Emotional New Moon with Venus, and the Month Ahead
This Sunday to Monday brings in a dark Moon phase that leads into a new lunar cycle on March 27th (7:57 pm PDT). This powerful cycle will begin with the Sun, Moon, and a retrograde and exalted Venus in Uttara Bhadrapada, a Vedic nakshatra in the middle of sidereal Pisces. This cycle really helps us to navigate life through our feeling nature, coming into close contact with our emotions and desires. The effects of Venus’s motion have been tangible lately, and he will continue to have a strong influence over us in the month to come. This New Moon also leads us into the springtime Navaratri festival, a nine-night festival for celebrating the goddess energy.
Venus’s Powerful Position
Since I’ve been feeling it strongly myself, and have heard strong results from a lot of clients as well, I’ve been dying to ask… How has the exalted and retrograde Venus transit been treating you? The planet of pleasure and relationships moved into his sign of exaltation (Pisces) at the end of January, then took a backwards turn on March 4th and has been making his retrograde transit throughout the month.
His initial entry into Pisces may have made us feel extra romantic (about everything), and perhaps a little over-indulgent in pleasures of all sorts. Did you allow some last few binge-snacking sessions in the rainy season, before getting ready for that spring cleanse you’re planning? Let yourself fall hard for someone a little too quickly? Watch out for following this alignment too far into the depths of your fantasy, as it can also bring up our escapist tendencies.
There’s also a lot of potential growth within this alignment, as we have the opportunity to bring our pleasures and relationships into alignment with our values and highest beliefs. Maybe you dove into the nectarous ocean of devotion instead, one of the higher possibilities of Venus transiting the sign of surrender. It’s also a great time for becoming more aware of your feelings, and your greatest desires, as the planet ruling our happiness swims through the emotional waters of Pisces.
But amidst all this… Venus turned retrograde. While we were feeling so enthused and really enjoying getting carried away a bit by our pleasures, he slowed down, came to a stop, and started moving backwards (from our viewpoint here on earth). All of a sudden we can really see all the problems in our relationships, our indulgent tendencies, and other avenues we use to escape. People from the past may be popping up, and so are the unresolved karmic patterns we carry within us, things that just aren’t working for us in the way we relate with people and pleasure.
Please remember: there is actually a lot of grace here! We can’t move forward towards love, partnership, or other desires without learning to align with and surrender to our hearts and higher power. What is your heart’s deepest desire? You may be able to connect with it while Venus is in Pisces. Jupiter (“Guru”) is the ruler of Pisces, and is shining his bright light onto Venus from sidereal Virgo, directly opposite. The potential for wisdom is here.
Many people are feeling some degree of “retreat” in their relationships, and that’s okay as well. When Venus is retrograde, his power is turned inward. We’re looking inward at the source of our desires, rather than outward for objects of them. It’s okay to take some time to yourself right now. In fact, it might be a really healthy choice if you’re going to use that space constructively to do work on yourself. Self-reflect, self-inquire, feel your feelings, and honor the divine power within you.
Uttara Bhadrapada
The Vedic nakshatra where this New Moon begins with Venus also offers incredible power towards this end. Uttara Bhadrapada is represented by the back half of a bed or a funeral pyre, signifying the potential for us to completely let go and surrender to the divine unknown (ultimately, death). It’s also ruled by the deity called Ahirbudhnya, the celestial serpent. He brings us into closer contact with our deepest emotions and the hidden Kundalini energy. We experienced powerful transformative eclipses aligned with this nakshatra in March and September of 2015, so this may be bringing up some familiar themes from those times.
I’ve noticed that this is an especially potent time for those with natal Venus in Virgo. With natal Venus in Virgo, one’s regular style of approaching happiness and relationships is rather practical and analytical. With Venus transiting Pisces and Uttara Bhadrapada, we are better able to tap into our watery nature, our feelings, and follow those as a pathway to our desires, rather than attempt to follow only rational thinking.
