart for many years and continue to make discoveries.

[ILanaRea]

Lesson 2: The 6th House Ruler

My 6th house is Gemini, ruled by Mercury. Mercury on my chart is in Chitra, pada 4, ruled by Mars. There are no planets in this house. In the body, Mercury governs the respiratory system and speech organs, nervous system and skin. It also governs intellect and cognition, communication and expression, as well as business and finance, including the entrepreneurial mindset, accounting and diplomacy/negotiation. My Mercury is influenced by Mars, which governs the blood, muscles, red blood cells, and liver and is linked to inflammation, energy, and physical drive.

I have observed within myself a sharp and quick intellect, ready creativity, entrepreneurial tendencies, the ability to communicate easily as a writer, and a lifelong pattern of diplomacy and peace-making. I have always felt like my body, especially my nervous system, struggles to keep up with my mind, which can leap ahead without rest to a fully formed plan when I am on a creative streak. There is a drive and energy, like trying to rein in horses. My intellect often goes to the future, which helped me in past roles as an operations manager when I had to mitigate risk and financial stability.

On the physical side, I have seen that if I hold in what I am supposed to communicate, there are immediate effects on my nervous system, and the release happens through my skin as inflammation, eruptions, or nerve pain. There have also been digestive issues. Also, I have had a propensity to overthink, overwork, and overexert myself (physically in sports like triathlon, Tough Mudders, running, gardening, etc. – yeah, sigh, I know – shakes head), which has also affected my nervous system. A daily meditation and mindfulness practice has been the key to keeping me grounded in the present versus the future. These practices and VERY strong boundaries on my time and energy are the guard rails that keep my system in better balance. Less is more is my mantra now.

[ILanaRea]

Class 2 – Randall – I have had two surgical wounds, but these were managed by physicians. Most wound care for myself and others has been the usual scrapes, burns and cuts, or when I worked with children (sometimes more severe) but what I could handle. Last year, my daughter woke up with a wound that looked like a spider bite, with a hollow center that was reacting to the venom (eating the tissue). I knew this wound was out of my scope of practice, and I took her to the pediatrician right away. It was a venomous bite that required a topical antibiotic in the healing process, which took several weeks. I was able to help with keeping the wound clean and soft so that the tissues could eventually join back together. Like you said, I, too, am amazed at how the body heals itself, even in the presence of venom.

[ILanaRea]

Class 2 – Bettina, How “lucky” you are to have such a recent case study 😉 Your observations and careful documentation of the process help us all. Step 6 is especially helpful, describing the wound the next day and the healing process. I often look for puffiness and redness at this stage.

[ILanaRea]

Lesson 2

Observation of a scar:
1. History – It is the result of having a cyst removed
2. Whole person – I was a young child, healthy and well-nourished. No conditions.
3. Limb – on a kneecap
The wound was a surgical excision that left a 1 ½ x ¼ inch scar (current). In childhood and my teenage years, it was more raised and keloid. But over time, it has flattened out and it is barely noticeable. It barely presents, so there is no issue or need for scar repair.

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