Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse on Hanuman Jayanti: April 4, 2015

Blood Moon Lunar Eclipse on Hanuman Jayanti: April 4, 2015

Transformative energies are running high as we are still in an eclipse cycle, with a Total Lunar Eclipse occurring in sidereal Virgo this Saturday, at 5am PDT. It is also the Full Moon, which is the only time when a total lunar eclipse is possible. This eclipse will be visible from most of Asia and Australia, at moonrise, and from most of North and South America, at moonset. The eclipse will begin around 3:15am PDT, will the total eclipse occurring for just five minutes, from 4:58-5:03 am, finishing just before moonset at 6:59, a few minutes after sunrise. The tail end of the earth’s shadow covering the moon will be visible in the twilight hours of dawn on the West Coast of North America.

lunar eclipse 2015 april 4

Though the shadow is physically caused by the earth centering between the Sun and the Moon, it is also when the Moon is closely aligning with the shadow graha called Rahu, or the North Node, an astronomical point on the lunar orbit. When Rahu and Ketu (the South Node) are directly perpendicular with the earth’s orbit around the sun, during new and full moons, solar and lunar eclipses occur. This alignment with the nodes can feel like an unsettling force, as it brings to the surface a lot of energies that are often lurking in the shadows of our subconscious.

On the new moon in Pisces, two weeks ago, we experienced the Solar Eclipse, as the sun and the Moon aligned with Ketu, as well as with Mars. This brought staunch beliefs and opinions to the surface, which may have come out in an explosive manner. It began the Pisces cycle where we really started examining our tendencies towards fantasy and escapism, or felt ourselves getting lost in the vast emotional ocean, as Pisces is a water sign ruled by Jupiter. In its higher capacity, Pisces helps us to surrender and let go into the spiritual unknown, following creativity and intuition. This eclipse likely made visible certain areas of life that we were avoiding dealing with, especially areas where we tend to be critical and overly certain of ourselves (Ketu). It also brought the opportunity to let go and surrender. Mars’ conjunction here brought the possibility for confrontation around these issues during this process. Inward reflection has been necessary during this time, to clean out the dusty corners of our own psyches and murky emotional pools.

Now, with the full moon of this cycle occurring in Virgo, we examine the opposing energy to Pisces, which is the need to be practical and down-to-earth in our routines and fulfillment of desires. Virgo, on the other side of the zodiac, is an earth sign ruled by Mercury. Virgo energy likes to be discriminating, practical and organized. With the full Moon here, we feel in our emotional bodies this drive to do practical work, create or maintain solid daily routines, and to be responsible and efficient in our actions. With Rahu’s alignment bringing earth’s shadow over the Moon, however, we may feel disconnected from our emotional bodies during this time, and frustrated in our efforts to be grounded. The stress and eagerness associated with Rahu may disturb the coolness of the mind (the Moon), and our efforts towards practicality may take on a hot-headedness. Furthermore, Mercury, the ruler of this Virgo eclipse, is now joined Ketu in its sign of debilitation, Pisces. This further frustrates Mercury’s ability to be truly discriminating and impartial, as it is overwhelmed by the emotionality of Pisces and the gut cynicism of Ketu.

 
Reaching_HandThis eclipse occurs in the lunar nakshatra Hasta, “the hand,” ruled by the Moon. Hasta is a star whose energy brings efficiency with writing, drawing, and all dextral and industrious pursuits. With Rahu here we feel an overwhelming urge to master these things, and to implement some effective handiwork, both literally and figuratively. With the Moon being eclipsed, however, this desire becomes unconscious, and may be a accompanied by fear and illusion (Rahu), and not as rational as Virgo energy tends to be. We need to examine closely what kind of maneuvering and strategizing we are practicing with our hands, as our minds may be motivated in part by Rahu’s obsessive exaggeration, and we may be trying too hard to control the structures and routines we wish to implement.

