starworlds: Astroweather -- November 2010

Monday, November 1, 2010

Astroweather -- November 2010

Jupiter changes signs from Pisces to Aquarius
November 1, 2010

November begins with a big energetic shift. The great gas giant Jupiter retrogrades out of its own sign of Pisces into Saturn's sign of Aquarius on November 1, 2010. The optimistic and expansive energy of Jupiter in Pisces is dampened by Saturn's somber influence, but over time may benefit the collective as the air sign of Aquarius is concerned with social services. The last time Jupiter was in the late degrees of Aquarius was during May 2010 when the BP oil spill and national health care became all consuming news. Public outrage and concern for the environment put political leaders and BP on the defensive as they played games about response and responsibility for the worst environmental disaster on record. It was a very challenging time and we may revisit some of these themes when Jupiter transits Aquarius. This change also occurs the day before US elections. Jupiter is an indicator for politics and law and its transit to the last degree of Aquarius may contribute some surprising results in the US elections that benefit all humanity.

In Vedic astrology this juncture between signs it is called sande. It is considered a weak position, especially if in a water sign which would also make it a karmic knot, gandanta. In this case the air sign effects the mental field and society. Our collective minds may vacillate as we try to figure out the best way to cast our votes. In addition the polls will open under the influence of the Moon situated in self-oriented Leo opposite Jupiter in the humanitarian sign of Aquarius. This opposition will create tension between the needs of the people and the self interests of the wealthy or ruling classes.

For example, here in Washington State, there is an initiative to create a state income tax only for the wealthiest 1.2 % of the population, which would generate $2 billion a year for education and health care programs that have been shrunk by budget cuts. It is supported by billionaire Bill Gates and his father, but has drawn criticism from both big and small businesses that fear it will push companies out of the state. Other billionaires such as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos are funding a $6.3-million campaign to defeat it. These billionaires are playing on the collective fear that this initiative will force companies to move out of state, or will open the door for implementing state income tax for all. They are relying on the public being as selfish as they are. With the waning Moon in Leo, the public might not be as enlightened and progressive as usual and may in fact vote with their wallets against this proposal. Or they might realize this initiative will in fact benefit them, and self-interest will synchronize with collective benefit.

As the Moon represent the public and the collective mind of the masses, it is an important indicator to assess during election day in a democracy. When the polls open in Washington DC, the Moon begins the day in the nakshatra of Purva Phalguni ruled by Venus which is still in its weakened combust state, in retrograde motion, and now in its early morning star position. Venus is a raja yoga planet for the US Scorpionic chart and may not be strong enough to completely protect its interests of the 4th and 9th houses: real estate, institutes of higher education, law, art, and diplomacy. By the end of the day the Moon joins Saturn, the chart ruler of the US chart, in Virgo in the nakshatra of Uttara Phalguni, ruled by the Sun which is currently positioned in its weakest sign placement of Libra. The Moon's conjunction with somber Saturn does not bode well for the state of mind of the collective. The people may continue to feel burdened by a political system that is as broken as our health care system. Saturn can represent the status quo, so things may not change a whole lot. However, the Sun in Libra is not strong for leaders or corporations. In fact the Sun in Libra may make leaders more likely to make concessions for the sake of unity. Concession speeches should prove to be interesting.

As election day winds down, the Moon transits the US 8th house illuminating the collective worry about unemployment, the national debt, and ongoing financial crisis. It will be clear that there is still a lot of work to do to heal this nation. The burden on the middle class will continue to effect the entire country across the board until Saturn leaves the 8th house next year in November 2011.

In Western astrology planets positioned at 29 degrees are also considered critical. The anaretic degree is the final degree of any sign, which is 29 degrees 0 minutes to 29 degrees 59 minutes. Planets or luminaries placed within that range are likely to display the most extreme attributes of the sign or planet. Often the Sabian symbols are used to describe the karma associated with these late degree placements. The Sabian symbol for 29 Aquarius is "a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis." Perhaps all this hard work that we are doing will indeed bring forth something wondrous. But for a caterpillar to turn into a butterfly it must first undergo a painful transformation in which it completely dissolve its old structure into a gooey mess before it is ready to emerge with its new power of flight. Jupiter goes direct on November 18, 2019 and will remain at the significant 29 degree until December 5, 2010 when it returns to its own sign of Pisces. During this time we may all be experiencing a metamorphosis as we prepare for the day of emergence. Are you ready to fly?

Namaste.

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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.