by Somya Devi | Dec 15, 2017 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Eclipses, Events
New Moon in Sagittarius in Mula Nakshatra
This Sunday, December 17th, we begin a new lunar cycle at 10:31 pm PST with the Sun, Moon, and Saturn aligning in early sidereal Sagittarius. This Sagittarius cycle will lead us into the new year, with the Moon reaching fullness on January 1st. The Sun and the Moon will come together at 2° of sidereal Sagittarius, aligned closely with Saturn at 5° and oriented towards the galactic center, and Mula nakshatra.
Sagittarius Cycle
Sagittarius carries the energy of its ruling planet, Jupiter into action. It is a fire sign, and a masculine, or yang, sign, both qualities that help us to transform our inspiration, ideas, and beliefs into real actions in the world. Whatever principles, philosophies, or beliefs you hold, this month is a time to propel them forward and spread your inspiration to others. Jupiter is also joining with Mars at this time, adding a potency of power to our ability to move with righteous purpose.
Of course, a caveat to this is to watch against acting with blind faith, but to really dive into yourself and let your authentic personal faith shine through. Sun’s and Moon’s position in Mula nakshatra, and close to Saturn, will help with this.
Mula Nakshatra
Mula (or Moola) nakshatra is the Vedic constellation which translates as “the root.” As the literal center of the galaxy (when we look past Mula, we are looking into the galactic center), planetary energy here compels us to find the deepest truth within ourselves, our beliefs, and everything. Planets here encourage us to be investigators, researching and probing until the deepest layers of truth are revealed. Though technically in the early degrees of Sagittarius, Mula aligns with the tail of the Scorpion, and brings up imagery of both poison and medicine, and the idea that poison can be medicine as it shocks us into transformation. The deity for this star is Nirritti, a dark form of Goddess Kali who relates to destruction and death.
Solstice
As the Sun goes down on the night of the solstice (December 21st), we experience a little death, as the solar year ends and we await the new one to arise. This completes the cycle of the Sun from its northernmost course to its southernmost, and will be the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, and the longest in the southern. This is a powerful night for going inward, being still, and practicing rituals for letting go of the past and what no longer serves.
Saturn
Saturn’s conjunction with Sun and Moon adds a level of seriousness and fortitude to this powerful transitional cycle. Saturn, or Lord Shani, is the slowest-moving planet, and stimulates us to find more maturity and wisdom. He adds a weight of seriousness that reminds us that actions have consequences, and helps us to call forth our inner old wise person. We want this inner sage to weigh in as we probe our depths to see which our beliefs are worth supporting through effort and actions as we enter the new year.
Kala Saarpa
We enter our final lunar cycle of the year under a Kala Saarpa yoga, with all planets on one side of the nodal Rahu-Ketu axis in the sky. This increases the level of intensity in everything in our lives, especially around deep inner work that we are doing. Though we may not be comfortable with letting go of our accustomed mindset, the alignment of the planets now is primed for some big changes to take place, especially around philosophy, beliefs and ideas.
The final Kala Saarpa for this season will run from January 2nd through January 19th, after which time the Sun will have passed Ketu, and we’ll have another 6 months free from this bi-monthly cycle. These cycles will continue for roughly half the month during roughly half the year, until December 2019.
Planetary Wars & Upcoming Eclipses
With so many planets so close together, we continue to have planetary wars this month as a number of planets cross within one degree of each other. Venus and Saturn come head to head from December 24th through 27th, bringing up some possible conflict between relationships and work, short-term desires and long-term goals. Mercury goes direct on December 23rd. January 4th through 8th, Jupiter and Mars engage in a planetary war, during which our animal instincts may seem to feel in conflict with our mentally held belief system.
The conflict among these planets will take form specifically in your life around the specific things each planet rules in your individual natal chart. We’ll also be entering a new eclipse cycle in January, with eclipses occurring in parts of the world on January 31st and February 15th (free forecast download at somyadevi.com if you haven’t received it yet!).
