by Somya Devi | Mar 29, 2018 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Holy Days, Retrograde
The Moon waxes toward fullness with the Full Moon in Virgo this Friday night, with the Moon coming fully opposite the Sun on March 31st, at 5:37 am PST. The full Moon culminates at 16° sidereal Virgo. There’s a screenshot below from an astronomy app to show you where you can identify the Moon this Friday night into Saturday morning. This part of the ecliptic is associated with the Vedic nakshatra called Hasta, the hand, which can be identified around the constellation Corvus, just below Virgo.
Full Moon in Virgo
We began this lunar cycle with Sun and Moon together in Pisces, driving our consciousness towards its deep waters, fishing out the dreams that lay buried, as we vision what is most important to us in the coming months. With the Moon now opposite Pisces, in Virgo, we can bring our consciousness out of the ethers and more fully into our bodies, as the Moon is illuminated in this grounded earth sign. Both Virgo and Pisces are dual-nature signs, providing the flexibility for us to shift things around when necessary, and to root down and stay put when there is work to be done.
The fertile, feminine earth sign of Virgo is a perfect place to plant the seeds of our lives for the coming season. Virgo draws our focus and attention to what work we can do in the material plane, helping us to look at the details that we will need to manage in order to fulfill the hopes and dreams that have arisen. Ruled by Mercury, the planet of the intellect, Virgo’s full Moon assists in analyzing what it will take to bring our inspiration into manifested form.
Hasta
The Vedic nakshatra where this Full Moon lies is especially handy in guiding us on how to craft our dreams into realities. Hasta, known as “the hand,” correlates with the middle degrees of Virgo, and symbolizes all that we do with our hands, or our handiness. There is a power here for creating, and any skill that takes a certain amount of dexterity, whether physical or mental. Under this full Moon, call on the power of the divine hands to enter you and help you to mold your creations into being.
Saturn-Mars War
Just hours after this full Moon, Mars approaches Saturn so closely that the two will be within one degree, and in a planetary war, through April 4th. As this happens, the areas of life ruled by both Mars and Saturn in your chart could be under duress this week. Their exact conjunction is around 8:28 am PST on April 2nd. In general, our impulsive instincts could feel at war with our patience and ability to stand strong in our commitments, with Mars coming through slightly brighter in his appearance.
Mercury Retrograde, Debilitated, and Combust
Our Mercurial nature (and those ruled by Mercury) could also be feeling challenged this weekend, with Mercury highly combust (within 3° of the Sun) from Saturday through Monday. This is while he is already in apparent retrograde motion, and traveling through his sign of debilitation, Pisces. In this scenario, our pragmatic nature, sense of humor, and ability to communicate may all seem a little bit lost in the current. Remember this when you’re going over your facts and details, and don’t let hopes and desires skew your analytical ability (watch those generous tax deductions you may be taking). Mercury will be retrograde all the way through April 15th, so after this weekend there’s a good chance to check over some of your numbers again… though he won’t move out of the optimistic Pisces until May 9th.
Hanuman Jayanti (and other holidays)
The purnima Full Moon phase this month indicates Hanuman Jayanti in the Hindu festival calendar, the celebration of the birth of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman embodies the highest form of devotion, and shows us the incredible strength that emerges from within when we practice great faith, humility, and service. In addition to traditional pujas (prayer ceremony), you can chant, sing, meditate, and especially, find some way to be of service, in order to honor Hanuman on this full Moon. The most fitting mantra/song is the Hanuman Chaleesa.
Marked by the first full Moon after the spring Equinox, this full moon marks the weekend for Easter and Passover as well, which are also determined by the lunar calendar.
Jai Jai Jai Hanuman!
And in case you missed it, Jupiter is now retrograde, and your sign’s free forecast is available HERE.
Be sure to follow me and join the mailing list to stay up-to-date with Vedic astrology news and offers!
by Somya Devi | Mar 15, 2018 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Planets Changing Signs, Retrograde
New Moon in Pisces
This Saturday the Sun and Moon join in Pisces to begin a new lunar cycle, at exactly 6:12 a.m. PDT on March 17th. They coincide in Purva Bhadrapada nakshatra, the Vedic star-sign that bridges Aquarius and Pisces. This is truly a turning point in the zodiac, and in the year, as we really start to feel the ices of winter melting away, and the rains of spring washing out the old and nourishing the earth for a new cycle of life to begin.