Saturn, Mars, and Mercury
Since Saturn peeked his head into Sagittarius and Moola nakshatra in the end of January, he’s also been compelling us to go deep, and look at what pressures drive us most strongly. We’re examining the source of what makes us want to stand up, work hard, and make commitments. In particular we’re looking what values inform our long-term decision-making process. Saturn’s motion is already slowing down, however, and in the first week of April he’ll be coming to a full stop and beginning retrograde motion on April 5th. This begins a 5-month period of slowing down and internally examining how and why we approach hard work and commitment.
Mars is currently strong in his own sign of Aries, but this can lead to more heated arguments as we try to improve our relationships dynamics — especially with Mercury, the planet of communication, now joining Mars there. With Mercury in Aries we can easily get feisty in conversation, and can tend to jump to quick conclusions in general. With Mars in Bharani nakshatra, however, our actions can assist in the rebirthing process we may be experiencing.
A Heads up for April
The middle of April is a particularly great time to take things slow and schedule in some time for yourself. Between April 9th and 15th, we will have four planets retrograde — Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mercury (retrograde from April 9th through May 3rd). During this time a lot in your life may feel like it’s really slowing down, going backwards, or just not moving forward in the way you want it to. We’ll be rethinking or second-guessing our values, teachings, relationships, work, commitments, and plans. This is a time for inner reflection! Consider scheduling yourself some down time or even a retreat during this week, and avoid planning to start any new ventures.
Later in the month there is a great day coming for new beginnings, on Akshaya Tritiya which falls on April 28th. On this third day of the waxing Moon, both the Sun and the Moon will be in their signs of exaltation — Aries and Taurus, respectively. This is known as the day of “never diminishing,” and any investments or ventures made on this day are likely to lead to successful returns. We’ll still have three planets retrograde, but Venus will have turned direct on the 15th, so we’ll be starting to move forward again with more clarity on how to achieve happiness and harmony.
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The Moon will reach his fullest at 2:27 am Pacific time this Thursday, August 18, 2016. That means that Wednesday night is the time to go out, hoot and holler, play your drums and feel the fullest potential of this lunar cycle. This Full Moon falls across the Vedic nakshatra Dhanishta, “the wealthy” star, which is related to the musical drum. Of course, you might be feeling a little moody, because the Moon is also joining south node Ketu in sidereal Aquarius. It’s not quite a lunar eclipse because the earth’s shadow won’t cover the Moon, but this alignment can bring feelings of disconnection and discontent with your heart and your community.
This full Moon fully launches us into the “eclipse cycle” energy, which you may have been feeling already. We are approaching a solar eclipse on September 1st and a lunar eclipse on September 16th. This is the second eclipse cycle this year with the lunar nodes, Rahu and Ketu, transiting the sidereal Leo-Aquarius axis. This elevates awareness around the internal struggle between self-empowerment and universal service.
What does it look like for you to feel empowered, responsible for your own home, family and creative pursuits? How can you also be generous with that power? How do you balance your personal duties with service to your friends, community and society at large, offering your energy out into the world? We must find a healthy balance between self-love and universal love, and the eclipses help us to see our shadows around these Leonian and Aquarian themes.
These issues have arisen many times throughout the year, especially in March during the last set of eclipses on this axis. We all face this challenge to find balance in a particular area of life, depending on what Leo and Aquarius indicate in your natal Vedic astrology chart (and what other planets are influenced there). At the time of this full Moon, we strive to feel a connection to friends, community and society. Because Ketu is joining the Moon, however, we might feel some resistance or criticism as we open our hearts out into the world.
The Sun illuminates this full Moon from Leo, where he will have just entered. The Sun in Leo helps us to feel more connection to source and our natural divine power. Rahu’s presence here intensifies this, but the shadow planet can also bring illusion and confusion to our quest. We may face many interpersonal struggles this month, as people in general really want their desires and words to dominate at the moment, as Venus and Mercury also join Sun and Rahu in Leo.
This cluster of planets is receiving an aspect from Saturn, joined with Mars, in Scorpio, which adds a lot of pressure to the situation. The Moon also receives an aspect, from Mars, adding fire to our hearts. Saturn (now direct) and Mars are coming closer and closer, and will reach exact conjunction on August 24th. The internal heat and pressure are building fiercely, and we may feel tempted to explode during this portion of the month. Stay cool, and connect with the earth and water elements whenever possible. This alignment also brings a great opportunity to transform, if we channel this energy into perseverance and courage, and reflect it onto ourselves.
