Carl Jung, Swiss Psychoanalyst and Researcher

“From the beginning I had a sense of destiny, as though my life was assigned to me by fate and had to be fulfilled. This gave me an inner security, and, though I could never prove it to myself, it proved itself to me.”

—from Memories, Dreams, Reflections C.G. Jung

“Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work.”

—from Bhagavad Gita chapter 3, Verse 8

Very briefly, and with reference to materials based on what I have learned from my teachers and experienced through my work I present thoughts on the natal chart of the father of Depth Psychology, Swiss-born C. G. Jung.

Jung’s chart shows a Capricorn ascendant, the cardinal earth sign like a newly planted and fertile field. The karmic goal of Saturn, to acquire knowledge and use it to expand consciousness, is in accord with his work in the recently developed and still new field of psychology.

The ascendant ruler, Saturn, is in his 2nd house, in the fixed air sign of Aquarius. The karmic goal, to teach what has been learned to all sentient beings. The fixed sign under Saturn rule points to a process of slow but strong and steady growth through persistent work. The development of the mind and expression via language, curiosity, and difficulties are suggested.

Jung’s 11th house hosts a strong Mars in its own sign of fixed water Scorpio. This is the element that produces long-lived and strong growth over time in the house of the fruits of one’s labors in life. The continued expansion of Jung’s work more than 60 years after his passing is reflective of this energy.

The Moon in Aries in the 4th reflects a caring mind and imaginative power. Jung’s personal work, the building of his home to gain the privacy he valued for his unconscious explorations, and the unity of the active outer world and hidden inner wisdom he sought are represented in this placement.

Jung had Mercury and Venus conjunct in Gemini in his 6th house of health and service. His deeply curious nature, ability to collect and organize information, and his discernment in getting to the essence of the mysteries of the unconscious, all in service to others, are all found in this placement.

Jupiter in Libra in the 10th and aspecting the 2nd points first to the challenging relationship with his father as a young child, but also to the broad nature of his work in life, seeking to bring relief to out of balance psychology patients and benefit society at the same time.

His Rahu/Ketu axis runs from Pisces in the 3rd to Virgo in the 9th. Rahu in the third made for an articulate voice, a sense of early life confusion (Pisces) that later gave great confidence as the house and his work came to fruition. That he understood the deeper nature of his explorations and its connection to spirit or Source is reflected by Ketu in the sign of the healer and house of Dharma. This axis reflects a deep need for independent thought, words, and actions that serve a higher calling than the material product of labor. Virgo in the 9th reflects psychological service and healing capacity. Rahu in Pisces gains the spiritual influence of its ruler Jupiter.

By nearly every significant assessment, the life of Carl Jung unfolded beneficially according to the indicators in his chart. His own willingness to work through difficulties and remain focused on the work for many and to build something lasting no doubt contributed greatly to his maximum usage of the karma he was born with.

To see the unconscious power of your own birth chart, including consultation on how to make use of this power, contact me via email to arrange a reading.

Stephen@jyotishamerica.com

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Most lasting cultures have at some point in their history produced, adopted, or adapted an astrological system. The uses vary from expanding self knowledge to explaining powerful events to predicting future possibilities. What is common about most of them is the inspiration and basis of their origin — and it had little to nothing to do with their eventual use as tools for metaphysical work.

The sources of astrology and the sources of the various calendar systems throughout history are the same. Humans intuited a need for an accurate means of marking time, and the regular motions of the Sun and Moon against the background of fixed stars provided that means. Modern time measurement uses more sophisticated methods such as the decay of radioactive atoms or the vibrational speed of crystals but even these retain the underlying concepts of months (moon cycles) and years (solar cycles). These modern methods require equipment that is expensive to create and maintain and require great skill and care in use. The ancient sages, however, weren’t interested in tracking time to the nanosecond or observing effects such as time dilation, multiple timelines, and measuring the affect of mass and gravity on relative motion.