Pisces
Pisces is the natural twelfth sign, a place where we complete a cycle, having gone through all the stages of it from beginning to end. Pisces is a sattvic (pure) sign ruled by Jupiter, which guides us towards the highest form of letting go and facing an ending — surrender to a higher power or purpose. It is also a water sign, which brings forward our emotional intuition. It has to do with the most ethereal planes of our existence, awakening the dream world and the subconscious.
This month could really help you to tap into your subconscious landscape and creative potential. The atmosphere is ripe for deepening our intuition and cleansing energetic impurities. Though it is a place of endings, the twelfth sign also relates to the pre-natal state, coming before the first sign of Aries where physical manifestation takes place. Through a practice of meditation, a trance state, or conscious inward investigation, now is a time to discover what lies below the surface and is ready to be birthed during the coming season.
Purva Bhadrapada
The new lunar cycle begins under the nakshatra Purva Bhadrapada, a sign that bridges Aquarius and Pisces and has to do with the fires of purification (specifically, the funeral cot, where our physical body is burnt away and we truly merge back into spirit). As we approach the spring and summer, the times for heightened activity where we put our goals and dreams into action, we may first need to burn away the last remnants of the previous cycle. As we approach the Aries cycle, which comes next, this new Moon is a great time to cleanse and purify ourselves, especially energetically or spiritually, and let go of what we no longer need so we have our full strength available for the next journey.
Venus & Mercury
Venus and Mercury are both joining the Sun and Moon in Pisces as we begin this lunar cycle. We will experience their influences as the tone is set for the coming month. With Venus exalted in Pisces, we have an opportunity to purify our desires, and bring them into alignment with our higher principles and purpose. With Mercury neecha bhanga (debilitated, but modified by its conjunction with exalted Venus), our intellect and reasoning ability can also help us towards this goal.
Mercury is slowing down at the moment, however, and Mercury and Venus will enter into another planetary war on Sunday the 18th, through the 20th, while they travel within one degree of each other. Both the intellect and the pleasure-center can feel a bit fatigued during this occurrence, though Venus and the desire body are likely to come out stronger due to Venus’ brightness. Mercury will reverse course and go into retrograde motion on March 22nd, through April 15th.
Saturn & Mars
Saturn and Mars are currently in conjunction, transiting the same sign of Sagittarius. There can be an internal discomfort when this happens, as Mars, the planet of impulse and action, approaches Saturn, the slow giant who gives us patience and commitment. It can feel like the gas and the breaks are going at the same time (especially if you are Vedic Sagittarius rising or have prominent planets here). Moreover, the four areas of your life ruled by Saturn and Mars in the natal chart could be in noticeable conflict this month, especially when the two enter a planetary war on March 31st that will last through April 4th.
Jupiter Retrograde
Jupiter has appeared to be at a near stand-still the last few weeks, stationing completely in early 29° sidereal Libra, and entering retrograde motion on March 8th. Since Jupiter entered the sign of balance and relationships in September of last year, we have seen wide-spread philosophical attention on gender equality. The full stop coincided with International Women’s Day, when many women made a stand by stepping out of the workforce temporarily.
These weeks have also had a lot of slowing-down and renegotiating the balance of power in the education field, as teachers and students alike have walked out in protests for justice. Jupiter is the ruler of this field, and coming to a stop in the sign of balance, then turning around, could lead us to see some major changes here.
In your personal life, Jupiter retrograde may lead to things slowing down or reversing in the areas of life ruled by Jupiter in your personal natal chart. Full forecast and personal readings available here.
Equinox
The vernal equinox will fall on March 20th this year, when we will have equal hours of night and day all over the world. The northern hemisphere enters the warmer half of the year, while the southern hemisphere enters the colder. The life cycle is waxing in the north and waning in the south, yet at the time there is an evenness that spreads across the globe.
This equinox occurs during the Pisces Sun cycle, calling upon us to really rise and embrace a higher principle, to awaken to spirit and universal equality, and detach from mundane details and differences. Many people think of the spring equinox as Aries time, which it is the marker of in Western astrology and the tropical zodiac. In the astronomical/sidereal zodiac, however, the Sun is still at 5° Pisces during the equinox (see screenshot from Cosmic Watch app). This is due to what is called the precession of the equinoxes, whereby the wobble of the earth has caused our perspective of the zodiac to shift ever so slightly over thousands of years, and thus the spring equinox now occurs with Sun in Pisces.
