Astro Weather November 2007

November begins with the completion of the last Mercury retrograde cycle of 2007. Mercury makes its station today in Virgo at 3:59 pm PDT. Although Mercury began its retrograde in Libra, it fell back into the late of degrees of its sign of exhaltation, Virgo, on October 30th. In Vedic astrology, a retrograding exhalted planet brings a reversal of that exhaltation, and actually debilitates it (and when a debilitated planet is retrograde it becomes exhalted, called neecha banga raja yoga). This reversal of energy effects the things that Mercury rules, like the lungs, the nervous system, communication and commerce. Personally my lungs keep getting tested by the wide array of fall viruses, and the things I tried to ceremonially let go of on October 30th in a fire ceremony all came back to me the next day. Luckily I know that this set back is temporary and look forward to the reversal of the reversal this afternoon. When Mercury stations in Virgo it will be amped up on stellar steroids. Full speed ahead folks. It remains in Virgo until Monday, November 4th when it re-enters Libra and returns the point of initial retrograde on November 17th.


Venus in Virgo November 3 - November 30, 2007
Venus leaves the sign of Leo and goes into its sign of debilitation on Saturday, November 3. Fortunately it will be associated with an exhalted Mercury which assists in another neecha banga raja yoga-- reversal of debiliation. PLUS by the time Mercury changes signs again on Monday, the two inner planets will mutually exchange signs, Mercury in Venus' sign of Libra, and Venus in Mercury's sign of Virgo, stimulating yet another neecha banga raja yoga until November 27th. Venus will only spend three days in debilitation, which is great news after experiencing the intense energetic fluctuations during her long retrograde and participation in the eclipse cycle last September.


New Moon November 9th/Full Moon November 24
The New Moon occurs at 3:03 pm PST in the sign of Libra in the nakshatra Vishaka. Vishaka contains four stars which form the left half of the familiar Libran scales. In the Vedic tradition these star were described as forming the shape of forked branch and represent a large tree whose shade and branches provide protection for others. Other symbols associated with Vishaka are the triumphal arch decorated with leaves, a representation of marriage in India, and the potter's wheel. Both marriage and the fine arts are attributes of Libra. Vishaka's shakti power is to achieve many and various fruits in life, vyapani shaki. It is very fixated and goal oriented, and under its influence one must carefully choose the appropriate goal. The deity who is associated with Vishaka is the chief demi-God Indra, who is sometimes depicted in Puranic texts as determined, fixated, and offensive. He is a Dionysisan character who drowns himself in women, wine and pleasure and thus this moon can be associated with alcohol and intoxication. Although the energy of a new moon may be low, this new moon occur on Venus' day, Friday, and folks may be more sociable and drawn to pleasurable experiences.

The full moon on November 24th occurs in the nakshatra Krittika near its exhaltation point. Krittika is another determined nakshatra. Its symbols are the flame, axe or razor that have the power to burn or cut away negativity to get to the deepest truth, dahana shakti. The deities associated with Krittika are Karttikaya and Agni. In the Vedic tradition the six visible (seven with a telescope) stars of the Pleiades are associated with the nakshatra Krittika. According to one of the many legends, the seven wifes (how did the ancients "see" the seventh wife/star) of the ancient Seers hid Shiva's son Karttikaya, also called Skanda, from the demons and trained him in the various systems of knowledge. His destiny was to destroy the demons and return heaven to the Gods. Thus the Pleiades, or Krittika, is a celestial training ground where one receives instruction on one's life purpose. It is also a place of refuge. The chart for this full moon has a Libra ascendant with Venus placed in the 12th house and the moon placed in the 8th house. The 8th and 12th houses are moksha houses. Moksha means liberation, and in the Vedic tradition liberation of soul is often associated with the loss or retreat from the material world. I would use the energy of this full moon to seek refuge and instruction through meditation as it promises to give new insight and liberation for our souls.

Mars Retrograde November 15, 2007 - January 30, 2008
Mars entered Gemini on September 16, 2007 and will go retrograde on November 15th at 12:24 am PST opposite the moon in Sagittarius. In general Mars, or Mangala, rules our physical energy, what drives us, and how we go after we go after what we want. Originally its symbol was depicted the cross of matter above the circle of spirit by alchemists, but that cross has been pointed outward and upward into an arrow. Western and Vedic astrologers traditionally associate Mars with war and aggression. However there are Vedic traditions that indicate the arrow expresses the direction of contemplation towards the supreme goal. According to Gary Gomes, "one of the most overlooked roles of Mars is its role in spiritual development. Mars is the planet of those who avoid rebirth . . . it is rapidly acting, rather than violent. . . it is also in charge of logic, because logic is the intellectual weapon employed to win arguments. . . If it has a goal and a service to pursue, [Mars] is a truly wonderful planet, capable of delivering us from our worst enemies[or rebirth :)]." So whatever latent energy is inside the circle of spirit, it may be directed outward under the influence of Mars.