The calendars of old performed important functions such as marking the seasonal flooding of fertile soil, the migratory patterns over time of animals hunted as food, and marking the gestation periods of mothers-to-be from many species. And just as these events, observed over long spans of time and repetitive cycles of planetary movements, yielded extraordinary improvements on “predicting” the birth of a child, the time to plant, the time to harvest, or the onset of various seasons such as summer monsoons or winter freezes, the keen eye of ancient wisdom masters noted myriad other effects concurrent with particular patterns in the heavens. Learning to read the patterns and relate them to potentials for predictable activities became a profession unto itself, the work of the professional astrologer.

In western civilization, the Greeks perfected their 12-sign version as an improvement on work of the Sumerian, Babylonian and ancient Persian astrological methods. This system, formally called Hellenic Astrology, uses a Tropical Zodiac and is based on the cuspal dates of the four seasons. Beginning some 2000 years ago, Greek astronomers declared that the Spring Equinox, which they measured as the point in the Zodiac where the Sun could be found on the date it crossed the equator from south to north, marked the beginning of the Zodiac at 0 degrees of the constellation Aries. As far as western astrology is concerned, it has remained there ever since.

This tropical zodiac is based on a fixed point in space, what physics would describe as location marked by the intersection of an x, y, and z axis, critical for understanding relationships between objects.

The ancient Rishis of Northern India, close observers of all of nature and life, created a calendar thousands of years earlier. Seeing the concurrences marked by patterns of Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, they developed the system of Vedic Astrology.

The Rishis were excellent astronomers and were among the first to note a slow wobble in the earth’s axis that caused the intersection between the sun and the equator to travel slowly backwards through the zodiac. This discovery meant that the spring equinox would transit all 12 signs approximately every 24,000-25,000 years.

This procession is the basis of the Sidereal Zodiac that forms the most obvious difference between Vedic and Western astrology. On March 21, if one measures the location of the Sun, it will currently be found not at 0 degrees Aries, but at slightly less than 6 degrees of Pisces.

Physicists measure direction of motion by calculating the location of an object over time. Combining this principle with that of fixed points, the rule states we can either know the exact location of an object or the direction of it’s movement, but not both at the same time.

This procession of the equinoxes makes for a significant difference in planet and house locations of Vedic astrological charts compared to Western. There are many other differences I’ll discuss later, but as we celebrate the Equinox season, seeking answers to many challenging questions of modern life, taking a look at how we frame knowledge over time and space is one possibility for gaining wisdom.

The 24 degree difference between the Tropical and Sidereal zodiacs means that for 5 out of 6 people, the Sun sign given in Western charts is actually one ahead of the Sun’s actual location. Does this change who you are? Of course not, but it does perhaps offer an opportunity to look at yourself from another point of view, and in so doing gain greater understanding of your potential.

There are many more fascinating practices the Rishis developed over many centuries before the first Greek city-states formed. For detailed explorations and help understanding Vedic wisdom and your birth chart, a natal astrology reading is the starting point. See my services page on this site for details if you are interested.

These are my own thoughts on a process and practice for personal growth.

The practice of Mantra chanting as meditation and remedial action for the unresolved conflicts between the Ego-mind and Unconscious Self originated thousands of years in the past. Every tradition has their sacred hymns, songs to the Creator, and the primal sounds of these hymns (Om, Aum, Amen, etc.) are demonstrably the seeds of all language and the root source of creation. The demonstration, however, is not an intellectual exercise of theorizing, designing an experiment to test the theory, collecting and sharing results with a peer group, having the experiment duplicated, and eventually having it become part of the dogma of evidentiary belief, the closest thing to truth that one finds in pure science as understood in the modern world.

Sacred sounds are personal, and their impact on the body, or rather bodies, of the whole person does not occur by taking in sound from outside the self, but rather from recognizing that the self, in all its manifestations is created, sustained, and evolves through vibrational energy. Whether we are talking about string theory, light waves, audio resonance, or gravity, the ability of waves and particles to shift from one to the other forms the basis of energy condensing into matter and dissolving back into pure energy in endless cycles of creation that transcend time, space, and human knowledge. It is perpetual vibration from an unknowable Source that underlies all of creation. It fills and animates every particle of space throughout all of time. Invisible, infinite, eternal, and incomprehensible, it nonetheless shows its effect in everything from massive galactic clusters to the tiniest sub-atomic particles. Existence is the evidence of a Source.

