S3 Episode 15 Matthew Perry Battle with Addiction
Welcome back to the Vedic Astrology Podcast blog. Today, psychotherapist Suzanne Balka and I venture into the significant and complex topic of addiction. We'll explore this issue through the lens of Vedic Astrology. Join us as we uncover how Vedic Astrology can provide insights into addiction, its causes, and potential ways to address it meaningfully.
Exploring the Intersection of Counseling, Therapy, and Astrology
In our previous podcast (S1 Ep20), we delved into the links between counseling, therapy, and astrology. We shared insights on how Vedic Astrology is an invaluable tool for counselors and what counselors can learn from astrologers. If you missed that episode, we highly encourage you to catch up for a richer understanding of today's discussion.
Spotting the Patterns: Addiction from an Astrologer's View
Today's focal point is addiction. It’s a topic that intrigues us both immensely. With the sudden death of Matthew Perry as a poignant backdrop, we reflect on how Perry's openness about his battles with addiction resonates with many. This tragic event urges us to dig deeper into the why's and how's of addiction through astrology.
The Complex Nature of Addiction
What Is Addiction?
We start by attempting to define addiction. Suzanne shares that addiction is a maladaptive behavioral pattern interfering with one’s quality of life, including work, relationships, and finances. It's a compelling concept to ponder: when does a habit turn into an addiction? Is it when it starts to have control over you rather than the other way around?
Self-awareness and Denial
Self-awareness plays a crucial role in identifying addiction. Interestingly, one might be keenly aware of their addiction, as Perry was, yet still struggle to break free from it. We discuss whether self-awareness alone is enough to overcome such deep-rooted behavioral patterns?
Vedic Astrology’s Take on Addiction
Before we dive any deeper, it’s important to remember that there is no ‘one’ factor in a chart that is going to predict addiction. And it’s not helpful to jump to conclusions or diagnoses based on a discussions in a Podcast! With that caveat in mind, we thought about some of the influences in a Birth Chart that might manifest as addictive habits or behaviours …
The Importance of the 2nd House: Nurturing and Nutrition
The 2nd House in Vedic Astrology, which rules what goes into our mouths and our immediate family, can provide significant clues about addiction tendencies. Nutrition plays an essential role; for instance, alcohol addiction can create a vicious cycle of nutrient depletion and dependency.
The 12th House: Escapism and Enlightenment
When exploring addiction, the 12th House, which signifies escape and transcendence, is pivotal. While it ideally should lead to enlightenment, it often becomes the house of escapism through substances like drugs and alcohol, giving a false sense of freedom.
Considering Rahu and Ketu’s Influence
Rahu and Ketu, the nodes of the Moon, hold particular sway in addiction discussions. Rahu often leads us toward obsessive behaviors, enticing us with intense fascination but lacking discernment, making us more susceptible to addiction's magnetic pull.
Genetic and Ancestral Factors and the D12 Chart
The D12 chart, ruling our ancestors and spiritual lineage, can provide insights into genetic predispositions toward addiction. Suzanne discusses how habits and behavioral patterns from our lineage can play a role in our current predispositions.
The Role of Environment: The 3rd House
Environmental influences significantly impact addiction, prominently seen through the 3rd House. Our peers and the atmosphere we grow up in can push us toward experimenting with addictive substances.
Benefic Planets and Indulgence
Benefic planets, although generally favorable, can promote overindulgence when not well-placed. Venus, for example, if afflicted, might lead one towards fulfilling lower desires.
Examining Matthew Perry’s Birth Chart
To explore these ideas in a more concrete way we then looked at the birth chart of Matthew Perry, shedding light on the astrological indicators that might have contributed to his struggles with addiction. Key elements include:
2nd House - Mercury and Ketu's influence suggests unfulfilled desires.
12th House - Venus’s placement highlights tendencies towards escapism.
Rahu in the 8th House - Points to a magnetic pull towards vulnerability and desire for liberation.
Seeking Professional Help
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, don’t hesitate to seek professional help. Suzanne Balka is open for consultations and can provide the ongoing support necessary to tackle this complex issue. Visit her website at Suzanne Balka Counseling for more information.
Final Thoughts
We were both struck by the need for compassion for all our fellow human beings. Vedic Astrology is an excellent way to increase your compassion because it shows you the complex influences we are all under. And how, even though it doesn’t seem like it some times, we are all doing our best under the circumstances (or stars!) we find ourselves.
Stay tuned for more insightful discussions in our upcoming episodes on The Vedic Astrology Podcast. Until then, explore your charts, seek help when needed, and practice compassion for yourself and others on this journey.
Warm regards,
Fiona Marques and Suzanne Balka
Battle with Addiction A Vedic Astrology Perspective
[00:00:00] Welcome to an Exploration of Addiction and Vedic Astrology
[00:00:00] Suzanne Balka: Hello, everyone.
