We enter the eye of the storm on the Gemini New Moon this July 4th. With Sun and Moon in Ardra nakshatra, the Dark Moon night of July 3rd offers an opportunity for cleansing and renewal. Ardra nakshatra is a stormy and transformational place in the zodiac. The new lunar cycle begins on July 4th at 4:01am PDT. Ardra (also called Arudra) is a Vedic star-sign known as “the moist one.”
Ardra is related to the deity Rudra, the fierce and destructive form of Shiva. Rudra is often depicted in a violent storm. When the clouds part, the time after intense rains is a period of renewal. The storm washes away the old and makes the ground fertile for something new to sprout.
A teardrop is another symbol related to Ardra nakshatra, signifying sorrow, but also the process of emotional purification. Tears can be very cleansing. Rudrakshas are the sacred seeds seen in malas (prayer beads) worn by Shiva. They are translated as “the tears of Rudra.” On this Dark Moon night, what calls you to shed your tears in order to clear a path and nourish the grounds for something new to grow?
Amidst the sorrow and destruction brought forth by this transformative deity, there remains a stillness at the center of the storm. Shiva is well known as the greatest of yogis, because of his ability to abide in peaceful meditation despite any chaos happening around him. He remains still in the midst of the ongoing destruction and renewal happening throughout the cosmos. By tuning into our own center, we can awaken pure consciousness, which helps us to weather any storm.
A third image relating to Ardra is the diamond, a clear and luminous gemstone formed after enduring intense heat and pressure. Like the diamond, Ardra reminds us that we are warriors who can withstand any austerity and challenge and come out clearer and more brilliant. This is definitely a warrior nakshatra. Ardra is related to Rahu, the planet who connects us to our deepest psychological shadows. By facing these, he helps us to grow and mature.
This New Moon initiates a lunar cycle abundant with Gemini energy. It begins on Monday with the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury all in sidereal Gemini. Gemini, ruled by Mercury, brings a playful and versatile energy to our lives. We begin this month in a collective energy of curiosity and flexibility. This is a great time to explore some new interests or skills. With Mercury in Gemini we are feeling very open-minded. We are ready to explore many different possibilities and look at life from a new angle. With Venus in Gemini, our desires are diverse as well, and we may seek satisfaction through many avenues.
One caveat to all this Gemini energy: be conscious of the elevated air element and vata dosha in the atmosphere. This can lead us to can easily feel overstimulated, in the mind, body, and nervous system. You may notice you have been hyperactive lately, which can quickly lead to exhaustion. Take time this month to connect with the earth and water elements. This will help to create balance with the prevalent air and fire elements. Six out of nine planets are in air signs at the time that this new lunar cycle begins, and Rahu and Jupiter remain in firey Leo. Also be aware that Mars turned direct on June 29th, and is now moving forward, giving us more fire-power, strength and courage.
The upcoming Full Moon of this cycle, on July 19th, is Guru Purnima. This is the traditional day for honoring our teachers, or gurus. The guru is literally the dispeller of darkness, and darkness is the cloak of ignorance. If we have been blessed to find someone who has helped to remove darkness or ignorance from our lives, today is a great day to offer our thanks to them.
Definitely take some time to sit on the ground and connect with the earth on this airy New Moon in Gemini. Find your heart center and call on the water element, letting the rains (or tears) wash over you in order to help you to purify and make fertile grounds for a new chapter of growth in your life. Gemini relates to the arms, shoulders and chest, so doing some heart- and shoulder-opening exercises or asanas will be helpful in this time. You can connect with Ardra’s deity, Rudra, and call in the consciousness and peace of Lord Shiva by chanting “Om Namah Shivaya.”
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Feeling a bit overstimulated? We now have Mercury, Sun and Venus in Gemini. This makes for an active mind and body, looking in many directions at once to satisfy curiosity and desire. This abundance of vata can lead to physical or mental fatigue. Consider connecting with the earth and water elements to create some balance, while we have 7 out of 9 planets in air & fire signs. This will feel especially soothing to the heart today as Moon transits Pisces and is aspected by Jupiter (joined Rahu in Leo).
Heads up! There could be some over-the-top intensity and chaos tomorrow (Friday), and over the next few days, as we experience a Rahu and Jupiter exact conjunction. Rahu, the powerful north node of the Moon, represents our dark shadow energy. Jupiter gives us our highest teachings, values, and principles. In mythology Rahu is the head of a demon and is obsessive and harsh by nature. Jupiter, the teacher of the gods, is expansive and optimistic.
Rahu and Jupiter have occupied the same sign (sidereal Leo) for a while now, but tomorrow is the day where they will be in exact conjunction. This means that they are in a straight line as measured from earth, and this combination could be explosive. Known as guru chandala yoga in sanskrit, this alignment can really amplify the confused and obsessive subconscious drives we experience due to Rahu’s influence.