We may never intellectually understand the Source, but there is a way to demonstrate the presence and power of it that requires only a quiet space, a half-hour a day, and the persistence to engage with the vibrations of reality. Meditation and Mantra chanting – both aloud and eventually in complete silence, meaning absent any vocal engagement, is generally safe and when undertaken with an open mind and heart will quickly begin to reveal the hidden power of our connection to the body of the universe, to the ultimate, eternal, and all-encompassing creative engine for life, love, and perfect balance.

Beginning the process is simple to describe. But I don’t want to mislead you. It will challenge you in ways no other activity you have undertaken ever has. And mastery, if it comes at all, will require thousands of repetitions over a long period of time. So why bother? Because after just a few weeks you will notice changes in your body, your thoughts, your relationships to the world, and your understanding of every experience.

Using a tool from the world of business will help to clarify some of the effects. Meditation and chanting will help you to much more quickly determine what is Important and Urgent (Needs to be done and the sooner the better such as fixing a burst water pipe or putting out a raging fire), Important and Not Urgent (Will eventually need to be done, but is a longer and more comprehensive project than the Urgent such as giving up harmful habits like unhealthy eating and avoiding exercise), Not Important but Urgent (These are the daily interruptions that steal time but turn out to be nothing, such as the neighbor who comes over unannounced to complain about the latest bit of political bombast from their favorite radical pundit), Not Important and Not Urgent (These are the time stealers that we create to procrastinate from the Important but Not Urgent. Binge watching a series instead of getting up and exercising or spending time on our meditation and mantra practice is one example).

The ideal balance is when we take care of the Important before it becomes urgent, the unimportant and not urgent is minimized, we create boundaries to reduce the unimportant and urgent, and the net effect is we seldom experience Important and Urgent events because our life is focused on building a deeper connection to the important elements and experiences that last. This doesn’t happen in a day or a month or maybe at all, but we can move closer by beginning to get in touch with the deeper vibrations of the universe.

The process is

1) To have a place and time for meditation that we commit to for 30 minutes every day, either soon after awaking in the morning or just before retiring for the night.

2) Adopt a mantra that becomes your single point of focus and what you return to when your mind begins to wander (And it will, but like a restless child, gently and lovingly bring it back to the mantra for the length of the meditation. Eventually, the mind learns that life is better all around when it sits quietly focused on the mantra).

3) Adopt a shorter form of mantra that you call up whenever you feel out of balance during the day. (A single comforting word holds your attention whenever your mental or nervous process gets overstimulated. This will quickly become automatic after a few weeks of effort). You mantrum can be single word like Peace, Love or a sacred name like Jesus, Ram, Lord, Buddha, etc. Any calming word that you can easily call up in the moment and focus on.

On this point, I’ll give an example: I was having a painful eye exam where intense pressure was being put on my eye using a plastic implement. Every muscle in my body tensed and tears and pain led to an unmanageable urge to blink and fight the eye doctor’s efforts. When I began to focus on my personal mantrum, “Om, Om, Om, Om…,” with all my mental capacity the pain didn’t end, but it moved to the background. Before the mantrum it took nearly ten minutes for the doctor to examine the eye with pressure from a single point. In less than ten minutes he was able to finish the remaining seven while I focused on the mantrum with far less discomfort and resistance.

4) Read inspirational or sacred literature on a daily basis. It can be a paragraph or a page, or more if you have the time. And draw on many sources (poetry, religious texts, inspirational biographies, etc.). You may find other short pieces that can be the basis of future meditations after you have used your personal mantra for several months and begun to feel the benefits of the practice.

5) Associate with others who also have a meditation practice. You’ll be surprised how many there are. Invite others to take up the practice in social settings once a week. This is in addition to your personal daily practice.

6) Don’t be hard on yourself if you miss a day. Just resume as soon as you can. The mind will resist this practice because it wants to be out in the world, taking in what it enjoys and avoiding what is difficult. It is distracted by everything, and this increases when you begin to draw it under your control. It is the Ego fearing its eventual dissolution that causes this. But once you control it, the Ego learns of its connection to Source and the evolutionary change it undergoes with each life cycle. Be patient, kind, and persistent.

