Strength of Planets

Ayana Bala, Chestha Bala and Dig Bala

The Moon is one of the planets that is a natural “self-factor”, along with the Sun. The Sun is the shining, bright super consciousness that has no individual identity, but breathes life into all of creation. The Moon on the other hand is the planet that gives us a sense of a personal identity. It is the mind, the perspective from which we see our life, what we think about, focus on and how we feel. The Moon will indicate a lot about our psychological health, our level of happiness and contentment, how able we are to receive and be adaptable with everyone and everything around us.

Ayana Bala

Ayana Bala is calculated based on the declination of a planet to the Equator. Some planets operate best in the Northern hemisphere, while others function better in the Southern hemisphere. Each hemisphere is related to different qualities, which is what determines whether a planet gets their strength in the North or South. The Moon likes to be in the South. One motto of the Moon would be: “When in Rome, do as the Roman’s do”. The Moon’s way of dealing with conflict is through adapting to what’s around it. It’s not about what is right or what is ideal, it’s about what feels correct for you. We are each unique individuals’, with our own needs, behaviours and qualities, and a healthy Moon understands this. There’s no right way for everyone. Some things work for some people, but not others, and with the Moon it’s all about what you feel and what you need.

A strong Ayana Bala Moon makes a person very flexible, not trying to force anything onto others, they have empathy for others’ experiences. They can support others when they are suffering and just be with them without trying to fix or change them. They “go with the flow”, like water, as the tides of the Ocean are also controlled by the Moon.

When the Moon is low in Ayana Bala, there’s no ability to adapt to conflict. They will try to force things onto other people. They are not flexible, not able to cope. There’s poor sportsmanship in loss of any kind and they could throw a fit if they feel they’ve lost a fight, competition or argument, because of a lack of emotional maturity.

One option that can be offered for a person with low Moon Ayana Bala is to spend time practicing empathy. One option is to sit quietly and close the eyes: now, remember as vividly as possible a situation in which you have been in conflict with another person. Remember what the person was feeling, and the details surrounding the conflict. What was the other person’s point of view? What were they feeling and trying to convey to you? Try to take yourself completely out of your own perspective and just feel what the other was expressing. Become that person as much as you’re able, putting yourself in their situation in a felt way. Try practicing this regularly to become less stuck in your own feelings and perceptions, so that you’re able to be less attached to being right whenever conflict arises in the future. The more you can see your own feelings and opinions as just one of many, the easier it is to be flexible when interacting with others.

Another option that can be used would be something like The Work as taught by Byron Katie. This is also a very useful way of detaching from your own story.

Cheshta Bala

Chestha Bala relates to the strength of a planet based on how close it is to the Earth and the speed with which it’s moving. Planets that are at their closest to Earth and moving slowly, stationary or in retrograde motion are high in Chestha Bala, because the close and slow movement gives them a lot of impact, as the energies are more concentrated. Planets high is Chestha Bala will also be most visible in the sky and will be at their brightest.

Chestha Bala shows how much confidence the person feels with that planet. The planet might be weak in other Balas, or even have an overall low Shad Bala score, but if the Chestha Bala score is high, the person will feel naturally confident in using that planet and thus will use the planet to their benefit. High Chestha Bala will compensate very much for other strengths being low. The person won’t necessarily be truly skilful in the use of the planet, and success with that planet is not a guarantee, but because the person is so comfortable using that energy, they have a much better chance at success because at least they are using it, rather than shying away from it or hesitating to jump into the particular qualities indicated by the planet.

As the Sun and Moon do not change speed or direction, they technically do not have a separate Chestha Bala score. The Sun’s Chestha Bala score is the Ayana Bala score; and it is how full and bright the Moon is (Paksha Bala) that determines the Chestha Bala score of the Moon.

A Moon high in Chestha Bala feels comfortable with being themselves. They are comfortable with things that make them the unique individual that they are. When a person is comfortable and accepting of themselves, they will naturally also be accepting and non-judgmental of others. They will be receptive to what others want to give them, including love, praise or even advice or criticism. They will have healthy self esteem and an overall confidence in their unique qualities. They will also be able to nurture others and will be good at listening and being there for others. The emotional bond is also created through the Moon, so this is something they will be able to do without hesitation.

If the Moon is low in Chestha Bala, the person will feel quite uncomfortable in their own skin. They will doubt themselves, feeling there is something wrong with them, perhaps trying to mimic others in order to fit in or behave in a way that they think won’t be wrong or judged. They will also have a harder time accepting others, because they aren’t accepting of themselves, and bonding with others will certainly be a challenge.

Advice that could be given to a person with low Chestha Bala is to practice self-inquiry. This is done by sitting quietly, watching the thoughts arise in the mind, as they will do, and then when we notice a thought, we simply ask, “Who am I?” This single phrase, if asked innocently, can eventually show us the fallacy of our thoughts and negative self-talk.

Another excellent help for those with low Chestha Bala would be to take up a deep breathing meditation, as this is one of the best ways to let go of the negative thinking associated with self-condemnation and judgment. The feeling of tension in just being oneself will naturally subside with such a practice.

Dig Bala

Dig Bala means Directional Strength. Each of the embodied planets are most empowered to direct one’s life in the purest way for that planet, when they are closest to the direction that they are strongest at – North, South, East or West. High Dig Bala can go a long way in strengthening a poor dignity planet and is perhaps the most important of the Balas for this reason.

The Moon finds its greatest strength at the Fourth house cusp, in the Northern direction. This is because the Fourth cusp relates to our inner feeling nature, and our ability to be content and happy within, not for any particular reason, but because we are just capable of feeling at peace within.

Moon with strong Dig Bala gives tranquility, a sense of goodness and rightness. We will choose what feels good (intuition/gut feeling) in life, be guided by intuition to make the right choices for our life that make us feel safe, healthy and good. It helps us feel fulfilled and not need anything else external to feel this way.

A healthy Moon’s desires are good desires. Like having healthy food, a warm place to stay, healthy body, the needs that make us feel safe and ok. Not compulsions or addictions, but healthy desires, to help others and ourselves.

Good Dig Bala doesn’t mean we will be successful in our actions. But we will do our best and won’t regret our actions and choices because we made the best choice we could make, directed from our own inner knowing.

When the Moon is low in Dig Bala, the person will find it very difficult to hear or distinguish their intuitive voice. It will be very dim or mixed with the noise of other people’s opinions or our own mental chatter. The Moon and Venus are the hardest to get high Dig Bala in. It’s not easy to listen to our intuition. It’s subtle. Most people can’t hear or feel it. Our heartfelt needs are often overlooked or not realised. But these planets give inner fulfilment when we are able to receive their direction.

Advice for the person with low Dig Bala Moon: One practice that can be tried is using a pendulum to ask the intuition directly what it’s trying to tell the person. The mind must be very still for this to work, but it can be a good way to practice stilling the mind as well, which itself will help in “hearing” the intuitive voice.

Another way for people who want to strengthen their ability to listen inside for direction could be to try automatic writing. Automatic writing is a way of bypassing the logical mind, in order to get instruction or wisdom directly from the creative, Moon ruled part of the mind. This can help a person learn what it feels like to bypass rational thought or weighing out choices based on cultural conditioning. In time, automatic writing will become less clumsy and will feel more natural.

Written by: Jehan LaFerriere

References:

Kurczak, Ryan: Teachable Vedic Astrology Class on Shad Bala

Wilhelm, Ernst: Debilitation Cancellation Video on YouTube.