Be sure to stay on the list and watch for a new years’ cheat sheet with important dates for 2018!
Many blessings as we head into the New Year.
by Somya Devi | Dec 1, 2017 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Retrograde
Full Moon in Taurus December 2017 Rohini
The Moon reaches peak fullness this Sunday, December 3rd, at 1:13 pm PST. This full Moon falls in Rohini nakshatra, in the middle of sidereal Taurus, opposite the Sun and Venus in sidereal Scorpio. The full Moon in Taurus illuminates our potential for being grounded at heart and full of peace of mind.
Taurus vs. Scorpio
We began this lunar cycle on November 18th, with the Sun and Moon joined in Scorpio, bracing us for a month of exploring the depths of our most vulnerable and intense emotions. Under Scorpio’s influence, we face what we know is inevitable — change. This can take a toll on the heart, when we allow ourselves to let go of preconceived notions and attachments, permitting what we hold most dear to evolve and transform, even if that means letting go.
This is a screenshot from the SkyView Free app for Sunday at 8pm. Here you can see the Full Moon in Taurus. Click on the picture to read more about the sidereal zodiac (if you heard the Full Moon was in Gemini this month).
Scorpio is the natural point of “debilitation” for the Moon, the place where our emotions feel most aggravated, unstable, and uncertain. Scorpio is a water sign ruled by fiery Mars, adding passion and a sense of struggle to our emotive nature here. We often go through both inner and outer transformations when Scorpio energy is high. Sensing this potential during the Scorpio lunar cycle, we tend to be more self-protective, knowing that the boat of our hearts may be rocked intensely.
Taurus, where the full Moon is illuminated this weekend, helps us to contact the opposite sensations of those brought on by Scorpio. Taurus is where the Moon is considered “exalted,” where the mind and the heart are elevated, and at peace. Taurus is an earth sign ruled by Venus, helping us to ground the heart and find a sense of stability, while taking a loving approach towards life and allowing pleasure and beauty to permeate our fields of vision. This weekend, tap into the side of yourself that can remain calm and cool, bowing to Mother Earth even in times of intense change.
Rohini Nakshatra
Within Taurus, Rohini is the specific Vedic nakshatra where the Moon is considered exalted, and where the Moon is full this Sunday. Rohini, “the reddish one” or “the growing one,” was said to be the favorite wife of the Moon. In Vedic mythology, the 27 nakshatras are considered the wives of the Moon, and he was often seen to linger here the longest. The Moon is also the planetary lord for this nakshatra.
Rohini correlates with the star Aldebaran, one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The warm and glowing nature of this star elicits a sense of abundance and feminine fertility, and it is no surprise that there is a strong association with agriculture here. The common symbol for Rohini is the ox-cart, representing an abundant harvest, commerce, and in general, a fulfilling material existence. There are strong associations of Rohini with Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, and with Lord Brahma, the creative force in existence, adding a sensation of infinite possibilities here.
Jupiter-Mars Conjunction
Jupiter and Mars are now joining in sidereal Libra, creating what is known as a Guru-Mangala yoga (alignment) in the sky. This brings together our powers of purpose (Jupiter) with our power to take action (Mars). Under this alignment, we have more ability to direct our energy towards righteous causes, and actions that support our highest beliefs. Though this alignment will last until mid-January, watch out for a planetary war between the two from January 4th-8th, when Mars passes Jupiter and they are within one degree of each other. The energies can be less harmonic when they are so close and “competing” for dominance.
Mars-Venus Exchange
The planet of war and the planet of beauty are now exchanging signs, with Venus in Mars’ sign of Scorpio, and Mars in Venus’ sign of Libra, creating a parivartana yoga. This can help us to harmonize the energies of the two planets, and specifically the areas of life that these two rule in your personal natal chart. This alignment will last through December 20th.