On this New Moon in Pisces, embrace the opportunity to let go, cleanse, and purify, before the oncoming season of action is upon us.
by Somya Devi | Mar 7, 2018 | Astrology, Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde Begins:
Hold-Ups in Education and Movements for Equality
For the last several weeks, Jupiter has been slowing down as he approached the last degrees of sidereal Libra. He is now at a near-full stop, around 29° Libra, and will begin the slow back-up into retrograde motion tomorrow, March 8th. The change technically happens at 8:04 pm, PST, but from our perspective here on Earth, Jupiter will appear pretty much at a stand-still all week. As the planet of teaching and philosophy is stationary in the sign of balance and harmony, we are seeing movements across the world where people are stopping their work in protest for more equality — from students and teachers’ unions to women at large, as March 8th also coincides with International Women’s Day.
Jupiter in Libra
First of all, if you’re saying “Libra, I thought Jupiter was in Scorpio?,” I’m referring to sidereal Libra, meaning that Jupiter appears to be aligned with Libra constellation as we see it from Earth. You can see Jupiter rising in the west between 11 – 11:30 pm PST this week, and tonight you can see both Jupiter and the Moon close together around the Libra-Scorpio juncture. Here is a screen-shot from a new astronomy app that I’ve been using called Cosmic Watch, showing a map of the sky at around 11:30 pm on March 8th. Vedic astrologers typically use the sidereal zodiac, which is true to the astronomical zodiac that we see from Earth.
Libra is called “Tula” in Sanskrit, which literally means balance, or scale. In both the east and west this constellation was seen as such, and perceived as a place with the energy potential to measure and harmonize. Before finding balance in a situation, however, we often come face-to-face with some major imbalances in Libra. With Jupiter, the planet of philosophy, belief, and inspiration, transiting here since last September, we have seen increasing movements for equality across the globe, even more so than in recent years.
Balance for the Sexes
Ruled by Venus, and naturally the 7th sign, Libra’s energy has a lot to do with relationships and sexuality, and finding balance therein especially. In October, shortly after Jupiter’s transit here began, the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment news broke, propelling an onslaught of further allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination across Hollywood and other industries.
The revelations became a movement, inspiring and empowering women to bring light to the inequality, sparking a worldwide crusade to abolish decades (and centuries) of imbalance between the sexes. Jyotish is all about light, and when the light of the Sun shines on Jupiter, in Libra, philosophy at large becomes oriented towards the concept of balance.
Balance for Teachers
Jupiter is also the planet of teaching, learning and education, being called “guru” in Sanskrit. As Jupiter has been slowing to a stop in recent weeks, we have seen those in the very profession of teaching literally stopping their work, in a movement for more balance and inequality in their salaries and benefits. Guinea, Argentina, Great Britain, and West Virginia teachers have held strikes that received worldwide attention, and in some cases have already resulted in a positive balancing of equity.
Jupiter Stationary
As Jupiter grinds to a stop this week, a lot of attention in the news has been focused on the imbalances in the education profession, and the teachers themselves have been stopping work in protest. Though some movements are over, Oklahoma and Kentucky may soon follow suit, and Britain’s university professors’ strike will continue through next week, during this stationary-retrograde movement of Jupiter.
On March 8th itself, the very day that Jupiter is completely stopped, and shifts from direct to retrograde motion, it will also be International Women’s Day. Across the world, protests and marches of women are planned, including many walk-outs from the workforce, to show the world what it would be like without women. This halt is in hopes of balancing the gender gap (the lower pay that women receive systemically) and the treatment of women in the workplace.
Following the mass shooting in Florida last month, students across the country have also been stopping their work in protest for more rights and equality, and perhaps even more simply for the right to feel safe and happy (as Venus is also the planet of happiness). A large school walk-out took place yesterday in Baltimore, and a nationwide march is being planned for March 14th, when students will “March for Our Lives” in a movement to evolve gun legislation to make schools safer.
Jupiter Retrograde
Jupiter will continue his retrograde motion through July 10th of this year, and during this time we may see a lot of re-balancing happening in the world of education and philosophy. The women’s equality movement has been growing steadily over the last few years, and now is a time where we could see a major paradigm shift in the widespread mentality take hold with firmer grip.
In education, President Trump has suggested arming teachers, attempting a strange kind of re-balancing that has received little support so far. I think that the recent movements by teachers will continue strongly this summer as the education system attempts to balance itself in a changing world.
