starworlds: Spring Equinox 2013

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Spring Equinox 2013

And Spring arose on the garden fair,
Like the Spirit of Love felt everywhere;
And each flower and herb on Earth's dark breast
rose from the dreams of its wintry rest.
—Percy Bysshe Shelley
- See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/2009/03/Great-Quotes-and-Sayings-About-Spring.aspx#sthash.KZqZsRnO.dpuf

Spring - an experience in immortality. ~ Henry D. Thoreau

The unpretentious crocus vernus quietly awakens in the early hours of spring heralding the resurrection of nature. Thoreau witnessed the immortality of the earth from the woods of Walden Pond and suggests that we all may share in its experience of eternal life: Shall a man not have his spring as well as the plants. All across the world, the Spring Equinox marks the beginning of a new year. It is the season of planting, the time of year when people and animals come out of hibernation, venture outside to enjoy the fresh air, and reconnect with the stirring earth and warming Sun after a long, cold winter.

This year Spring arrives on March 20, 2013 at 11:02 am U.T (3:02 am PDT). As the Sun crosses the imaginary celestial equator, it marks the Vernal Equinox when day and night, light and dark, are momentarily equal. During the past three months, the light (yang) has been slowly increasing as the darkness (yin) recedes, reaching this point of equanimity. The spring equinox is one of four turning points of the year marked by the path of the Sun: spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice. The solstices mark the most and the least daylight in any given year, whereas the equinoxes mark momentary equilibrium of light (yang) and dark (yin). In Taoist philosophy these four points are illustrated in Fu Xi's bagua and hexagrams of the I-Ching, the Book of Changes. Winter is associated with 2 K'un/The Receptive (six broken bars - most yin), Summer with 1 Ch'ien/The Creative (six solid bars -- most yang), Spring with 11 T'ai/Peace (three broken, three solid) and Autumn (three solid and three broken) with 12 P'I/Standstill.

The spring hexagram T'ai denotes a time in nature when heaven is upon the earth. The trigram of heaven (three solid bars) is placed beneath the trigram of the earth earth (three broken bars), and their powers unite in deep energetic harmony. According to the I Ching, its meaning is as follows:

Heaven exists on earth for those who maintain correct thoughts and actions. . . See yourself as a young tree now. The ground around you is fertile; sun and water and wind are plentiful. By maintaining your focus on moving upward toward light, clarity, and purity, you can reach great heights. If you become entangled in inferior things, you will not enjoy the full benefit of this gracious hour. Stay balanced, innocent, and correct, and good fortune is assured.

Just like seedlings pushing against the resistance of the soil, up and around rocky obstacles, with shoots reaching toward the light, we too may focus on new growth and goals for the new year. The warning against becoming involved with "inferior things" during this season is intriguing as many political leaders of this age have used the high energy of spring to begin wars and invasions. Both George Bush and Barack Obama chose to become entangled in the military attacks on Iraq (2003) and Libya (2011) on March 19th, and thus lost the opportunity to take the higher road of heaven, risking the good fortune of the American people. Instead of celebrating life, these two administrations consecrated death. In Chinese Medicine, the season of spring is associated with the element of Wood and the emotions of anger and frustration. When the impulse for growth is obstructed, anger and frustration arise. The high road is to remain flexible, gently bend and grow around the obstacle; and the low road is to bomb the hell out of the obstruction.