[00:00:02] Fiona Marques: Welcome back to the Vedic Astrology Podcast. My name is Fiona Marques, and today I am joined by my friend and colleague, Suzanne Balka.
for people who may be meeting you for the first time could you tell us a little bit about what it is that you do in your professional life, Suzanne?
[00:00:18] Suzanne Balka: Well I'm a psychotherapist I've been in private practice setting for over 10 years. I specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy. I help patients work through issues such as depression, anxiety, addictions, trauma, this sort of thing, all kinds of different issues with cognitive behavioral therapy. And my studies into Astrology have really been beneficial helping the population I work with.
And if anybody wants to catch up on those insights of the links between Counseling, Therapy and Astrology, that's what we covered in our first podcast (S1 Ep20). We looked at how helpful Vedic Astrology is as a Counselor. But also where Vedic Astrology skill set perhaps falls short. And what we can learn from Counsellors, what Counsellors can learn from Vedic Astrologers. So I do encourage everyone to catch up on our previous podcast episode (S1 Ep20).
[00:01:12] Fiona Marques: But today we're getting together, inspired to talk about addictions.
[00:01:17] Suzanne Balka: It's such an interesting topic and it's just got me on this quest to dig deep and understand what's really going on.
[00:01:23] Fiona Marques: The last time that Suzanne and I were chatting, Matthew Perry had just suddenly died. And I think many people in the world were really moved by that event because Matthew Perry had been very open with his battles with addiction.
I've always been a Matthew Perry fan. I've enjoyed his movies and of course, "Friends" and so I knew I had to read his book. And he's very honest and authentic and just vulnerable to share all that he shared. He didn't hide anything. He really shared everything about his personal life and his struggles with addiction. And it was quite severe. And my, my heart just goes out to Matthew. I just did not know how severely he struggled with addiction.
[00:02:11] Suzanne Balka: And it got me on this quest of wondering, because I know of people personally and professionally that have struggled with addiction. And, hey, we all have things that might be a guilty pleasure for us. I think that's something maybe everyone can say they have in common. I know for me, it's sugar and like a nice cup of Joe. We can all have our thing. But I wanted to know what differentiates someone who struggles with addiction versus someone who can have a glass or 2 of wine or beverage and put it down and be fine the next day. It's just got me on this quest to dig deep and understand what's really going on.
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[00:02:50] Suzanne Balka: I think Matthew Perry is a great example to explore that.
[00:02:53] Fiona Marques:
[00:02:53] Defining the Complex Behavior Patterns of Addiction
[00:02:53] Fiona Marques: As we begin that journey, it strikes me that we should probably talk a little bit about what an addiction is, or try to define it a little bit. Because as you were just referring to, it's an incredibly human experience to consume things that make you feel good, that you know are maybe not good for you.
And being as we all do that, when does it become an addiction? And when is it just a normal part of being human?
[00:03:20] Suzanne Balka: I like to thinkof an addiction as a behavioral pattern or behavioral habits that is maladaptive that is getting in the way of the person's quality of life. It's interfering with their work, their career, their relationships, money, financial. It is a substance that seems to have control over the person and not the other way around. I think also an addiction can be defined as someone who cannot go a week without having a craving for a substance. And I also think we can be addicted on different levels too, physiologically, psychologically. So I, I think that's a part of it as well.
We feel like it's a crutch or we feel like we can't do without it that we need it in order to function and it's getting in the way of their life. I think that's what defines an addiction.
[00:04:15] Fiona Marques: Do you think it's the case that sometimes the person in the situation can't have an awareness that it's affecting their life? They're in the experience and they feel like they are handling everything that they wouldn't describe it as interfering with their life.
Whereas others on the outside might.
[00:04:32] Suzanne Balka: Oh, I think that's so true. Especially on a maybe psychological level. The person can feel like, "Oh, I can quit anytime I have total control". Or "Tomorrow. Today's the last day. I won't have a drink after today. Tomorrow will be good". "Let me just get through this season of my life." Or "Let me just (whatever it might be.)" The stories that the person says to themselves and that's what keeps them feeling like they can justify their habit.
So I think it's the stories the person tells themselves. And I think that they can almost lie to themselves. And be in denial.
[00:05:13] Fiona Marques: Yeah. So then self awareness is important. That I'm sure will come up in Astrology when we talk about where that might show up in a chart. So self awareness is important. But it's not the only thing, because as we were just saying with Matthew Perry, he was very aware. After a certain point, he became very aware of his behavior and yet he still had that behavioral pattern that you were talking about.
So self awareness is not the only key to this very complex behavior. And when I think about addiction I think about using something to meet an unmet need.
[00:05:47] Suzanne Balka: So true.
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[00:05:47] Fiona Marques: And that's why it feels like when it's taking care of oneself by doing this thing. "I just need this. I need to feel better. I need to feel like this".
And so in some way we're swapping out an unmet need and replacing it with a behavioral pattern.