On a personal level, we may all be experiencing some backtracking and re-thinking of personal philosophies during this Jupiter Retrograde period, including personal, political, and even spiritual viewpoints. With Jupiter appearing to move backward there is a chance to scrutinize our beliefs, seeing where there is room for re-balancing ideas within ourselves, and perhaps moving forward in slightly new directions when Jupiter begins his direct motion again in the fall. Re-thinking one’s direction in the learning arena is also possible during this time, with many new ventures in education possible this year.
Forecast for Your Vedic Rising Sign
Even more specifically, Jupiter’s stationary and retrograde motion may cause a current slow-down (or halt) and some heavy reconsideration and change of direction between now through October, in the two specific areas of life ruled by Jupiter in your personal Vedic natal chart. These are the areas to watch for changes during Jupiter Retrograde, based on your personal Vedic rising sign
Aries — education, higher philosophy, relationships with teachers; your habits around isolation, escapism, foreign travel, meditation
Taurus — how you deal with loss & change, secrets, and the mystic side of life; friends, community, income, social standing
Gemini — relationships, especially romantic partners, sexuality, and your general tendencies with compromise; work and career
Cancer — how you deal with hard work, daily duties, pets, and people who challenge you; higher education & philosophy, relationships with teachers
Leo — your creative expression, passions, and children; ways you deal with loss & change, secrets, and the mystic side of life
Virgo — your home, sanctuary, vehicles, real estate, or mother; your relationships, partners, and how you work with others
Libra — your hobbies, interests, siblings, and gut instinct; issues of hard work, daily duties, pets, and people who challenge you
Scorpio — your money, possessions, immediate family; children, creativity, and passions
Sagittarius — your health, sense of self/identity, and individuality; your home, vehicles, mother, or real estate
Capricorn — your tendencies around solitude, isolation, escapism, meditation, or foreign travel; your hobbies, interests, siblings, and gut instinct
Aquarius — your friends, community groups, income, social standing
Pisces — your work & career, and your individuality, health, or sense of self/identity
You may find yourself stuck, or backtracking, but then hopefully evolving, in these areas of life during Jupiter’s retrograde transit of Libra, now through October. Because Jupiter is in Libra, there is a particular opportunity for you to bring more balance into your life in these areas this year.
Personal Jupiter Readings are available to help you see deeper into your chart and life at this time.
by Somya Devi | Feb 26, 2018 | Conjunctions, Planets Changing Signs, Retrograde
Full Moon with the Power of Pleasure
This month’s Full Moon will peak in Leo on Thursday, March 1st, at 4:51 pm PST, near the bright star Regulus. It falls in the Vedic nakshatra called Purva Phalguni, a star-sign related to rest, relaxation, and pleasure, ruled by Bhagha, the god of wealth and marriage.
Aquarius-Leo Contrast
In contrast to the austerity of the Shivaratri new Moon where we began this lunar cycle, the full Moon here bestows the gifts of power, pleasure, and spiritual wealth that come to us based on our merit. Meditation and yogic practices lead to spiritual abundance, just as doing good works and service to the world helps with material happiness.
The Aquarius cycle which began just after Shivaratri has oriented us towards self-sacrifice, and focusing our energy on service to something greater than ourselves. In contrast, the full Moon in Leo illuminates the potential for personal power and prosperity. The lesson of Leo, however, is to use this energy generously, sharing it with those around us, not hoarding it greedily. The nature of the Sun is sattvic, and the true potential of Leo is to purify ourselves and then share our divine light with others. Like the Leonian archetype of the King or the father, one with power is meant to take care of those around him to create happiness for everyone, not only himself.
Purva Phalguni
Purva Phalguni is the second of three nakshatras that span Leo constellation. The first is Magha, “the mighty,” which is all about strength, power, and achievement, symbolized by the throne. After having reached the throne, we may become a bit more carefree and take some time to rest and enjoy life in Purva Phalguni. Enhanced by Venus’ influence, this nakshatra is a place where we seek beauty, luxury, and sexual passion. The full Moon here reminds us of the need for rest and relaxation, after the hard work that has led us to our achievements. Its symbol is a swinging hammock.
The ruling deity here is Bhaga, the god of wealth, marriage, and delight. Similar to Lakshmi, he bestows both material as well as spiritual prosperity. He is said to be blind, sharing this wealth with people of all walks of life. The fruits we receive are based on our merit from past actions, whereby good deeds and spiritual practices yield the most.