Mercury: Retrograde and Planetary Wars
Mercury begins his retrogression on December 2nd, beginning to creep back towards Saturn, both in early sidereal Sagittarius. This could be positive for some endeavors, as Mercurial and Saturnian energies within us are able to work together towards a common goal (specifically around what these two rule in your natal chart). Less harmony is present from December 4th-7th, when Mercury passes Saturn, creating a planetary war (an internal conflict between our intellectual side and our long-term goals). He’ll continue in retrograde motion all the way back into Scorpio, where he’ll have a planetary war with Venus as he passes the planet of pleasure on December 14th-15th, creating conflict between our sensual and intellectual sides.
by Somya Devi | Oct 30, 2017 | Astrology, Conjunctions
The full Moon in Aries will reach peak fullness for this cycle on Friday, November 3rd at 10:22 pm PDT. This full Moon falls in sidereal Aries, opposite the Sun, Jupiter and Venus (all in sidereal Libra). It will be in the Vedic nakshatra called Bharani, a portal of birth, death, and rebirth. Quite a fitting coincidence for the week of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. The veil between realms is thin while the Moon traverses this sign, especially during peak fullness.
Full Moon in Aries
The Aries full Moon illuminates our innate animal instinct and power, as well as our individual strength. Aries is naturally the first sign of the zodiac, and is the masculine (active) expression of its ruler, Mars. Aries energy directs us to find and express our individual strength. It brings out our warrior side, which needs to move through the world in a certain way to survive. With the Moon full in Aries, we are reminded of our most basic drives, and may feel compelled to express our individual strength and courage.
This is especially important this lunar cycle, which began with the Sun and Moon in Libra. The Sun is still in Libra, where he is considered debilitated. That is because during this transit we tend to spend a lot of our energy caring for others and balancing external situations. Self-care is often neglected under this placement, and it is easy to become depleted, physically and spiritually, as we try to balance too much and manage others more than ourselves.
When the Moon waxes to fullness in Aries, we will find more remembrance of what it feels like to be a strong and healthy individual. There is some danger of exerting too much strength here, by getting into arguments, but there is a benefic influence shining on this Moon from the presence of both Jupiter and Venus, opposite, in Libra.
Bharani Nakshatra
The full Moon within Aries is also in the Vedic star-sign called Bharani, “the bearer. This adds more auspiciousness to the Western associations of All Hallow’s Eve and Day of the Dead. Bharani’s symbol is the yoni (the female reproductive organ), and its deity is Lord Yama, the god of death. This imagery elicits the idea of a portal between the realms of life and death, which will be fully illuminated on Friday under this full Moon.
Whether you are celebrating the Christian or Mexican holidays mentioned, now is an excellent time to contemplate these things, and offer prayers for those who are on a journey between these realms. It is also a potent day to consider what in your life is ready for its death, or composting, and what seeds you are ready to nurture with your energetic womb medicine. Creative energy will be high during this full Moon, especially with the expansive influence of Jupiter and artistic influence of Venus in Libra, giving direct aspects to this Full Moon.
Saturn in Sagittarius
On October 26th, Saturn finally completed his 2.5-year transit of Scorpio and entered sidereal Sagittarius, where he will now remain until January 23, 2020. Throughout this time, Shani (Saturn) will compel us to reexamine our fears and responsibilities, especially where they relate to social service and taking action for our higher principles and beliefs. It’s likely that we’ll see a lot of people getting much more serious about these things, and taking a stand through committed actions that support a social cause or principle.
We will re-evaluate our approach to hard work and commitment to our beliefs, as well as in the specific area of life indicated by Sagittarius in our personal Vedic natal chart. By grace, this will be a period where we are really able to sort through our philosophies and commit only to the highest, and the corresponding actions that support them. It will be a three-year process of re-evaluating our long term goals and values, and reconsidering how we approach hard work and responsibility (in regards to our beliefs, and to the area of life indicated by Sagittarius in our natal chart). For some folks, this is the beginning (or end) of some intense saturnine influences, like Saturn’s “return”, and Sade Sati. (See full article to find out if you are affected.)