As for your personal mantra, some of the most powerful are from the Vedas, ancient Sanskrit texts containing thousands of verses, and are discovered through examination of your Vedic birth chart. You of course may select any mantra from any source, (one teacher I follow recommends the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi) but if you are looking for some guidance, the Vedic birth chart will point to ones that reflect the vibrations of your own creation. Using one of these mantras can strengthen the best energies available to you.

We find this mantra by looking at the exact degree placement of the planets in your chart. There are 108 traditional Vedic mantras for each of the 9 Vedic planets. These have been collected and compiled over the years by many great teachers. I personally like the work of Andrew Foss, PhD. who is one of the founders of the British Association of Vedic Astrology. HIs book Yoga of the Planets: Their Mantras and Philosophy organizes all of the mantras in easily accessible form.

You can also combine the selection of a mantra with a Vedic Astrology reading in order to more deeply know how your personal planets bring opportunities for learning to you over space and time. I will include a mantra as part of any reading. See my services page for contact information.

A final note: While the use of mantra is safe for nearly everyone, these are powerful vibrations that affect the body and nervous system through use. If you are under the care of a mental health practitioner or have been under such care and have ongoing issues, you should consult your caregiver before undertaking ANY mantra practice. Contemplation on a mantra may be helpful in uncovering the root source of nearly any problem. Modifications to alter the energetic strength are possible. Most importantly, approaching the practice with a loving heart, both for yourself and others, is the foundation of a successful practice and increased connection with the creative and healing power of the universe.

The origin of astrology points to humankind’s discovery of the relationship between space, time, matter, and energy. One of the key principles is nothing material remains the same. When it comes to consumer products, it shows us that nothing will last forever.

Today I took the car in for an oil change and tire rotation. Looking at my chart, it was clear that the possibility of needing to have more work done was strong. And since I was working with finite matter, an older car (2014 Kia), I realized there would be no avoiding it if I wanted to safely make a planned long road trip next week.

The details from my birth chart with transits and active planetary periods (Dashas and Bhuktis) follow.

Vehicles are found in the fourth house, Scorpio in my chart. Scorpio represents hidden workings of energy, a mysterious sign that thinks in absolutes of helpful or not. If something shows up here, best to deal with it now because it won’t get better without action.

I have Jupiter in that house (a significator planet for vehicles) and Ketu has recently moved within one degree of Jupiter in its sign of exaltation. This indicates sudden change and can have close ties to technology.

Saturn in my birth chart is in a Jupiter-ruled sign. Saturn causes separation, difficulty, and is associated often with iron, the mineral that becomes steel and forms the chassis of most automobiles. Saturn is currently in transit of my 6th house of losses due to accidents, so neglecting its influence could bring about real difficulties in driving an unsafe vehicle.

My Dashas in order are Rahu (matter based focus), Saturn (already discussed) Moon ( currently in opposition to the 4th house and in Krittika Nakshatra where clearing of obstacles is called for),Saturn, and finally Jupiter (the lowest Dasha level, running from late last night until late tomorrow night).

The Ketu/Saturn multiple influences on Jupiter plus the Dasha period points to 4th house challenges (vehicles). The Moon is involved and both rules and is in my 12th house of expenses with a natal aspect of Jupiter and a transit aspect from Saturn. 12th house is an indicator of heavy expenses.

What’s the bottom line? $1637 bill to get the car road ready was both necessary and reflected in planetary movements. This is astrology at the most mundane level. A system that can drill down to this degree for something so trivial against the scope of the bigger concerns we all feel is worth a look for any important matter in life.

A capable astrologer can provide information and guidance for anyone willing to listen to hidden wisdom. Reality isn’t always pleasant but seeing universal law in action can make the acceptance of it a less bitter pill to swallow. On a mundane level for both positive and negative events in time, it affirms the unity of matter in the energetic universe.

