The Tithi Pravesh and its Monthly and Daily Iterations

A common method of astrological forecasting the the annual solar return, which is cast for the moment that the Sun returns each year to its precise position in the birth chart. Notable astrologers like William Lilly and Morin de Villefranche used the solar return as a cornerstone in their systems of forecasting. Morin also make extensive use of the lunar return to further subdivide the year in order to see when events implicit in the annual solar revolution would manifest in the coming 12 months. The medieval Arabic and Persian astrologers also made extensive use of solar revolutions, lunar revolutions, and even divisions into days of the month related to these returns.

Vettius Valens had a different notion of annual returns. He felt that the return of the Sun each year was insufficient for forecasting for the year ahead because it omitted the influence of the the Sun’s partner, the Moon. As a result, Valens used a hybrid chart for the annual return which consisted of the positions of the planets when the Sun returned to its natal position each year but these positions were placed in a chart whose Ascendant and houses were determined by the moment the Moon returned to its natal degree during the zodiacal month when the Sun was in its birth sign.

Hindu astrologers, who may have been aware of Valens method, developed a technique called the “Tithi Pravesh,” which is the chart of the annual return of the natal Sun-Moon phase angle each year. Vedic astrologer Narasimha Rao, creator of Jagannatha Hora software, utilizes the annual, monthly and daily Pravesha charts in forecasting. Mr. Rao has a YouTube video in which he explains the value of the daily Pravesha chart as a useful and powerful technique.

Modern Western astrologers refer to the Tithi Pravesh as the annual soli-lunar phase angle return. The program Solar Fire has an option to calculate “lunar phase” charts, which will generate the annual and monthly phase-angle returns but not the daily Pravesha charts. Fortunately, Mr. Rao’s freeware program Jagannatha Hora will generate daily Pravesha charts for those who wish to experiment with this technique.

My own experience with Pravesha charts is that they are a valuable predictive tool. They seem to work better with charts cast in the tropical rather than the sidereal zodiac. Let’s look at an example chart to illustrate their use.

John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on 22 November 1963 at about 12:30 PM CST. This event ought to show up symbolically in his various Pravesha charts. Let’s begin with his natal chart.

JFK natal chart

This is JFK’s natal chart (data from astro.com, Rodden rating A). Venus rules the natal Ascendant and the natal 8th house Placidus cusp. The 8th house contains a stellium of five planets, three of which in Taurus receive a square from Uranus in Aquarius. The natal Mars square Uranus, with Mars conjunct the 8th cusp, warns of the possibility of a sudden unexpected violent death. Mars rules the 7th of open enemies and conjoins Mercury, ruler of the 12th of hidden enemies.

For those who use annual profections, at age 43 Kennedy was in his Taurus profection year since Taurus is 8 places from the natal Cancer Ascendant. (The Descendant profection years occur at ages 6, 18, 30, 42, 54, 66, 78, 90, 102.) Thus, at age 43, the 8th lord Venus was his profected Lady of the Year.

Next let’s look at JFK’s Tithi Pravesh (annual soli-lunar phase angle return) in 1963, the year of his assassination:

Annual Tithi Pravesh chart 1963

In this annual Tithi Pravesh chart, the Sun lies in its birth sign Gemini, and the angle between the Sun and the Moon is the same as it was in the birth chart. Jupiter, which rules the annual Ascendant, lies in Aries and conjoins the 4th cusp of endings. The Moon rules the 8th cusp and squares the annual Ascendant from the 9th of long-distance travel. Mars rules the 12th and occupies the 8th. The true lunar nodes are stationary, which often signals a highly significant and critical year, and the nodes lies across the 2nd and 8th axis, highlighting the risk of death. The annual 8th cusp and Lunar North Node conjoin the natal Midheaven!

The next chart shows the daily Pravesh chart for 22 November 1963 at the birthplace. I used the data for the daily Pravesha chart from Mr. Rao’s program to generate this chart in Solar Fire. This chart is similar in concept to the Wynn Key Cycle return chart developed in the 1920s.

Daily Pravesh chart at birthplace in effect at the time of the assassination.

This daily Pravesh chart (cast for Nov 21st at 8:28:48 PM EST in Brookline) was in effect at the time of the assassination in Dallas. Cancer rises at the birthplace, making the Moon the Ascendant ruler. In the annual chart the Moon rules the 8th house. Daily Saturn conjoins the 8th cusp.

If we relocate the daily Pravesh chart from Brookline to Dallas, Pluto very closely conjoins the 4th cusp of final endings.

Daily Pravesh chart in effect at the time of the assassination relocated to DALLAS.

At Dallas the daily Pravesh chart has Pluto conjunct the 4th cusp, and the Asc-ruler Moon in the 8th house. Saturn rules the 8th of death and conjoins the 9th cusp of long-distance travel.

Addendum: my thanks to elliedaly8b977061b7 for pointing out that I had included charts dated 1960 in the initial version of this post. Now all the charts are correctly dated for 1963, the year of JFK’s assassination. If you notice any errors, please leave a comment in the section below.