We tend to think of astrology as a tool for understanding ourselves: our personalities, potential, and struggles. But the ancient rishis understood something deeper. That means you are not alone. You are the product of a long lineage, and the patterns of your parents and grandparents flow through your consciousness like water finding a channel.
This is where the Dwadashamsha (D-12 chart) becomes essential. While your birth chart shows your personal karma and destiny, D-12 reveals the ancestral karma you have inherited – their unfinished business that you are carrying on in this life.
Through years of practice, I have found that understanding your D-12 is often the key to understanding why certain patterns feel so entrenched, when in fact they may be deeply ingrained patterns inherited from your parents or grandparents. Once you see it, you can work with it. Once you understand the machine, you’re no longer stuck with it.
D-12 as a mirror of parents
Think of D-12 like this: If your birth chart is a visible tree, D-12 represents the root. You cannot heal a tree if its roots are rotten. D-12 connects to the 12th house of the birth chart, the house of perfection, the past, and what happened before birth. It is a past life varga, through which the relationship with the parents is revealed.
D-12 is hidden like a root. The pattern is hard to see on the surface, but it goes deep inside. Oftentimes, what we think is an anxiety or financial block is actually an unresolved pattern that has been passed down in the family. Perhaps your mom had some grief of her own, or your dad had unfinished business that he never acknowledged. And now that water is flowing through you.
Major planets: Sun and Moon
In D-12, we see two major planets: the Sun, which represents the father and paternal lineage, and the Moon, which represents the mother and maternal lineage.
Where are these planets located in your D-12? Which house? What sign? Are they in place and will you be able to access the gifts of your bloodline? Or do they suggest that you are in a difficult position and are carrying unresolved karma from your father or mother?
This is not a matter of blame. It’s about understanding. Your parents did the best they could with what consciousness they had. But they also inherited a pattern in which some things are protective and healing, and others are hurtful and reactive. D-12 shows you what you inherited, so you can choose what to do with it.
Read D-12: Precious Home
Once you have calculated D-12 (the calculation is easy, just repeat the symbols in order), note the next major house.
1st house (lagna) It tells you about your relationship with your parents as a unit. If malefic planets are here, you may have experienced obstacles in your relationship with them. The strength of the 1st house ruler shows how much power your parents can give you.
4th house is my mother’s special home. The mother’s role as a caregiver, the happiness and satisfaction you derive from caring for her. The Moon and 4th house together reveal the Moon’s influence on your emotional life.
6th house Talk about your debt to your parents, not just your financial debt, but your emotional debt as well. This includes honoring them through rituals and memorials. Now you realize that you have an obligation, and once you acknowledge and resolve it, you can move forward.
9th house That is the father’s domain. Your access to wisdom from him, the relationship between your father and dharma, whether your father showed you an ethical path, or whether you had to find your own path despite his absence and confusion.
12 house Your family tree itself will be revealed. What kind of profession or profession has your family traditionally followed? What gifts and patterns have been passed down through the generations? The planets here show what connects you to your ancestors.
Deep Sea: Ancestral Anger and Unresolved Patterns
Some configurations of the D-12 require special attention. If your Sun or Moon is in Aries or Scorpio, you may be carrying anger inherited from your ancestors – anger or resentment that was not resolved by your parents. This anger may manifest itself in your relationships, your career, or your sense of power in the world.
Emperor Aurangzeb, the Mughal ruler, had a debilitated Sun in a warlike placement in the 9th house of D-12. He was unable to accept his father’s authority, and his unresolved anger manifested in a devastating family conflict, resulting in him murdering his younger brother in order to usurp the throne. The pattern was karmic and ancestral, and it drove his life story.
Your D-12 is not a destiny carved in stone. But it is a map showing where the current of ancestral karma flows strongest.
power to change
This is important. The 6th house of D-12 represents your strength in dealing with past life karma. If your 6th house is strong, you have the ability to resolve these patterns now. This is a discipline. This is a job that you would be happy to do.
A lot of suffering can be short-circuited if you understand what you’re dealing with and have the discipline to deal with it. Planets are not tyrants. they are teachers. Your ancestors do not bind you. They are giving you a lesson.
practical steps
If you are ready to work on the karma inherited from your ancestors:
Let’s calculate D-12 By competent Vedic astrologers who understand the subtle Vargas. Sit with it. Notice where your sun and moon land. Pay special attention to the 6th and 12th houses.
Meditate on what you discover. Don’t intellectualize it. Let it settle in your body. What patterns do you see in your parents and in yourself? Where do you see their unfinished business in your own life?
Take advantage of treatments Addresses ancestral patterns directly. The Family Constellation Work (developed by Bert Hellinger) is very powerful for this. Intergenerational cleansing work, therapy that explores family patterns, and yoga and meditation practices that ground and stabilize the nervous system can all help metabolize our heritage.
Practice gratitude and recognition. Honoring our parents and ancestors, whether through ritual or simple words of gratitude, makes a difference. You’re saying, “I understand what you’ve given me. I respect it, and I’m going to choose what I do with it.”
Please remember. When you understand and work with patterns, they become more powerful than patterns. D-12 is not a text. It is an invitation to freedom.
Are you ready to go deeper?
join us in exploring Vargas 2: Top Division Chart Of course, we examine the subtle layers of your chart to understand your ancestral karma, health patterns, mental blocks, sexuality, spirituality, and the timing of major events in your life.
In this 14-class record series (self-paced), we delve into D-12, D-40, D-45, D-27, D-30, D-3, D-7, and D-20, revealing how your mental, astral, and causal bodies interact with your birth chart and where your true karma resides.
Get started with a free preview class on Sunday, February 1stThe full course then begins on Saturday, February 14th.
Investment amount: $495 (early bird discount: $395).
Classes include live GoToWebinar sessions with recordings and PowerPoint presentations on Dropbox. Basic knowledge of Vedic astrology is required. Perfect for both beginners and advanced players.
Sign up for a free preview here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3110975143980948309 Or email your questions directly to Barry. [email protected].
Source: ASTRO BLOG Archives – Applied Vedic Astrology – www.appliedvedicastrology.com