Thus in a time of high energy, there is sometimes a feeling of restlessness in the air manifesting in nature as wind and storms. This year Spring may "come in like a lion" as it begins under an airy Gemini Moon in the nakshatra of Ardra, which translates as "the moist one" revealing its association with tears and stormy events. Ardra nakshatra is ruled by Rudra, the fierce form of Shiva who brings destruction of old ways, and transformation through yatna shakti, or effort. Thus struggle brings rewards. Often compared to the air after a cleansing spring thunderstorm, Ardra promises clarity and a fresh start. In addition, the Moon is deposited by Mercury, which has been transiting the air sign of Aquarius for two months, and will be picking up speed after having stationed direct on March 17, 2013. During the equinox it, along with Neptune, will be receiving the bheshaja shakti, the powers of healing, generated by Varuna, the god of rain and cosmic water who presides over the airy Aquarian nakshatra Shatabhisha. Varuna also has a reputation as the keeper of drowned souls and one who grants immortality with soma, the fountain of youth flowing from the water bearer. In this case, water is not so much liquid as pranic. And if that is not enough air and storm metaphors to make you run for solid and high ground, Mars and Uranus may stir things up and shake your emotional foundation as they makes an exact square to the Moon during the moment of equinox, jarring us from the peace of equilibrium.

Thus all attention this Spring may be on unusual celestial and meteorological conditions. In particular, Comet Pan-STARRS, which is due to light up evening skies in the northern latitudes, will spark a bright cosmic display as it dives toward the sun. Will it burn up, or be resurrected and return from the other side?

2013, The Year of the Comet

When beggars die there are no comets seen; The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes. ~ Shakespeare, Julius Caesar II


Comet PanSTARRS, 2/15/13 by Ignacio Diaz Bobillo in Buenos Aires, Argentina from spaceweather.com

2013 has been dubbed the Year of the Comet because three approaching comets promise to brighten the heavens above the earth: Comets Lemmon and PanSTARRS in March and ISON (SION) in October/November. While these comets may be bad omens for kings and queens, the rest of us may have an opportunity to witness history in the making. Astronomers believe that comet ISON may be the brightest comet in history to pass by human eyes in the late fall of 2013. In the meantime, its little brothers Pan-STARRS and the green Lemmon have been putting on a fantastic shows of their own in the southern hemisphere and will be prominently displayed in the evening skies of the Spring Equinox.

Comet Lemmon is a five-mile-wide visitor traveling a great distance from furthest edge of our solar system. It was discovered in the constellation Leo on March 23, 2012 and has been categorized as a long-period comet. Long-period comets originate in the spherical Oort's cloud and approach the inner solar system at random angles; and their orbits may be prograde (clockwise) or retrograde (counter-clockwise) around the Sun. (Short-period comets originate in Kuiper's belt, have an orbit of 100 years or less, and travel orbit roughly along the plane of the ecliptic. 60% of these are part of Jupiter's family.) Therefore, this loop is not Lemmon's first sojourn into the inner solar system. This comet has an ancient track record: it has been about 11,000 years since its last dive towards the Sun -- during the Neolithic Age or Satya Yuga (golden age) depending on your point of view. Under the night skies of the southern hemisphere, Comet Lemmon reached naked-eye viewing in February. It has been dazzling astronomers and stargazers with its green hue and diaphanous tail.

Comet Lemmon 2/17/13; credit Phil Hart, Australia

This eery green color is produced by two gases boiling off its nucleus: cyanogen and diatomic carbon. Cyanogen is a poison gas released by many comets, and diatomic carbon is vaporized C2. Comet Lemmon is traveling from south to north, and will reach the closest point in its orbit around the Sun called perihelion on March 24, 2013, Palm Sunday in the Christian tradition. By April it may be visible with the naked eye from the northern hemisphere.

Comet PanSTARRS was in discovered June 2011, and is a categorized as a non-periodic comet, meaning its orbit is not gravitationally bound to the Sun. These comets move on orbits with the same shape as a parabola. Having an irregular orbits mean that the comet will not return to the light of the Sun for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years -- if ever. Such objects generally only visit the Sun once, never to return again.

Comet Pan-STARRS on 2/28/13; Credit: Michael Mattiazzo from Universe Today

As of February 28, 2013, PanSTARRS has brightened beyond prediction, to a 2.6 magnitude, almost as bright as the stars of the Big Dipper. So far there appear to be two visible tails, and one barely visible to the naked eye.

As comets move closer to the heat of the sun, they either fizzle out or become brilliant. If PanSTARRS becomes brilliant, we may be able see it low in the western sky at twilight on March 7th or 8th -- two to three days after it makes its closest approach to Earth. As the waxing Moon enters Pisces, it will draw our attention to the path of the comet where it will pass within 10 degrees.

