by Somya Devi | Sep 10, 2019 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Retrograde
The Moon is waxing towards a full Moon in Aquarius this Friday night, with peak brightness coming at 9:33 pm PDT. The Moon is opposite a powerful and fiery Sun in sidereal Leo, still joined closely with warrior Mars. While the Moon-mind-heart is illuminated this weekend, we can tune into what it means to be of service when we find ourselves in our own autonomous ring of fire.
Full Moon in Aquarius
The Aquarius full Moon is the integrating reflection point of the Leo Sun cycle. Throughout the Leo cycle, we have felt our own strength growing and shining, as Sun shines strongly from his own sign. This cycle began with Sun in Magha, the throne of the zodiac. We’ve been noticing our own inherent power and leadership potential, and getting a sense of what it means to wield our power ethically and generously. We may have also gotten caught up in the power, letting it get to our heads, and feeling a bit entitled to some royal treatment.
As the Moon waxes into Aquarius, our vision broadens far beyond our individual sphere and into the world at large. With so much suffering across the globe, what is truly the best way to shine our inherent divine light? It was a gift from the universe, and one given through grace, and ought not to entitle us to some special treatment, but rather, blesses us with the ability to share it with others. Aquarius brings to mind service, and relates with the image of a sadhu offering himself and his practice for the good of all. As you count your blessings this full Moon, contemplate how you can use them for the uplifting of humanity and the progress of the whole.
Purva Bhadrapada
The full Moon aligns with the Vedic nakshatra called Purva Bhadrapada, “the one with lucky feet.” This is truly a nakshatra that is helps us to align with a greater purpose than our personal material needs, as it bridges the signs of Aquarius and Pisces. Moving us from Aquarius into Pisces, it highlights the need for surrender to a higher power. Like Aquarius it orients us more towards ideals of improving and helping society, over personal goals. It is fitting as you may be finishing summer indulgences and getting back more into meaningful work with a greater purpose.
Purva Bhadrapada is ruled by Aja Ekapada, the one-footed goat, often associated with Lord Shiva or Nataraj. It is also symbolized by a sword, or the two front legs of a bed or funeral cot. This symbolism shows us that we will need to cut ties with some of the mundane things of life, as we prepare ourselves for the next world or phase of evolution. Though not always literal death, this can symbolize the transition from a worldly to a spiritual orientation.
Mercury-Venus War
The Mercury-Venus war could contribute to a sense of seriousness and less inclination towards pleasurable indulgence. The two are at war from September 11th through 15th, while they travel within one degree of each other, competing for our attention (though both are still so close to the Sun that they are not readily visible). Mercury is strong and exalted in his own sign of Virgo, while Venus is debilitated there, so we may feel Mercury is winning out, meaning practicality will take precedence over desire, or even happiness, for a few days.
Saturn-Ketu Exact Conjunction
Saturn has slowed way down as he approaches his stand-still station on September 18th, and Ketu is catching up. The two will have their third and final exact conjunction on the 15th, before they slowly begin to separate as Saturn begins direct motion again after the 18th. In whatever area of life is shown by sidereal Sagittarius in your chart, you may have been struggling between stepping up to the hard work, and renouncing everything for much of this year as these two planets crept together through this sign. If you feel the intense energy again during this conjunction, be sure to go into a mindful practice to help you feel your way through it, and don’t make any hasty decisions out of stress.
Kala Sarpa
We’ve been circling through Kala Sarpa cycles as the Moon circles the zodiac these last few months, passing from one side of the nodes to the other, either joining or leaving the rest of the planets who are clustered on one side of the Rahu-Ketu axis. Kala Sarpa will be on again from September 21st through October 6th. If you have a prominent Rahu-Ketu in your natal chart, or are running a Rahu or Ketu dasha, you may feel more affected by these cycles.