Pisces and Virgo fall on certain houses in each individual’s chart. Whatever houses these are for you, the themes they represent will be ones that you are examining in particular during this time, and where you may be experiencing tension, disruption, and/or revelation. We will have another set of eclipses in these signs during September of this year, so there is a great opportunity to refine ourselves and our energies around these house themes between now and then, and to examine them closely again when the eclipses return.

As always, a powerful remedy for the disruptive aspects of the eclipse is spiritual practice, which will also help us to harness the positive potential of refinement and transformation that it brings. Meditation and mantra will help us to fall into the positive Piscean virtue of surrender to divine flow, as well as to cool the mind that feels disturbed and obscured in its conjunction with volatile Rahu (which began today). During this time, watch for where you feel a compelling but frustrated desire to organize everything around you. Take time to reflect and do personal grounding practices instead, like some gardening, walking or sitting on the earth, or re-organizing your energy with crystals. Earth element also relates to the sense of smell, in Ayurveda, so burning some sage or incense regularly will also help you to ground and to clear the hazy energies.

As many Hindu holidays are aligned with the lunar calendar, this full moon brings the celebration of Hanuman Jayanti, the birth of Lord Hanuman. Hanuman is Lord Rama’s greatest devotee, and symbolizes the qualities of strength and devotion. He is the son of the wind which represents prana, the breath of life and vehicle of yogis. We can learn from Hanuman, especially on this Pisces cycle eclipse in Virgo, the power of surrendering to the Lord and using our skills and hands for service to higher purpose. It is through this that we find our greatest strength. Hanuman’s monkey form represents the restless or “monkey mind” in humans, but his devotion shows us that through one-pointedness and repetition of the Lord’s name, we have the ability to tame the mind and achieve our divine potential. Hanuman was said to have been born at sunrise, the same time we will experience this eclipse in the Americas, so it will be especially potent to call in his energy by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa throughout this eclipse.

hanuman

This full moon also coincides with the Jewish holiday Passover, which is also aligned with the lunar calendar. This celebrates the time when God freed the Israelites from slavery under the Pharaoh of Egypt. We can also see this as a symbol for the liberation within that is attained by virtuous rather than unprincipled actions. Friday is also Good Friday in the Christian calendar, commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus, two days before Easter Sunday, celebrating his resurrection. (These holidays are also calculated according to the lunar cycle, being observed on or after the first full moon of spring, after the equinox.) We see here symbology of the rebirth we can attain when we allow the ego to die and Self-knowledge is born. This is a potent message around the eclipse, where we must call in faith, release doubts and ignorance, and discern higher truth in order to to overcome the negativities stirred in the mind by conjunction with the nodes.

Do your best during this eclipse to calm the mind through connecting to the earth in simple, practical ways. Examine where you desire more detailed structure in your life in contrast to where you have avoided it to go with the flow, and contemplate what balance might look like. Look at your fears that are being revealed around both sides of that spectrum, and orient your mind towards God or your higher Self. Wait until after the eclipse has passed to complete communication and implement any major changes, to harness some discerning distance from the pressure and illusion unveiled by the nodes. Next week Venus moves into Taurus, and Jupiter turns direct. This may bring more ease in our relationships and a new burst of clarity around our philosophies.

golden gate bridge lunar eclipse dec 2011

World Water Day: Honoring the Water Goddess

World Water Day: Honoring the Water Goddess

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

Powerful Solar Eclipse in Pisces on the New Moon and Vernal Equinox: March 20, 2015

Powerful Solar Eclipse in Pisces on the New Moon and Vernal Equinox: March 20, 2015

Friday brings the convergence of Sun, Moon, Ketu (the South Node), and Mars in Pisces for a full Solar Eclipse, and hosts a potent batch of astrological beginnings. It is the vernal equinox, when daylight equals nighttime hours, and all life starts a growth spurt under the increasing sunlight and warmth as springtime blossoms. It is also a New Moon, and each new moon is also the beginning of a cycle where we will process the energies related to a certain zodiac sign (Vedic Rashi). This particular new Moon also initiates the first month of the Vedic lunar calendar, Chaitra, hence it is like the first day of the new year in this calendar. Eclipses are powerful times for transformation, and yoked with this assemblage of transformative energies, we can anticipate some major upheavals (especially in northern Africa, Europe, and northeast Russia, where the eclipse will occur) . As we are approaching the eclipse it is likely that we’ve been feeling these forces already.