By the Spring Equinox, PanSTARRS will be easily viewed at sunset, perhaps showing off its heavenly tails.

The Istanbul comet and earthquake of 1556

Omens and Comets

Historically many astrological traditions have described comets as evil omens, heralding cataclysmic events, sudden political upheaval, and even the death of kings. As this Deep Impact article from NASA points out some historical support for these beliefs:

The Romans recorded that a fiery comet marked the assassination of Julius Caesar, and another was blamed for the extreme bloodshed during the battle between Pompey and Caesar. In England, Halley's Comet was blamed for bringing the Black Death. The Incas, in South America, even record a comet having foreshadowed Francisco Pizarro's arrival just days before he brutally conquered them.

From Lubinetski’s book compiled European accounts of the comets of 1664 and 1665, and provided a general history of cometary phenomena

Any unusual light body would have been interpreted as a message from the heavens, and as kings were viewed as agents of God on earth, they were often the recipients of these celestial communiqués. Comets Lemmon and PanSTARRS have very interesting timing with the resignation of Pope Benedict and the upcoming convening of the Papal Conclave to select a new pope. This rare situation of having two Popes living within the protective walls of the Vatican is simultaneously heralded by these two comets? Furthermore, the lightning strike to the Vatican is another omen that seems to act as a divine exclamation mark pointing to the celestial significance of these events.

In some Vedic astrological traditions, comets, meteors, and asteroids are called ketus, meaning signs or signals. In addition to the two incoming comets, news headlines were filled with stories of meteors and asteroids such as the uneventful, but highly anticipated asteroid 2012 DA14 and the unforeseen Russian fireball that rocked the internet.

Modern Vedic astrologer Prash Trivedi describe comets as the children of the dragon's tail, Ketu, the South Node. Like their unpredictable father, the Dhumketus, or "explosive sons of Ketu," are capricious and erratic. However, dhumketus may be a particular group of comets. According to R.N. Iyengar, ancient scholars like Parashara (c. 1400 BC) and Ganga described 11 groups of 101 comets: the Myrtyu group, the Dditya group, the Rudra group, the Pitamaha group, the Uddalaka group, the Prajapati group, the U. Major group, the Vibhavasu group, the Moon group, the Dhuma group, and one from the anger of Brahma, the Creator. The more secular writings of the Brihat Samhita (BS) and Abdbhuta-Sagara (AS) by the 6th century AD Sage Varaha-mihira describe the many physical characteristics of comets. In the BS comets are also named ketus (signs): Ketus are luminous, appearances resembling fire, but without the power to consume objects -- the glow worm, with phosphorescent appearances. . . like the green light of comet Lemmon.


300 BC Chinese textbook of cometary forms

Varaha-mihira reported that the ancient sages had studied the nature of 1,000 different comets. Depending on the position of its first appearance, and the number of its tails, comets may signal different events and meanings. The Brihat Samhita depicts comets in general as signs of great changes coming to the world, but each individual comet has it own unique message and result, and not all are harbingers of doom. Interpretation of their nature is derived from where they were first observed by the naked eye, the direction of travel, the color, and the number of tails. According to the Brihat Samhita:

. . . the effects to be described are various and depend upon their reappearance or disappearance (at particular times and places), their positions, the heavenly bodies with which they appear to be in contact, and on their colors.

As PanSTARS is a non-periodic comet, it may not be part of the ancient Indian observations of comets, but I like to believe that Lemmon may have been viewed 11,000 by ancient seers during the Satya Yuga. As both comets are traveling from the south to the north, they may be members of the auspicious Jupiter group which are first seen in the south; however these comets have no "hair" (vikacah) perhaps referring to the tails and may be of another class. According to Varaha-mihira, if any stars are dimmed by the comets tails, then depending on the effected nakshatra, a list of specific rulers and countries will suffer or perish. Thus it is the tail that portends the most damage.

