by Somya Devi | Mar 23, 2015 | Astrology, Holy Days, Planets Changing Signs
Today Mars moved into sidereal Aries, the Cardinal Fire sign it rules. Aries expresses the masculine, or extroverted, nature of Mars, so it is likely we will feel a lot of impetus to send our energies outward and start new projects in the world in the coming weeks. Mars gives us warrior strength, will, and energy, but also strong opinions and a stubborn ego at times. You may find yourself encountering potential anger or arguments over principles that feel very black-and-white to you. Try to slow down and consider the affects before acting or arguing, even though you may be feeling very impulsive. We are still in an eclipse period, so with all the subconscious and emotional matter that is getting stirred up to the surface, make sure to align your energetic pursuits with what is really serving. This alignment does bring a strength that will support the new endeavors we aspire to accomplish this year, but planets in Aries do not change direction easily, so be aware that whatever propulsion you set yourself into may be the one you follow for a while. It’s a good time to get exercising again, or to call in discipline to your yogic pursuits.
Mars is now aspecting retrograde Jupiter and Saturn from his new position. This could give a boost of energy to how you are processing our studies and philosophies (retrograde Jupiter), so also watch out for getting argumentative over these, fighting with teachers, or the complete destruction of principles you have held close in the past but have reconsidered lately. If this is truly for your highest good, the energy could be a great service, as we are in the final two weeks of Jupiter’s retrograde course, and may be finalizing the expulsion of bad ideas in our philosophical reanalysis. Try to take things as slowly as possible, however, before destroying something in a moment of passion.
Mars is now both aspecting and ruling Saturn, who is retrograde in Scorpio. Saturn’s position here is giving us a sense of responsibility and commitment to facing deep fears and hidden parts of ourselves. Mars’ position in Aries will activate this process even more, bringing energy and willingness to that sense of commitment. It could be a good time to start practices that empower this process, like trauma release exercises and ones to deconstruct limiting beliefs. Saturn is in the nakshatra Anuradha, which supports exploring our sensitivities and also seeking cooperation in friendships.
This is important especially because Mars is joining Venus here in Aries, which could present a dichotomy of conflict within us. Venus is the planet of compromise, and agreeability, while Mars works to support our personal survival and instincts with an animalistic tendency. Venus in Aries has trouble compromising, therefore, and we may have been noticing this since his movement here from Pisces on the 12th. It can bring up passionate feelings about whether our compromises are fair or not. With Mars joining this already high-strung Venus, take extra care with your relationships. Use Mars’ rulership of and aspect on Saturn in Scorpio to turn that fervor inward. Mars and Venus are with the Moon in Aries until tonight, so we may feel this dichotomy especially intensely in our emotional bodies today. Mars’ new position will have more specific effects on the houses it is influencing in your individual chart, and the themes they represent in your life.
Today is also the fourth day of Navaratri, so we turn our celebration and worship to the goddess Laxmi, the embodiment of spiritual and material prosperity. Worshiping her qualities such as happiness, grace, wisdom, devotion, and purity, can help bring these about. This will support the higher potential of Mars, which is the strength and courage to be disciplined with ourselves and our inner and outer energies, rather than reckless like a wild animal. Laxmi’s four hands represents the four objects of human pursuit in life (the Purusharthas)–dharma, artha, kama, and moksha (living a truthful life, material prosperity, happiness, and spiritual liberation). Use Mars’ energy to strengthen your yogic objectives as you give homage to the goddess, pursuing a harmonious existence.
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by Somya Devi | Mar 22, 2015 | Astrology, Holy Days
Today is World Water Day! All over the globe we are coming together to honor the earth’s waters and the water element. We especially bring our awareness to water in her physical form, the rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans, and the rains and groundwaters that support our life here on the planet. A synchronized prayer for water is intended for 6pm PST. We call in the rains to nourish the earth and cleanse all that needs to be washed away. This is a good day to practice water conservation through shorter showers, remembering that much of the world’s population does not even have the abundance of water that an average shower takes for their whole day’s supply. You may find a local group performing a cleanup of rivers, lakes or beaches, to offer some energy back to the sacred waters. This is especially potent added to the current astrology climate, where we just experienced a Solar Eclipse in Pisces on Friday. This was in the nakshatra Uttara Bhadrapada, which, like Pisces, relates to the deep emotional waters within us. Much has been churned up to the surface, so offering our prayers to this element will help smooth the fluidity of cleansing. We are also on the third day of Navaratri, the Hindu festival to the supreme goddess, Devi. Water is considered a feminine element as it relates to the emotions, and in Hinduism is embodied in the form of the goddess, Ganga. She is the personification of the holy river Ganges, considered to have the power to cleanse all impurities from the mind of the spiritual seeker. All waters on earth, especially those in which we offer our prayers, are considered extensions of Ganga. The water element is also represented by the concept of Soma, which refers to the mind and the feminine moon, and the cool, purifying liquid that descends during meditation creating a state of bliss. (This is the counterpart to Agni, the fire element relating to the Sun which rises from the root.) Today, give homage to the water element and the goddess to allow those cooling energies to sooth and nourish all life on earth, both internally and externally. Om Gam Gangaye Namaha
by Somya Devi | Mar 21, 2015 | Astrology, Holy Days
Happy Navaratri! Today begins the Hindu holiday of the “Nine Nights” that celebrate Devi, the Divine Mother Goddess, in her many forms. Two major Navaratri celebrations happen each year with the change of seasons, in March/April, bringing in the spring, and in September/October, celebrating the harvest and preparing for winter. This Navaratri begins on the first day of the lunar month Chaitra, the first month of the Vedic calendar year. The goddess represents the “Shakti” or divine energy that is the vehicle through which we experience life in order to know “Shiva,” representing the divine consciousness behind it all, and so we celebrate her. For three nights each we worship the goddess in the forms of Durga, Laxmi, and Sarasvati. These goddesses represent the stages we must go through on our spiritual journey to reach the state of pure consciousness bliss. Durga is often known as the “demon-slayer.” This symbolizes the demons or negative tendencies of our minds that we must destroy in order to move forward in life with peace in the heart and mind, as well as the external obstacles we must overcome. Laxmi is known as the goddess of wealth or prosperity. This represents not just material wealth, but a spiritual wealth we seek to acquire in the form of virtues, or positive qualities, like compassion and devotion. Sarasvati, riding a swan, the highest-flying bird and vehicle for prana (the breath and life force that sustains us), represents the higher knowledge that can be attained after we purify ourselves, as well as all kinds of knowledge that we study and practice in our service. The divine truth realized through these three (through different forms of spiritual practice) is indeed the peace and oneness of pure consciousness bliss. Navaratri is a good time to practice yoga, meditation, and rituals to bring about divine-mother qualities in ourselves and in the world. Especially with the chaotic energies that are accompanying the solar eclipse of today, focusing on spiritual practices and mindfulness is especially important in the coming days. Allow the demons to be destroyed, and call upon your higher qualities to attain peace and lightness within yourself, and then let it spread to others so all of creation can be uplifted in harmony.
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