Impact of Exalted Functional Malefics in Astrology

I am sure everybody would be curious to know the true colors of a functional malefic planet when it is exalted,  whether it becomes a benefic or continues to act as a malefic,  what type of results would be bestowed by this planet during the course of its sub-periods or when it forms close transit conjunction/aspect with natal positions of planets and/or with mid-points or the most effective points or MEPs of various houses.The issue of functional nature of planets stands discussed threadbare in the earlier chapters.  To understand the impact of exalted functional malefic planets, we have to recapitulate a few preliminaries.   That is, the strength of the planet, its placement, its relationship with other natal positions and the role of planets.  The planets bestow two types of results: firstly, trend results during their sub-periods and secondly, the short duration results due to transit conjunctions/aspects of various planets to the natal positions.

A house is considered strong firstly when its lord is strong and well placed/aspected, secondly the house is not closely afflicted by the functional malefics and thirdly the house is influenced by the functional benefics.First of all, we shall see how a planet plays its role and influences various houses.   The first role of a planet is as a natural significator of certain things, such as, the Sun rules father, status, heart and general vitality.  The second role of the planet is as a particular significator.  The particular significator means the significations of the house where its mooltrikona sign is placed. For this purpose, under the Systems’ Approach, the sign Cancer is considered as the mooltrikona sign of the Moon.  The third role of the planet is its close relationship within less than five degrees. The fourth role of the planet is due to its placement.  The functional malefics, when strong, protect and promote their general and particular significations.  Similarly, when weak, they fail to protect and promote their general and particular significations.   When they are conjunct with the mid-point of a house, they destroy the significations of the houses occupied and aspected except when this house is having their own mooltrikona sign.  If they are not closely conjunct with the midpoint of the house they are occupying, they create short duration problems pertaining to the house of their location when they are influenced by the functional malefics in transit.  For example, if the rising degree is ten in the Aries ascendant and the exalted Mercury is at 20 degrees the same does not afflict the house aspected but can afflict the planets aspected by it closely.  Even if this Mercury is at 10 degrees, it will not afflict the sixth house as this house is its own but it will afflict the significations of the twelfth house and all such other planets which are between five degrees to fifteen degrees in the sixth and twelfth houses, during the sub-periods of functional malefics and the afflicted planets.  The native will experience negative results of the houses where their mooltrikona signs are placed.  To explain this clearly, let us take a few situations.
Situation 1: Saturn, being a functional malefic occupies the eighth house close to the midpoint.  So, it will spoil the significations of the eighth, tenth, second and fifth houses.  It will also spoil the general and particular significations of Mercury as it aspects Mercury closely.   The harm will be more if the planets Venus, Jupiter, Mars and the Moon are weak in the nativity, while the harm will be less if these planets are strong and well placed.  If Venus is weak, such a person may have a short or medium life span, loss of inheritance and divorce.  Saturn will protect and promote its own general and particular significations but during its own period, it will also cause losses and expenses.
Situation 2: Here, both the Sun and Jupiter are functional malefics.  Jupiter is on the mid point of the seventh house and therefore, during its sub-periods, will cause harm to the significations of the seventh, eleventh, first and third houses while it will protect and promote its own general and particular significations.The functional malefic, Sun, is not on the midpoint of the house.  During the course of its sub-periods, the Sun will harm the significations of Mars, who is afflicted closely by the aspect of the Sun.  During the sub-periods of Mars, as well, a similar situation will prevail.  The results of afflictions are felt during the sub-periods of both afflicting and afflicted planets.
Situation 3: In this situation both the functional malefics are in their signs of exaltation.   The Sun is just on the mid-point of the fourth house.  This will protect its general and particular significations such as increased inheritance, status to self and father, prosperity to father, while it will harm the domestic peace, assets, mother, set backs in career, etc.  Jupiter is not on the midpoint of the house of its location, and hence, does not cause affliction due to aspects and placement.  Its general and particular significations will be promoted and protected.  Whenever transit functional malefics form close conjunctions and aspects with this Jupiter, the matters signified by the seventh house would be malefically influenced.  The duration of such afflictions will be only to the extent of the duration of the close conjunction.
Situation 4: The Moon and Mercury are functional malefics and the Moon is exalted.  Both of these planets are afflicting the midpoint of the houses of their location and the houses aspected by them in addition to Venus.  While the general and particular significations of the planets, Moon and Mercury will be good but tense, the significations of the fourth, tenth and ninth houses shall be harmed during the sub-periods of the Moon, Mercury and Venus.  As both Venus and the Moon are afflicted by Mercury, it may cause severe health problems to the spouse of the native, his/her assets, mental peace, and he/she will have to face litigation in life.  At the same time, a strong and well-placed Sun will bless the spouse from a highly placed family which will enhance the social status of the native.  The good placement and strength of the Sun also blesses the native through income earned by the spouse.
Situation 5: The midpoints of the fifth and the eleventh houses are afflicted by close conjunction/aspect of the functional malefic, Venus.  The matters pertaining to both these houses will suffer.  But exaltation of Venus will protect and promote luxuries in life, happy and long spell of married life etc.  The weakness of Jupiter as lord of the second house, besides the influence of Venus on the fifth house, will deny the happiness of a male child.
Situation 6: Here the Moon is not forming close conjunction with the midpoint of the sixth house and therefore, is not causing affliction to the sixth or twelfth house.  The Moon gets strong on account of its being in the sign of its exaltation besides being strong in the Pakshabala (the strength on account of its being in the bright half).  Its placement in the sixth house makes it weak.  Taking all aspects together it will bestow its results slightly above the average level.  However, whenever it is afflicted by transit Rahu or Ketu, it will harm the health and financial position for short durations.  The general significations of the Moon will be average.  The particular significations of the Moon, that is, the significations of the eighth house will suffer to some extent due to its bad placement.
Situation 7: Only Venus is on the midpoint of the eleventh house and it will deny happiness on account of gains from friends, emotional stability, male progeny and elder brothers.  Venus in the eleventh house with its mooltrikona sign in the sixth house will give income through legal profession, financial lendings and by merchandising in the items of art, luxury and fashion.  Venus will give beautiful and cooperative wife to male natives and will bestow luxuries and early marriage to female natives.  The strength of Jupiter and Mars and their good placement will promote the general and particular significations of both these planets.
Situation 8: The functional malefic Jupiter is not on the mid-point of the ascendant while the functional malefic Saturn is on the mid-point of the fourth house.  During the sub-periods of Saturn, it will protect and promote its general and particular significations but will spoil the significations of the first, fourth, sixth and tenth houses.  Jupiter’s sub-period will bestow good results of its general and particular significations but may involve the person in short-term illness, disputes and insolvency.  The transit afflictions of these planets to weak natal positions are always harmful.