When faced with emotional difficulties brought about by the tension between how we think life ought to be and how it really is most of us look around for effective, quick relief. The present concentration of planets in Capricorn and Aquarius, under the influence of a Kala Sarpa yoga, with exalted Mars at war with Venus, and the New Moon leaving nearly everyone vulnerable to delusions, illusions, and dark imaginings is particularly fraught with peril for most minds. For those experiencing Sade Sati or Saturn returns it has an extra measure of “Why me?” Sauce on the side.

Here is a simple suggestion based on the need to help change occur in order to ease the pressure.

Look at the Nakshatra of your natal Rahu. It gives clues to desires, actions, powers, and actions necessary to fulfill the karmic potential of your life. Take a little time to reflect on what is open to do and use right now, even the most mundane acts, and find one that will benefit others. Make that project the focus of the next few days with the intention of bringing the fruits of your work into the world for the benefit of other people.

Here’s an example: my Rahu is in Hasta which has the Shakti power to bring the goals of desires into my hands. This is good for nearly all creative activities as long as I keep my ego in check. This led me to undertake some home renovation work I’ve procrastinated on for several years that once completed will be a source of comfort and relief to my wife. Clearly I will benefit from having these items finished but my intention is to please her and all those who visit our home in the future.

It’s been an experience that is physically challenging, requires a lot of focus as it involves power tools, and has unexpected difficulties because that’s the nature of working on old buildings. But it has also given me an outlet for pent up energy, aggressive behavior, and provided a cooling down period of solitude for my emotions.

Every Nakshatra has similar potential. If you don’t know where your Rahu is located you can also use its current placement to inspire your actions. These will be perhaps more directly linked to benefitting the greater world.

Rahu is currently in Krittika. This Nakshatra favors purifying activities such as cutting ties with negative objects in your life (items that arouse negative emotions in you should be dealt with first by donating or throwing them away. Don’t sell them unless you donate the proceeds). It’s also good for cooking and sewing for others, drumming, shaving, and all cutting activities so long as the intention and benefit helps other people (shaving your hair in solidarity with someone undergoing chemo for instance).

Activities that generate heat and light are also excellent. This might include cutting firewood for a neighbor, helping an underserved population with electric or gas bills, or giving flashlights or space heaters to a local shelter. The key here is to act with focus and beneficial intention, and to see the project through.

Any time your emotions are running hot you can use these techniques. If more people took positive action instead of investing their energy in complaining we would bring about a shift in human consciousness and a turn toward kindness that has been seeking birth for many years.

Using the image of Carl Jung’s birth chart provides an opportunity to demonstrate one of the simplest and most basic purposes of a Vedic Astrology reading, that of understanding how hidden desires of the unconscious relate to the activities of life.

Looking at the birth chart as a map of the karmic potential at birth we can associate each sign with the activities of its house. From there, by looking at the karmic goal of each sign we may infer activities that will align with his purpose in this incarnation and anticipate where challenges may occur. Comparing these to his actions and their results in various areas of life shows us the potential for using this method in reference to our personal chart.

All of this is coming from a high level view, the most generous and general way of looking at a life as one might when first encountering a birth chart. It is both possible and advisable to look much more deeply using other techniques, but having this initial understanding is foremost in importance. Much as an archaeologist might survey the whole area of a fossil discovery before beginning to dig or a detective take in the whole of a crime scene before starting to collect minute evidence, the good astrologist will discover the general tendencies indicated by the chart before spending time exploring further. In every case, this helps understanding to emerge with greater efficiency and accuracy than simply taking a shovel and digging holes at random.

The following table shows the general nature of the karmic goal of each sign:

Aries	To incarnate	Leo	To create	Sagittarius	To aspire
Taurus	To intellectualize	Virgo	To serve	Capricorn	To learn
Gemini	To communicate	Libra	To relate	Aquarius	To teach
Cancer	To feel	Scorpio	To seize	Pisces	To believe

The next table shows the top level activities related to each house:

1st	Overall purpose	5th	Creativity	9th	Aspiration
2nd	Speech and resources	6th	Health, service	10th	Career, reputation
3rd	Power, goals, ambition	7th	Relationships	11th	Gains from work
4th	Home, emotions	8th	Mortality, research	12th	Transcendence

Emphasizing again that these are very general terms for each area, the process can begin.