Mercury-Mars Exchange
During this full Moon we will have an exchange between Mercury and Mars. Mercury moves into sidereal Scorpio (ruled by Mars) on November 1st, and Mars is still transiting sidereal Virgo (ruled by Mercury). The exchange of rulership here adds a harmony between the two planets, mitigating that potential for arguing mentioned earlier. With the planet of courage and strength (Mars) working amiably with the planet of intellect and communication (Mercury), there’s a likelihood that we will be able to express our power with more grace and impartiality.
Jupiter and Venus
Venus will move into his own sign of Libra on November 2nd. This will definitely boost our creative drive. It also adds to the desire to bring more harmony into our relationships, but again, remember that the Sun also in Libra can cause us to make ourselves a little too dependent on them. Be sure you aren’t identifying with your personal power only through interpersonal reflections and interactions.
Look out for a planetary war between Venus and Jupiter on November 12-13. When these two come within one degree of each other in the sky, their purposes tend to fight for dominance within us. Jupiter compels us to stand up for beliefs and higher principles, while Venus drives us towards pleasure and compromise. It’s a time to watch out for compromising on your beliefs, or, on the opposite pole, throwing out a relationship altogether because of a certain principle (at least not on these days of extremity).
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by Somya Devi | Oct 17, 2017 | Astrology, Conjunctions, Holy Days, Uncategorized
In this Kali Yuga, it almost always feels like we could use a little more light in the world, but especially around this time of year when the days are getting shorter and darker (northern hemisphere bias). The last few months seem to have piled on more natural disasters than usual, although sometimes it feels like this may be becoming the norm. This New Moon brings the Hindu festival of Diwali, which is a celebratory time to invite more light into our lives and into the world.
The darkest Moon time, which begins our next lunar cycle, occurs at 12:12 pm PDT this Thursday, October 19th. The new cycle begins with Sun and Moon joined in sidereal Libra, with Mercury and Jupiter there as well. Libra is a sign about creating more balance (which presents a bit of a challenge with the imbalanced appearance of the chart for this New Moon). It falls in the Vedic nakshatra of Chitra, a star-sign that enhances our opportunity to bring beauty and harmony in the world.
Libra
Libra is an air sign where we bring the principles of Venus into active expression. Venus is the planet of beauty, desire, nature, and human love, so the Libra cycle will encourage us to be more creative, connect with nature, and nurture our relationships. As an air sign (a bit intellectual, and inspiring movement), we will seek ways to balance or re-balance relationships throughout this cycle. Both Jupiter and Mercury are also positioned in Libra, close to the Sun and Moon at this time, which adds the influences of our higher beliefs as well as our analytical minds to our creative endeavors this month.
Debilitated Venus
Venus itself, the ruler of Libra, is currently transiting Virgo, his sign of debilitation. Debilitated Venus doesn’t necessarily translate as “relationships will be bad,” but it adds a highly intellectual, analytical, and practical motivation to the planet of pleasure and beauty. This is the opposite position to exalted Venus in Pisces, which we experienced for four months earlier this year (February through May), when we felt inspired to align our desires and relationships with our highest beliefs, principles, and purpose. Now, with Venus in Virgo, we are prompted to scrutinize all the little details of our relationships and pleasurable pursuits, and make sure that they are serving some practical need for us on the earth plane. We may also be scrutinizing our partners, or others around us, and getting caught up around the nuances of language or ideas. With Venus ruling this upcoming lunar cycle, and Mercury joining closely to the Sun and Moon at its start, desire for practicality will be strong this month.
Chitra
The Vedic nakshatra where this lunar cycle begins is Chitra, “the brilliant.” This bright star in Virgo (Chitra bridges Virgo and Libra) is ruled by Vishvakarma, the deity known as the celestial architect. Imagine that energy of one who has the ability to place all the stars in the sky and set them in perfect motion … that type of both precise and artistic energy is what we are able to call in this month. There is a powerful creative potency here, and a great potential for improving relationships. It is also an supportive energy for organizing, repairing, or redesigning your home space.
