“Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.”
—Michael J. Fox
This is possibly the WORST placement of Shani.
Shani is a Karma yogi and is happy in placements where he has to work, especially the 10th. However, being a harsh sanyasi planet, he is not at all happy in the area where relationships and emotions rule, which happens to be the fourth house of family.
Shani is miserably out of place in this house and given that he is prone to sulking, he is highly irritated in this house, and makes a person’s family life, especially childhood full of hardships, struggles and sorrows.
And as I have repeatedly said that the house where Shani sits, becomes the battlefield of the native’s life. In this case, the family and the mother are the source of most challenges.
One copybook case of a bad Shani in 4th is the horoscope of Lord Rama, the great Divine soul that had to suffer a lot because of his stepmother’s stratagems. He was exiled for 14 years (entire youth) and then ne had to fight the Demon king Ravana, who abducted his wife, Sita. After a great war, Rama was able to liberate Sita, only to lose her again because some lowly washerman questioned her purity, and thereby questioned the family reputation of Rama.
Throughout his life, he was making sacrifices in order to uphold nis family’s name. However, ne had a tough life.
Terrible married life, and despite being a divine soul and a very nice man, history still questions him for his treatment of his pure wife, and his inability to stand up to injustice done by his own family. For the record, he more than made up for this when he returned as Lord Krishna. But this placement is about Lord Rama and others who have a 4th house Shani.
I have often seen such natives blindly follow diktats of family, especially the mother. In this case, the father is often missing,
dies early, or takes an unimportant role in the background, while the mother becomes the centre of most actions, and often, most problems. As usual, the native seeks mother’s approval and is often willing to be crucified for her happiness, but often gets a step-motherly treatment from her. Often there is another child who is the mother’s favourite, that sibling gets a lot from the mother, often at the expense of the native. Despite trying hard, the native won’t be able to get even a fraction of mother’s affection as compared to that sibling.
I have often seen them unlucky in terms of property. They are often denied inheritance (usually mother makes them give it up), or they get only a part of what they really deserve. As usual they climb their cross happily seeking family approval and give up their fair share. Even in case they buy their own property, there can be financial or legal issues where they might have to give up their property. I often advise such natives to buy property in the name of their spouse or child, or at least make them a co-owner in their property. I also tell them to stand up for what is rightfully theirs, even that means taking a stand against the family, one thing that they dread the most. Their capacity for taking injustice abuse for the family’s approval is stunning.
Shani literally makes one “sell his soul” for the house where he sits. These folks may marry for the family’s pleasure, forsaking the love of their life, for the sake of family reputation. Then, they are often willing to sacrifice their spouse and even children for the original family, invariably leading to a bad married life.
They often have this habit of trying to “Keep the horde together” their dream is to see their family united as one happy brood. What starts with brothers and sisters, can be further transmitted to children and grandchildren. These folks are willing to get crucified in order to “keep the clan together”. The just can’t get enough of family gatherings and would keep finding excuses to getting the folks together.
They would let their dreams die for the sake of putting food on the table for the family, and would fight to the bitter end in order to prove their family right. They like to be admired by their family, and seek public admiration for the family, at any cost.
However, unless they learn to cut the cord, and take stand against the unjust demands of mother and family, they won’t be able to conquer the house of Shani and evolve as a soul.
God Bless,
G. Vijay Kumar