Jupiter and Mercury will also be coming head-to-head on the 22nd, in exact conjunction in Virgo, amplifying the struggle between philosophy and practicality. We will feel the need choose between putting beliefs first, or choosing something that makes more sense with our rational minds. Mercury is very strong in Virgo, and our pragmatic side may take charge and deflate our idealistic enthusiasm a bit. Use this energy to bring the light of discernment and impartiality to your beliefs, testing them against your intellect, and to add some inspiration to your life where you usually opt for the logical. At the end of the month, Venus and Jupiter coincide, followed by Venus and Mercury, challenging us with a lot of internal struggles and balancing acts.
All planets except Jupiter are also in fixed signs at the time of this Full Moon, similar to an alignment we experienced around March 8th. Our ability to adapt and be flexible is extremely limited right now. We may feel stuck in many areas of life, during this planetary gridlock. It’s very important to keep up with practices that help us to feel cool, centered and grounded. A disciplined yoga and meditation practice will help you to activate the positive energies of Mars and Saturn, like courage and dedication, and to avoid their more negative potentials, anger and fear.
Jupiter’s recent transit into Virgo offers SOME relief to most of us amidst this mega-lineup of intense, fixed, and shadowy energy. Until recently, Jupiter was also in Leo, amplifying the chaos brought on by Rahu, and magnifying the massive power-plays and ideological wars we felt throughout society. As Jupiter settles fully into Virgo, we will start to feel the the philosophical mood at large shift to a more practical, grounded, and conservative one. Though we may start to feel more Spock-like in general, it will probably be a welcomed relief compared to the firey passion we felt over our beliefs for so long this year with Rahu and Jupiter in Leo. For the next thirteen months as Jupiter transits Virgo, you will feel his expansive influence bring luck, grace, optimism, and flexibility to specific areas in your life. (Find out which areas in the full Jupiter in Virgo Forecast for Your Sign, Here.)
The prosperous nature of Dhanistha nakshatra, where this full Moon falls, does offer us the chance to call in some abundance right now. Some rising signs in particular will feel a boost in good fortune this year with Jupiter’s new position in Virgo. Under the heavy influence of Rahu and Ketu, however, there is a lot of subconscious and psychic energy being stirred by this eclipse cycle. Your opportunity for abundance may be best located in the energetic plane rather than the material. Spiritual practice will help to bring forth spiritual wealth. Service will be an especially useful method to tap into the energy of the Full Moon in Aquarius and fixed planetary energy this week.
Tuesday’s New Moon in sidereal Cancer brings on a new lunar cycle and a month of heavy astrological changes. With the Sun and Moon in the sign of the water snake, Ashlesha, this cycle kicks off with a dark Moon on August 2nd, 2016 at 1:45 pm PDT. Other happenings in August include Saturn finally going direct (after four long months), just in time for a head-on collision with Mars around the 24th. Jupiter is also having a major shift, transiting from sidereal Leo to Virgo, after a year in Leo (and six months joined with Rahu there!)
As the Sun and the Moon meet in the middle of sidereal Cancer we will strongly feel the emotional and feminine energy of Cancer heightened for the coming month. This area of the sky is also known as Aslesha, the Vedic nakshatra that elicits serpent energy and wisdom. Aslesha can be found within the constellation Hydra, the water snake. This month will bring on the energy that will help us to probe into the deep currents of our emotions in order to find what lies coiled within. Compassion and universal love can be found in the deep well-spring of Cancer.
The Vedic deities of Aslesha are the Nagas, the divine serpents of wisdom. This constellation relates to kundalini, and offers the opportunity for us to release some of our dormant potency. This is a great time to check in with your root (muladhara) and sacral (svadhistana) chakras. Feel into these centers, and ask yourself, what lies dormant that is ready to flow or reawaken? This constellation has the power to heighten our intuition and sexuality this month.
