Mercury in the 8th house
The results given by Mercury in the eighth house of the horoscope
Mercury in the eighth house: A difficult childhood, longevity, recognition, reputation. Financial difficulties after entering into marriage. This is the house of mysterious knowledge and secrets, and the analytical mind of Mercury makes it possible to extract the truth from the most mysterious depths. He may live on unearned money or receive an inheritance.
These are workers of justice, agents of the special services, detectives, authors of detective stories. For example, the famous writer of detective stories Conan Doyle has Mercury in the 8th house. Mercury here gives excellent intuition and a 6th sense. Such people can be good researchers. All planets in the 8th house give bad results. Of all the planets Mercury is the least dangerous to be in the 8th house.
Mercury in the 8th house gives an easy, sudden, peaceful death without suffering.
Retrograde Mercury in the 8th house: The person had low moral values, he wanted to find the truth superficially, by an easy path. He had failures in relationships, in his career because of his harmful character. Perhaps he was a false preacher. In this life the person needs to be rational in the search for truth and not to go by the path of black magic. He needs to strive to be honest and to pass on the knowledge he has received to others. (Mahesh Dharmadasa)
Mercury (Buddha) in the 8th house
A long life, a good education, mystical knowledge, an inheritance, an early separation from the marriage partner, an inclination to complain. Such people have few children and few friends (Indubala)
Mercury in the 8th house: is interested in psychology, mysticism and sex, has good mathematical abilities. Longevity, popularity, prosperity. A poor orator, is afraid to speak before the public. Problems with sexuality. The placement of Mercury in the 8th in the sign of Virgo promises fame, success and recognition. With a conjunction of Mercury with one of the lunar nodes in the 6th, 8th or 12th house nervous illnesses arise.
The placement in the 8th house is unfavourable for all planets except Mercury and Saturn. Mercury here gives well-being, and Saturn — a long life, but in other areas favourable effects should not be expected from them. (Shri Govind Swarup Agarwal)
“Bhrigu Sutra” 4.57-63
If Mercury is in the 8th house, the owner of the horoscope will live a long life and will become the owner of a large plot of land. He will have seven children. In his 25th year of life he will receive universal recognition, fame, authority and will win a good reputation. If the lord of the 8th house is strong or Mercury is in the sign of its exaltation, or is joined with a benefic planet, the owner of the horoscope will be long-lived. In cases where Mercury is in the sign of debilitation or in conjunction with malefic planets, a short life is predicted.
Comments:
The 8th house is the house of the length of life, death, inheritance, psychology and mystical knowledge. Mercury, being in this house, reveals all its positive characteristics.
The sutras beautifully describe the results of the placement of Mercury in the 8th house, and we can only add that a person with a benefic Mercury in the horoscope will receive an inheritance and a good education, since the 8th house is the fifth to the 4th house, the house of education. Besides, a benefic Mercury aspects the 2nd house — the dhana bhava, and the owner of the horoscope may become rich, if there is no strong affliction of the 2nd house at the same time. Being the second house in count (maraka sthana) from the 7th, the 8th house speaks of the loss of or of an early separation from the marriage partner.
And in the case of Leo or Taurus rising, when Mercury is in Pisces or Sagittarius respectively, it becomes powerless to neutralise the malefic characteristics of the 8th house and brings problems in marriage, divorce or widowhood. The 8th house is considered a bad house in Vedic astrology and it is not clear how Mercury, situated in it, will give the owner of the horoscope seven children, since sutra 38 speaks of problems with childbearing even with the placement of Mercury in the 5th house — the suta bhava, the house of children. We are inclined to think that a person with Mercury in the 8th house of his horoscope will have few children.
Other opinions concerning Mercury in the 8th house:
“Brihat Jataka” — the owner of the horoscope will receive great fame.
“Phaladipika” — in the case of Mercury being in the 8th house a good reputation and a long life should be expected. The master of the horoscope will be filled with virtues and will be able to become a judge or another official capable of handing down just punishments.
“Saravali” — the owner of the horoscope will become famous, celebrated, will live long and will be able to support his family. He will occupy a high position in society or will become a just judge.
“Chamatkar Chintamani” — a long Life, a good reputation not only in his own country, but also beyond its borders. A person with such a placement of Mercury will enjoy the company of beautiful women and will acquire wealth thanks to the favour of the king.