Diwali
On the new Moon of the Hindu month of Ashwin (this month), we celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights. The festival actually began on Monday, the 16th (North America), the 13th waning Moon phase of the previous cycle. This day is known as Dhanteras, or Dhanvantari Tryodashi. Buying gold or silver (or any metals) on Dhanteras is widely practiced in Hindu culture. It is also the celebration of the appearance of Lord Dhanvantari, the father of Ayurvedic medicine. This day, and Diwali in general, is an excellent time for nurturing and calling in blessings for any type of healing or healing practice.
Diwali is a time to invite more light into our lives, our hearts, and our world. This festival celebrates the victory of light over darkness, which is something to rejoice in and have faith in, even if we can’t outwardly observe it sometimes. The positive vibrations we create internally are the only place to start for growing and spreading them externally. It is a powerful time to connect to the Goddess Lakshmi, calling in her blessings for both material and spiritual prosperity.
This holiday also commemorates Lord Ram’s and Sita’s return from exile after fourteen years (story from the Ramayana). Lord Ram embodies the highest qualities of dharma, devotion, compassion, courage, and leadership. Diwali is also the start of a new lunar cycle, so it’s a great time to go within and summon these qualities to awaken and live through you.
Diwali (also seen as Divali, Deepawali or Deepavali) comes from the sanskrit words deepa (light) and avali (row). It is traditional to light candles throughout Diwali, inviting the highest light into our homes and hearts … but in consideration of the destructive wildfires raging in California right now, I’m using electronic tea lights this year.
The candles are lit to remind us of the inner divine light in us all. Though one flame can be used to light many others, it is not diminished by sharing its power of illumination. We can pray for the peace and happiness of all beings, and each one’s awareness of their inner light.
Sun in Libra
It is pertinent to remember and to celebrate and call forth our inner light during this particular Dark Moon time, because the Sun, the planet of our inner power, strength, and divine light, is also in his sign of “debilitation,” in Libra.
Since Libra is the sign of balance and relationships, we often give a lot of our personal power to our relationships with others when Sun is in Libra. We may try too hard to care for others, forgetting to nourish the divine spark in ourselves, or we may simply feel depleted by trying to balance too much in life, losing touch with our personal strength and vitality.
At the beginning of this cycle, set an intention for a mindful self-care routine this month. Light some candles (or turn them on) for Diwali on the Dark Moon night, and if possible, take some time each day to offer yourself some time to nourish and honor your personal light. Self-care practices can include yoga, meditation, chanting, art, or self-abhyangha (oil massage). You can also make some herbal tea to nourish yourself during this vata (cold and dry) season.
Kala Saarpa
The imbalance of the chart that I was talking about is referring to the ongoing Kala Saarpa yoga we see, wherein all seven physical planets are on one side of the nodal Rahu-Ketu axis. With these planets to one side of the nodes, the subconscious shadow energy (similar to eclipse energy) becomes more present, and a lot of unresolved business may arise. There is more agitation of the environment in general. This chart is particularly imbalanced, with the Sun, Moon, Jupiter and Mercury halfway between the nodes, and the other planets joining them on either side. As we enter this darker time of year, it is especially important to keep up our consciousness development and self-improvement practices, so as not to be ruled by the unconscious forces within.
Diwali is a potent opportunity to set this conscious intention, and to call forth more light and love into our hearts, and then to spread it out into the world! With so much trauma and disaster occurring all over the planet, our light, love, and service are needed now more than ever. No matter how small a part we can play, let us do what we can to increase harmony on and with the planet.
Ram Ram
You can click here to discover your specific strengths and challenges through a personal Vedic astrology chart reading with me.
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by Somya Devi | Oct 4, 2017 | Astrology
The full Moon in sidereal Pisces peaks tomorrow morning at 11:40 am (PDT), and aligns with the very last of the 27 Vedic nakshatras, Revati. This energy brings forth a wave of open-hearted surrender and ushers us to let go of everything from the past season, as we enter the dark and inward months of the year.