The Cancer cycle will also draw our yin energy more into our awareness. Cancer is a feminine water sign ruled by the Moon, and is an archetype for feminine divine energy. As we have begun the descending cycle of the Sun and the days slowly begin to shorten, we can reconnect to our intuitive and feeling nature through Cancer, awakening the wisdom that our receptive channel has to offer. The Dark Moon night of August 1st, in particular, is a great time to withdraw inwardly and nourish the lunar energies. Call on the Moon energy in whatever ways speak to you — a moonlit walk, bath, or meditation, moonstones and pearls, mantra, or an altar to the Moon or the water element. Connecting with the Moon and the water this cycle will help your emotions and intuition to flow, offering valuable insights and helping the heart to open.
It is very important to maintain a solid practice to increase clarity and heighten your perception and discernment this month. The movements of Saturn, Mars and Jupiter will all have some serious impact in mid-August (and that’s just a precursor to the turbulence being brought on by September’s eclipses, yikes!).
Saturn has been in retrograde motion since late March, in sidereal Scorpio, and causing us to do some major re-thinking of our long-term commitments. (If you didn’t yet receive your Free Saturn Retrograde Guide, Download it Here to see how Saturn has affected you this year.) After a grinding period of delay, confusion and hesitation, Saturn will finally be stationing and then going direct on August 13th. This motion offers us the potential to at last commit to one direction and forge ahead with dedication.
Saturn’s direct motion comes just days before Mars finally catches up with him, and the two join in a tight and potentially explosive conjunction in sidereal Scorpio around August 24th. Mars’ passion and impetuousness threaten to destroy whatever firm commitments we have made after Saturn’s retrograde period of uncertainty. Saturn is the planet that helps us to slow down and look at things in perspective of the long-term and the bigger picture, but Mars tells us to listen to our animal instinct and lunge towards wherever it points in the moment. The days surrounding this Mars-Saturn exact conjunction are a time to exercise a lot of patience and discernment, lest we destroy something in haste. This is when that Cancerian energy of compassion and receptivity will come in handy.
Mars can also offer us courage, however, and a warrior spirit, and these may be needed to propel us forward in facing our fears. We may have set some of our responsibilities on the back burner, but we are now ready to engage with Saturn moving direct. Mars in Scorpio offers us the energy of the spiritual warrior, the courage to confront our challenges, and the power to strengthen our emotions where we are the most vulnerable. Through mindful practice, we may be able to harness Mars’ energy for some powerful inner transformation.
The other major planetary shift we will experience this month is Jupiter’s transit into sidereal Virgo, on August 12th. Jupiter has been progressing through Leo for the past year, enlarging our sense of individual power and the power of our beliefs. He brightened our ideals and philosophies, illuminated new ideas, and expanded the area of life indicated by Leo in each person’s individual natal chart.
Since Rahu joined Jupiter there in January, we have seen philosophies and beliefs become radicalized, and often confused and violent, on a large scale throughout society. Though we may still experience this to some degree as long as Rahu remains in Leo (for the next year), the fact that Jupiter is moving on should diminish the intensity of the ideological power-plays at large. With Jupiter in Virgo, philosophy and belief structures will, on the whole, become more practical and grounded. You will also feel some expansion and grace for the next year in the area of your Vedic chart indicated by Virgo.
At the beginning of this lunar cycle, we experience a tight conjunction of Jupiter, Rahu, Mercury and Venus all in Leo. Leo is a powerful fire sign, ruled by the Sun, and is where we tap into our core power and sense of connection with source. Power can be used generously or selfishly, however, and we may feel different sides of ourselves and various people in our lives trying to assert dominance this month. This will be felt throughout August, wherein we will have up to five planets in Leo on any given day.
Call forth the compassionate, watery, and loving Moon energy of Cancer as we begin this new Moon cycle, and try to carry this with you throughout the month. Harness the intuitive potential of Aslesha nakshatra and let your insight guide you through the bumpy days ahead. Oh yeah … and don’t miss the beauty of the Perseid meteor showers, brightest around August 11-12!
May all beings find peace and happiness.
Be sure to Follow Me and join the email list to make sure you get the upcoming Free Jupiter-in-Virgo Forecast for your sign. With all the powerful alignments, movements, and upcoming eclipses, this is a popular time to receive a personal Vedic Astrology reading (limited readings are available, on a first-come first-serve basis).