[00:06:02] Suzanne Balka: Yes, that's such a great point. I so agree with you. I think on a deep level it starts off with maybe meeting some sort of need or triggering that reward center of the brain. It can meet the need of curing boredom. It can meet the need of stress relief. It can meet the need of lowering your social inhibitions so you can be in social environments more easily. It could be fun. A lot of people associate alcohol with having fun. I definitely think on a deep levelperhaps one contributing factor to their addiction is that there's something missing in their life and they're turning to alcohol as a way to fill the void.
[00:06:44] Fiona Marques: Sometimes the addiction is like we're running towards something like "I want some distraction and entertainment. I want my life to be more fun. So I'm going towards it". But sometimes addiction can also be "I'm running away from something. So I don't want to feel this pain or I don't want to deal with that responsibility or that burden, whatever it is".
So there's running away from and running towards that can be in this situation. So many and varied scenarios in this addiction experience.
[00:07:12] Suzanne Balka: Oh, absolutely. Yes. It's quite a complex thing. All the things that are contributing for sure. Yes.
[00:07:21] Fiona Marques: exactly.
[00:07:21] Reminder to not Diagnose from Vedic Astrology Chart Analysis
[00:07:21] Fiona Marques: And that's why I just want to state for everybody who's listening that Suzanne and I are going to talk about addiction on lots of levels, like from the counseling point of view, from the Vedic Astrology point of view, but as we discuss things today, just the fact that you as a listener might have one of these indicators the same as something that we're talking about, or maybe you've got two or three, doesn't necessarily mean that your life is going to be the same as Matthew Perry's or the same as whoever it is that we're speaking about, because lives and the karma that is available in the Vedic Astrology birth chart is very rich.
There's so many things going on there that it really takes a whole host of factors coming together to make this experience, in this case addiction, be quite accentuated and important in a person's life. Whereas another person may have several of these same indicators that we might kick around in our today. And yet they're just not coalescing in the same way. They're not going to be as important to the manifestation of karma in that person's chart.
A little encouragement to relax as we listen to today's chart. This is not about diagnosing anybody or boxing someone in and saying "If you've got this planet here, or if you've got this House with this thing, then it's over. It's done with. Your fate is sealed". That's really not the case, is it, Suzanne?
[00:08:42] Suzanne Balka: Oh, totally agree. Yes, absolutely. Each person is so unique and individual. I think it's a very personal journey.
[00:08:52] Fiona Marques: And that's why it's great to work with a counselor, to work with a Vedic Astrologer when one is looking at these indicators, because we all fall for it with Google, we get one symptom of something, we go Google it and suddenly we're a doctor and we're dying of two or three fatal diseases that we've just learned about their existence. The same thing can happen with Astrology. Someone hears it's terrible if you have this in your 12th House, or if that planet's in your 2nd House, this is going to be an awful situation. But Astrology is not that simple. And we really shouldn't be jumping to any conclusions based on one or two placements in a chart.
So if you do listen to this and you are interested in finding out more, I recommend that you find yourself a qualified Astrologer or counselor to really look at your unique situation and not take one or two indicators from the podcast today and run away with them.
So with that caveat I hope everybody who continues listening will now take that on board as we explore some of the ways you might see this kind of thing in a Vedic Astrology chart.
I
[00:09:58] 2nd House Nurturing and Nutrition
[00:09:58] Fiona Marques: 'm going to kick it off and say that I think the 2nd House seems like a really important place to start looking for addiction in somebody's Vedic Astrology chart, because the 2nd House rules what goes into our mouth. It rules what comes out of our mouth. It's rules speech. But it also rules what we consume. Andthe whole thing of a lot of addictions is that it has to get into the body. So the mouth is one of those ways.
And also why I think the 2nd House might be important is because it rules the immediate family in Vedic Astrology. It is where we are nurtured. If you think about the human baby, it's quite a vulnerable organism. It really, it can't feed itself. It can't keep warm. It can't move on its own. It needs to be picked up and lifted around. So it's being in the 2nd House, being in the immediate family as a new human body is a very vulnerable place where your experience of nurturingyou are open to. You can only receive. And that experience of our immediate family has lifelong consequences on the way that we interact with the rest of the world.
And so what are some of the things that from the counseling perspective or from the addiction perspective that we might see connected to the 2nd House?
[00:11:16] Suzanne Balka: I think nutrition is a big factor when it comes to addiction and alcohol addiction, particularly. Because alcohol can act as a fuel for people. It's a fuel for the body though it can cause damage to the different organs, liver, the brain and it also depletes many nutrients. And this is my understanding is that you can set yourself up on a vicious cycle in that, the person might be already depleted for nutrients. And so they find alcohol. And alcohol is such a wonderful source of fuel. So it's "Oh, okay. My new best friend!". But then what happens is they drink that alcohol. The alcohol uses up nutrients in order to metabolize the alcohol. Which worsens the deficiencies and then this further increases the cravings for alcohol. It can just create this vicious cycle. So I think that's a big factor in alcohol addiction.
