Frequently Asked Questions

I'm concerned about malefic positions and planets. Is this going to be an issue if I wear gems that may accentuate malefic effects?

Out of the nine planets, Saturn, Mars, Rahu are malefics, and the Sun is malefic , but it is not as damaging as the other malefic planets. Jupiter, Venus is seen as natural benefics while the auspiciousness of the Moon and Mercury depends upon the planets that conjunct them. If they are conjuncting benefics, they will turn benefics, and if they are conjuncting malefics, they will behave as malefics. So they are neither benefics nor malefics.

In astrology, Jupiter has a high place, but in the Vedas, it is visible that Venus is more knowledgeable than Jupiter. Jupiter or Brihaspati is known as the Guru of the Devas, and Venus is the Guru of Asuras. Jupiter is known as Brihaspati, and Venus is known as Shukra. Shukra knowsMritsanjeevani mantra, and Brihaspati did not know that. The Moon in Shukla Paksha or waxing phase is considered a benefics. The Moon in Krishna Paksha or the waning phase is considered malefic.

However all of these planets can be exalted, in their house of rulership or be placed in yoga's that give fantastic results to manifest the individuals past karma. That said there is a great confusion with gemstones and malefic planets. It is true for instance if an individual is running hot and is high pitta. He should not wear a large ruby or red coral. However two things need to be considered. First we all have a higher intelligence that understands how to digest food and utilise the life force that pervades our environment. This is especially true for genuine and effective navaratnas when the gems are over 2 carats, relatively flawless and in good color. Most navaratnas have gems that are too small, don't touch the skin and hence are purely ornamental and completely ineffective.

One has to remember that though a planet such as Saturn in Aries , which is a very weak sign for it; does not mean that a blue sapphire will amplify its weaknesses. At astrogems for forty years we have seen the results of advising larger gems for planetary weaknesses based on the fact that the planet's good potential is debilitated and needs strengthening when in a weak placement. This may well differ when only one or two gems are being advised, but is a completely different consideration when offered in a full spectrum navaratna . The higher intelligence that we all have innate to our being will know how to counterbalance the doshas of each gemstone to optimise the benefits it can provide. If the Saturn stone was offered only by itself. It would not have the context of support from the other planetary gems. I often liken planetary gems to multi-vitamin tablets. One vitamin is good but the more that are offered allows the physical body a better chance at optimisation.

Even benefic planets can give malefic results when seriously diluted and influenced in a negative context. One has to remember the gems are not in the house of the planets but act on the waveform or frequencies of the electrical body. Our karma manifests when the good or bad planetary positions occur via a resonation with the past vibratory recordings of our past actions. This was explained by Paramahansa Yogananda on the page The Yoga Masters on Gems".

If you strengthen a planets individual characteristics with a gemstone it lessens the influence of its negative placement in the horoscope. It does this by removing the lower vibration resonation the wearer may suffer because of a badly placed malefic in their chart. However and I stress this context. It has to be supported by other gemstones. Just like the multi vitamin approach.

When we resonate to negative or diluted weakened radiations via the planet's solar system, the horoscope can give an interpretation upon how this can occur. However we can not resonate to the extreme negative radiations of the malefic planets if those planetary waveforms are strengthened in a purifying manner such as with a gem touching the skin. All negative karma is shown as a planet being weak in its disposition and hence not radiantly strong in the chart. The gem on one's arm is not in the badly placed house the planet sits in. It sits on the arm touching the skin in order to supplement the planet's benign characteristics and not its placement. All planets have a polarity of good and bad potential. The gems uplift and assist in the planet's good characteristics. It strengthens the good qualities of the planet and not the weaker negative aspects of it. It changes our disposition to not resonate with the negative karma that is catalysed by the weaker position in the heavens .

Ideally all of our planets need to be in exalted or in very good locations such as rulership in the chart and when this happens we can experience much more good karma than bad. But again this is because the planet's influence is not diluted or weak. The gems act as a supplement to strengthen the planets in our horoscope. Of Course other wonderful influences can also mitigate or nullify negative astrological indications.

'It is only when a traveler has reached his goal that he is justified in discarding his maps. During the journey, he takes advantage of any convenient short cut. The ancient rishis discovered many ways to curtail the period of man's exile in delusion. There are certain mechanical features in the law of karma which can be skillfully adjusted by the fingers of wisdom.

All human ills arise from some transgression of universal law. The scriptures point out that man must satisfy the laws of nature, while not discrediting the divine omnipotence. He should say: 'Lord, I trust in Thee, and know Thou canst help me, but I too will do my best to undo any wrong I have done.' By a number of means - by prayer, by will power, by yoga meditation, by consultation with saints, by use of astrological bangles - the adverse effects of past wrongs can be minimized or nullified.

From the spiritual classic. "Autobiography of a Yogi" By Paramahansa Yogananda.

I took up this science and research forty years ago when I read that Swami Sri Yukteswar and Paramahansa Yogananda both wore astrological nine gem bangles. I realised it was the most powerful tool that required the least effort for mitigating karma was a navaratna with correctly sized gems. The fact that such avatars wore such instruments would not be worn frivolously as they always acted in order to provide an inspiring example for some scientifically verified reason.

Having made over 4000 nine gem bangles( with gems over two carats) in the last 40 years without negative effect. I can say the few times there has been some hesitancy or problem has been only when an astrologer has expressed a sceptical viewpoint on this subject. Astrologers often have virtually no experience with clients wearing large gemstone navaratna bangles. And their view has been framed by experience with clients wearing one or two gems. Which can easily create an imbalance for the wearer if they are not the correct gems etc.

The gems do not amplify a negative manifestation of karma but act as shields to protect a person from tuning into the returning electro vibratory results of their past actions.Certain pure metals can also help greatly for specific planets.

Again as I write this, I want to stress Yogananda's explanation that all returning karma is based on the individual's recordings of past actions in their chakras that act as a magnet when they resonate with planetary radiations. These planetary radiations differ widely depending on where they are in the horoscope. When the different types of frequencies of the electrical body are being strengthened and supplemented by gems often the subtle negative planetary radiations can not resonate with the person's destined waveform (frequency) pattern and the negative karma can not resonate or tune in and is deflected never to return..

In fact the three metal astrological bangle extolled in the "Autobiography of a Yogi" has two metals that represent malefic planets. Gold is for the Sun and Copper is for Mars. and it was advised for general purposes with the added comment that best of all were faultless gems. Surely if these two metals were going to amplify negative karma Sri Yukteswar would not have extolled its use. Of significance also is that millions of Indians wear gold and don't report a negative influence but rather a positive influence in strengthening this reported malefic.

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