Importance of the Ascendant

July 13th 1942 is the birth date of two entertainers; Harrison Ford and Stephen Jo Bladd. Harrison Ford was born at 11:41 am in Chicago while Stephen Jo Bladd was born at 3:15 am in Boston. Stephen played drums for “The J. Geils Band”, a popular band in the 1970s and 1980s. While famous in his own right, Stephen’s fame does not compare to that of Harrison Ford’s. The two have very similar charts. All grahas except Moon are in the same signs in their D1, D9, and D10 charts. Moon is in the same sign in the D1 chart, but is in a different sign in D9 and D10 charts. The ascendant, however, is different in all three (D1, D9, D10) charts. These charts can be used to illustrate the importance of the ascendant.

The Charts

The similarities in the charts are obvious. Analysis from the Chandra lagna and Surya lagna is the same. As mentioned, the main difference is in the position of the ascendant in the D1, D9, and D10 charts.

Focal Point in the Charts

The natural focal point in both charts is the sign Gemini. Gemini has Sun, Moon, Mercury, and Jupiter in both charts. Mercury is very strong. It is in its own house and forms Budha Aditya yoga with Sun. There is good separation between Sun and Mercury to avoid combustion. Stephen runs Mercury from 1971 to 1988. Harrison runs Mercury from 1965 to 1982. This is the period that both men achieved fame. Therefore we can examine the Mercury mahadasha in greater detail.

Mercury Mahadasha for Stephen

In Stephen’s chart, Gemini is the 2nd house from the ascendant. The grahas conjunct are the lords of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, and 11th houses. The gives Stephen many dhana and dharmakarmadhipati yogas. The combination activates creative energy from the 3rd and 5th houses, gains and successes from the 11th house, and wealth and family from the 2nd house. The combination misses two key factors though. The first house and its lord (Venus) are not involved. Likewise, the 10th house and its lord (Saturn) are not involved. This leaves Stephen with success but not extraordinary fame. Mercury is in the 4th house in D9 and the 11th house in D10.

Mercury Mahadasha for Harrison

In Harrison’s chart, Gemini is the 10th house from the ascendant and Mercury is the lord of the ascendant. Mercury forms one of the pancha mahapurusha yogas, Bhadra yoga. Sun has digbala adding strength to Mercury. This makes Mercury extra strong. The grahas conjunct are the lords of the 1st, 4th, 7th, 10th, 11th, and 12th houses. All the kendra house lords are involved. This makes for an action-oriented person. Mercury is the 10th house in D9 and the 1st house in D10. Clearly, the 1st and 10th houses are more prominent in the Mercury mahadasha for Harrison Ford. The extra strength and activation of the 1st and 10th houses, makes the difference between the two Mercury mahadashas.

These charts provide further proof of the importance of the ascendant in a chart.

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