I never think of alcohol as a fuel. But you can light it on fire. It is physically like fuel. But I guess it's very high sugar. Is that why it feels to the body like fuel? Is that what you're saying?
Yes. I think when alcohol is broken down to it's final element, it's sugar.
[00:12:37] Fiona Marques: My understanding of this too, is that alcohol it feeds the yeast in the body. Yeast loves sugar. Yeast loves sugar. Yes. And so this can also be why a person can nutritionally be addicted to alcohol because on some deeper level, their yeast, their candida or their inner yeast. We can have yeast in our gut, in our brain. And at a deeper level we can crave the alcohol because our yeast cells or whatever it is, are just screaming out for, sugar. And then we feel better when we have a drink of alcohol.
[00:13:12] Suzanne Balka:
[00:13:12] Fiona Marques: It's really interesting, isn't it? Because there's many different versions of addiction. There's many substances. So there's lots of scenarios, but in this particular one, this is really driven by the body's need for nutrients. So this was not really necessarily meeting a psychological or an unmet need.
This is that the body's depleted. This is the closest thing that I found that quickly solves that problem. And then I imagine that's a really hard cycle to break.
[00:13:38] Suzanne Balka: Oh, yes. And I think it's just that body mind connection for sure. That the person just feels better when they have that drink.
[00:13:47] Fiona Marques: Because we can get a bit puritanical about addictions, can't we? That people should use their willpower and then there'd be no trouble at all. And I'm sure that does apply to some addictions.
But to other addictions drivers in this case, it might be improving one's nutrition and the blood chemistry that then, solves the addiction problem.
It's funny the way that we can culturally project onto people what they should do.
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[00:14:13] Suzanne Balka: There was an interview that I saw online with Matthew Perry and the person he was being interviewed with was telling him. "Oh, absolutely. It's a choice". And I thought to myself, "Cringe." I didn't agree with that perspective. It's complicated. Yes. At the end of the day, it is a choice that you put a glass up to your lips and you sip.
But, it's so much more than that. Just a lot of people say, "Oh, snap out of it. You should, just feel better." and not realize that depression is a clinical diagnosis.Just like any other sort of illness, depression is just like that. So I think saying something like that as a blanket statement. "Oh, you certainly do make a choice". I think is a very superficial thought, and it's not going into the depth and understanding at a deep level. I'm sure, at some point, for a lot of people,something that's pleasurable turns into pain and they would love to get away from it, but they still feel like they have to have it in order to feel "normal".
I don't think these people really want to choose that. They feel like they, they're, they have no control at that point.
[00:15:21] Fiona Marques: It makes me think about our approaches to the 2nd House. Whether we have a Malefic associated with the 2nd House. Whether we have Benefics there. What's going on. I can see that for some people that willpower is going to be a great approach. Perhaps if you've got Mars involved somewhere.
And your Mars is working really well. Then I'm sure that you can go around telling the world that if they "Just apply their willpower. Everything will be great!" Because that's what's so great about having a good Mars. That you can pull that out of the bag and defeat obstacles. That's what Mars is for. So that's great.
But if your Mars is not in that situation, and not involved in this particular setup, (whatever's going on in the chart), it might not necessarily have to do with willpower. It's just a completely different part of the chart.
[00:16:08] Suzanne Balka:
[00:16:08] Fiona Marques: Maybe that throws us into another House that I think would be great to explore.
[00:16:13] 12th House Escapism and Enlightenment
[00:16:13] Fiona Marques: When I think about addiction, I also think about the 12th House. So probably for me, it's 2nd House and 12th House, which is very interesting, isn't it? Because those are the two Houses around the Ascendant and having a big influence.
We talked about the 2nd already. But the 12th House is transcendent. If we were talking about the zodiac, the 12th sign is where we are liberated from the material experience. So, the 12th House is the least manifest of all of the Houses. And ideally from a Vedic Astrology point of view, the 12th House is all about moksha and enlightenment. Which is seeing through the delusion of matter. And really taking the opportunity to identify with spirit. So much so that we actually release the material particles and we transcend.
However, for those of us who are working our way through this long journey of purifying our karma, or whatever it is that we're doing with all of these rebirths, the 12th House might not be so much of a Enlightenment House, but it can be a House of escape where we get away from the responsibilities, from the drudgery, from the obstacles, the 6th House, the responsibilities of the 2nd House, perhaps Saturn is putting a lot of burden on us somewhere, then the 12th can seem like Shangri La of escaping. It might be where we go on holidays, on long distant travels, we might like going to retreats in Bali. But it can also be escaping into the world of dreams, the nighttime dreams, not the ambition dreams, but our dreamlike world, the 12th House. And drugs can really take us into the 12th House. And suddenly we feel free, which is what Moksha is all about. And once one has a taste of that one kind of wants to go back because it's like the best of everything. It's like being alive, but without all of the burdens and the heaviness. So the 12th House let's talk a little bit about the 12th House, because to answer your question, which varga, I think the D12 then comes to mind, but before we jump into the D12, let's talk about why the 12th House might be important and how that maps to more Western language or counseling or addiction.