Personal readings are available and will help to explain how all of these alignments affect your chart and life in particular.
by Somya Devi | Aug 29, 2019 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Events, Holy Days, Planets Changing Signs, Retrograde
Leo New Moon
The Moon is now in the amavasya new Moon phase, waning to total darkness to begin a new lunar cycle tonight at 3:37 am PDT, on August 30th. The Sun and Moon join in sidereal Leo, with Venus, Mars and Mercury all nearby. Sun, Moon and Mercury align with the Vedic nakshatra Magha, “the mighty one,” while Mars and Venus are in Purva Phalguni.
A Leo cycle can bring us in touch with our own inner strength, as Leo is ruled by the Sun and is in essence the royal seat in the zodiac. The Sun’s hot rays work to burn off our impurities, moving us towards our own sattvic nature as is the nature of the Sun. With Mars, Mercury, and Venus all combust as we begin this cycle, Sun is the predominant force in the sky and his message reigns supreme.
His message may be telling you to step into your power and take responsibility over your “dominion.” It could be showing you where you’ve had enough — enough fighting, lusting, or intellectualizing — and need to align with the higher power within. A less intelligent outcome could be a greedy grasping for power, so watch that you pay attention to how you are wielding your energy.
Magha
Magha nakshatra is symbolized by the throne and spans the first 13°20’ of sidereal Leo. We can connect with the inner king of queen from here, and consider the ethics that come with regality. Magha is ruled by the Pitris, the ancestor deities, which indicates this is an important time to connect with your past lineage. The planetary ruler here is Ketu, which also brings in ties to the past and the subconscious. On this dark Moon night, open yourself to dive within and see if there is any inherited karma that is speaking to you or influencing your life now.
Combust Planets, Wars, & Debilitation
Mars is highly combust — one degree away from the Sun and Moon, while Venus is still slightly combust, within five degrees, and Mercury is within 4. This makes it a challenging time for achieving things ruled by these planets, so it’s not the most auspicious day for beginning new ventures in battles, love or learning.
Mars will be combust within 3 degrees of the Sun from August 24th through September 11th. From September 2-4 Mars and Mercury will go through a planetary war, while being combust at the same time (Mars being exact with the Sun on September 2nd). Again, not the most auspicious days to begin Mars- or Mercury-ruled projects. On September 9th Venus enters Virgo, his sign of debilitation. With Venus here the intellect rules over the desire-body, which can add a scrutinizing or business-like attitude to your romantic endeavors. Mercury and Venus enter a planetary war between September 11th and 15th.
Saturn & Ketu
Saturn and Ketu are coming closer and closer once again, for their third exact conjunction of this year on September 15th (two days after the next full Moon). A few days after that, Saturn will station and go direct on September 18th, while Ketu will continue in his ever-retrograde motion, and the two will finally begin to separate. The last six months may have brought particular challenges in the area of life shown by Sagittarius in your natal chart, or affected you deeply if you have Moon or other prominent placements there.
Ganesh Chaturthi
Jai Ganesha, creator and remover of obstacles! Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 2nd, the 4th (chaturthi) waxing Moon phase (tithi) of this lunar cycle. This is an auspicious time to call on the elephant God (if you know him) to help clear a path in your life. Lord Ganesha is also associated with the planet Ketu, the ruler of Magha, where this lunar cycle begins. On Ganesh Chaturthi we can celebrate him through puja and prayer, and it is often customary to build a statue (out of natural clay), for our worship, and then release him into a body of water on the tenth day of prayer.
Personal readings are available and will help to explain how all of these alignments affect your chart and life in particular.
by Somya Devi | Aug 13, 2019 | Uncategorized
Full Moon in Capricorn
The full Moon will be illuminated in sidereal Capricorn on August 14th, reaching totality at 5:29 am PDT on the 15th. Opposite the Sun in watery Cancer, this full Moon ties in a grounded Saturn energy, bringing us back to earth for a moment in what may be a highly emotional month. The fire energy has also been riding high these current weeks, with Venus highly combust next to the Sun, and Mars now moving through Leo. This full Moon occurs under Dhanishtha nakshatra, the star of wealth.
