starworlds: October 2009

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Astro Weather November 2009

Full Moon November 2, 2009, 11:14 am PST

November begins under the influence of the full moon in Aries, in the nakshatra Bharani. Bharani means "she who bears" which indicates the ability to endure hard work. Its power is to cleanse and remove impurities, apabharani shakti. Although its symbol is the yoni, or vagina, 'bearing' does not necessarily mean 'bearing' children, but rather the capacity to receive, hold, nurture, and destroy. The yoni also represents a doorway through which a soul enters the physical plane. The deity connected to this nakshatra is Yama, one of the eight gate-keepers and god of death. Yama guides souls back to the astra plane where it realizes the results of its karma from the present life, and prepares for the next. Extremes, such as birth and death, may be experienced under the influence of Bharani.

The moon in Aries is also in exchange with Mars in Cancer, called Parivartana Yoga. The mutual exchange of signs binds the planets together in a special yoga in which each planet then acts as though its in its own sign, or mulatrikona. A parivartana yoga will always increase the power of the two houses that each planet rules and is placed. It will also increase the power of the two grahas (planets) involved, for good or bad. In the case of this full moon chart, the moon rules the 8th house of death and is placed in the 5th house of creativity, children, and past life credit. As both the Moon and Mars are benefics for a Sagittarius rising, this exchange might indicate a release of creativity, or resolution of some karma. However with Pluto, the planet of transformation, rising on the horizon in the nakshatra of Mula, the home of the galactic center, it might be something more intense. Perhaps even some astronomical event like increased cosmic or gamma rays.

UPDATE Gamma Ray article - click here:

Moreover, the full moon is part of a Grand Cardinal T-Square or wide-angled Grand Cross with Sun in Libra, Mars in Cancer, and Jupiter (at a wide orb) in Capricorn. In a T-square, the tension and awareness created by the two planets in opposition (Sun/Moon) is resolved either by the planet receiving the double square (Mars). A Grand Square configuration has the energy potential of building stress and tension until it has to be released. At that point, some sort of action needs to happen. Squares can generate the energy of feeling insecure and uncomfortable. The Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) take action. A Cardinal Square may not be able to take action in time. Or the Cardinal need to be first creates situation in which they may charge in to get things done. For this configuration to occur at a full moon indicates there will be clarity around any action, or it will be the fruition of what has been initiated. Or since all of the planets aspecting the moon are debilitated, their influence will not be as strong as the moon itself.

Venus enters Libra, Rahu/Ketu enter Sagittarius/Gemini November 3, 2009
The day after the full moon two major changes take place: Venus, in the morning star position, enters its own sign of Libra. Venus becomes more powerful now indicating it is a time to heal our differences. Relationships become sweeter. Social activities expand, luxurious purchases increase, arts and creativity are inspired, education gets a boost, and devotional practices are deep and profound . However, as I noted in a previous article posted on August 29, 2009, there may be a connection between Venus morning star and epidemics. Let's hope the expansion of health will not extend to the asura-like wee beasties known as H1N1, and instead Venus will use her abundant power keep them under control.

The best news is that Rahu/Ketu will leave Capricorn/Cancer and enter Sagittarius/Gemini for the next 18 months. Rahu has been traveling with a debilitated Jupiter in Capricorn. As Rahu's shadowy nature is to expand what ever it comes into contact with, its influence has been especially toxic to a weakened Jupiter, planet of optimism, good fortune, and spirituality. The incredible mess of the US economy is reflected in this toxic combination in which the bail out was not closely monitored, and the Pigs fed further at the Trough. Jupiter will finally exit its sign of debilitation and head into brighter star fields on December 19, 2009 at which time all the things that Jupiter rules -- finances, wealth, money, spirituality, wisdom, knowledge and truth -- will be restored. Hang in there!

Namaste!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Astro Weather October 2009

Full Moon October 3, 2009 at 11:10 pm, PDT.
October's full moon will occur in the sign of Pisces and the nakshatra Revati. Being the last sign and nakshatra in the astrological wheel, they are both connected to endings and completion.

Revati is translated as "wealthy" and "to transcend," perhaps alluding to its place at the end of the journey through 27 nakshatras. Revati provides kshiradyanapni shakti, the power of nourishment symbolized by milk. The presiding deity is Pushan, a protector of flocks and herds. According to the Puranas, Pushan is one of the twelve solar sons of Aditi who was the keeper of the sacred cows of the gods. He protected travelers from bandits and wild beasts, and prevented men from being exploited by other men. Pushan guided his followers towards rich pastures and wealth. We could certainly use his help right now.