Feeling a bit overstimulated? We now have Mercury, Sun and Venus in Gemini. This makes for an active mind and body, looking in many directions at once to satisfy curiosity and desire. This abundance of vata can lead to physical or mental fatigue. Consider connecting with the earth and water elements to create some balance, while we have 7 out of 9 planets in air & fire signs. This will feel especially soothing to the heart today as Moon transits Pisces and is aspected by Jupiter (joined Rahu in Leo).
The Full Moon on May 21st gives the power to explode, or to transform (Vedic Astrology). The Moon will be full in sidereal Scorpio, where we are compelled to strengthen our emotions and embrace transformation, rather than cling to material stability. Things could be extra volatile because Mars and Saturn are joining this full Moon, which peaks at 2:15 p.m PDT on Saturday (the brightest full waxing Moon will be Friday night).
This lunar cycle began with the Sun in sidereal Aries, where we feel most empowered and sure of ourselves. We were ready to birth our visions into the world. Since then, Sun has transited into Taurus, a sign where we seek to solidify our strength by getting grounded and relying on stable material structures around us. But the full Moon will be opposite Taurus, in the most emotionally vulnerable sign, Scorpio. In contrast to our quest for stability, we are reminded of our vulnerability and impermanence. We are challenged to embrace the flow of change and allow ourselves to transform as we step up to meet the evolving world around us.
This full Moon will feel especially intense on the emotions, because Moon is also joining firey retrograde Mars (very closely), and onerous retrograde Saturn. The conjunction of Mars with the Moon makes a potentially explosive situation for our hearts and minds. His fire elicits our anger, passion, jealousy, and our courageous warrior-like nature.
This could result in intense feelings of passion or rage, perhaps with a few emotional outbursts, but the Martian fire is also the element that aids in digestion and transformation. Instead of exploding outwardly, we have the opportunity to harness this fire and use it to process and digest the changes that have been taking place in our lives. It’s a conscious choice… let your mind find fault and anger towards others, and the outer situation, or, summon your inner warrior and use that strength grow and adapt.
The full Moon joins retrograde Saturn, also in Scorpio. We are in the middle of a 2.5-year-long process of transformation with his transit here. The pressure is on to re-evaluate our long-term goals, especially around our spiritual growth and material attachments. Whichever house is in sidereal Scorpio in your chart, this is the area of life where you have been facing the most change this past year. This full Moon highlights this transformation process, as you are beginning to follow a new long-term direction in that area of your life. Saturn’s presence here forces us to face our fears, while Mars offers us the strength to withstand and digest them.
The full Moon falls in the Vedic nakshatra Anuradha, at the beginning of Scorpio. This is a constellation of friendship and success, whose deity is Mitra, meaning “friend.” Its symbol is a lotus flower, or a staff, which its three stars resemble in the sky. Both of these symbols signify the ability to overcome a challenge despite opposition. The lotus reminds us that even amidst the muck of emotional disturbance, we still have the potential to access our most pure, beautiful sattvic nature, and rise towards the light. This will be important to remember while the Moon is sandwiched in between Mars and Saturn from Saturday through Sunday afternoon (Americas).
There’s some good news! After the full Moon, Mercury will be going direct again and out of retrograde. (Phew!) Making plans and having clear communications should get a little easier.
With Jupiter (now direct) and Rahu still close in sidereal Leo, zealous fervor continues at large, and radical beliefs are on the forefront for many. Once Jupiter moves on to Virgo in August, philosophical beliefs and debates will begin to sound more practical (hopefully). Right now they are really extreme and are fueling the quest for personal power. The balance between personal power and universal service will continue to be a widespread theme as long as Rahu transits Leo, through next summer.
We may be feeling a little self-centered in our power on this full Moon, because Venus is now very close to the Sun (combust) over the next several weeks. Our ability to compromise, offered by Venus, may be burnt up so close to the hot rays of the Sun, which could put relationships at odds. On the other hand, the purification and illumination offered by the Sun could help us to elevate our petty desires into higher ones that allow us to connect with universal spirit.