Venus
Link to Personal Venus Reading
The planet of pleasure has a very strong influence this month. We begin the lunar cycle with Venus making a full aspect onto the Moon from his position in Aquarius (joined Sun and Mercury), enhancing our pleasure-seeking nature. A few hours after the full Moon, Venus will transit into Pisces, his sign of exaltation, where he’ll travel through March 25th. With Venus in Pisces, our desire-nature feels enhanced and more given to wild-abandon, in the free-flowing, other-worldly water sign. If you have tendencies towards over-indulgence or addiction, now is a time to watch these closely. At the same time, the exalted potential of Venus in Pisces is for us to allow our desires to evolve into desires that align with our highest principles, or the divine will itself.
On Friday March 2nd, Mercury creeps into Pisces as well, and will be close enough to Venus to begin a planetary war that will last through the early morning on Tuesday. With practical Mercury debilitated and at war with Venus, you’re likely to experience “heart” winning out over “head” for a few days. After they separate more on the 6th, Mercury may benefit more from his neecha bangha position (wherein his debilitation is modified by joining exalted Venus). At that time, the beauty-seeking nature of the Venus may support Mercury as he navigates the impractical waters of Pisces, where he is normally less comfortable.
The Nodes
As we move away from the eclipse period, we have also moved out of the heavy nodal influence caused by ongoing kala sarpa alignments. When Venus moved into Aquarius on February 5th, he broke the cycle that has continued for half the month since August. We now have the slower-moving planets on one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis, and the faster-moving ones on the other side, so no more kala sarpa cycles are possible until late July.
Jupiter Retrograde
Jupiter will come to a stop on March 8th before beginning retrograde motion through October 11th. Whatever Jupiter influences in your life may seem to slow down and back up, and call for a lot of reflection through this time. In general, we could all have some second thoughts on education, teachers, or principles while Jupiter is in retrograde motion.
Lessons in Love
With the prominent influences of Venus and Bhaga on this Full Moon, this is a time to really explore your relationship with the planet of desire. Depending on how Venus functions in your natal chart, there is a certain way that he acts through you in general. For some people, an intelligent Venus helps them to make good compromises in relationships, have a lovely aesthetic or artistic ability, and healthy boundaries around sensual pleasures. If Venus is afflicted, it can cause tendencies to overindulge in these things, or have issues around boundaries, relationships, or luxury. Venus also influences two particular arenas in your life, as per your rising sign. Now is a good time to study yourself and your chart to see how your desire-nature arises, and to work on improving your relationship with Venus.
This month only I’m offering personal focused Venus readings, available here.
You can also get a full life course reading to understand even more about your life from the chart.
by Somya Devi | Feb 12, 2018 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Eclipses, Holy Days
The planetary energy is all focused around Aquarius right now, as Sun and Moon join both Venus and Mercury there on Wednesday night, a dark Moon night that will bring in a new lunar cycle as well as a partial solar eclipse. The three outer planets, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, all cast their gazes on this eclipse through their respective aspects onto Aquarius. The nodes, Rahu and Ketu, influence this New Moon via their eclipsing affect (though they are still transiting the Cancer-Capricorn axis).
The exact time of the New Moon in Aquarius will be at 1:05 pm PST, on Thursday, February 15th. The Moon and Sun will converge in Dhanishta nakshatra at this time, which is the sign of “the wealthy,” showing us our potential to thrive in life, and also associated with music and the steady beat of the cosmic drum. A partial solar eclipse occurs simultaneously, though mostly visible only from Antarctica, from 10:55 am to 2:47 pm PST (18:55 to 22:47 UT), peaking at 12:51 pm PST (20:51 UT).
Aquarius Cycle
With so much energy converging around Aquarius, this eclipse and the coming month will draw our focus towards something larger than ourselves—the greater good, and our potential to create thriving communities around us. Aquarius is ruled by the planet Saturn, who makes us think about the long-term, the bigger picture, and the commitments and hard work that are needed to take us to our goals. As the active, yang, or masculine expression of Saturn, Aquarius is where we are willing to move our efforts outwards, towards long-term goals that affect the world around us. Under an Aquarian mindset we become willing to work for social equality, planetary and even universal harmony. Community values become more important than the individual, and we find ourselves happy to become part of and of service to a greater cause.
Dhanishta
Under Dhanishta nakshatra, the Vedic constellation within Aquarius where this New Moon occurs, we strive to step into beat with the cosmic rhythm. The symbol for this nakshatra, “the wealthiest,” is the drum, often associated with the damaru (hand-drum) of Nataraj, Shiva in the form of the cosmic dancer. There is a universal rhythm that plays through, behind, and around our existence, that goes beyond our individual desire to forge our own path and dance to the beat of our own drum, as they say. When we desire to come into alignment with the cosmic rhythm, and surrender to the greater divine pulse that calls from within, we may actually find ourselves happier than when we were attempting to harness power through a more narrow vision.