This eclipse and New Moon are occurring in early sidereal Pisces, in the nakshatra Uttara Bhadrapada, at 2:36 am Pacific time on March 20th. Pisces is a dual or mutable water sign, ruled by Jupiter. Emotions run deep in Pisces, and even deeper under the star Uttara Bhadrapada, which is ruled by the celestial serpent, Ahirbudhnya. Serpent energy is related to Kundalini and other deeply hidden emotional waters. We can expect some of these to rise to the surface around this Eclipse. Uttara Bhadrapada relates to the funeral cot and the process we go through after dying, so it is possible to experience a reawakening through this eclipse, if we allow the death of what no longer serves.

Eclipses in general are able to reveal a lot of energies that are otherwise subconscious or buried. Ketu, the South Node, relates to karma that we have done a lot of work with in the past (in past lives and childhood), and have gained some wisdom with, but are still finishing the process. Whichever themes Ketu represents in your chart, you may be experiencing these potently at this time. You will also be working with the house energies of whichever house Pisces is in your chart.

KetuDuring the solar eclipse, the Sun’s light is literally being blocked out by the shadow graha Ketu, so it can feel very disconcerting. (Though it is the Moon that crosses in front of the Sun, it is actually passing over the spot in the sky where Ketu is located, thus the shadow graha emerges.) Subconscious fears arise and seem to swallow our brilliant life-force. Your inner disapproving parent may be coming out now, and perhaps explosively, with Mars conjoining this eclipse. The Pisces energy may compel us to try to hide from these forces, by escapism into drugs, alcohol, or television. If this need for isolation is felt, offer yourself the chance to grow through it constructively by practicing meditation, journaling, or examining your dreams. Take special care to be gentle in your interactions with others, as latent grievances may be coming up with a lot of charge.

If we apply ourselves to the opportunity of inner work around this eclipse, great transformation is possible. Ketu may have harnessed certain convictions into our being that may no longer be serving us, and this is a good time to uproot them (we may not have a choice). Take time with a journal and write down your values and goals, and what things are holding you back that you need to let go of. Now is a very powerful time for kundalini awakening and movement. Saturn rules both Anuradha, where it began its retrograde course on Saturday, and Uttara Bhadrapada. Both nakshatras are related to kundalini, and Saturn’s retrograde motion in Scorpio is giving us the opportunity to dive deeper into our commitment to transformation.

eclipse-march-20th-chartThe benefic planets are also influencing this eclipse, so there may be a certain grace aiding us along even amidst the disturbance. Pisces’ ruler Jupiter is aspecting this eclipse from its retrograde position in Cancer, shining its bounty of wisdom towards the shadowed cluster. It is also aspecting retrograde Saturn, offering a grounding philosophy towards the eclipse nakshatra’s ruler. Look to your teachers and philosophies to help anchor yourself in a supportive cradle through this process. Mercury and Venus are surrounding the eclipse on either side, in Aquarius and Aries, respectively. You may begin to process the emotional churning with the intellect, and finish it with a stronger desire to compromise and see everyone’s happiness improved.

Take good care of your nervous system during this time. The high emotional intensity of Pisces and Uttara Bhadrapada, coupled with the added heat and potential aggravation of Mars, could lead to an overload of stress as limiting beliefs are being broken down. Honor yourself with alone time to work with everything that is coming to the surface. Apply soothing oils and bathe frequently during this time if possible. As we begin this Pisces moon cycle and the new lunar year, with the added force of the Uttara Bhadrapada eclipse, set your intentions for what type of emotional cleansing and rebirthing you need, and how you want to see yourself emerge into this new cycle. The hours surrounding the peak of the eclipse are a powerful time for spiritual practice, especially if you are on the side of the planet where the eclipse’s shadow is visible.

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