[00:18:20] Suzanne Balka: Like you said 12th House is definitely about escapism from responsibility or hardship or our debts. It's going on vacation. It's escape. With regards to people who struggle with alcohol. Alcohol, like many substances that we can get addicted to, activate the brain's reward center. And drinking alcohol makes one feel good. It increases their dopamine production. And this feels good. This feels like "I'm on vacation. I'm in Bali!" What's interesting, though, is alcohol unlike other substances doesn't reuptake is my understanding. And the brain begins to adapt by producing less dopamine because it doesn't have this sort of reuptake like other substances does. And this can cause the person to compensate for that less dopamine. Because over time, you're not going to produce the same level of chemical or neurotransmitter, dopamine, as you did when you first did it. There's a tolerance that gets built up. And so what that can do is that causes a person to compensate for this lack by drinking more. And for some people, I think this is when you go too far is that you can rely solely on the alcohol to generate that dopamine production in the first place. And that could be especially sad. All of your feel good dopamine levels are associated with one substance. That certainly makes you a prisoner to that.
Dopamine is a very powerful neurotransmitter. And it's highly part of our motivation or our cue to do something. Anything we do, we want to feel we get a sense of reward from it. Soalcohol can be a powerful substance in that regard because of its ability to control us in that way.
Andwhat also can happen is, without the alcohol, without the drug, you can experience these withdrawal symptoms. And what happens here is it can actually deepen one's depression. And so, if a person is too afraid to go through that process, then they're back. They're back, on the spiral with addiction. It's almost like you have to really go through and experience severe consequences for that to be counterbalanced the reward with the suffering.
We can explore this some more too that
[00:21:01] Personality Types and Addiction
[00:21:01] Suzanne Balka: there's a psychological concept. They say there's 4 different personality types. There's the Dopamine Type. The Serotonin Type, the Testosterone Type and the Estrogen Type.
And the Dopamine Type of personality is associated with risk, risk taking, novelty seeking. They're very curious and creative. And I, I like to think that perhaps Matthew Perry had such a personality.
I think these are some psychological indicators to consider with alcohol addiction.
[00:21:35] Fiona Marques: One of the things I'm really taking away from this part of the conversation is how important it is to look for a healthy approach to your 2nd House. So a healthy approach to what you put in your mouth and to where you get your nurturing. And a healthy approach to where you escape. Because we all need to escape whether that's binging TV or whether that's running by the beach or, going on holiday. So finding our healthy 12th House activity and having healthy 2nd House activities are really important.
But what you were just talking about there was like underlying personality that's very curious,
[00:22:13] Suzanne Balka: And I, read a Matthew Perry's book. He said that he was almost addicted to the chaos.
[00:22:18] Fiona Marques: Yeah.
[00:22:19] Suzanne Balka: Just the chaos of it all, the excitement, the drama.
[00:22:22] The Magnetic Pull of Rahu
[00:22:22] Fiona Marques: And so that makes me think not necessarily about House, but about planets. That it brings into mind our nodes, like Rahu has a bit of a reputation for, taking us off to something that's incredibly fascinating, that we're really drawn to almost magnetically, but that we just don't have any skills with. We have no discernment. And. Whatever we're experiencing through Rahu, we still want to keep going there. That's the pull of the nodes.
[00:22:49] Suzanne Balka: And it's obsession with Rahu, right? Just once more and more, and it never gets satiated. It all falls through.
[00:22:56] Fiona Marques: It's got no stomach. It cannot digest and break down these experiences. So it just keeps wanting more. So I think that's really important. Rahu might be important. And whether that is matched up with for example, Mars or a planet that might egg that on a little bit or go with it rather than resist it.
So we've got many, interesting places to look for in our birth chart.
[00:23:17] D12 and the Role of Ancestry in Addiction
[00:23:17] Fiona Marques: Just circling back to, you were asking which varga. Because the 12th House is so important for addiction. It makes me think that the D12 would be really important. Because the D12 rules our ancestors, our spiritual
relationship with our lineage.
And then it brings up for us this question. "Is some proportion of addiction genetic?" Which is always very hard to identify because we're raised by the people as well. So we've got the 2nd influence of being raised by them. But what is your understanding of whether there is a genetic component in some cases to addiction? Because we might be able to see that in the D12, for example.
[00:23:58] Suzanne Balka: Yes, I definitely think our ancestry, our lineage can certainly play a role in our capacity to form a habit. And, some could say it could even be hardwired in your DNA. Others might think that, this might seem a little more esoteric, but others might think that we have a give and take account with an ancestor who wants to come back and re-experience that addiction through the person.