Capricorn Full Moon
We began this lunar cycle with Sun and Moon in Cancer, aligning our minds and spirit with the cooling waters of the heart. As the Moon becomes illuminated in Capricorn, it’s in an earth sign and under the rulership of Saturn, who reminds us that there’s more to life than the waves of the emotions. Moon in Capricorn helps us to remember what’s most important, to slow down and steady ourselves, and to commit to a path of action that aligns with our long-term goals. It’s a time for creating structure and embracing stability, stabilizing the fickle mind that can change at a moment’s notice when guided by water alone.
Dhanishtha
The Full Moon aligns with the Vedic nakshatra called Dhanishta, “the wealthiest.” Dhana means wealth, and this implies prosperity of both a material and spiritual nature. Bridging sidereal Capricorn and Aquarius, Dhanishtha can bring wealth, innovation and success. It is also known as a musical star, symbolized by a musical drum, showing that it is a place where we can really attune to the cosmic rhythm. It is ruled by the eight Vasus, the elemental gods of nature.
Jupiter Direct
After four months in retrograde motion, Jupiter stationed in sidereal Scorpio on August 11th, and is very slowly beginning his journey forward through the zodiac again in direct motion. Jupiter direct may help you to begin moving forward again in the Jupiter-ruled areas of your chart and life, which have been under heavy contemplation or re-consideration for several months. Collectively, Jupiter’s direct motion will show us more conformity of ideas and beliefs. For example, with Jupiter retrograde this year we have seen a lot of nuanced political platforms coming forward from a huge array of candidates, and as he moves forward we will see fewer of those as people solidify their support around certain “big” ideas.
Venus Combust
Venus has been traveling very close to the Sun this month, within 3 degrees since August 2nd. When this happens, he is so close to the Sun that his brightness is no longer apparent to us. Venus has not been visible to most of us since mid-July, and will not be seen again til late September, which makes it challenging to harness the blessings of Venus—happiness, pleasure, and inter-personal harmony. He is traveling close to the Sun and will actually pass directly behind the Sun, from our perspective on earth, on August 14th, for an exact conjunction then. He will stay within three degrees, in high combustion, until August 25th, though he will not reappear for another month after that. Both Venus and the Sun move into Leo on the 16th, adding more strength to the Sun and more fiery independence to the side of us that is meant to compromise.
Mars Venus War
Mars is also currently in Leo, since August 8th, adding fire to fire and increasing our courage and will significantly, after the month of debilitation while Mars traveled through Cancer. Mars-ruled folks may notice some of the oomph coming back, and a little less emotional heaviness. Mars will soon face some other challenges, however, as he simultaneously comes into combustion as well as a planetary war with Venus. Mars and Venus go to war August 22nd-26th, with both highly combust within 3 degrees of the Sun. This can present challenges in Mars- and Venus- ruled areas of your life, and with managing both our will and our desires appropriately. Mars will become fully combust (aligning exactly with the Sun) on September 2nd.
Kala Sarpa
We’re in the time of year where all planets are on one side of the nodal axis (between or joined Rahu and Ketu), save for the Moon who travels from one side to the other for half of each month. Kala Sarpa can exacerbate challenges for those who have a prominent nodal placement in the natal chart, or are running a dasha of Rahu or Ketu currently. This cycle begins on August 25th and runs through September 9th. Sadhana is the best remedy for nodal challenges.
Personal readings are available and will help to explain how all of these alignments affect your chart and life in particular.
by Somya Devi | Jul 26, 2019 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Planets Changing Signs, Retrograde
The Sun and Moon are getting closer and closer as we head towards a Dark Moon night this coming Wednesday. The New Moon in sidereal Cancer will be exact on July 31st at 8:12 pm PDT. This completes the previous lunar cycle which brought on the eclipses that affected many people in deep ways, especially those running dashas of Rahu or Ketu.
