Drug addiction and astrology

Meaning of drug addiction:

 Drug addiction maybe defined as a condition characterised by compulsive drug intake, craving and seeking, despite what the majority of society may perceive as the negative consequences associated with drug use. Drug diction has begun to raise its ugly head with alarming regularity targeting today's younger generation with cocaine, LSD, crack , ganja,and other addictive substances. How is one to fight this beast?

 Astrology can throw some light on the psychological mechanism at work and help in early detection of drug addiction.

Astrology and drug addiction:

 The above definition may be broken down into the following components for better understanding:

1.compulsion craving and seeking
2. complete lack of fear as to the consequences of the drug intake.

 The horoscope is a map of an individuals propensities and mental makeup. It gives us an insight into the personality and distinctive traits that define an individual. If an individuals chart does possess propensities or exhibited tendencies towards compulsion or pleasure seeking , he is more prone to getting into drug addiction.

 Astrological ingredients for drug addiction:

 The following planets would provide the receipe for addiction:

1. Rahu:

It would be pertinent to understand here that rahu is actually not a planet but a shadow planet. Rahu's job is to "cloud your judgement". Rahu puts a veil of darkness on your consciousness which makes you blind to the consequences of your drug abuse.

2.Venus:

Venus is basically the pleasure seeking element . Venus makes us crave and desire for pleasure . venus makes us hedonistic and takes us on a thrill seek.

3.Moon:

 Our ancient yogis were smart enough to understand that the mind plays a pivotal role in our lives. Hence jyotish considers the moon to be more important. Only a weak mind can get addicted and seek compulsion. The mind has the power to override the brain and still get back to a drug inspite of its negative effects.

4. Pluto:

 Pluto is one of the outer planets that always adds fuel to the fire. Many call it a ‘ticking time bomb'. It is the planet of extremities and higher consciousness . pluto can give you a ‘HIGH'after a shot of cocaine or heroine. It seeks newer and bolder mental experiences.

Astrological combinations for drug addiction:

 One must always take the entire chart into consideration before passing judgement. However the following combinations are potent for drug addiction:

- Combination of moon , venus and pluto in the eight house of the chart makes one prone to indulge in secretive pleasure seeking drug or other types of addictions -

- Venus , rahu and pluto together in the 12th house of the chart with a very weak jupiter can make one very susceptible to addictions.

- Rahu , moon and pluto together generally indicate a propensity for seeking newer and bolder experiences. If this combination occurs in the 5th house , the drug addiction will originate at a party or disco or friends house.

 How to fight drug addiction ?

Along with proper therapy and medication from doctors , the following can help fight addiction:

1. Wearing rudrakshas has shown to be effective in curbing desire for drugs.

2. A daily dose of pranayam or yoga can be extremely effective in fighting addiction along with proper therapy like alcoholics anonymous or narcotics anonymous.

3. There are special medicines called Bach Flower Therapy which work very well for drug addiction under a homeopath's supervision.

 Conclusion: 

In case of drug addiction prevention and early detection is better than cure. Astrology can help detect propensities that may lead to drug addiction as planets only incline but do not compel us. 

Do astrological remedies really work?

 The Grahas or The Nine Planets:

 Prominent among the many Faces of God stand the Nine Grahas of Jyotish. Though they are usually called ‘planets' in English, the Nine Grahas are much more that giant balls of matter. To comprehend what these Nine Planets mean to Jyotish, it is necessary to know something of the nature of the word that describes them.

 ‘Graha'(seizer) comes from a Sanskrit root meaning ‘ to grasp or catch hold of' which can mean both a sense organ and hand(‘which physically grasps and grips'). When you can ‘get a grip', you can make good use of what life offers you. Just as you, the individual, can grasp the objects in your external environment, other varieties of graha can get a grip on your internal you.

 The Nine Grahas which are the Nine Planets of Jyotish are the Nine Chief Masks of Reality, the Nine Greatest of the Graspers. The Nine Great grahas are the nine major personalities which arise from the primordial images which populate the world of the mind, images that resemble the archetypes that Carl Jung described. The patterns created in the horoscope by the Nine Planets indicate the form and intensity of the images that will be created within the horoscope's owner, whether he or she is aware of them or not.

 How do the The Grahas work?

Your destiny is the sum of your past actions and the Nine Planets see to it that you reap without fail, what you sow, for that are the Executive Officers of the Law of Karma which is the Law of Action and Reaction. Each graha acts on you according to his own unique job description and the sum of the graha-vectors aimed at your awareness can sometimes cause highly original deviations from the path you had planned to tread.

Meaning of Remedies or Upayas:

 A HOROSCOPE IS A MAP OF AN INDIVIDUAL'S KARMAS, DRAWN TO THE SPECIFICATION OF THE NINE PLANETS Astrologers read this map to discover in which directions success can come effortlessly and which areas life will will be filled with pitfalls

 Upayas or remedies are the means through which an individual aligns and attunes himself or herself with the pure essence of the Universal Principles that are the Nine Planets. As stated above the Nine Planets, tend to create their images in an individual according to their respective positions in the horoscope.

 The task of the Upaya is to manipulate these images either by- Overwhelming them with healthier images, by strengthening our own self-image or Creating a healthy relationship between the person's self-image and the image of the graha.

 A partial list of upayas includes-

1. the recitation of mantras,
2. the wearing of specific gemstones or other objects,
3. the observance of fasts and other vows,
4. specific acts of charity and the worship of fire.

 How do upayas work?

 There is considerable disagreement as to the mechanism by which the upaya delivers it's goods. Some authorities feel that upaya-derived effects develop mainly through faith. When an individual establishes an upaya ritual and follows it with full faith, fully believing in it's effectiveness, his own self-image will be strongly reinforced. Others would have it that since every action has some effect which may or may not be readily traceable to it's cause, it is the effect produced by the act of performing the upaya that causes it's result, in the same way that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings in the Amazon may create a typhoon in Taiwan. India's Mimamsa philosophers, for example, are among those who go so far as to deny any need for faith in action. Mimamsa doctrine teaches that every properly performed Vedic ritual is bound to produce it's desired effect, regardless of the performer's state of mind at the performance time.

 How to undertake upayas?

Some upayas can be undertaken on behalf of others who are incapable of acting on their own behalf. In such circumstances the intention of doing it for the other person, must be clearly kept in mind, so that the results accrue to the right person. In general, however,upayas must be personally performed by the individual who desires the result and must be done with honesty and exactitude. Only when you have tremendous desire will you be able to change your destiny. In most cases, the goal behind the upaya, and the upaya itself when possible must be kept a secret to prevent other people from generating obstructive energies that might disturb the process.

 CONCLUSION:

 In conclusion, it maybe summarised that the effectiveness of an upaya would greatly depend on the proper guidance and help of an experienced and seasoned astrologer. The astrologer must provide sound rationale and guidance to the clients and not leave them in a lurch.