In any case, I think our ancestry, and of course our parents too, our parents behavior and the actions that they engaged in, can be passed down to the native.
We had the chance in AstroliJam quite a few months ago to look at the D1 and the D12s of Elvis Presley and his daughter, Lisa Marie, and her son, who tragically took his own life. So we had these three generations who'd all in, in a way lived a shorter life. They could have lived for longer. And so that was fascinating to look at literally, the father, the daughter and the grandchild and see their D12s and what was going on. So I really encourage people to have a look at the D12. I think it's really, can be very insightful.
[00:25:22] Fiona Marques: But just to recap ... Before I was saying that, with addictions we can have a cultural mindset that it's about willpower. And that you should just be a good person, be disciplined, and you won't have any addiction. So that certainly maybe does apply to some things. But we were noticing that perhaps nutrition deficiencies are driving some of these. And now perhaps another influence as well is that ancestral stuff or some kind of beyond this lifetime kind of stuff. So there's a lot of potential causes or precursors to a person's path into this particular behavior.
[00:25:58] Suzanne Balka: So we've got lots of different causes. I just want to do one more before we jump into having a look at an actual chart with the time that you have available.
[00:26:06] 3rd House Friends, Experimenting and Environment
[00:26:06] Fiona Marques: Let's talk a little bit about friends, not the TV show, but our peers, our environmentas either a young teenager or as a young adult.That would be the 3rd House in Vedic Astrology. And the 3rd House is where we explore and where we test the boundaries. It can be other people's imposed boundaries, but it can be our own boundaries. Like "How far can I go? How much can I really do?" And so the 3rd can lead us into risk taking, but it also rules our peers and friendships. Do you think that's another area around addiction?
[00:26:41] Suzanne Balka: Yes. Such a great point. I think for a lot of people drinking is a very social thing and they do this to be social. They do this to be around friends. Many times you go to a party or a bar or whatever it might be. And the friend buys around on me. And what are you going to do? Someone gives you a drink you drink it.
Definitely think that social, your peers, the influences around you socially, not only in your adolescence growing up, what was it like in your household and your home, the people around you, your friends, the group of people you hung out at school, everything. Yes, definitely a huge factor.
I think that's also how Matthew Perry actually got addicted was around friends. And, I think he was an adolescent and he drank some sort of wine. And I guess the other people were like, "Oh, you know", but he was like "Oh, yeah!!" I think it made a different impact for him. And it was the ignition that lit that spark for him that brought about that extreme interest in alcohol.
And I think that's also is another very important piece to make note of that can make someone more susceptible to alcohol addiction is their affinity or their intense liking for a substance can make them more vulnerable.
The subtle component of alcohol is very Rajasic/Tamasic, and it lowers that Sattvic level in an individual, which is that spiritual purity. And whenever you have more of that Rajasic, Tamasic energy, that dark black energy, you bet you can make yourself susceptible to some dark energy that really wants to take advantage of that. And you can just attract that more into your being because it just enhances that Rajasic/Tamasic and it lowers your Sattvic level. I think you can definitely open yourself up to dark energies.
So then let's get ready to jump into this chart. I
[00:28:53] Malefic and Benefic Planets in Addiction
[00:28:53] Fiona Marques: think that only one other thing that we need to cover is just to recap the different approach of Malefic and Benefic planets. Because I think we're all familiar with Malefic planets, which is Saturn and Mars, a little bit of the Sun, m ake life hard for us. I think we get that. We know what that feels like when life gets hard. A lot of responsibilities, a lot of deadlines, a lot of pressure we're really feeling pushed. And that's what Malefics do so well, push us to our best.
But what we're not as familiar with is what Benefics feel like when they're not working well, which is that they can be really indulgent. They over give too much and they don't cut us off. They don't hold the line and say, "You've had enough". They're like, "Of course you want more. I want to help you. I'm a Benefic. I'll give you more." And can, unfortunately from a place of misplaced understanding of love, facilitate these indulgences.
[00:29:48] Suzanne Balka: In some Benefics become more dangerous around addictions.
They sure can. For example, Venus, if it's in bad dignity, or if it's being influenced by Malefic, it's in a difficult House placement, all these factors. Venus is associated with making choices to meet our higher fulfillment. And so that's when it's working beautifully in your chart. But sometimes Venus can make you go on the dark side to fulfill that sense of pleasure.
[00:30:18] Fiona Marques: When the compass of Venus is not working, it leads us in the direction not of higher fulfillment, but of lower fulfillment, I guess you could say so. And it's just that's where its compass is pointing. It's trying to do its job, which is going that direction and doesn't realize that it's getting further and further away from the Sattva approach.
[00:30:37] Suzanne Balka: Another factor, I think, which we might explore too, is just looking at the time in a person's life. Looking at a particular period, what dasa cycle are they in? It could be in a period where they're just more vulnerable to that sort of thing.
