My Mercury is very low in DigBala, only 4 %. (It´s in the 7th house.)
I´ve only recently come to understand how detrimental it is. I have a shamed Jupiter and a DB Saturn with Rahu, but I honestly think that a low DigBala Mercury creates just as much pain and frustration, if not more. It means that you are cut off from your own needs and desires, you don´t create a field that works for you. When you discover what you need or wanted and didn´t get you are already frustrated. So then you communicate out of your frustration, feeling that you are not being listened to - although the only person not listening to yourself is you - just to push people even further away, creating more frustration...
Two questions:
1. Does anyone else share this experience with me? Now, Mercury is my Lagna Lord too, which may make it worse of course.
2. What about the other planets? Is low DigBala equally detrimental for each of them? Luckily I don´t have any other planet with catastrophic low DigBala.
3. Is it fair to say that DigBala is almost as important as the Dignity? Especially for health. Stress... Oddly enough I have never suffered from any serious health issues, knock on wood, despite Mercury being my Lagna lord. But I haven´t had my Mercury dasa yet...
Staffan
Just found an only two months old video on DigBala by Ernst on YT.
And it confirms what I was wondering with my third question: Indeed, it´s at least as important as dignity.
Staffan
@staffan Hey, Staffan. I also have Mercury in 7th, conjunct my AK Saturn. What I noticed that I have tendency to go to extremes, so its harder to find balance. I also have problem asking for things that I need, and communicating them to my partner especially (I also have venus in 6th and oftentimes I would feel bad just for asking things from my partner in general). Another thing, it feels difficult for me to put my thoughts into sentences (this is because of Saturn though). I might have some good ideas or some thoughts that I would want to share with others, however, it takes me some time in order to think how to put it into words, so I always feel that I convey less than I would like to or it simply takes longer. I have my close friend who has exalted Mercury with a great Dig Bala in 1st house Virgo lagna. It's just amazing to watch her, she's truly on top of her game with that great Mercury, and sometimes, when I would be taking longer to formulate those sentences and what I wanted to say, she could just quickly summarize it in one sentence and she always communicates what she needs with no problem (I am now doing better with that, so its definitely possible to work with your avashtas). Despite that, I also hear people telling me that I am a great communicator and I manage to explain things in such a nice way and am good at researching. So I guess Mercury is still able to give some delight (even if it has some problems because low dig bala) to my AK Saturn (I'm Leo lagna, so Saturn and Mercury are in Aquarius).
@kannessa-chan I agree, the planet can even be masterful. Mercury in this case. The thing is that we don´t know how and when to apply it, or we simply forget. If the planet has good dignity but low Dig Bala: Living an ordinary life, not realizng that you are Harry Potter or Superman... There are many stories written about that experience.
Staffan
Hey Staffan :).
I've recently started paying attention to Dig Bala, just in my own chart for the most part. My Moon is in Scorpio in the 10th & 11th cusp -- it has 1.6% dig Bala, lol. It's conjunct Mercury so it's getting help. I've only started listening to my gut feeling / intuition last year at 23 years old. I still have issues trusting it, but I've made significant progress with practice and surrender (perhaps it helps to have it in an upachaya house). On average, it doesn't feel detrimental, though it has caused me pain at times.
On your note about being cut off from needs and desires -- do you think that would be more of a Moon thing? I feel like where Mercury would fit into that picture is by going out and searching through what means that desire or need can be fulfilled. Ex: John feels lonely on a Friday night at a new city. So his Mercury goes on Google to find a social networking event.
How was your experience in grade school? Learning, making friends, studying, etc.
Thanks 🙂
@curioussoul Interesting. Well, according to my chart it can´t be a Moon think because my Moon is really good - my saving grace, except for a good Venus. It´s alone in the fourth with good dignity, good DigBala and also Varsaphala.
I had an easy time studying and also had many friends, but at the end I tend to break up from all my social circles since they are always lacking something that I´m looking for, or just because it´s time to leave... There is a bitter sweetness to leaving and move on I think, and in general it has made my life richer I believe. But that may have more to do with an afflicted 11th house, maybe.
As for Low DigBala Mercury; as I said; it´s so much about our practical needs AND our capacity to communicate them. I have a kid with Mercury in the first and already A a little child, oftentimes he got what he asked for, when his siblings would probably met a "no" in the same situation. He has just always been very convincing conveying his needs. For good and for bad - sometimes I´ve had to correct him quite harshly when he took it too far.