Jung’s first house, reflecting his overall purpose in life, is in Capricorn, reflecting a desire to learn. As a cardinal earth sign, the metaphor being a newly planted seed, Jung’s life would be best served by study for the purpose of bringing some new process, wisdom, knowledge, and the fruit of the same into the world. His work in the unconscious mind and contribution to the new science of psychoanalysis echo this karmic purpose and fulfillment.

His second house, expressing language and resources for his life’s work, is in Aquarius, a generous sign whose karmic goal of helping as many people as possible is best served by teaching. Jungian psychology schools and the education of practitioners of his methods are found throughout the world more than sixty years after his death.

His third house, reflecting passion, power, and goals, is in Pisces, creating a desire for transcendence or transformation. His work on uncovering the archetypal nature of the unconscious transformed the pioneering efforts of Sigmund Freud and now informs the humanities, social sciences, and medicine as well as aiding historians, archeologists, and anthropologists to understand the world. Whole branches of metaphysics have also arisen from this work, bridging the ego mind and unconscious realms in ways previously undreamed of.

His fourth house, in Aries, the seat of home and emotions, points to his many years of solitary reflection in his own home, researching the contents of his own psyche in order to present his discoveries in treatment of mental anxiety, depression, and other pathologies of the mind with confidence, caring, empathy, and effectiveness, and using Aries’ gift of initiating action to create a new incarnation in the world of the mind.

His fifth house, in Taurus, containing the creative intelligence of life, aligns with the most intelligent sign to build both an academic and practical discipline out of his work, the mark of the true intellectual. Having knowledge is never enough. In applying it effectively one becomes truly useful in life.

His sixth house, in Gemini, a space of service and health, uses communication on many levels as the basis for the work, and with the intense curiosity, inventiveness, flexibility, and data organizing power of the sign made Jung both prolific and important for generations of followers in learning and using his discoveries as well as continuing to advance the science of the mind.

His seventh house, in Cancer, relationships that were based on emotional connection, intellectual understanding, empathy, and nourishment led to lifelong professional and patient correspondence that insured the continuation of his work after his passing.

His eighth house, in Leo, facilitating a creative approach to esoteric subject matter, the inquiry into dreams and his own mind resulting in the articulation of an archetypal pantheon that allowed for access to the deepest secrets of consciousness.

His ninth house in Virgo, brought about an aspirational nature focused on service and healing on multiple levels and was a precursor to mind/body consciousness and integrated medicine.

His tenth house in Libra, found the communal nature of humanity through his travels, his collaborations, and his reputation in the global community of seekers of wisdom and truth making him a force in increasing opportunities across all aspects of human experience. Regardless of gender, race, or or belief system, Jung’s consciousness expanding work continues to have value in nearly every world culture.

His eleventh house, capturing gains from work done in his lifetime is in Scorpio, the sign representing the organization and categorization of data and energy related to all of the experiences of life. It is the gateway to the unconscious source of esoteric and metaphysical knowledge, one of the entry points to the unconscious, and contains the power of deep research for the benefit of the person. All of this relates to his work with the mind and the establishment of systems that continue to help patients 60 years after his passing.

His twelfth house, seat of losses, detachment, and conversely, the freedom that comes from letting go, is in aspirational Sagittarius. Here we find his enthusiasm for the work he chose, his ability to use language to draw others to his cause, and perhaps some of the dogma that has been attached to Jungian practice, especially those elements of it that strayed from Jung’s original vision poised to continue to evolve long after his death.

It is possible to go deeply into Jung’s biography and using a combination of techniques, all derived from aspects of the birth chart, see the mirroring of his work both in his intentions and the outside forces in life that he reacted to out of necessity. This project could easily fill several volumes. The key message in this point is that all of us have unique opportunities and obstacles in our lives that are reflected in the arrangement of houses, the quality of signs, and the motions of the planets through our birth charts. We are far from evolved sufficiently for our human consciousness to understand the why of all of this, but as Aristotle noted in relation to real events, particularly those that appear as matters of concurrence or coincidence, “Just because we don’t understand the mechanism of reality at work the events of our lives doesn’t make them any less real.”