[00:30:53] Fiona Marques: If you already have an area that's indicating some struggle around this experience, and then the Lord of that starts running your dasa, it could make it really come to fruition. So timing, very important.
[00:31:08] Suzanne Balka: Yes.
[00:31:08] Analyzing Matthew Perry's Birth Chart
[00:31:08] Fiona Marques: We have in front of us, the chart of Matthew Perry. For those of us who are listening along and not seeing the screen, I want you to clear your mind and visualize the chart.
I'm going to tell you that the Ascendant is in Leo. And the Sun is also in Leo. So this is a Leo Ascendant with the Sun in its Own Home. And then in the all important 2nd House, which is Virgo in this chart, we have Mercury and Ketu. In Libra, the 3rd House, we have Jupiter. And in the 4th House, which is Scorpio in this chart, we have the Moon. The Moon is Debilitated in the sign of Scorpio, but in this case, Matthew Perry's Moon is at 7º42', so it's not in that Debilitation zone.
The 5th House has Mars, the 5th House of Sagittarius with Mars located there. And then there are no planets in the 6th House of Capricorn, no planets in the 7th House of Aquarius. But there is the node, Rahu, is in the 8th House in Pisces. And then no planets in Aries.
In Taurus, the 10th House, we have Saturn. In the 11th House, there are no planets. And finally, in the all important 12th House, Cancer, the Water sign, we have the planet Venus. And it is in Great Enemy dignity. In fact, it's the only planet in Matthew Perry's chart that is in Enemy or Great Enemy.
So of all of the planet's dignity at the very first flush of looking Venus is the planet with the Great Enemy dignity.
Are there any things that draw your attention straight away, Suzanne, that you'd like to mention?
[00:33:04] Suzanne Balka: One thing that really stands out for me, we talked about the 2nd House. He's got Ketu there with Mercury, it's in its Moolatrikona right? So that's interesting kind of talking about 2nd House influences. That Ketu and look, I wonder their distance with Mercury Ketu
[00:33:21] Fiona Marques: I think they're very close. Mercury at 19 and a half and Ketu not even at 21 and a half. So they're within two degrees of each of them.
Which means that throughout the Vargas, they'll be very close together as well.
[00:33:35] Suzanne Balka: Yes, and that Ketu influence just could be like that black hole in the chart. You feel like a part of you. That's very compulsive.
[00:33:44] Fiona Marques: Ketu is all about denying fulfillment. Its whole purpose is to help us orientate towards Rahu. So it wants to make sure that we're not receiving fulfillment in that area where Ketu is placed. Because Ketu is marking our previous lifetimes, we've already perfected that karma. We've already had a lot of experience. So in this lifetime, in order to make sure that we don't keep repeating our comfort zone, Ketu is going to deny our fulfillment in that area of life to a greater or lesser degree, depending on dignities of planets and things.
But one may feel, in the 2nd House that one just can't get satisfied by "Whatever I put in my mouth,it's not enough. I have big expectations that I can get nourishment, that's my anticipation from previous lifetimes. I rely on the 2nd House. And yet in this lifetime, no matter what I do, it's not hitting the mark".
[00:34:40] Suzanne Balka: And it reminds me of when the brain starts producing less dopamine, you just feel that need to get more and more to get those levels back up. So to speak. So it reminds me of Ketu. We want to try to continue to find fulfillment in that area, but it's elusive, we don't find it, but we still struggle with it.
[00:34:59] Fiona Marques: This is not quite on the topic of addiction, but it means that Rahu is naturally over there in the 8th. Which is all about being vulnerable. So it's so interesting that you shared that one of the things that's really noticeable about Matthew Perry's biography, and I think why we all felt so connected to him when he died, it was a lot of outpouring of shock and "How could this happen?" was because he was willing to be so vulnerable. And it makes me think about Rahu in the 8th.
Although I can't help noticing that it's also in Pisces, the 12th sign so Rahu is encouraging this person to in that Water sign of Pisces .To, to escape, to on the 8th of, secrets or behind the scenes.
I do think that Rahu placement maybe does have something to do with addictions in this case.
[00:35:49] Suzanne Balka: And how it's aspecting the Venus there. And with that Rahu Venus energyyou can't get enough of those Venetian things.
[00:35:58] Fiona Marques: You've just mentioned Venus. Now, Venus is on the 12th House that we were saying was so important.
[00:36:03] Suzanne Balka: Absolutely Venus there in the 12th House. Place of escape. And that Venus there is in a Great Enemy sign there. So not in very good dignity. Poor Venus is struggling to really express its energy and in a healthy way.
[00:36:21] video1444061151: And as we said with Benefics might be, allowing some indulgence there in the boundaryless space of Cancer. So already a space that doesn't have a lot of things to hold onto. Venus, it's a wet planet. And it's in a wet sign. And it's just a little bit hard to bring discipline, I would imagine to that 12th House.
[00:36:41] Suzanne Balka: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely.