Staffan
Since the different balas are ruled by different planets, Dig Bala by Venus, perhaps when we focus on a particular one, that ruling planet is also being emphasized.
Recently I have been working with Kaala bala a lot, ruled by Saturn. For example, in a reading if I am trying to work with someone's planet that I see needs help but that planet is really low in kaala bala, it just doesn't register. Since Kaala bala is about what's most important and what you will have in your life and what effects you most significantly, I feel that if someone has low dig bala but also low Kaala bala then it maybe felt as theoretical hole in their life but they are probably not going to get the opportunity to work with the planet enough to bring it to a fulfilling level but probably can be happy without it being a big deal.
Yet if dig bala is low and kaala bala is high then it's a really frustrating experience. The guidance here would be to find the friendly planet that aspects the most and has a decent enough dig bala and kaala bala to help out.
@quasar259 That´s very interesting, I haven´t payed much attention to the Kaala Bala. Now, I wonder what "low" Kaala Bala means in terms of numbers. Studying some charts it seems that it´s mostly about 80 %, but in one chart I saw such a low number as only 16 %. How do you evaluate those numbers?
Staffan
@staffan looking at the distribution among the planets some will be above 100% and these are large presences in the life. When the percentage gets to 75% it starts to depreciate noticably, stuff around 30% is not significant.
The disparity between planets with high kaala bala and planets with low percentages is usually obvious and pronounced.
Also look for people to not care too much about the planets in low kaala bala.
Saturn ruling this set causes more karmas and time to push a person to dealing with planets high in Kaala bala, so the deck is stacked in favor of those planets getting the most attention.
Taking Saturn for example, low Kaala will mean that survival is of low priority along with security. Combined with other factors this can cause high risk taking yet also incentivize one to prioritize inspiration, harmony, truth, or any other planets' characteristic that is stronger in Kaala bala. Saturn high in kaala bala means survival is very important and one could be risk averse and prone to stagnation.
@quasar259 Interesting indeed. Do you have any tip where to learn more about this? I know about Ernst´s ShadBala course; I took at a few years ago but if I remember right - or from what I see in my notes - he didn´t talked that much about Kaala Bala, or am I wrong?
Of course I had to check my Kaala Balas and indeed, my Saturn has 77 %, the lowest of them all. And indeed I have a rather challenging attitude towards Death, I live in Mexico and by the philosophy that when it´s time it´s time whether I climb Mount Everest or fall from a ladder in my kitchen...
My Mars get the highest percentage. It´s in my 5th house conjunct Ketu and Jupiter, in Chitra nakshatra. Chanting is a big thing in my life. Also praying with grandfather tobaco. Mayan style, not cigarettes.
If you read the cards I´m a 5 of Clubs; the Death card 7D being my Mercury card, the strategist. With the Ascendant in it, so...
Staffan
@staffan Everything I've said is from my notes from Ernst's Shadbala course and observations based on that.
Mexico is a place that is fairly risky to live, (one friend from Cuernavaca told me, "we have violence here like you do in the states, but they hung five people upside down, naked, with their heads cut off on a local bridge, just to make a statement, you guys don't have violence like that").
So security, protecting longevity is not your highest priority. That should not necessarily be a problem unless it is playing a role in opening an aperture for you to be harmed in a mortal or critical way. But if your following your inspiration and opening your creativity and spiritual techniques, (5th House) and fully pursing your sense of purpose from past lives (Ju + Ke) then even if you suffer you'll probably think it was worth it and still have peace of mind, which, as a lower Shadbala Saturn, you'll definitely agree with. In the same breath, low Shadbala Saturn in any bala does have to keep in mind guarding against getting distracted.
It seems to come full circle in, if you do the planets as completely as you can that have high Kaala Bala, and since those form the bulk of Karmas that you have to deal with, then you have a feeling of completion and have accomplished "survival" on that level and according to what that planets needs and so you feel you have not wasted your time (Sa) and that the journey was worthwhile.
Seeing lives on a multi lifetime spectrum, not every life would be measured in its value on simply living long, a "natural" lifespan. Many lifetimes the value would be in sacrificing that very thing for pursuing other interests that serve the Self and the greater whole in larger ways. The warrior tradition of the past and its honor code come to mind, among many others.
I'm not fluent enough with the Cards to make a comment on those placements but would be interested in how they relate.