The Harvest Moon is another archetype for the end of a growing season and the time to reap what has been sown. As this full moon occurs closest to the September equinox, it is this year's Harvest Moon. A Harvest Moon is no ordinary full moon and it behaves in a special way. Throughout the year the Moon rises about 50 minutes later after sunset each day. But near the autumnal equinox, the difference in the local time of moon rise is only 30 minutes. Before the advent of electricity and of tractor lights, this phenomenon came in handy as it meant there was no long period of darkness between sunset and moonrise for several days after full moon. Farmers could work on in the fields, bringing in the crops by moonlight. The extra hours of light projected by the full Moon closest to the equinox is what gives the Harvest Moon its name. What is your harvest this year?

Mars enters Cancer October 5, 2009 - May 27, 2010
On October 5, 2009 Mars will enter its sign of debilitation, Cancer, and remain there until May 27, 2010. Astrologically Mars is the planetary archetype for energy, desire, aggression, anger, war and the ability to get what you want. When it is debilitated, energy doesn't flow smoothly, and it is much harder to get what you want. Tempers flare more easily under the emotional Cancerian influence on the planet of desire.

The most difficult time of the month will occur on October 9th when Mars conjoins Ketu, the south node. As I mentioned in a previous post Mars rules the blood, and Ketu rules epidemics, unpredictable disease, hard to treat conditions, hysteria, and conditions resulting from poisonings. Ketu has a fiery nature and when combined with Mars may indicate a sudden onset of fever and inflammation, as in a sudden spread of epidemic flu, or release of explosive energy.

The explosive power of this conjunction may be seen on October 9th when NASA's LCROSS Mission to fire a Centaur rocket at the Moon to see if any water, ice or vapour is revealed in the cloud of debris. The explosion may even been witnessed by amateur astronomers here on earth. Ah, recent reports suggest that water has been discovered on the moon (as well as Mars) by NASA's probe on top of the Indian Lunar Probe Chandrayaan-1. So why bomb it?

On October 9, 2009 the Moon itself will be in the sign of Gemini. Coincidentally the first three NASA space programs were called Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo -- all archetypes of travel, business, communication and knowledge, as well as cons, deception, thieves, and duality. Gemini missions included the first American spacewalks, and new orbital maneuvers including rendezvous and docking. Two days after the scheduled blast, the Moon will conjoin Mars in Cancer and we may see the effects of the scarring probe, or something unexpected given Ketu's abstract nature.

More Debilitation of Planets: Venus, Jupiter, Sun
Venus enters its sign of debilitation, Virgo, on October 10, 2009. As I mentioned in my previous post she gains a little strength traveling with Mercury in Virgo as this exalted planet raises her up. When Mercury enters Libra on October 24, the two benefics will be in mutual exchange, again canceling Venus' debilitation.

Next Jupiter, ruler of wisdom, the law, education, openness, and success will go stationary direct on October 13 and return to its full debilitation opposite the Mars-Ketu conjunction. If that weren't enough, the Sun, the ruler of vitality, makes its yearly visit to its sign of debilitation, Libra, between October 17 - November 16. With so many planets in weakened states, it will take a lot of work to stay balanced.

Mercury and Saturn will be strong in Virgo, and suggest that discipline and methodical thinking are the way to go. Mercury likes to go fast, and Saturn likes to go slow, so they will definitely be tugging in both directions. But Saturn wins out -- meaning restriction, moderation, and balance are key. More than anything, Virgo is a sign of service with a sense of duty that is comfortable in the company of Saturn. In various legends Virgo represents the goddess of justice, or the goddess of the harvest, expressed in the adage that you will reap what you have sown. May your autumnal harvest be fruitful and sustain you through the winter.

Namaste!

UPDATE:
Mars has just entered Cancer and I realized it did so under the sign of Aries placing it in mutual exchange thus canceling the debilitation for three days. It is back on at the end of the week. And the LCROSS mission is scheduled for 4:30 am pdt when the moon will be in the last degrees of Taurus, its sign of exhaltation. NASA actually asks if people are having viewing parties. . . crazy.

Aum saraswateye vidmahe, bramputriye dhi-mahi, tanno sarawati prachodayat

Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists.

What is the Difference between Vedic and Western Astrology: 23 Degrees, Nakshatras, and Sidereal

Twenty-three is my quick answer to the question: "what is the difference between Vedic Astrology and Western astrology?" I don't mean to be cryptic, but 23 degrees is literally the difference between the Tropical and Sidereal zodiacs. It is called the Ayanamsha -- in Sanskrit ayana meaning solstice and amsha meaning portion -- and it refers to the difference between Tropical and Sidereal zodiacs.