Note: All the learned authors agree with the “Bhrigu Sutras” that the position of Mercury in the 8th house is favourable. But, as sutras 61-63 emphasise, it is necessary to take into account the strength of the lord of the 8th house. In conclusion we wish to add (and this was set out in detail in chapter 3, when the subject was Mars in the 6th house) that if Mercury is in the 8th house, the positive characteristics of the house of which it is the lord are destroyed, but if Mercury is the lord of the 2nd house — the result will be favourable, since from the 8th it aspects its own house.
“Bhrigu Sutra” with commentaries by Indubala
«Jataka Bharanam» 17.44
The results of the placement of Mercury (Buddha) in the 8th house
If at the time of a person's birth the son of Chandra (Buddha) is in the 8th Bhava, then the person prospers in everything, thanks to the patronage of a kind king, opposes other people, is subject to pride, and destroys the work done by others.
Comments: In the natural birth chart Buddha [Mercury] is the ruler of the 3rd and 6th Bhavas [houses]; and his position in the 8th Bhava forms a combination known as “Viparita Raja Yoga” (an inverted royal combination). Therefore the majority of authors on Vedic astrology speak of Buddha in the 8th Bhava as favourable. According to them such a person lives long, his fame spreads far and wide, he is cheerful, and earns much wealth thanks to the patronage of the king and to commerce. Besides, he receives pleasure from sexual relations with many women (wives). He is a benefactor of other people, supports his family, and he is strong. With the placement of Mercury in the 8th house the person has bad handwriting, he is disposed in opposition to his own brothers. It has been noticed that the person often gets into great trouble because of signing papers concerning some agreement or the granting of loans without proper consideration.
Why is Mercury favourable in the 8th house?
In all the main Vedic texts the favourable character of Mercury in the 8th house is noted. This is one of the few planets that does not lose its positive qualities in this dusthana (malefic house). Why does this happen? I have not yet found “classical” explanations, but I want in this article to reflect on this subject.
To begin with, let us look at those characteristics that are given to Mercury in the 8th house by the classical texts:
“Bhrigu Sutra” — If Mercury is in the 8th house, the owner of the horoscope will live a long life and will become the owner of a large plot of land. He will have seven children. In his 25th year of life he will receive universal recognition, fame, authority and will win a good reputation. If the lord of the 8th house is strong or Mercury is in the sign of its exaltation, or is joined with a benefic planet, the owner of the horoscope will be long-lived. In cases where Mercury is in the sign of debilitation or in conjunction with malefic planets, a short life is predicted.
“Brihat Jataka” — the owner of the horoscope will receive great fame.
“Phaladipika” — in the case of Mercury being in the 8th house a good reputation and a long life should be expected. The master of the horoscope will be filled with virtues and will be able to become a judge or another official capable of handing down just punishments.
“Saravali” — the owner of the horoscope will become famous, celebrated, will live long and will be able to support his family. He will occupy a high position in society or will become a just judge.
“Chamatkar Chintamani” — a long life, a good reputation not only in his own country, but also beyond its borders. A person with such a placement of Mercury will enjoy the company of beautiful women and will acquire wealth thanks to the favour of the king.
A similar opinion is expressed by B. V. Raman:
The person will acquire many good qualities. He will be known for his good breeding and courteous disposition. He will inherit and earn much wealth. He will be learned and known thanks to his knowledgeability in many subjects. He will live long, but will have a weak constitution.
At first glance this is all illogical, is it not? At first the unanimity of the authors on this position is even surprising. There is not a shadow of negativity in a position that ought to be problematic…
But the Vedic sages demonstrate a “non-formal approach” to each of the positions of the horoscope and this can be a lesson for the student of jyotish.
In my view, such a characterisation of the combination is given on the basis of a deep knowledge of the karakatvas of Mercury, that is, of its natural signification or “sphere of responsibility”.
Mercury is the eternally young prince, his karakatva is youth.
The 8th house is responsible for the length of life and the vital forces. This is one of the main themes of this house. The placement of the planet of “eternal youth” in this house ought to give a good result for the native.
Now the conclusion of Bhrigu Muni is clear: “the owner of the horoscope will live a long life”.
And what about the rest?
Let us sort it out.
Another important signification of Mercury — it is the natural indicator of the 6th house of the horoscope. Why?
By the 6th house we make a judgement about servants, the uncle, everyday occupations and enemies. As regards the last two themes (occupations and enemies), one must remember Mars as another indicator of the 6th house.
But the uncle, as a “young relative”, and servants, as usually younger and more energetic people, are shown by Mercury. That it is precisely Mercury that is the indicator of the uncle in the horoscope is stated in the Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra (BPHS). There too Mercury is indicated as an additional lagna for the 6th house (for the consideration of the affairs of the 6th house). This should not be surprising, since Mercury rules the 3rd and 6th signs of the natural Zodiac (in which Aries is taken as the 1st house).
