Astro Weather January 2009

Full Moon January 10, 2009, 7:37 pm

Saturday night the full moon in the sign of Gemini is the biggest and brightest full moon of the year. This "perigee Moon" is up to 14% wider and 30% brighter than other Full Moons in 2009. As Johannes Kepler observed 400 years ago, the Moon's orbit around Earth is not a circle, but an ellipse with one side 50,000 km closer to Earth than the other. Astronomers call the point of closest approach "perigee". Perigee full Moons may occur once or twice a year, and 2008 ended with a spectacular one which will be surpassed by the next.

Astrologically speaking this full moon is placed in the lunar mansion called Punarvasu. This nakshatra is ruled by Mercury, which is about to go retrograde, and Jupiter, which is in its sign of debilitation. The combination of Mercury and Jupiter usually expands the mind inspiring new intellectual and spiritual insights. However, due to the current positions of Mercury and Jupiter, the mind may feel a little confused and overwhelmed. On a mundane level Mercury rules commerce and Jupiter rules the law, so we may see some changes coming to how the government controls the economy. And because Mercury will be retrograde until the end of the month, what gets planned during this period may in fact be re-written -- keeping with the re-assessment promised by the Saturn retrograde period that I discussed in my previous post.

The nakshatra Punarvasu consists of two bright stars, Castor and Pollux, above the constellation of Orion. Punar translates as "repetition", "repeat", or "again" and vasu means "ray of light" or "gem". Many ancient cultures saw these stars as twins or lovers, but ancient Vedic seers interpreted them as a "quiver of arrows" -- but these are not ordinary arrows. They are like boomerangs or divine astras that magically return after fulfilling their function or mission. Their perigee is the moment they hit their target, but that is not the end as the arrow must bring its rewards by returning. Thus Punarvasu symbolizes renewal, regeneration and endless beginnings. What ever we set our intent for under this influence is bound to be a completed mission. On a personal level, I have been waiting to start a 40 day Abundance meditation and journal as described by John Randolph Price in The Abundance Book; and tomorrow's full moon seems like the perfect moment to set, and ultimately complete, this intentional work. And since the ruling deity of Punarvasu is the mother goddess Aditi whose power is the ability to gain wealth or substance, vasutva prapana shakti, the timing appears especially fortuitous.

Aditi is a sky goddess and relates to space. Prash Trivedi writes:

Aditi, or space, is the sinequanon for any motion or movement. If there is no space, there is no motion. . . Just like the space which accommodates all, Punarvasu is very accommodating of people, situations, circumstances, and energies.

So perhaps this full moon will offer the opportunity for all of us to reach for our magical arrow, send it off with well planned intent, and request sacred space for movement and abundance to be generated not just for ourselves, but for all earthkind.

Namaste!

Mercury retrograde Sunday January 11, 2009 - February 1, 2009
Mercury will go retrograde in the sign of Capricorn on Sunday and will transit this sign until February 1, 2009 when it stations direct in the last degrees of Sagittarius. Mercury in Capricorn is purposeful, attentive to duty, frugal, manages according to the rules, and conventional. It rules commerce and we may expect new information to come up that we previously missed. It is a great time to pay off old debt, look inside and journal, dream, and revise; but it's not a great time to start something new, sign legal documents, or take an oath of office. Mercury, the significator of commerce, will make an exact conjunction with the Sun, the significator of king and leader, and become combust (weakened because the planet is too close to the Sun) on Inauguration Day. What saves the day is that the Sun is in mutual exchange with Saturn, the significator of government and ruler of Barack Obama's chart. This exchange indicates that President-elect Obama is representing the interests of the people and not making himself "ruler" as he takes office. However, the Moon, which is the significator of the people, is debilitated in Scorpio, perhaps representing the state of the nation. The first 100 days should be fascinating.

Namaste!