With these two in Leo since January, we have seen people plying for power by brandishing radical, if irrational, beliefs. Because Rahu is the head of a demon with no body, he can never seem to consume enough, and doesn’t know when to stop. You may be feeling a bit like this right now. He brings out the part of us that seems to make the same mistakes over and over without understanding why. As he joins Jupiter, we might feel confused about our teachings and beliefs, yet driven to connect with them.
We’ll be feeling this compelling influence heavily on our emotional bodies as well. The Moon will be opposite from this Rahu-Jupiter conjunction tomorrow and this weekend, which could bring on anxiety. The Moon’s position relates with the mood of our hearts and minds. With Moon joining Ketu, we find it difficult to settle our emotions. We are probably feeling pretty vulnerable right now, and may be very self-critical.
We feel really passionate about our beliefs, but there is some disconnect happening. There is a sense of inner confusion in the current that is obscuring things and adding a deep level of frustration. There can be positive results too, depending on how these planets align with your chart, but still with an undertone of confusion to some degree.
The best course of action for today? I’m going with pray for peace. This will help us on both the collective and external levels and the individual and internal. You can chant “Lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu” (May all beings everywhere be happy and free), or “Om, Shanti, Shanti, Shanti” (Om, Peace, peace, peace), or both! This will help to bring some personal centering and positive vibration that will also emanate outwards to all beings.
Om, Peace, Peace, Peace
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Whichever house this Rahu and Jupiter exact conjunction falls on in your chart is the area of life where you may feel especially challenged at the moment. We can discuss your personal chart in a reading.
Summer Solstice Sagittarius Full Moon: Roots Run Deep
Roots run deep on this summer solstice Sagittarius full Moon, occurring Monday, June 20th at 4:03 a.m. PDT. This full Moon falls in Mula (or Moola) nakshatra, meaning “root,” a Vedic constellation towards the center of the Milky Way. Though technically in Sagittarius, we locate this Vedic star-sign around the tail of the scorpion in Scorpio constellation. Ketu, the south node of the Moon who helps us to channel our hidden psychic wisdom, has a strong influence in Mula.
Surya, the Sun, is reaching the brightest point on his northern course. Here he will illuminate the emotions of the deepest parts of our soul and psyche, lighting up the full Moon, opposite in Mula. (Read more about Surya and The Summer Solstice here.) The energy of Mula has to do with digging to the bottom to reach the root of things. This full Moon may call you to dig deeper into something you have felt curious about. Research and investigation are well-supported, and you may unearth some undiscovered truths. Now is a great time to begin to deepen your knowledge, especially about things like astronomy or astrology. You can also honor and connect with the energy of this full Moon by working with roots, herbs, or medicine.
Be careful, however, because Nirriti is the deity for this nakshatra. She is a dark goddess who conjures death and destruction. She can help us to get to the root of matters by destroying illusion and awakening buried mysteries. She can force us into deeper states of surrender and devotion by her calamitous influence. She may “uproot” us or something in our lives in order to help us to see what is below the surface.
Alongside her devastation, she offers us spiritual tools to face such transformation. She gives the courage and insight needed to explore our own deep hollows from this tamasic nakshatra. Sagittarius’ ruler, Jupiter, still joins the radical and obscuring Rahu in Leo. This could add some strange energy to our discoveries.
Sexuality is heightened around this full Moon, as we touch base with our primal force, so this is a good time to revisit any tantric practices you have learned. The muladhara (base) chakra, our “root support,” deserves attention now. This will help us to harness Mula’s potential energy on this summer solstice Sagittarius full Moon.
The Moon is almost in alignment with the galactic center in sidereal Sagittarius. Sun and Venus are on the opposite side of the earth, in sidereal Gemini, reaching out towards deep space. There is a high vata nature in this area of the sky, the Mercury-ruled air sign. Be careful not to move too fast or try to keep score in your relationships. Venus is still combust, so the heat of this solstice Sun could make us quick to feel discontent when we don’t get what we want.
The dual nature of this sign will cause you to jump quickly from one desire to another. A partner may have trouble trying to keep up. You might also get exhausted if you spend too much time over-analyzing, or try to accomplish too many things at once. The cosmic alignment is elevating the air and fire elements this month, so take some time to connect with the earth and the water elements to bring yourself more balance.
We feel more heated over personal connections, now that retrograde Mars has moved back into sidereal Libra. This directs some of our energy towards strengthening our connections and working to see how balanced they are, but we’re still not able to assert ourselves in a straightforward manner. Do your best to avoid turning everything into a fight. Mars will begin moving direct again in July.
Saturn is just about opposite to Mercury at the moment, so communication can be slow or strained. We may feel fear or hesitation about expressing ourselves, or may take a more serious tone than intended.
The Mula full Moon is actually a great time to go inward, because this nakshatra is really supportive of meditation. Even though the Moon is full, don’t be afraid to take some time to yourself. Enjoy the radiant power of the Sun shining forth from within you, and remember that he is the planet who brings the opportunity for enlightenment. There is a great potential to illuminate some deep knowledge on this summer solstice Sagittarius full Moon.