Meditation and self-inquiry help us to access the higher lessons that the planets have to offer. Take the opportunity to digest some emotions and embrace transformation on this full Moon, and unleash your spiritual warrior to help you ride the waves of change.
Friday, May 6th, 2016 brings the new Moon in Bharani nakshatra, the womb star, a portal of life and death. Bharani is one of the 27 divisions of the sky visited by the Moon each lunar cycle, and is known as “the bearer.” Its symbol is the yoni (the female reproductive organs), and its deity is Lord Yama, the god of death. This star brings the strong potential for death and rebirth this lunar cycle. (Side note… any Game of Thrones fans?) The dark Moon night is Thursday in most places, and is an excellent time to contemplate what in your life is ready for its death, or composting, and what seeds you are ready to nurture with your energetic womb medicine.
The new cycle begins at 12:29 P.D.T. on Friday, with Sun, Moon, and Venus all in Bharani nakshatra, which falls in the middle of sidereal Aries. This will bring out our creative and nurturing energy, as well as our sexuality and passion. Mars’ influence on Aries makes this is a very willful nakshatra, which will make us very headstrong this month. It also brings the courage and the will to purify ourselves and follow our hearts. Now is the time to birth your passions into being, and nurture what you want to see grow this season.
Bharani is also known as the “star of restraint,” due to Yama’s influence. “The bearer” is both the one who creates and nurtures, and the one who endures or bears hardships. Lord Yama relates to death as well as to spiritual discipline, which we often choose to undertake when the awareness of our ultimate death dawns in our consciousness. This is an excellent time to adopt and endure some self-discipline aimed at self-purification, as part of the process of nurturing your goals and creations.
You could synthesize these energies of Bharani by designing a new sadhana practice for yourself to support your goals, especially one that includes yogic regimens of self-restraint, such as a cleansing diet or a new exercise routine. With Sun exalted in Aries, we are compelled to purify ourselves, using Mars’ courageous energy to strengthen our health and our connection with source. It’s not too late for a spring cleanse (you may actually have more impetus to do one now than before). With Sun in Aries, we remember our inherent strength and connection, and our power to share that light by putting it into action. Aries gives us the courage to step into our power and shine our brightest.
Since Jupiter and Rahu are both still in the Sun’s sign of Leo, this also adds potency to the heated ideological debates still happening in the U.S. political campaign. Jupiter directs his aspect onto Sun, Moon, Venus, and retrograde Mercury, all in Aries on this new Moon. Don’t be surprised if some of the passions being birthed right now are sprung from extremist philosophical convictions. Because Jupiter is retrograde, many people have recently had a change of heart around their belief systems, and because Rahu is joining him, many of the philosophies recently adopted are radical and revolutionary.
Saturn and Mars are also both in retrograde motion, joined in sidereal Scorpio. This has been causing more than a few disruptions, and has shaken us into awareness of our fragility and the sudden changes that seem to keep happening throughout life. Since this is the 8th house from this new Moon in Aries, this just adds to the transformative energy for death and rebirth offered in this cycle.
Mars and Saturn will be joined in Scorpio through most of the summer, which is an unusually long conjunction for these two planets. It could be challenging, as both Saturn and Mars help to teach us the hard lessons in life. This Saturn retrograde transit is showing us where in life are reevaluating our long-term goals, and Mars adds the explosive fire of transformation to this process.
Last but not least, Mercury is also in retrograde motion, and joins Sun, Moon and Venus in Aries on this new Moon. This means we have the chance to go back and finish some communication or correspondence that was not yet finalized. On the other hand, it can also mean that some of your Mercurial efforts get a bit jumbled or delayed (missed appointments or overlooked messages). If that’s the case, try to tap into the patience that retrograde Saturn is trying to teach (after all it’s only 3 more weeks). You can bring forward the best that these planets have to offer, by engaging in quiet meditation or service for Saturn, and self-discipline for #Mars. This can help you to replace fear, anxiety and anger with wisdom and courage.
To help you understand how this awesome lineup of planets is affecting your chart, I’m offering personal Vedic astrology chart readings with an extra emphasis on the retrograde planets’ effects in your life.
