Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga

Neecha Bhanga Raja Yoga is the cancellation of debilitation. A planet in its sign of debilitation, neecha, the sign opposite its exaltation, is held to be at its weakest; the doctrine of neecha bhanga sets out the conditions under which that weakness is annulled and may even be converted into unusual strength.

The standard conditions include the lord of the sign of debilitation being in an angle from the Ascendant or the Moon, the planet that would be exalted in that sign being similarly placed, the debilitated planet being aspected by or exchanging with its dispositor, and the planet being retrograde. Authorities differ over how many conditions are needed and over how complete the cancellation is. The underlying idea, that a difficulty overcome produces more than an ease never tested, is one of the more humane pieces of doctrine in the system, and it is also the source of a good deal of over-generous interpretation.