For the next couple of days, Comets Lemmon and PANSTARRS can be found in the south. This chart is for Melbourne at 9pm, 28 February.

Lemmon and PanSTARRS over Atacama Desert, Credit: Yuri Beletski

So far the tails of these comets are not clearly visible to the naked eye and not measurably obscuring the shakti of prominent nakshatra stars.

Since the end of February, Comet Lemmon has been passing through the southern constellations of the Sculptor and Phoenix, both of which contain few bright stars. However, on March 8, 2013 Comet Lemmon will pass by the bright orange star Ankaa, (meaning the "bright one in a boat") in the Phoenix constellation at a time when its tail may be quite prominent.

Comet Lemmon on March 8, 2013, click here for comet finder

The highly provocative names of these asterisms evoke images from last winter's viral, apocalyptic video called I Pet Goat II by Heliophant. This mysterious 7 minute video depicted a sleeping Christ navigating the dark seas in some sort of trance on an Egyptian a boat similar to that of the Egyptian god Osiris, who also is described as sailing along celestial seas. Both their resurrections are celebrated around the Spring Equinox. In fact Osiris' ancient feast day is celebrated on March 17th, a day which then became appropriated by the Catholic Church as St. Patrick's (Pater = father) Day. Perhaps a green comet is destined to awaken these sleeping gods (green men) from the winter slumber of the Kali Yuga? Or signal the death and resurrection of the Catholic Church?

According to Brady's Fixed Stars, Robinson is the only commentator to mention Ankaa, describing it as giving ambition and possibly long lasting fame.

Next Comet Lemmon continues to heads north past one of my favorite Royal Stars of Persia: Formalhaut. Brady suggests this fixed star may give a trial or temptation to be worked through -- perhaps the upcoming Papal Conclave. It is a very mystical star, and fortunately Lemmon's tail should not dim any of its light. Comet Lemmon it reaches its closest point to the Sun, perihelion, on March 24, 2013. At this time it will be about the same distance from the Sun as the planet Venus, and will be hidden from view by the Sun’s glare, but about to cruise into new territory. By mid-April, the comet will have scooted into the constellation of Pisces, emerging ahead of the sunrise, and on April 19, 2013 it should cross the celestial equator, on its way to becoming visible in Pisces to the Northern Hemisphere as it returns home to its point of origin in the darkness of the solar system's outer limits.

Comet PanSTARRS on March 12, 2013 as it approaches the crescent Moon

Comet PanSTARRS will cross the celestial equator a few weeks earlier than Lemmon, and will be at the point closest to the Earth on March 5, 2013, reaching its perihelion on March 10, 2013. From perihelion to the end of March, the comet moves almost due north by many bright stars in the constellations of Pisces, Pegasus and Andromeda, the daughter of the royal family. If the comet develops a long, visible tail, it may dim a few important lights at the edge of the Great Magical Square of the winged horse. According to Brady, Pegasus is also known as "I-iku" which was the measure used in building the perfect, cubed ark of Babylon mythology in the Epic of Gilgamesh, a pre-Biblical version f the Great Flood.

Hmmm. Isn't it fascinating that both comets are traveling through stellar fields associated with boats during the Spring Equinox, which itself is under the influence of a potentially stormy Ardra moon. Are you prepared to weather the storm(s)? You may need more than an umbrella this year.

Remember the sage advice of the Spring I Ching:

Heaven exists on earth for those who maintain correct thoughts and actions. . . See yourself as a young tree now. The ground around you is fertile; sun and water and wind are plentiful. By maintaining your focus on moving upward toward light, clarity, and purity, you can reach great heights. If you become entangled in inferior things, you will not enjoy the full benefit of this gracious hour. Stay balanced, innocent, and correct, and good fortune is assured.

Namaste!

Ohm namo bagavate rudraya

ADDENDUM: It looks like the original orbital period I referenced for Comet PanSTARRS was incorrect. According to other sources, it is not 11,000 years, but 110,000 years.

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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.