Cancer
The Cancer cycle could be a chance to cool down a little and come back into the heart after the heady and philosophical cycle of Gemini-Sag, with all the added eclipse energy. Cancer is the Moon’s sign, the sign of the Divine Mother and her nourishing waters. Spend time in a body of water this month, and connect with your own internal waters (feelings!) around this New Moon. Cancer is the fourth sign naturally, relating to the heart and the breasts, and is feminine or yin, helping us to direct our energy inwards.
Pushya Nakshatra
Within Cancer, the Sun and Moon are joining in the Vedic nakshatra called Pushya, meaning “the nourisher.” Symbolized by the udder of a cow, this star-sign gives a sense of abundance and sustenance. It can elicit a strong sense of family and responsibility, relating to both the divine mother and the divine father. Its deity is Brihaspati, a form of Jupiter who showed generosity and unconditional fatherly love in the story of how he adopted Mercury (a love child between his wife and the Moon). Fertility is strong under this star, and could be throughout this Moon cycle.
Mars Debilitated, Venus Combust
Mars is still traveling in Cancer, his sign of debilitation, for another week until he enters Leo on August 8th. Mars-ruled folks may feel their usual fight and fire is diminished, or that they’re needing more comfort and cuddling than normally.
Venus is also transiting through Cancer. He is already traveling fairly close to the Sun, but he’ll enter the highly combust zone (within 3 degrees), on August 3rd. With Venus so close to the Sun, we may find some of our worldly pleasurable pursuits feeling “burned up” by the purifying power of Surya. Relationships could be under a lot of pressure, or it may just be so hot where you are that it’s hard to enjoy anything. Venus reaches total combustion when he aligns with the Sun on August 14th, and won’t leave the 3-degree proximity zone until August 24th. (Looking at a 6-degree orb, Venus won’t leave combustion until September 4th.)
Jupiter Turning Direct
After several months, Jupiter is finally slowing down in his retrograde journey back through Scorpio, and will station and turn direct on August 11th. As he begins his journey forward once again, you’ll notice affects the most directly on the areas of life ruled by Jupiter in your chart, and depending on the unique placement of planets for you. In a general sense, we may notice things changing directions somewhat in the broader ideological field, as we have had a period of retrospection over principles and beliefs for the past several months.
Kala Sarpa Cycles
This New Moon finds all the planets in between the two nodes, on one side of the sky, creating a Kala Sarpa alignment. We’ll come under this alignment for half the month from now through December. When the Moon is on the same side of the nodal axis as the other planets, Kala Sarpa is on, and when he transits from Capricorn through Taurus, it is off. This can intensify the effects of the nodes, especially for those who have prominent nodal placements in the natal chart, or are running cycles of either Rahu or Ketu, bringing shadow work and intensity to the surface.
Mercury Turning Direct
Mercury is completely stationary at the time of this New Moon, turning “direct” less than an hour after the Sun-Moon conjunction. For those of you who have felt the Mercury Retrograde effects strongly this month, you can breathe a sigh of relief!
The next full Moon is on August 14th-15th.
This is a great time to have a personal reading– either an Initial Reading if this is your first time working with me, or an Eclipse Reading, if we have had a previous session, can help you to integrate the lessons that arose during the eclipse cycle.
by Somya Devi | Jun 17, 2019 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Eclipses
Today’s full Moon reached maximum brightness in sidereal Sagittarius at 1:31 am PDT (June 17, 2019), in Moola nakshatra. In the galactic center, this full Moon is literally in the middle of a very polarized sky. The chart below shows this extreme polarization, with Moon joined by two malefics, Ketu and retrograde Saturn, opposite Sun, Rahu, Mars (the other 3 malefics) and Mercury. Jupiter and Venus align in opposition on the Taurus-Scorpio axis.
Sagittarius
With the Sun in Gemini and the full Moon in Sagittarius, we get a chance to experience the contrast between our intellectual, analytical, and flexible side and our more inspired, philosophical, and perhaps even dogmatic side. Sagittarius is a sign of inspiration, ruled by Jupiter, and is a place where we often take action (fire sign) over principles and beliefs that we believe in.
