starworlds: Astroweather -- December 2010

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Astroweather -- December 2010

December begins under the influence of three malefic planets and fickle Mercury aligning with the Galactic Center in Sagittarius. As the 9th sign of the zodiac, Sagittarius rules over spirituality, religion, law, and politics. When planets transit this field of stellar energy, they transmit their intrinsic energy to these activities. For example, Rahu, the north node of the Moon, amplifies forces of desire and focuses on how to materialize what it wants. As the head of a decapitated demon or Dragon, Rahu's effects are initiated on the mental field, and most often on a subconscious plane. Thus Rahu rules the unknown and anything outside our daily experience, including research beyond known boundaries, hidden realms, foreigner lands and people, microbial life, and alien life. Rahu expands and often distorts perception in order to manifest its desire. So when Rahu travels in the sign of Sagittarius it effects political, religious, and spiritual activities and pushes boundaries to a breaking point. It can bring spiritual progress, but more often Rahu taps into subconscious fears that get activated on a group level or world stage. Rahu also amplifies and intensifies the energy of the planets associated with it, so in this case Pluto's urge for deep transformation escalates and becomes more volatile.

As I illustrated with recent world events in my last post on Starsyncs, the explosive planetary line up was intially activated under the dreadful nakshatra Mula with Pluto's conjunction of Rahu, the North Node, on November 23-24, 2010; and was followed by Mercury and Mars entering Sagittarius on November 25, 2010 and November 30, 2010 respectively. The tension will continue to build as Mercury and Mars get closer to Rahu, and become mixed up in this month's eclipse pattern, culminating with a lunar eclipse on the winter solstice, December 21, 2010. Next week Uranus, the planet of sudden change and revolution stations and goes direct, while Mercury conjoins the lord of the underworld, Pluto, all under a debilitated new moon in Scorpio. The lunation before an eclipse is often extremely powerful and sets the state for the drama to be carried out. This month the new Moon occurs in the purifying water sign of Scorpio, with all the transiting planets rising in the constellation of Sagittarius casting their glance on the horizon. Moreover, the following day the Moon slips into Mula directing this energy right into our psyches, perhaps giving us a preview of the events during this eclipse cycle.

New Moon December 5, 2010 9:36 am pdt
Uranus Station 5:51 pm pdt
Mercury conjoins Pluto

The Nakshatra Jyeshta contains three stars that the ancient seers saw as an umbrella or earring. Its name means the eldest or most senior, and some scholars suggest that originally there were only 18 nakshtras with Jyeshta designating the last lunar mansion. I believe it may also have a deeper astronomical reference.

It also marks the entry to the oldest part of our galaxy, the galactic center, as Jyestha precedes Mula making it the last step before we come back to a rebirth at the root, or Vishnuabi, Vishnu's belly button, the center from which our entire galaxy grew. Depictions of Vishnu, the preserver, often portray him asleep dreaming on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with his consort Lakshmi, floating on the Kshira Sagar meaning 'ocean of milk,' the Milky Way.

Indra is the deity associated with Jyeshta. As the King of the Gods and protector of heroes, Indra is known for his daring nature, courage, and power, but also for his vanity, pride, and unreliable character. As god of war and weather, Indra used weapons such as the thunderbolt, bow, net, disc, and hook. The Arohana shakti of Jyeshta gives the power to rise and conquer and give courage in battle. Indra's most notable battle was with the asura Vritra, a terrible dragon, who stole all the water of the world for himself. After a mighty battle, Indra sliced open the asura releasing all the hoarded water, and thus became known as a "dragon slayer."

The theme of snakes and dragons may be revealed in the symbols of Jyeshta: a round earring, ring, or circular talisman that represents the governing forces of the universe, and the world (crown, orb, ring, large hoop earrings worn by kings).

In India the large round earring worn by ancient kings are reminiscent of the ouroboros, a coiled snake consuming its tail, representing ideas of circularity, unity, and infinity. This ancient symbol is found in many ancient cultures, and even today in alchemy, it is a sigel for purification -- the theme of this new moon.

Astronomically Jyeshta is part of the (some say 13th) constellation Ophiuchus, Greek for "the serpent holder" or "the serpent bearer." This snake handler may represent the legendary healer Aesclepius who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay after observing one serpent bringing another serpent healing herbs. Like the Nagas of Hindu mythology, snakes are symbols of wisdom, secret knowledge, and immortality. To prevent the entire human race from becoming immortal, Zeus killed Aesclepius with a bolt of lightning (also one of Indra's favorite weapons), and later placed his image in the heavens to honor his good works.