Mercury is also verbal struggle (conflicts). By and large, any conflict begins with or is accompanied by a verbal skirmish and Mercury also signifies this. Only afterwards does the matter come to Mars (fighting) — the other natural indicator of the affairs of the 6th house. But if the matter concerns a court, then most often it is precisely the skill of Mercury that allows one to gain the upper hand, and not strength (Mars).
Being the indicator of the 6th house, Mercury, being placed in the 8th house, creates a viparita raja yoga (a reverse raja yoga). This means that the negative indications of the 6th house are destroyed in the energies of the 8th house (death).
Enemies perish or cease the struggle, disputes and conflicts are resolved, the negative qualities of character connected with the 6th house (a tendency to conflict) are also suppressed. Hence the conclusion: “The master of the horoscope will be filled with virtues and will be able to become a judge or another official capable of handing down just punishments.”
One must remember that both Mercury and the 8th house are very sensitive to outside influences. If there is an aspect of the Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu or Ketu upon them — then many (if not all) of the positive characteristics of this combination will be nullified. Also the weakening of Mercury because of fall or exile will diminish the positive influence upon the native.
Let us go on to consider the characteristics given by the classical texts.
“Will become the owner of a large plot of land”. The 8th house is the 5th from the 4th. A strong and favourable influence in a trikona from a kendra is a favourable circumstance.
This is an argala on the 4th house, that is, a favourable intervention takes place in the affairs of the 4th house (from the 5th house from it).
The same is true for this characteristic: “He will have seven children.”
The eighth house is the 4th from the 5th. And in the 4th house from the one under consideration an even more powerful argala (intervention) takes place than in the case of the 5th house.
Besides, Mercury from the 8th house aspects the 2nd. A favourable influence on the 2nd house gives a full and large family, as well as the means for its support.
Another peculiarity consists in the fact that in India, in the case of the death of one of the brothers, his family passes into the guardianship of the elder brother. Or to the younger, if there are no elder ones. In this case, the death of the uncle, with a certain concurrence of circumstances, may pass to the master of the horoscope both the property and the family of the uncle. But this is only a “probabilistic” point.
Being the 4th from the 5th, the 8th house shows happiness or unhappiness from children. It is natural that a good combination will give a predominance of happiness. And then the more children — the better.
The number 7 shows here rather the idea of “fullness”, of completeness, than the real number of children. Although for India such a number of children is rather the norm than something out of the ordinary…
Two other houses on which the (favourable, in this case) argala will act are the 10th and the 7th. These are the factors that give a high post, recognition (+ the argala on the 4th house), a good reputation and fame extending beyond the borders of the country and so on. This is characterised in the texts thus:
“In his 25th year of life he will receive universal recognition, fame, authority and will win a good reputation.” (In his 25th year, that is, already in his youth!)
“the owner of the horoscope will receive great fame”
“the owner of the horoscope will become famous, celebrated… He will occupy a high position in society or will become a just judge”
“… a good reputation not only in his own country, but also beyond its borders.… and will acquire wealth thanks to the favour of the king”
Other indications of the 8th house: attractiveness, sexuality, inheritance, the money of partners, secret or deep knowledge, an understanding of the essence — perceptiveness, especially in questions of life and death. The favourable influence on these characteristics is reflected in the commentary of B. V. Raman:
“The person will acquire many good qualities. He will be known for his good breeding and courteous disposition. He will inherit and earn much wealth. He will be learned and known thanks to his knowledgeability in many subjects. He will live long, but will have a weak constitution.”
Why is a “weak constitution” mentioned? The point is that the 6th house is responsible for the “capacity for struggle”. To this theme also belongs immunity and our ability to resist illnesses — not to fall ill after getting one's feet wet in autumn and so on. The destruction of the indications of the 6th house will be reflected not only in enemies, but also in the level of the organism's resistance. The threshold after which illness sets in will be low. The person will be forced to take care of his health, and his constitution will indeed turn out to be weak (sickly). This is also the peculiarity of the viparita raja yoga mentioned above. It gives favourable results, but for them one first has to pay with something. In this case — with the resistance of the organism.
Something similar happens with the placement of Saturn, the natural indicator of the dusthanas, in particular of the 8th and 12th houses, in the 8th. This considerably increases the length of life of the native. But, unlike Mercury, this is a naturally malefic planet and its influence will be “heavier”.
Dmitry Solntsev