Five Planets Influencing
With Venus and Mercury joining in Aquarius, our desires and intellect may also more easily align with this broader vision. Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are also all casting their drishti (“glance,” or aspect) on Aquarius, and the Sun, Moon, Mercury and Venus. This is due to the special aspects that these planets cast according to Jyotish, different from those in Western astrology. Saturn aspects the third house from himself (and the tenth), Mars the fourth (and the eighth), and Jupiter the fifth (and the ninth). With their influence, our actions, principles, and committed nature are also all aimed at the Aquarian concepts of universal duty, connection, and service.
Eclipse
Although the nodes are aligned with Cancer and Capricorn, and this New Moon occurs in Aquarius, Ketu is close enough to the Sun and Moon now that it will cause a partial solar eclipse on Thursday. Although this eclipse may not seem as dramatic as the recent ones that were visible in their totality, it will nevertheless stir the shadow energy of the nodes, and compel us to do some work on ourselves and our lives, or else feel the disturbing effects that eclipses can bring.
With the Sun being eclipsed in Aquarius and Dhanishta, we may feel extremely cut off from our individual power, which can really highlight our human need for community support, and service. When we realize that “I” the individual is not able to solve all our problems, or that personal gain means little without friends to share it with, our place as part of a larger network begins to seem more important. You may also feel cut off from whatever in life is represented by Aquarius in your individual natal chart (or by any planets there), or may have some difficulty (urging you towards transformation) in that area of life. (Free Eclipse Forecast for those on my free mailing list).
This eclipse may show us where we have been neglecting community engagement, public service, or social networking, and if we aren’t willing to look at that, the lessons of the eclipse could be painful. Whether this is a new realization, or even if social involvement is already a large part of your life, this eclipse could be revelatory and transformational, showing you (and your friends) some innovative ways to take your community vision to the next level.
Maha Shivaratri
Tuesday night, the night before the Dark Moon night, is a prime time to dig deep and lay the groundwork for some deep insights and personal growth following Thursday’s eclipse. Tuesday brings Maha Shivaratri, the “great night of Lord Shiva,” in Hindu tradition. It falls on the 14th phase of the waning Moon this month (check here for your local time), and is perhaps the most auspicious night of the year for doing sadhana (spiritual practice). It is traditional on this night to stay up all night fasting, chanting, praying, and meditating.
This holiday honors Lord Shiva, the great ascetic, and particularly two stories of great sacrifices that were made protect the entire creation. One of these comes from the story of the churning of the milk ocean, which the gods and demons were doing in order to release the nectar of immortality. Before the nectar came up, however, a poison came up first. (This is similar to when we do spiritual practice and begin our path of self-inquiry, and negative tendencies often come to light first, which can be a painful experience. Similarly, during a physical fast or cleanse, toxins can be shaken loose and released first, causing a healing crisis before we continue healing into a freer, happier state of being.) When the poison came up from the milk ocean, Lord Shiva consumed it so that it would not engulf humanity, the first story of great sacrifice. His wife, Parvati, held his throat however, so that he could not ingest it, thus saving him in turn.
Maha Shivaratri also commemorates the wedding of Shiva and Parvati, which also stemmed from great sacrifice made for the benefit of all humanity. It was said that after his first wife, Sati, perished, Shiva was fully devoted only to his sadhana, meditating for aeons in isolation and renouncing the world. Then the demon Tarakasura began running amock on earth, threatening all of humanity. Brahma fortold that only Shiva’s child could defeat Tarakasura, so the gods devised a plan for Sati to reincarnate as Parvati, and win over her Lord to marriage once again. He was not easily swayed, however, and it was only after Parvati became an ascetic and underwent great penance that he agreed to marry.
Thus, this holiday is celebrated through the penance of fasting, forgoing food, water, and sleep, for one night, and simultaneously celebrating the union of Lord Shiva and Parvati, or the masculine and feminine energies of creation, that allows this dance of life to continue. It is an apt time to feel the forces of Aquarius upon us, which compel us to consider our role in society, and in the universe, and what personal sacrifices we can make for the greater good. Even if you’re not able to stay up the whole night, any amount of devotional practice, serviceful sacrifice, or chanting of Om Namah Shivaya on this night can have beneficial affects that are magnified greater than on any other night.
Personal readings and Eclipse readings available here.
