The idea of cloning poses some interesting questions regarding jyotisha. In a horoscope, the lagna (rising sign) and any planets influencing it have much to do with a person’s appearance. An attractive face will have the influence of a benefic planet like the Moon or Venus on the rising sign. Take a Marilyn Monroe or a Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Their charts show the Moon aspecting the lagna from the 7th house, and both have Jupiter in the 8th house, adding charisma. Let’s imagine we clone Marilyn, but the clone is born with Mars and Ketu in the rising sign and Saturn in the 7th house instead of the Moon. This is not a combination that produces charm and beauty. To the contrary, someone with Mars and Ketu in the lagna will not have a pleasing appearance and will tend to experience injuries to the face or head that leave scars. Does a clone somehow not come under the laws of nature and jyotisha? Or could Marilyn’s clone only be born when the Moon and rising sign were in the same position as the original Marilyn’s?
If the jyotisha chart of the clone is entirely different from the original, the karma, dharma, interests, motivations, thoughts and actions of the clone will all be different. Wouldn’t these factors eventually reshape the appearance of the clone to reflect what’s happening on the inside? Imagine if a clone of Marilyn Monroe was born at the exact moment Mahatma Gandhi was born. We would have a Marilyn clone body with the astrology chart and dharma of Mahatma Gandhi. All the indications of a great mystic would be in the chart, but the body would resonate to the DNA of a seductive movie star. Or would it?
Jyotisha texts indicate that the moment of conception determines the birth time. This means the astrology of that moment, as well as the pranas, thoughts and feelings of the father and mother all influence the final product of body, mind and soul. Perhaps two horoscopes would apply: that of the original Marilyn would pertain to the karma of the physical body and that of the clone would delineate the inner karma and dharma of the incoming soul. Nevertheless, it’s all very confusing to ponder and would probably be even more so for the clone who had the look of Marilyn and the aspirations of Mahatma Gandhi.