@quasar259 Yes... Words of wisdom, what can I say? I learnt a while ago in Ernst´s Nakshatra course about Sani Shakra and I have my in the heart, indicating that Saturnial matters bring me happiness. Oddly enough, since I have a DB Saturn, it´s true. I´m far from a David Goggins, but I do enjoy hardships in life. Not stress, not feeling unrespected (which follows of the Low DigBala Mercury not speaking up for itself), but to carrying burdens. Vision quest, sweatlodges, Sundances...
My life took a new turn when I met my dear Lupita two and a halv years ago. She´s very secrative though, so I shouldn´t tell much neither, only that I´m on a path I was never looking for or even dreaming of, but it seems as if praying and chanting is going to be a real task for me. We´ll see. My kids are mostly grown up and all have left home, so I can afford to follow the instructions from above.
The Cards of Truth, yeah, if you ave a decent or good Venus I highly recommend it, it´s a lovely system and quite accurate. Seven of Diamonds is something of value not working out anymore, so it´s about crisis but also about acceptance, overcoming crisis. It´s one of the cards in the deck with a clear death connotation and may concretely indicate death in for example a year spread. The position it has in my spread, the fourth position or the Mercury card, indicates by which rules we play the game of life, so for a 5 of Clubs like me don´t have high expectations on the material world; we have an easy time, generally, to see how short life is and that all flesh is grass.
Staffan
I think a weak Mercury is very troublesome indeed. As it's the earth element, it can make all aspects of living/succeeding here on Earth much more challenging than they are for the average person. Issues with communication, friendships, colleagues, larger groups, task management, time management, trial and error, you name it.
Mine is debilitated and very low in shad Bala (including very low dig Bala). It's tougher than you'd expect, and has in addition been the main cause of some chronic health issues with the thyroid, endocrine system in general.
@nkan I´m sorry to hear that.
Just as you said it.
Have you found any remedies? Except for the most evident, that would be mantras, of course.
I´ve been told to do breathing exercises and to connect, physically, more to my body. Like touching my body, physically embracing myself etc. It´s my lagna lord, so.
It´s a little hellish combination in my case, since I´ve also got Sa/Ra in the 11th, not very good for networking, and a Mars in Libra in E dignity; so an explosive Mars working on an already stressful environment... With that said: I think it can be all turned around into a strength, once the planets are mature (I´m 55), but of course it takes hard work.
I think a Low DigBala also make you prone to depressions, since it´s so hard to connect to anything earthly in a meaningful way. In a healing session with a master plant I was once presented a green, beautiful valley with no war going on, everything nice and harmonic, there where people around although I didn´t see them... And I hear myself saying "No! No!" as if I had been presented to a snake.
Staffan
@staffan I only began studying Vedic Astrology several months ago, so I haven't learned about remedies just yet. But I can share a few practical tips on how to deal with a weak Mercury in everyday life:
- I simplify my life as much as possible, as I can't multitask as effectively as many others. My advice: decide on the few key areas that you will focus on in your life, and accept that everything else will just not be addressed 95% of the time.
- Declutter and minimize possessions - a minimalistic and tidy environment truly helps so much! I literally can't function in messy, cluttered and chaotic environments, at all.
- I write things down and organize information otherwise things will almost definitely get lost and forgotten - and I choose only 1 or 2 systems, as everything on top of that will just defeat the purpose, create more chaos and overwhelm.
- I do my best to communicate clearly and compassionately with everyone, to avoid unwanted and painful miscommunications. I don't mind overexplaining - better safe than sorry.
- I'm learning to not overpromise (e.g. "sure, the reading will be done in 5 days!"), instead I now prefer to manage expectations with more conservative estimates. (in case you have ADHD, as many people with afflicted Mercury do, "time blindness" is a thing).
- I make a conscious effort to not go into extremes - Mercury is balance, right? - and I do have the tendency to think in black & white, so I do my best to "Fake it till I make it" when it comes to moderation, especially in my judgements and reactions.
@nkan Thank you, much appreciated.
Some reflections:
- I don´t have ADHD but aspergers syndrome, and I guess it´s related. It´s often said that having aspergers is like driving a car at 40 miles per hour in the city, not seeing the signs. That sounds a lot like a Low DigBala Mercury to me. I wrote a post about Robert Redford and how he always plays characters that seem to be haunted by reality. That experience.