[00:36:43] Fiona Marques: I did want to mention, I think having, his prominent, his Sun sign in the 1st House and the sign of Leo shows that he has a personality that is perhaps one of those Dopamine Types of personalities where he is very extroverted and outgoing. Or he has that persona of being such a person.
[00:37:06] Suzanne Balka: I think that goes really well with the 3rd House. The 3rd House is the first to Kama House, the House of desires. It's like we said, it's where we experiment and push the boundaries. And who do we have there? But Jupiter. Expansive. Benefic. Wants to give more. And a lot of opportunity for friends. A lot of opportunity for experimenting. And the sign itself owned by Venus in the 12th. So a lot of opportunities for experimenting with 12th House things. For escaping, experimenting with escaping. And I was going to say that it is getting Rasi aspected by Saturn.
Absolutely. The Jupiter it's in a neutral dignity there, you bet that 3rd House, the Kama House there for sure.
[00:37:52] Fiona Marques: S
[00:37:52] Final Thoughts and Contact Information
[00:37:52] Fiona Marques: o Suzanne, thank you so much for bringing this topic to our Vedic Astrology Podcast and whetting our appetite for seeing patterns that might be in a Vedic Astrology chart that could help us understand addictions. I'd love to invite you back to look at a few more charts
[00:38:11] Suzanne Balka: Yes!
[00:38:11] Fiona Marques: me. Would you be open to to that?
[00:38:12] Suzanne Balka: I sure would. Addiction is such a fascinating topic for me. I could literally go on for such a long time because I think there's so many contributing factors and a lot to look at behind the scenes when considering a person's behavior when it comes to alcohol addiction. So there's so much behind the scenes and so we can never judge a person. I think that's maybe that's our final thought here is not to judge a person because you just have no idea what they could be going through. Or what's happening to them. Or what's influencing them. Or what karma they're having to burn. Or just what life lesson they're having to learn. Whatever it is.
And I think there's certain things in our life that are catalysts to wake us up. To wake us up spiritually, even to evolve. And so I think sometimes our biggest struggle can be our greatest gift if we are willing to get help.
[00:39:11] Fiona Marques: What I think is one of the beautiful things about Vedic Astrology is it is showing how spirit, so you could put the word God in there or whatever you feel comfortable with, how spirit will manifest through the chart. And that means if I had Matthew Perry's chart, I would be living exactly the life that he was having.
If he had my chart, he'd be, that's that compassion that we're all dealing with a lot of stuff that you might not see when you first meet us. So the Vedic Astrology chart helps us see that.
And I like what you just said about our a great gift if we reach out and ask for help. So to wrap up, Suzanne, how can people get in touch with you? Are you open to working with people? Do you work online? Tell us a little bit about how to contact you.
[00:39:55] Suzanne Balka: Yes, absolutely. I, I do. If you are somebody who's struggling with addiction and you want to take a comprehensive look at what could be factors in your specific case. Absolutely.
I guess the best way would be to just reach out through email. I do have a website to it's suzannebalkacounseling.com or email address, Suzanne. BalkaLPC at yahoo.com is another great way to reach out. And yeah, I'd love to hear from anyone who wants to work on this issue perhaps.
[00:40:28] Fiona Marques: I will put those contacts in our material and encourage people to return to the first episode that Suzanne and I recorded together to understand her approach, because it's so great to work with a Vedic Astrologer. Often we can say, "Hey, this is the area and that's being influenced by and, this is a really difficult situation you have". And the Vedic Astrologer is then "Good luck". Whereas working with Suzanne, you've got that ongoing counseling relationship where you can build resources together. You can work, have exercises and practice and reflect on what you're experiencing and improving. So really someone to hold your hand through the process. Not only just identifying factors, but the life behaviors that will change your experience. So please go back and listen to that episode (S1 Ep20). If you want to understand Suzanne's process better.
[00:41:22] Suzanne Balka: I want to say one last thing too. If you're really struggling with alcohol addiction, I think the first and foremost thing is to get out of the environment you're in. Get into a really good rehab facility where you can actually detox from the substance out of your body.
And once you get to a place where you are done with rehab, and you want continual support through a therapist, that would be when I would be a good fit.
[00:41:49] Fiona Marques: I love that because it's get out of the 3rd House of your current environment and go to the 12th House. A healthy 12th House of rehab. That will fix up your 2nd and 6th House of nutrition. Detox you. And then you can start again with a clean 1st House. So
[00:42:08] Suzanne Balka: Yes.
[00:42:09] Fiona Marques: Suzanne, thank you so much for making yourself available.
Can't wait to get together again and talk about some other charts with you.
[00:42:15] Suzanne Balka: Sounds great. I can't wait. I look forward to it.
[00:42:17] Fiona Marques: Okay. Thanks Suzanne. And thanks everybody. See you again next time on The Vedic Astrology Podcast. Bye everyone.
[00:42:25] Suzanne Balka: Bye.