Astronomical images of Ophiuchus depict Aesculepius resting his foot on Scorpius, the Scorpion. In Greek lore the great earth goddess Gaia sent Scorpius to kill Orion, the Hunter, who had threatened to hunt down all the animals of the Earth. Scorpius stings Orion, who would have died had it not been for the intervention of Aesculapius. Aesculepius gave Orion a sip of the Divine Elixir, revealed by serpents, that restored him to health. In Hindu myth amrita is the divine elixir of mortality that Rahu so desperately desired and ultimately drank. So it seems the ancient Gods did not want humans or demons to drink this potion and share in the ultimate gift of immortality.

The Rod of Aesculepius is the symbol for Ophiuchus, and is often confused with Caduceus of Mercury -- interesting sync in Vedic Astrology that Jyestra is ruled by Mercury. The confusion regarding the supposed medical significance of the caduceus appears to have arisen as a result the military using it for the US Army Medical Corps in the early 20th century -- and may in fact stem from Babylonian symbols depicting Ishtar as 'an awakener of life and vegetation in the spring' -- which is a whole other kettle of fish that I will refrain from discussing, today.

It is intriguing that the 13th constellation is also described as the "eldest" sign both Western and Vedic traditions. Johannes Kepler depicted an allegorical and astronomical Ophiuchus in the drawing posted below.

Kepler was fascinated by Ophiuchus as it is the location of the last visible supernova. Supernover 1604 is also known as Kepler's Star. It no doubt caused quite a stir as it was visible and bright. First observed on October 9, 1604 Supernova 1604 was brighter at its peak than any other star in the night sky -- and all the planets other than Venus -- with apparent magnitude 2.5. It was visible during the day for over three weeks at the end of the 12 baktun, and beginning of the last and 13th baktun of the Mayan Calendar which we all know resets at the ends of 2012. There have been no observable supernova in the Milky Way since that time. Now that we are approaching the end of the 13th baktun, perhaps history will repeat itself and another galactic wave message might be sent from this area of space? There is another recurrent nova in Ophiuchus that may go supernova in our lifetime, RS Ophiuchi.

The constellation Ophiuchus is opposite the constellation Orion along the axis of the Milky Way. Orion is speculated home of our alien ancestors, possible binary twin Sirius, and supposed stargate/wormhole. Could Ophiuchus also contain a wormhole, an energetic ouroboros, that was opened in 1604, or be an astrological marker for us to pay attention to our galactic birth place?

Ophiuchus contains star systems that are much closer to earth than Orion. I'm not the only one to consider space travel to Ophiucus. In fact the 1970s Project Daedalus selected Barnard's Star which is on one of the nearest stars to our Solar System located in the Ophiucus constellation, as a plausible site for a visit from an unmanned spacecraft.

Mercury conjoins Pluto
Mercury conjoins the modern ruler of Scorpio, Pluto, under the new Moon in Scorpio and in Jyeshta which is ruled by Mercury. Although Mercury is usually helpful in diplomatic discussions, this time around it is keeping company with some intense malefic planetary players. As the planet of communication tends to absorb the energy of the planets around it, Mercury may assimilate some of Rahu's tendency towards amplification, obfuscation, and exaggeration. Couple Jyeshta promise of courage to do battle with Pluto's demand for explosive transformation and monumental change, communication will be intense, and potentially explosive. Mercury pertains to our individual and collective thinking processes, so these influences will give negative qualities to the mindset of the world. In Greek Mythology Mercury/Hermes took souls down to the underworld ruled by Hades/Pluto. Thus, Mercury is the god of thresholds and rites of passage. He is the god of twilight and dawn. He rules places where two things seemed joined and yet not joined (sounds like the Korean Peninsula), ie places that aren't clearly one thing or another. Mercury is invoked at crossroads of life. When it meets Pluto it may be a crossroad of death. Are you ready?

Scorpio likes to go deep into the darkest mysteries and all the diverging avenues, as is apparent in this post. So I say let the ancient wisdom of Jyestha inspire you to dig into a great mystery, purify in sauna, hot springs, or with sacred water, uncover a plot, give care to elders, or set some grand plan into motion. Let Mercury's meeting with Pluto loosen all those negative thought patterns that keep you locked in samscara. Observe and record your dreams, as your subconscious may go on a very deep journey. The next day you may find yourself past the threshold of death, being reborn as the Moon draws in new instructions from the galactic center.

Namaste!

UPDATE: As Mercury heads to its conjunction with Pluto, the ruler of radioactivity, this story was release: Surprise: Radioactive Mercury Decays Into Uneven Chunks

AND

UPDATE: On the new moon in Scorpio on December 5, Iran claimed it could now use domestically mined uranium to produce nuclear fuel, giving the country complete control over a process the West suspects is geared toward producing weapons.

No comments:

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.