For further exploration of your own birth chart, I am available for readings. You may contact me at stephen@jyotishamerica.com.

“Most people confuse ‘self-knowledge’ with knowledge of their conscious ego personalities…but the ego only knows its own contents, not the unconscious and its contents.” -Carl Jung

Today the Moon in Vishakha, the Star of purpose, favors being open to new and potentially life enhancing ideas. Perhaps this is your first time reading this blog or you’re curious about Jyotish but need an entry point.

Earlier I wrote several posts on keeping a Moon Journal. You can scan back or email me at stephen@jyotishamerica.com for free instructions if you’d like to give that a try.

Here’s a second idea that is more remedial, especially if you have particular days each week that are challenging or you want an extra boost on your best days. And it’s all about color!

Every day of the week has a planetary ruler that the ancient Vedic Rishis (sages) would make offerings to. These would be in the form of gems, fabric, food items, herbs, or creative expressions of mantra, chant, or art.

Each planet has colors that best reflect its nature and doing some simple acknowledgement of that each day can help align your energy with the benefic aspect of the planet. It has no downside and at a minimum it can help in deciding what to wear if you happen to have that particular affliction.

The easiest is to add an item with planet du jour’s favorite color. A blouse, t-shirt, scarf,or whole outfit can draw the light of subtle planetary energy to you. Think of it as aligning magnetic poles so they attract rather than repel.

Try this for a month. Track your day overall as more or less rewarding than normal based on the day of the week. Even a slight improvement should be noted as the project builds over time. Also, the week after the new moon will generally produce a much stronger effect. And after you’ve done this for a month, you will likely feel that color energy even if you don’t wear it. But please, if it helps, take my encouragement to keep it up, if you don’t have every color yet shopping in pursuit of personal growth can be fun! Also, it’s a good idea to avoid the opposite of a daily color on a given day.

Here are the Days, Planets (Sanskrit name), and Colors. Have fun with this!

Sunday, the Sun (Surya) Bright Red, Orange, or Gold

Monday, the Moon (Chandra), White, Pale Pink, or Pale Blue (not sheer! Moon is modest!)

Tuesday, Mars (Kuja or Mangala), Darker Red

Wednesday, Mercury (Budha), Earth tones of muted Green, Brown, Blue, or Gray

Thursday, Jupiter (Guru or Brihaspati), Bright Yellow, Orange, Gold

Friday, Venus (Shukra), Rainbow, Pastels, Light Blue, Pink, floral prints and sheer fabrics are best.

Saturday, Saturn (Shani), Dark Blue, Dark Brown, Charcoal, Black, nothing bright!

Today the Sun and Jupiter are conjunct in Aquarius while Moon is in Libra. These two signs in combination represent social justice, liberty, personal and group relationships, salvation for the world, generosity, and deep concern for others.

More specifically, Sun and Jupiter are also in the Nakshatra of Shatabhishak and the Moon in Swati.

Swati is the self-going star, the one seeking its own destiny and the freedom to move anywhere. It has the power to scatter obstacles like the wind. It’s symbol is a single shoot of a newly sprouted plant—full of life and flexible enough to move in order to weather the winds of change. The Moon here frees the mind for creative ideation that brings gains in all activities where we put the interests of the many first.

Swati works jointly with Shatabhishak as both are ruled by Rahu, the shadow planet that clings to the world and left to its own devices greedily scoops up every material thing in its path. But turn its power toward the heart and it includes everyone in the desire for growth, abundance, and unity. More importantly it can provide material resources for great works.

Shatabhishak is the star of the hundred physicians, divine healers whose combined energies are able to effect healing through inclusiveness and support, easing loneliness and directing social and community efforts toward lasting peace and harmony (are the diplomats listening to this?).

Sun and Jupiter in Aquarius combine the light of life and truth under Shatabhishak’s healing energy in the house of generosity toward all. Moon in Libra inspires the mind toward more just sharing of wealth and equal respect for all life.

