Reading a horoscope is like a challenge for finding the right way out of a maze. Challenges in front of an astrologer are the varied lives, unique circumstances with unique individuals trying to handle their unique situations with their unique attitude towards life. Oops, our world is certainly a maze! But it’s hardly a part of the whole challenge. What an astrologer needs to seek out is what makes the circumstances, individuals, their attitude towards life, unique. They also deduce, why individuals possess what they have and what potential they hold in the future - their finance, career, and relationship with different people they interact, their health and so on.

Is it possible for an Astrologer to analyse every incident or happenings of your life?

Well, it involves thorough calculations and deep study of the interplay of many planetary influences. Twelve houses, nine planets, twenty-seven nakshatras and division of each nakshatra, their positions and varied combinations affect individuals differently. Out of all these, Three rules dominate Horoscope study:

• Incidents of life based on Dasha-Bhukti-Antara, the major and minor planetary periods.
• Nature and propensities of individuals driven by Ascendant signs.
• Position of planets in each House of a birth-chart.

1. Dasha-Bhukti-Antara periods: Astrologers find out about incidents and situations of each individual’s life based on dasha, bhukti and antara periods of an individual.

• Dasha, the major planetary periods: Dasha or major planetary period at the time of birth is calculated based on the longitudinal position of Moon. The planetary periods that govern everyone’s lives are: Sun (6 years), Moon (10 years), Mars (7 years), Rahu (18 years), Jupiter (16 years), Saturn (19 years), Mercury (17 years), Ketu (7 years), and Venus (20 years). Based on the nakshatra of an individual, the cycle of the periods for an individual changes.
• Bhukti, the nine planetary periods within a Dasha: Each of these mahadashas is divided into sub-planetary (bhukti) periods of the planets.
• Antara, the nine planetary periods within a Bhukti: Each of the sub planetary periods is again divided into minor periods of the planets.

2. Ascendant signs: The Ascendant sign of an individual indicates his or her personality, tendencies and intrinsic drive. The individual will possess the qualities of the ruling planet and innate characteristics of the Ascendant sign. Astrologers find out the nature of an individual to understand how each individual will handle or deal with the situations arising in different planetary periods.
3. Planets placed in the Houses of birth-chart: Each house in the birth-chart represent varied aspects of life. Second house represents one’s material assets, monetary income, values and priorities in life, Third house represents one’s mental state, intellect, communication, early education, immediate environment, siblings, job and health of his or her father and so on. The aspects of each House are governed by the transiting planets and the planet which is the House lord.

Apart from the effects of the planets in their major and minor periods, other factors also influence life of people: their place and time of birth, background of their family, and varying conditions one is subjected to.