The next lunar cycle begins with an exalted New Moon of love and abundance on June 4th. The Sun, Moon, and Venus will all join in sidereal Taurus, in Rohini nakshatra. The new lunar cycle begins at 8 p.m. PDT on Saturday, June 4th. This dark night is the time to allow yourself to go inward, reset, and let your heart enjoy the fertile ground offered by Taurus and Rohini.
Of all of the 27 lunar mansions, Rohini is the one where the Moon is considered “exalted.” This means that while Moon is here, we can most easily access peace in our hearts and minds. The position of the Moon relates to our ever-changing thoughts and emotions. He is the planet of the inner heart center, where we find and radiate compassion and selfless love (as long as the heart is at peace). The Moon finds a place to rest in Taurus, the fixed-earth sign ruled by Venus. It is here that the flowing emotions are able to feel grounded and stable and let us enjoy life.
As the Moon transits the zodiac each month, he visits each of the twenty-seven lunar mansions for one night. Our emotions ebb and flow by the mood of each star along the journey. In Vedic lore, these nakshatras were considered the wives of the Moon. Of all the twenty-seven, Rohini was said to be his favorite. Rohini is known as “the reddish one,” due to the warm glow of this red giant star (called Aldebaran by astronomers), which is over forty-four times as wide as the Sun. The heart enjoys peace here because of the abundantly nourishing and fertile quality of this star.
Rohini is associated with fertility, commerce, productivity and abundance. Its deity is Brahma, the Lord of Creation, indicating the inspired productive potential of this nakshatra. Its symbols are an ox-cart or a chariot, which both relate to the Taurean ideas of comfort and material stability. This could be a very productive month, materially. The planet who works with Rohini is the Moon, and Venus’ rulership over Taurus doubles this star’s feminine planetary influence, indicating ample love and nourishment coming from this part of the sky. Calling forth your feminine qualities, such as sensitivity and receptivity, will help you to achieve your goals this month.
With Sun and Moon aligned here as we begin this lunar cycle, we embark upon it with a full heart and a sensation of love, compassion, and abundance. Our focus will be on material stability, values, and family. Venus closely joins Sun and Moon (within ½ a degree!) and is highly combust at the time of the New Moon. This instills us with an overflowing, but perhaps frustrated, desire for pleasure, beauty and harmony. We’ll feel more sensually focused this month, and will tend to lean towards the luxurious and hedonistic. It’s a time to watch out for overindulging (in food, sex, or other desires), especially if this is a known tendency.
On the opposite side of the sky, Mars and Saturn remain retrograde and conjunct in sidereal Scorpio. This casts a double aspect of intensity onto the loving lineup of Sun, Moon and Venus in Taurus. Saturn may curb our Venusian indulgence, by reminding us of the bigger picture and adding some pressure and restraint. Mars, on the other hand, may intensify our desires. He also offers the positive potential of giving us the courage to embrace transformation (being situated in Scorpio), instead of clinging too tightly to the material stability being emphasized by the Sun and Moon in Taurus.
In sidereal Leo, the 4th house from this new Moon alignment, Rahu and Jupiter are still conjunct. This inspires more emphasis on heart and home this lunar cycle. Opposing these two, Ketu is in the 10th house from Taurus, so we may shy away from being in the spotlight this month. You will feel your inward-dwelling nature calling to you even more than usual. Don’t worry if you feel the need to take a break from work and care for your inner world and home. This is totally natural given the planetary lineup.
With all planets (except Mercury) aligned on this square axis of fixed signs, this lunar cycle will cause you to really focus on whatever house axis this is in your chart.* Enjoy the exalted new Moon of love and abundance on June 4th.
*You can receive personal coaching on how to understand and work with the planets affecting you through apersonal vedic astrology reading.
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Ardra is related to the deity Rudra, the fierce and destructive form of Shiva. Rudra is often depicted in a violent storm. When the clouds part, the time after intense rains is a period of renewal. The storm washes away the old and makes the ground fertile for something new to sprout.
This New Moon initiates a lunar cycle abundant with Gemini energy. It begins on Monday with the Sun, Moon, Venus and Mercury all in sidereal Gemini. Gemini, ruled by Mercury, brings a playful and versatile energy to our lives. We begin this month in a collective energy of curiosity and flexibility. This is a great time to explore some new interests or skills. With Mercury in Gemini we are feeling very open-minded. We are ready to explore many different possibilities and look at life from a new angle. With Venus in Gemini, our desires are diverse as well, and we may seek satisfaction through many avenues.
The upcoming Full Moon of this cycle, on July 19th, is Guru Purnima. This is the traditional day for honoring our teachers, or gurus. The guru is literally the dispeller of darkness, and darkness is the cloak of ignorance. If we have been blessed to find someone who has helped to remove darkness or ignorance from our lives, today is a great day to offer our thanks to them.
