Jupiter, Fourth house, Happiness and the Pre-frontal Cortex

Enough about Saturn. Truth is we can talk about Saturn all day but the primary impulse of all human beings is attaining happiness – and the planet for this job is Jupiter.

So what can the Vedic horoscope and modern scientific discoveries about the brain teach us about achieving happiness and peace of mind?

In Vedic Astrology, the ease or difficulty with which we acquire “happiness” is to a great part indicated by the factors related to the Fourth House and Fourth Sign of Cancer.

Recent scientific discoveries indicate that happier people tend to use the pre-frontal cortex more than those who are not happy. This portion of the brain is responsible for taking in data through the body's senses and mediating conflicting emotions and thoughts to make positive choices. Scientists implicate the pre-frontal cortex with consciousness, higher-order thinking, discernment, level-headedness and the ability to control our emotional impulses and bodily urges. These are also the qualities attributed to Jupiter therefore Jupiter's influence on the fourth house is considered to be very auspicious.

The fourth house reveals the script of our psychological womb, or the state of our inner sanctuary. As such, our home, family, roots, ancestors, mother and all those who have nurtured and help build our psychology are seen here. It describes what we took into our heart as children and thus the filter through which we experience our sense of safety and belonging in the world.

The fourth house is the darkest part of the sky at the time of our birth, and therefore, it is the most deeply private and hidden part of us. The opposite tenth house of career and status is the brightest part of the sky and available for public scrutiny, but our fourth house is concealed, often even from our own self.

To completely assess the condition of your fourth house requires the skill of an astrologer.  However, in broad terms you can say that the gentle planets like the waxing moon, Venus, Mercury and especially Jupiter influencing our fourth house indicate a higher potential for happiness and the more difficult planets that exact some type of sacrifice like Sun, Saturn, Mars, Ketu and Rahu may indicate that we have some psychological/emotional blocks that need to be overcome first.

You don’t need to be an astrologer to know the current condition of your fourth house. When you close your eyes and turn off the light at night you will meet all the planets, signs and houses that are influencing your fourth house. The gentle planets nurture and sustain us when we are quiet – Jupiter brings a sense of optimism and faith, the moon receptivity and Venus brings joy to our fourth house. The difficult planets keep us perpetually in motion, "rebuilding", "remodeling" looking for “home” to call our own. Mars brings battles, Saturn fear and control, Rahu anxiety and Ketu criticism. These planets thrive in the tenth house of outer achievements, but not in the inner fourth house.

Most of us will have one or more of the difficult planets influencing our fourth house. Does this mean we are doomed to a life time of unhappiness? Of course, not. The difficult planets can often become better producers of happiness because they force us to work through our psychological blocks. But first we have to understand the nature of happiness and why a planet like Jupiter makes happiness more conducive.

If our happiness is based on waiting for a desire to be fulfilled or getting “what we want” we are in a hopeless situation because that can never be realized. Desires and goals are always changing, growing, shifting. According to Shawn Achor, the author of "Scientific Proof that Happiness is a Choice,” every time we hit a success, our brain moves the goalpost of where success is”.

What do those who possess a well disposed fourth house have that allows them to find contentment more easily? Perhaps, it is wisdom and ability to find contentment within their current circumstances rather than waiting for something to change or a goal to be achieved.

Scientists illustrate this with the neurotransmitter Dopamine, which is released in the brain when we are happy. This chemical not only makes us more peaceful, it turns on every learning center in the brain, raising our mental focus and making us many times more creative, which, in turn, tends to lead to more and greater success (and happiness). In the horoscope Jupiter functions as this neurotransmitter, as he nurtures and flourishes the area of the horoscope that he is influencing.

Usually we teach children to "make a wish", to "dream the impossible dream”, “to go for it”. While this is a positive teaching to help fulfill our tenth house of outer achievements, we must also teach them the opposite fourth house, to be happy with “what is” without wanting, needing, expecting anything. So if you want a good fourth house be careful not to carry the outer achievements of the tenth house in the inner sanctuary of your fourth house. The fourth house is our sacred home, where we drop achievement and judgment so gratitude and acceptance canvflourish.

Vedic Astrology exposes the structure of our inner script through the horoscope, which Yogi’s called Karma. Karma cannot be re-written, just as your past life experiences, early programming and early conditioning cannot be re-written. However our thoughts, beliefs and expectations can be re-written and consciously changed, which can overcome the script.

But here is the irony, when you truly reach a level of consciousness that you can appreciate the true purpose of Vedic Astrology; you realize that our script does not need to be overcome. It is unique and authentic and perfectly designed to move us along the path of our spiritual evolution.

In the words of the famous Hindu mystic and philosopher J. Krishnamurti, his secret of success…... “You see, I don’t mind what happens”.

This is perhaps the ultimate script for happiness.  Sounds a lot like Saturn to me!!