- When I was 30 I was in a marriage in which I had to take on the role of the main breadwinner, and life gave me a veeery Mercurial job that have been keeping me working for 30 years, without having to deal with the Mercurial shadow side. I´ve been a crossword writer. Very organized and limited, no need for timing, just delivering in time according to a simple schedule. I didn´t look for that job, it showed up in the exactly right moment. Now that the kids are basically independent life is taking it away from me again and I have to get my astrological and cardreading practice to work...
- Black and white thinking, intolerance, sure, I can relate to that.
- Communicating one´s needs is very hard because when you have finally been able to identify your needs you are already in a frustrated mood, or pessimistic about it because you believe that noone is going to listen anyway. Which they often don´t do, due to your overcompensating way of saying it. Really has to work on that.
- Possessions are of little value and I take no joy in repairing stuff, construction etc. If I could I would study and pray all day long. And do readings. To be fair, it´s kind of what I do, although life as me painting some walls and tidying up some rooms at the moment. I do it only because I have to.
- I´m actually really good at being present in nature and in the moment, I practised that quite consciously when young. The problem is that I almost never slow down life and actually do it! I think this is a huge key factor to change the whole dynamic. This morning, while walking the dog, I actually allowed myself to be present and realized I had not been communicating with the trees in the park during the whole 4 months that we have been living here. I did so, and almost immediately I discovered that three of them are cedars and may provide me cedar for ceremonial use. How many times have I walked by without taking notice?
Staffan
@staffan But your Mercury gives you a dharma and moksha yoga, right? That's very good.
(Does the low dig bala reduces the power of the yoga? I haven't study yet Shadbala.)
But yes, as it's with the Sun, therefore your frustration. Despite the good yoga Sun-Mercury. And it's something to sacrifice. But sacrifice it's something you understand has value, or meaning or function...
Maybe it's Saturn-Rahu that is making you worry.
Sorry if what I am saying is banal knowledge, but from what I understood of your writing it seemed to me pertinent.
That experience of yours with the trees is super nice!
@marianela Yeah, it´s a whole complex there; Sa/Ra in the 11th, not a very good Mars in Libra and Low DigBala Mercury. All these factors working together for me not to have the best social skills in the world, so to say.
Dharma moksha yoga, there you loose me...? What is it that you see? ^curious^
Staffan
@staffan These are the basic Yogas of dharma, Artha, kama and moksha houses. Based on the power of Kendras to make Yogas. Houses 1, 5, 9 are dharma, 2, 6, 10 Artha, 3, 7, 11 kama and 4, 8, 12 Moksha house. So your Mercury (Kendra lord) as it goes to the 7 (kama house) makes a kama yoga. And as 7th is also a Kendra, it makes the dharma yoga of being lord of 1 and the moksha yoga of being lord of 4.
I have still a doubt. As Sun is evil lord (3) maybe it destroys the dharma yoga (1).
Someone more expert should say.
It's in Ernst course Parashara's Formula for Yoga Judgment.
@marianela Yeah... The course that made me leave Ernst´s school for a while since I realize I didn´t have the foundation. With Ernst one learn the basics and then a ton of fantastic more or less advanced techniques, but the middle part - the actual chart reading - one has to develop in another environment, I believe. Which I´m doing now, but slowly.
I´m having popcorn waiting for someone (hopefully) to straight out your question mark.
This is obvious something rather basic that I should know by now, you remind me to get back to that course...
Thank you for explaining it so well!
Staffan
For Gemini rising, Sun is evil lord by ruling 3rd. If the (-) points that the Su produces outweighs what Me has, then Me doesn't produce yoga. It would still blemish Me even if Me had higher auspicious value. Me is not considered the main auspicious yoga producer for Gemini though, that is Ve.
Doesn't mean Me can't be harmonized internally into dharma, in my opinion. If one works on it.
@scott-m-19 Thanks for the clarification Scott. By points in this context, do you mean subha/ashuba?
Mattias
@scott-m-19 Thanks for the clarification Scott. By points in this context, do you mean subha/ashuba?
Mattias
@nkan A sidenote. While pondering on this and preparing for my nodal return shortly after the upcoming eclipse, I have gotten dengue fever manifesting as a rosy eczema on my skin. I smile when looking at it; I prefer to see it as a sign of healing going on. Better on the outside than within...
It´s so illustrative, since it´s my Lagna lord and it´s the skin, ruled by Mercury... Hey Mercury, I SEEEE you and what you are up to! 🙂
Staffan