Hi all! I thought we could help each other by sharing some real-world examples of LA in action - from our lives or the experiences of those around us.
I'll start: I was just re-watching the "Negligent Mercury" video (selling ourselves onto an option we have fixated upon without proper research and consideration) and got reminded of what I believe to be THE stupidest thing I've done in my entire life. Some years back, I and my partner decided to relocate to a warm and sunny country, and my partner said he had heard great things about one particular country in Central America. I did some research online, reading testimonies of expats living there on YouTube, Facebook, various blogs. And, I kid you not, we decided to fully RELOCATE there from Europe, with our two beloved pets. Without having ever visited the country, or indeed the continent, as tourists. It was a long, expensive and laborious process of sorting out visas, paperwork for the animals, selling most of our belongings etc etc. And of course once we arrived there, it wasn't exactly what we thought it would be. To this day I have no idea how we could have been so ... Negligent? 🤐
In my chart Mercury is the weakest planet, it's in the 8th house, is starved by the Moon to 38 points, and has no delight whatsoever (3 points from Venus and that's it). In Pisces so low dig, cheshta and uccha bala. Thankfully it's at least not combust or shamed. Funnily enough my partner's Mercury is also starved by Moon to 38 points.
So, yes, don't underestimate the impact of Mercury on a person's life!
Great, brave storytelling. I couldn´t help feeling it reflected in my own life experience to some degree. I have my Mercury starved by Moon by 41 varupas, so I guess I had around 2/3 of the experience. I left my natal Sweden, heads first, for Chile back in 2004 and then moved to Mexico a few years later. Quite pushed by the circumstances though, especially before my second move, and not completely blindly. But still, it was a bold move both times. It kind of worked out for me both times, but part of it was catastrophic. i got dragged into a fierce legal battle for my daughter in Chile, which ended by me having to leave the country or go to jail. I haven´t seen my daughter since, she won´t speak to me. She has been told that her father abandoned her. At the same time my both sons where born in Chile and hadn´t existed had I not moved, so...
My eldest son has Mercury in Cancer, so I realize that this avastha is something that I really have to talk with him about, thank you for reminding me!
So, how did it end? I guess you moved back, or to some other place that suited you better?
Staffan
@staffan oh that's a very long story, we were forced by circumstance to move to a different country in Europe for a few years after that, and we've had several big moves since then. But I have a Cancer swamsa and Uppapada so moving to far away places was always in the cards for me. Plus a Rahu in the 8th with a starved lord kind of ensures a bit of a "poor and roving" type of journey 🤪
Yeah Moon starving Mercury can cause a lot of problems, essentially we make big decisions without doing our due dilligence, and for many people that impacts their relationships the most. Like settling for a highly unsuitable partner just because, well, h/she was there (or it "felt" right in the very beginning) so we HAVE to now make it work, I've seen it with a female relative who has the Moon Mercury conjunction - thankfully her Mercury is proud and with high dig bala and that helps her a lot. She's more reasonable and organized than I am, for sure 😀
@nkan My kid has Venus and Mercury conjunct too, so that makes up for this LA to a great extent in his case. Mercury combust but retrograde, so 95 % chesta - phew, that was a close one! - and Venus almost a sign away from the Sun; 55 % chesta. Not perfect, but at least reason enough not to move to Costa Rica without checking out first! 😆
His younger brother has the pure Ve/Me avastha in the lagna. 60 varupas of delight. So he´s Mercury has fantastic DigBala too. When that kid asks for something, you are doing what you can to get it for him. Because he´s right, I guess, and because he knows how to communicate his needs. We must have done at least something right as parents...
Staffan
Still you managed to find the right man in your life, it seems. I guess your Jupiter is good?
Staffan
@staffan Jupiter is my second worst planet I reckon, but it's at an angle and with good dig bala so it's not as bad as it could be, I guess. My DK (Moon) and Venus however are pretty good, and I can't say I've been unlucky in my relationships overall.
I often looked at the 9th and 3rd lord for not doing proper research before moving to a country. People with ketu in the 9th often like to travel and think that the grass is always greener on the other side. The yoga on mental disorders with 3rd lord in the 6th or 8th seems to confirm a theory I had on that. I don't think it's just mercury there, my mercury isn't great but I often do proper research when something really matters . On the other hand I have seen many individual moving where I live (Reunion island) and thinking it's a paradise here, that the culture (9th house) is awesome, that everyone is warm. Sure there are some elements of that here but visiting and living there are completely different experiences. I never travelled much myself, being that ketu in the 3rd, I tend to do short travel a lot but not long distance. That's how I see it. On the mercury side I think my communication get side tracked and I feel no one cares about what I say, I felt that way at least before, still do a bit but less now. The video of Ernst (Saturn conjunct a planet) helped me a lot, I'm fasting mercury, it seems to work better. I don't feel the bad effects of the Avastha as much, I just shut up most of the time, it's easier.
@lorris I think this principle of Moon starving Mercury adds a different dimension to simply analyzing the lords. When I do decide to, I have excellent research capabilities, and always take my time and gather as much info as possible when making a decision or purchase. The problem with the Moon starving Mercury is that you sometimes skip the research part, because something inside you tells you "this is the one, I know it, I don't need to even test it!" or "I have to get this one, there is nothing better and if I don't get it now I will miss my chance and regret it!". You just slip, without knowing how or why, into the "I've already decided" mode. These are subconscious patterns that once they come into your awareness, you can work on improving consciously.
I also really like the fasting concept, I hope there will be further videos on that topic so we can hear Ernst's perspective on how we can healthily "fast" specific planets.