The zodiac is a ring of constellations often referred to as signs, such as Aquarius, Leo, Scorpio and Taurus. It is a cosmic clock around which our solar systems operates and how astrologers measure cycles of time. Most people do not realize that there are two distinct zodiacs. Vedic astrologers use the Sidereal zodiac and Western astrologers use the Tropical zodiac. The Sidereal zodiac is based on observations of planets lining up against the backdrop of the fixed stars. It is oriented to the center of the galaxy. On the other hand, the Tropical zodiac is based on the relationship between the sun and earth. It is oriented to the equinoxes. In Western astrology the spring equinox sets the beginning of the Tropical zodiac at 1 degree Aries, even though the sun is astronomically traveling in the light fields of Pisces. In other words, it does not correspond to observable position. Vedic astrology is called Jyotisha in Sanskrit, meaning the science of light, and Vedic astrology describes how the light emitted from the stars effects us. When Western astrology was in its early stages, the two zodiacs may have lined up; but over time the two moved apart approximately 50 seconds per year to the current 23 degrees of separation (even that number is debated, but the standard of India, the Lahiri ayanamsha is 23 degrees 10 seconds).

Vedic astrology is considered by scholars to pre-date Western astrology and is the only system that has accounted for the precession of the equinoxes. What is the precession of the equinoxes? The answer to that involves another occurrence of the number 23 (those familiar with the enigma of 23, like LOST and RAW fans, may find this amusing). Because Earth's axis is tilted 23° 27' in its orbit around the sun, its equatorial plane is tilted with respect to the ecliptic plane, the plane created by Earth's orbit. These two intersecting planes create an intersecting line called the vernal axis that occurs on the first day of spring, or Vernal equinox. As the Earth spins on its axis, its axis wobbles (precesses 50.3 seconds of arc per year or 1 degree every 71.6 years) very slowly over a period of about 24,000 to 26,000 years. As this occurs, the pole of the Earth inscribes an arc in the heavens called the precessional arc. The Earth's pole aligns with different stars throughout the precessional period. The current pole star is Polaris. Approximately 13,000 year ago it was Vega, one of my favorite stars. Earth's precessional cycle is also referred to as Earth's Great Year in the alchemical tradition, World Ages, or Yugas in the Vedas. David Frawley describes it a one year in the life of humanity.

In Vedic astrology there is a line of thought that suggests this 24,000-26,000 cycle (and even wobble of the earth itself) maybe be generated by a grand cycle of our sun with a companion dark star. Modern astronomy is studying this possibility as well. The ancient Vedic seers divided up the cycle into four world ages: the Satya(Truth or Golden), Treta (Third or Silver), Dwapara (Third or Bronze) and Kali (first or Iron) Ages. Each age describes a stage of awareness for mankind in which consciousness ascends, descends, and ascends in unending cycles perhaps due to the influence of this yet to be discovered companion star. Although New Age philosophers have described humanity as entering the Age of Aquarius, astronomically speaking that will not happen for approximately 300-400 years.

According to Vedic thought, the cycles of ascending and descending consciousness are connected not only to our rotation around a companion star, but also our cycle around the galactic center. According to David Frawley, "Vedic astrology orients the zodiac to the galactic center, or the central galactic sun, whose influence comes to us through fixed stars of the constellation Sagittarius." The galactic center is like our cosmic belly button -- it is sometimes called Vishnunabhi, or the navel of Vishnu-- the point from which our galaxy grew and expanded. Many ancient cultures studied and recorded their observations about this area of the night sky, including the Mayans whose calendar marks an astronomical event of our winter solstice aligning with the galactic center in 2012. It's like the earth's pole or antenna will be aligned and open to receive message from the source itself. [H]ohm is calling.

One of the most brilliant developments of the ancient Vedic seers was to further divide the zodiac into more identifiable parts. They did this by creating the Nakshatra system. In Sanskrit Nakshatra means lunar mansion. As the moon travels through the entire zodiac in 27-28 days, the ancient seers ascribed a Nakshatra for each day simplifying its location. Although too vast a subject to go into in this post, it is interesting to point out that the name for the Nakstratra that marks the galactic center is Mula, meaning root or source.

Another difference between Western and Vedic astrology is the modern use of non-observable planets and asteroids. As a Neo-Vedic astrologer I do consider some of the outer planets when I look at a chart, but I tend to be more interested in the fixed stars and Nakshatras. I marvel at how Western astrologers bring in new astronomical discoveries to their chart interpretations. Basically I see Western charts as a map of the same terrain as a Vedic chart, but indicating different types or levels of information. It's like comparing a topological map with a road map. I don't need to know the difference of elevation between Broadway and 3rd Avenue, but I might like to know the street number of Benaroya Hall. It all depends on what type of information one is seeking. Vedic astrologers come from a tradition and philosophy that focuses on the four aims of life: dharma (purpose), arthra (attainment), kama (desire),and the most important moksha (liberation). Western astrology is enriched by many diverse traditions and the information gleaned from it may be quite extensive and more suited for the modern mind. But for me, I've always been drawn to the stars in the night sky and have felt them speak to me in the language of light. And as Jyotisha is the science of light, it is the tool and filter I use to translate this information.

For a good video overview on precession click here.