All that is required to change the world is for each person to show kindness and inclusion toward someone who is hurting, who has been silenced or shackled, who we might normally avoid, in a spirit of self-sacrifice to bring about greater good. It’s an action that requires only the willingness to act independently and take the first step. It’s good to do any day, but today is especially auspicious for offering of your means and strength to others.

Aquarius, under Saturn’s rule, will multiply kindness shown eleven-fold, like pouring healing waters on a desert. Life blossoms with small acts of generosity, love, and kindness repeated over time. Will you make a big start by taking a small step today?

Shanti, shanti, shanti!

Today provides an opportunity working with the stable, eternal phase of the four elements (fire, earth, air, water). The Moon in Leo (fixed fire sign), Sun in Aquarius (fixed air sign), Rahu in Taurus (fixed earth sign) and Ketu in Scorpio (fixed water sign) involve the two luminaries and two shadow planets holding up the four quadrants of the zodiac.

This placement brings the benefits of strong forms that give consistency to activities under their influence. The opportunity to develop faith, protect truth, and strengthen the foundations of life is the dominant positive opportunity.

The opposite side of the moment is inertia, resistance, and the negativity that comes from clinging to outdated thinking, unnecessary possessions, repressive traditions, and unevolved actions that create selfish divisions.

Using this time to develop initiative and try new ways of thinking and acting that break negative, fearful, and selfish ways of being by transforming our thoughts toward acceptance of responsibility for past difficulties, gratitude for lessons learned, and selfless acts of service toward others to stop the decay of stagnation wherever it erodes truth.

If our beliefs create division, fear, aggression, selfish action, exclusion, or violence, then sustaining them over time hurts everyone.

Moon in Leo can cool the fires of anger and replace them with nurturing warmth like a hot beverage on a chilly day. Sun in Aquarius spreads a warm breeze across the whole world, seeking to wrap everyone in shared love and light. Rahu in Taurus invites us to see past confusion and chaos and find practical, simple truths by speaking only when our minds are clear, calm, and firm in the safety of communion. Ketu in Scorpio helps us to see beyond material gain and physical pleasure and into the deep, restorative ocean of universal possibilities for growth and ripening of the fruits of love.

No matter what houses are affected in your personal chart, you always have a choice in how you respond to the day and it’s energies. Do what you can to stand firm in the right, release the wrong, and study the in-between until the light of truth clarifies it. If that is too much, then rest, knowing that for this moment, the stability and continuation of the world will carry you through the day.

Water for Renewal

Every Friday a reminder in my calendar prompts me to water the houseplants. If I fail to look at the calendar each plant has its own way of reminding me. The orchid drops a petal. The bamboo leaf tips dry out. The succulents wrinkle and the dirt in which they are planted pulls away from the sides of the pot. The cyclamen is most dramatic, it faints, two dozen blossoms falling over, dragging their stems with them.

Once watered, the orchid’s lavender color darkens and the green stem expands, the bamboo leaves thicken, the succulents become smooth and fill their pots, and the cyclamen stems miraculously lift themselves from the rim, raising the drooping petals to unfurl in the light.

This is the power of renewal, the living Shakti of rejuvenation as is seen in the Nakshatra of Punarvasu, where today’s Moon visits.

Renewal is a constant process in nature, and as our bodies are natural products they are subject to the same forces as the plants. We wither when dry, cold, or held in darkness, and denied the attention and nourishment of life giving elements. But unlike plants, we have it within us to provide the essential nourishment for renewal, or if we lack some measure of this, we have the ability to ask, to seek, and for those of us with an abundance of healing substance, to give.

When the Moon visits Punarvasu we are reminded of this ability, but like the Moon, which never settles in one house for long, we may feel stirrings of restlessness that color our ability to give and receive so that the full bloom of humanity isn’t achieved. Being able to apprehend this means we also can act intentionally to change it.

My encouragement to myself and to you is to check your calendar often. Who in your life has dropped a blossom, grown wrinkled, dipped toward the earth due to weakness, or fainted for lack of healing water? What will you do for another today? Will you give selflessly to bring more balance to the distribution of the elements of life?