Harvest Moon
The full Moon falling closest to the autumnal equinox (September 22nd), is known as the Harvest Moon. For farmers this has traditionally been an optimal time to harvest the crops of the season, not only because of their readiness, but because of the bright and glowing Moon that appears in the evenings at this time. During this time of year, close to the equinox, the time of the moonrise is very close to the time of the sunset (moonrise today is at 6:36 pm PDT, and tomorrow at 7:11, while sunset is at 6:47 today and 6:46 tomorrow). The Moon looks the largest around its rising and setting times, because of the way light refracts through the lower portions of the atmosphere, and when it occurs near to sunset, the Moon will catch the bright orange sunset rays and take on a hearty glow.
Pisces Full Moon
It is apt that at this time of year the full Moon is also in Pisces, the last of the twelve major zodiac signs, and Revati, the last of the 27 Vedic signs, both of which elicit imagery of closing a chapter. Pisces, an introverted water-sign ruled by Jupiter, opens the depths of our emotional bodies and calls us to connect them with our higher belief systems. It is a sign of surrender, where we let go of material attachments, and even the material world at times, and allow ourselves to give in totally to spirit and divine flow. It is a powerful sign for meditation, dreamwork, and inward journeys. It can also invoke an energy of escapism, so be careful not to go down any rabbit holes unconsciously.
The Pisces full Moon illuminates the contrasting energy to Virgo, where we began this lunar cycle on the New Moon of September 19th. Virgo is a grounded and practical earth-sign, ruled by Mercury, the planet of the intellect. Virgo energy compelled us to get our ducks in a row, do the final accounting of the season and make sure we have things neatly squirreled away before the change of seasons. Pisces’ energy reminds us that we can’t account for or control everything, and at the final moments of our outward effort, we can only surrender to divine will to carry us the rest of the way.
Revati Nakshatra
Revati, the nakshatra where this full Moon falls, is a star of journeys. We can see this ultimately as the journey to the other side, if the progression of energy through the signs is symbolic of our progression through life. The last and final nakshatra begs us to let go of all efforts and worldly attachments as we merge into the infinite, ultimately giving up even this waking life. We can still apply this metaphor while embodied, however, by loosening our grip on the striving to be in control, and dissolving into the sea of divine light.
Revati is translated as “the wealthy” and is ruled by Pushan, the deity of nourishment as well as journeys. He is often depicted standing at the beginning (or end) of a path and can be seen as a celestial shepherd, ushering us safely along the many roads through life, and beyond. People born under Revati nakshatra tend to have a very kind and loving disposition, and a distinct affection for animals. Though it is a star of wealth, there is an incredibly generous nature here, reflecting abundant spiritual wealth as well as material is possible.
Venus and Mars
Venus and Mars remain tightly aligned, around 25 degrees of sidereal Leo, engaging in a planetary war this week (from Tuesday through Saturday). It is as if the forces of Mars and Venus are fighting for dominance within us. Our desires and relationships may feel at odds with our ability to exert strength an a strong will at the moment. Venus’ energy is probably winning out (more giving in to desires, less willingness to fight), both because of his brightness over Mars and because the full Moon is in Venus’ sign of exaltation (Revati). Desires can seem heightened with Venus in Leo, as they take their seat on the throne and their importance is temporarily amplified.
Venus will soon transit into Virgo, however, his sign of debilitation, where we’ll become much more analytical over our desires as well as relationships. With Venus currently in Leo, we can tend to relate our power with these things, but once he transits into Virgo, we’re likely to become much more grounded and practical. It will be an interesting experience, after Venus was exalted in Pisces, the opposite sign, for four months earlier during this year. The high that we may have experienced then will finally come down to a place we will be looking at our relationships and desires through a very intellectual lens.
Enjoy the powerful medicine of this Pisces full Moon, which has the potential to open our hearts and deepen our surrender. Magic, mysticism, and meditation are easily accessible, so be sure to spend some time going inward and feel what arises.
Om Namah Sivaya
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