The Higher Purpose Of Marriage, According To Vedic Astrology

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Love is everything. It is not confined to a definition or a list. It is what gives life meaning. It is not an emotion, even though it feels so sweet. It is often a verb because we need to treasure it, nurture it and care for it if we want to really experience it. Love is what makes sense and why everything is happening. It is the answer to all the questions we didn’t even know how to ask yet. It is the immortal face of our beloved after death. Love is what gives us meaning and what matters to us most deeply. Love is our highest purpose.

Love is an inner experience, just like God is an inner experience.

In some schools of astrology, it is believed that as human beings, we balance most of our karma through marriage or through our significant relationships in this life. Some people believe that sometimes we even marry our greatest enemy from a past life, and many believe marriage is a significant soul contract. I have my own personal thoughts on the entire concept of karma, but as an astrologer, using various techniques from different modalities of both esotericism and astrology schools of thought, there is certainly a higher purpose seen through marriage, and more precisely, it may give you insights into the questions: Why does marriage occur? What is the lesson meant to be learned? How do I balance the karma of my marriage? How is marriage meant to help my soul’s growth?

I’ve previously discussed the perspective from an esoteric and Shamanic astrology viewpoint that you read in my article The Purpose of Your Relationships, but now let’s look through the lens of Vedic Astrology, which is another modality that I use in my professional practice.

In Vedic Astrology, the “karma” of a house, or area of life, can be seen from the 10th placement of itself. In this sense, we can view the concept of karma as a balancing of our life, or the work one has to do in life to balance out the actions and consequences from their past and present. This also relates to where one has to initiate action and infuse more intention, dedication and devotion into their actions. As a result, the wishes and dreams may be then revealed and fulfilled as the soul is evolving further on its higher path.

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The 4th House: Balancing The Karma of Marriage

Marriage in our natal chart is seen through the 7th house and 10th from itself, thus becoming the 4th house. In other words: the karma of our marriage can be balanced through our 4th house.

What is the 4th house?

This is the house of our deepest, most inner self. It represents our childhood, our past lives, the storage of karma, our upbringing and family life, our subconscious, our intimacy, our nurturing and nourishment, our mother and ancestors, our heart’s land and desires; it is our home and church of skin. It is the unique emotional and spiritual wild lands of our body, and the hearth of flames where our heart settles for peace and comfort at night. It is the love that returns us to love.

The 4th house is basically our journey from the womb to the end of our life – from the moment we are born until we become again all five elements. It is the entirety of our life, and our inner experience of it, for all in life, both love and God, are an inner experience. As such, the 4th house is the essence of our life.

So why does marriage occur, and how can we balance its karma?

The 4th house is ruled by the sign of Cancer, and so the significator of the 4th house is the Moon, though, in some astrology schools, it is also Venus. The Moon is about nurturing, nourishment, our heart, and our emotions – so the first purpose of marriage, and the first way to balance its karma, is to nourish your family, be emotionally supportive, and contribute to the emotional wellness of your loved ones. Venus also inspires us to bring comfort, diplomacy, affection, creative expression, the gentleness of communication, and seeing the beauty beyond the veils, appreciating and treasuring our spouse, family, and children.

The 4th house also rules the land, home, and property, and the significator, or karaka, of that, is Mars. In his higher manifestation, Mars is courage, integrity, and protection. It shows us that marriage is about protecting our family and the privacy of our relationship. Mars is the significator of our efforts and courage, and we need to show bravery as well as apply consistent efforts to our marriage. There also needs to be honor, integrity, and self-accountability. When fights happen in relationships, and they always will and do, we need to stay strong yet kind, don’t quit on one another, and find ways to settle our relationship into peace. Fight for those you love, protect your home and protect the privacy of the emotional and spiritual land that your marriage is.

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The 4th house is also connected to Jupiter because Jupiter is exalted in the sign of Cancer. Exalted Jupiter shows us that the higher purpose of marriage, and why marriage occurs, is that we need to embody and awaken our spiritual wisdom and knowledge and apply it to our human relationships. Through the twists and turns that relationships inevitably are, we are allowed an opportunity for a deepening and for inner alchemy to occur. We can only meet another as deeply as we’ve met ourselves. And through more self-awareness and self-knowledge, we will be able to see and appreciate the divinity in another and all around us.

We have to treat our marriage and all of our significant relationships as if we are entering a temple, a church, a cathedral. Have a set of higher values that you hold yourself to. Stay true to your word, and infuse intention in your gestures. Have responsibility towards your bonds. This is how, if you believe in karma, you will balance it all out; but perhaps more than anything, this is how you will fall deeper into love, into life, into all of your soul’s growth.

Navamsa: The Higher Purpose of Marriage

In Vedic Astrology, the purpose of marriage can also be seen from the ninth divisional chart known as the Navamsa. In simple terms, the Navamsa basically dissects the 9th house of the natal chart for deeper insight. Some people might wonder why – because the house that rules marriage and partnerships is our 7th house, while the Jupiter-ruled 9th house is the house of higher beliefs, dharma, spirituality, philosophy, devotion, and faith.

It’s because, as we already said, a marriage is seen as an ashram, a temple, a church, a cathedral – it is the church that we build in the heavens of our hearts. It is our devotion to another human being with whom we have chosen to share our life and path. A marriage is a merging of two dharmic paths – of two souls who merge to trust and believe in each other and bring their merged path forward. It is learning and growing together. It is supporting each other. It is a temple, a space of the heart and of higher inner soul growth through our experience with another person.

As such, we need to treat it with the privacy and honor that we would as if it we were entering a sacred and holy place. We need to respect it. We need to be faithful. We need to be trustworthy. We need to support it and care for it. There is me, there is you, and then, there is the relationship. And we need appreciation, for we can only love what we appreciate, like our childhood toy or the rose in The Little Prince.

When two souls meet and fall in love, boundaries dissolve, they merge, and a third soul is born: the soul of the relationship. And it has its own timings and needs, and it needs us to nourish it and nurture it. It becomes a devotion. With patience, it deepens and grows, for patience is the mark of the truest love. Patience enters the soul of matter and discovers the land of our hearts, and this is the only land that truly matters.

But of course, it takes two to make this happen.

Please remember: None of the above imply that you should fight for your marriage at all cost and at the cost of your health and well-being. If your marriage has become a battlefield, and you are consistently more miserable together than apart, it is time to re-evaluate and re-consider whether you should stay together. And especially if you are facing abuse in any way, shape or form, please consider leaving and moving away immediately. Apply the wisdom of your Jupiter, the self-love and intuition of your Moon, and the courage that Mars gives you to discern and choose the decision that’s best for your path forward in your life. Honor the sanctity of your heart – this is what our Moon always teaches us, and this is what will always align you to your unique soul’s purpose.

How about if you are not married yet, or if you want to improve your marriage?

We can only meet another as deeply as we’ve met ourselves. So as always, the answer is only one: work on your inner self. And then, embody the love and wisdom through your everyday lips, hands, gestures, and foot movements.

Love is not there to please us or make us happy always. It is there to grow us, shift us, and transform us. It is through our relationships with others that we have the opportunity to evolve – by learning about ourselves in a deeper way than we could have otherwise. Ultimately, it is about coming back to our true selves, so if a relationship has led you to yourself – know it was of love, no matter if it ended or not. It helped you come back one step closer to your path and to yourself, to return yourself to love, to embody love, to build love, and that’s the highest purpose of all.