Gemini, on the other hand, is an airy dual sign ruled by Mercury, the planet of the intellect. During the Sun-in-Gemini cycle we may find ourselves more mobile and flexible than usual, more social and communicative. The malefics joining the Sun, however, can add intensity to our communication style this month, but hopefully are aimed at helping us to purify and strengthen ourselves as we shine light in the dark corners.
With Moon, Ketu, and Saturn in Sagittarius, we should be able to see where we went wrong in the past (Ketu), as far as taking a stand over principles, and also where we need to be more committed in the future (Saturn).
Moola Nakshatra
The full Moon was at 1°47’ of sidereal Sagittarius, aligning with the Vedic nakshatra Moola (or Mula), “the root.” With the full Moon here amplified by all the conjoining and aligning planets, we have a great opportunity to get to the root of some core issues. The planets bring forth lessons to help us to grow, and behind every challenge there is an underlying cause or origin. Sometimes the origin of a certain karma we are experiencing may be from a past action in this life, or a past lifetime. It’s okay if we aren’t aware of the exact circumstance that created our present situation, but it’s important that we pay attention to the lesson that is being shown to us.
Five Malefics Joining
The so-called “malefics,”— Sun, Mars, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu — are the grahas or planets that attempt to teach us our karmic lessons through more challenging means. The Sun is like the divine father, and yet, like a father, he can feel tough as he teaches us, his powerful rays sometimes burning as they attempt to purify us of negativities. Mars, the planet of strength, compels us to strengthen ourselves through discipline or by asserting ourselves against challengers, calling forth our inner warrior. Saturn, like an old wise person, reminds us that time will pass and our actions will have long-term consequences, thus compelling us to work hard and endure stress and pressure.
The nodes, Rahu and Ketu, are the “shadow planets.” We cannot see them as they do not have planetary bodies like the others, but we see shadows appear over the Sun and Moon when they align with the nodes during eclipses. They relate to some of our most subconscious karma, the places where we are often confused, and their lessons take the longest to learn. These lessons become more obvious and pointed during “eclipse season,” which is currently upon us.
Look for the exact alignment of Saturn and Ketu on June 23rd (mean node calculation). This will be a critical moment for balancing the lessons of the past with the plan for the future. Stay as present, mindful and grounded as possible to yield positive change, instead of implosive force.
Oncoming Eclipses
We are in the orb of the eclipses already, as Sun and Moon are joined the nodes, and we are approaching the partial solar eclipse on the New Moon of July 2nd, 2019. The eclipse will be visible only from South America and the southern Pacific, but its effects will be felt by all of us. You may already be experiencing some disruption or disturbance in the areas of your life indicated by Sagittarius and Gemini in your natal chart. It is important to pay attention to the challenging energy that is arising, and examine where you can improve yourself in order to meet this energy better.
The second eclipse of this set will be on the Guru Purnima full Moon of July 16th. This partial lunar eclipse will be visible from much of the world. It is best to focus on spiritual practices on the days and times of the eclipses, and avoid making any important decisions under stress, duress or confusion. Self-inquiry and insight can lead to some real transformation, however, if you apply yourself to your practices throughout the eclipse season.
Solstice
We are also approaching the solstice on Friday, June 21st. This will be the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the shortest day in the South. The Sun is at its most northern course and dominates the days during this time, burning and purifying a lot in its path and offering abundant energy for outward action and leadership. In the south, this may be the most inward time of year, as the darkest day comes with the fewest hours of sunlight. As we follow nature’s rhythms, we may experience our own “peak” of sorts as we reach this turning point in the planetary cycle.
Eclipses are powerful times to receive a Vedic astrology reading, looking closely at yourself and your karma and being willing to work with the planetary energies. You can request an Initial Reading if this is your first reading with me (which will include looking at your life karma and the eclipses), or an Eclipse Reading if we have worked together before.