Mars goes retrograde every two years when it is closest to earth and opposite the Sun. Here we we have Mars, the planet of desire, opposite the Sun, the planet representing ego. And as retrograde planets are more powerful, our desires may outweigh the wisdom of a healthy ego. When Mars turns retrograde things may happen to show you that you need to put the breaks on and take a closer look at what you are doing. Re-examine your inner motives regarding why you are acting in a certain way. Are you functioning consciously or are you letting primitive impulses dominate your life? If you have overworked yourself, let frustration and anger build up, or denied your desires in any way, these may all surface during Mars retrograde to be confronted, integrated or released. Thus Mars retrograde time to reassess how we operate in the world, and to design a plan of how to carry it all out once it goes direct. It is not a time to start new projects, but finish and revamp old ones.

During this Mars retrograde period, the red planet is transiting Mercury's mutable sign of Gemini. As Gemini rules communication, the thinking mind and nervous system, we can expect a lot of changes in how we communicate our desires and how we spend our mental energy. There is an interesting synchronicity and alignment with the lunation symbolism of determination, fixation on goals, and cutting away of negativity. When Mars stations it will be in the nakshatra Ardra, ruled by the planet of obsession, Rahu. The primary motivation is kama, desire, and its power is yatna shakti,or effort. In particular it is the power of making gains in life through greater effort and struggle. It will require all the determination we observe during the lunation cycle to carry us through the unusually long Mars retrograde period. The presiding deity of Ardra is Rudra, the fierce form of Shiva. Rudra is associated with thunder and rainstorms. Ardra is connected with intense activity, passionate thinking, enthusiasm and an urge for expansion. So how will those drives be effected when Mars reverses. As "Ardra" means "moist" and is depicted as a teardrop, will we be crying tears of frustration? Or will these tears clear away the stale energy, like a rainstorm clears the air, leaving us with a renewed sense of clarity?

Physically Gemini rules the lungs, and Mars rules the blood, inflammation, and fevers; so this combination may indicate a surge in virulent colds and flus this holiday season. In particular we may see lingering respiratory pathogens, like coughs, that may last for months. I would advise everyone to re-enforce your cellular fortress, the immune system. The best way for you to protect yourself is to avoid sugar, which takes down the immune system for hours. In addition you may strengthen cellular walls to block out pathogens by taking essential fatty acids like fish oils, vitamin C, immune supplements, natural anti-virals like garlic. Learn how to preserve your energy and get plenty of rest. (And remember if you do get sick do not take iron --Mars' metal-- as it will only strengthen the wee beasties.) Don't let your desire (Mars) to be part of all the festivities make you sick.

Jupiter in Sagittarius November 21, 2007
As Jupiter completes its journey through Scorpio it starts its karmic unwinding of the Gandantic knots between November 8 - December 5, 2007. (For more on Gandanta see previous posts.) The great benefic, Jupiter is a significator of happiness, knowledge, learning and expansion. When it changes signs from Scorpio into its own sign of Sagittarius on November 21, 2007, it promises to bring hope and quest for the truth. In its home/ohm sign Jupiter becomes more powerful and is able to express theses innate qualities. But in the nakshatras of Jyestra and Mula it may have a little bite. Jytestha is ruled by the deity Indra, the dragon slayer, whom we discussed above influencing the new moon. Under this nakshatra the chief motivation is to conquer and to gain supremacy. The presiding deity of the following nakshatra, Mula, is Nritti – the goddess of destruction. Nritti is one aspect of Kali, the destroyer of illusions, and her purpose here is to help us break apart and destroy things, making room for a new creation based on a new foundation. Mula may inflict pain, but it is intended to keep us on the right track to God-realization.

Jupiter conjoins Pluto on December 11, 2007. By the winter solstice Jupiter, Pluto, Mercury and the Sun will be drawing down energy from the Galactic Center, enhanced two days later when a full moon conjoins Mars in Gemini. This powerful alignment may present political or fanatical religious conflict destroying things that aren't working. At the same time it may indicate a window of opportunity when we may be more open to receiving and understanding the messages from the source of life, the Mula or root of the galaxy, the Galactic Center.

In'Lakesh!