Waning gibbous Moon, still very bright at 96.7%, entered Leo today in the Nakshatra Magha, the star of power. Joint rulers are Sun for Leo and Ketu for Magha. This sets up an interesting conflict for the day. Ketu is a shadow planet that rejects the material world and wants to turn our attention toward the Divine realms. In Magha, the shakti power to “leave the body” is a metaphoric reminder that eventually we all must shed these bodies. Detachment from sensory pleasure and material wealth is a daily practice that brings discipline to the will and ease to the mind.
To detach does not mean give all our possessions away and move to an ashram (whew!). We live in a money-centered consumer culture so having things and spending money are necessary both to sustain life and preserve civilization. But living in this culture without needing luxury, without seeking excess, and without regretting loss, while at the same time having an altruistic attitude toward everyone is real meaning of Magha for our age and station.
This detachment and giving to those less fortunate is also a way to cope with the Sun, as ruler of Leo, seeks to turn all eyes toward us, feeds our ego and vanity, and makes the receiving of other’s attention and affection sometimes feel like the real reason we are alive. It’s self-centered blindness at its most blatant.But once one starts to give, as we can afford it, the pleasure in sharing our abundance with such appreciative recipients fills our hearts to the brim.
If you cam, take time today to commit a spontaneous and if possible anonymous act of random kindness for someone less fortunate than you.
To do so is to create new positive karma for both parties involved.
Waning Gibbous Moon at 99.4% in Moon-ruled sign of Cancer and Mercury-ruled Nakshatra of Ashlesha combines the following energies and elements:
◦ Cardinal water of Cancer (initiates change)
◦ Water of the Moon (nourishes and soothes)
◦ Water of Ashlesha (forms a poisonous solution with the power to dissolve matter)
◦ Earth of Mercury (to grow and stabilize life)
◦ Rajas (movement) from Mercury
◦ Sattwa (balance) from the Moon
◦ Vata Dosha (light, fast, airy) from Mercury
◦ Kapha Dosha (heavy, slow, structured) from the Moon
Depending on what house(s) any one person’s chart has Cancer, Mercury, Moon in; what Ascendant and Nakshatra they were born under; aspects from all other planets both in the natal chart and current transits; and how their exercise of free will in life has altered their karma, the effects of the current placement will vary.
The Vedic birth chart and interpretation of same is governed by general rules according to the energetic potential of the moment, but the effect on any one person will be different, often dramatically so, from the effect on any other. This is important to keep in mind when looking at general predictions. The best guide is twofold—first, having a full reading of your birth chart by a qualified astrologer in order to understand your karmic potential and limitations; second, to track your own response from your personal point of view to transits. The Moon journal is a very simple way to begin.
Finally, as you learn how daily planetary motions affect your mind and body, work to gain control over your senses and thoughts. Allow your actions to be governed by intelligent purpose. Aim high, not to become more trapped by sensory experience or material possessions, but to live with these as tools for serving others and acquiring the freedom found in appreciation for everything without the enslavement of desire for anything.
This is the higher path of the embodied divine within each of us. Traveling it awakens all the goodness of true, transcendence and unconditional love from the Source of all creation.
I feel thoughtful today. I feel resolute. I feel patient but determined. I feel light and less burdened than I have for some time.
This is the final day of the waxing Moon. 98.7% brightness in Punarvasu Nakshatra will reach 100% tomorrow shortly before moving into Pushya Nakshatra. Punarvasu, the star of renewal, ruled by Jupiter is mostly in Gemini but finishes in the Moon’s own sign of Cancer. This latter 3 degrees and 20 minutes is where the full moon occurs this month.
Cancer is nourishing, emotionally stable, and sees possibilities in everyone. If you have recently weathered some emotional or physical storm and are feeling depleted, the light of this full moon will feel like water on a thirsty garden. If you can spend even ten minutes outside gazing at the Moon without allowing yourself to linger too long on any one thought it can be very healing. Gaze at the Moon and if your mind wanders, gently bring it back to focus.
You may have to do this many times, but even that exercise will bring an important life skill into a stronger position. If we want to thrive, we need to focus on what refills us and help others to do the same.
While you are gazing at the Moon, turn your palms up so they may absorb the Moonlight, allowing you to carry the feeling of the great Mother’s warmth and love when you return to your everyday life.
Today’s waxing gibbous moon is shining at 95.6% brightness. In the Nakshatra Ardra, the Star of Sorrow, it brings strong emotions to the surface. Ruled by Rahu, Ardra sheds tears of grief but isn’t fully satisfied by them . The opening of the tear ducts often acts as a channel for the deeper emotion of anger, arising out of the unavoidable nature of existential loss.
The only appropriate action under such an influence, the awareness of the inescapable end of life, is devotion and service to others. Finding a way to ease another’s troubles somehow has a calming effect on the one giving the service. When we do this, managing our emotions no longer is such a struggle because we aren’t willing ourself into a different mood from our natural feeling. By taking on another’s pain and offering service and ease we create a bond, one where as we take on the other person’s burden, some of our own is also lifted.
Today, all across India and surrounding areas, Hindus celebrate Makara Sankrati, the annual festival to Surya — the Sun. The festival coincides with the Sun’s movement into Capricorn, home of Saturn, who is the Son of the Sun in Vedic mythology.
Many in the west who practice spiritual yoga will be familiar with the Gayatri Mantra, a beautiful, benefic hymn from the Rig Veda. Crowds of devotees gather today to chant this powerful blessing.
The hymn and a phonetic translation follow. The power however is in the sound, not the meaning of the words. A web search will help you find many excellent recordings.
Om – Para Brahman (entire universe); Bhur – Bhuloka (Physical Plane); Bhuvah – Antariksha (space); Svah – Svarga Loka (Heaven); Tat – Paramatma (Supreme Soul); Savitur – Isvara (Surya) (Sun god); Varenyam – Fit to be worshipped; Bhargo – Remover of sins and ignorance; Devasya – Glory (Jnana Svaroopa ie Feminine/Female); Dheemahi – We meditate; Dhiyo – Buddhi (Intellect); Yo – Which; Nah – Our; Prachodayat – Enlighten.
In addition to the festival, Mercury begins a retrograde period today, also in Capricorn, that lasts until February 4th. And Venus remains retrograde in Sagittarius until January 29. The effects of all this energy in a small sextile of the Zodiac, opposite a nearly full Moon, are too much for this space, but all of us are advised to be guided by self-reflection, experience, and deliberate choice rather than impulsive or reactionary moods during this period.
The Moon is in Mars-ruled Mrigashira, the searching star. For the remainder of today and through Saturday morning, expect to become easily restless and bored. Finding tasks that demand focus will help develop discipline to handle such periods in the future, but be sure to finish what you start today or you will likely create chaos that upends your plans for far longer than simply finishing the job now will.
Moon is waxing gibbous at 91%. I definitely feel restless and jittery, even before my second coffee!
The Moon is waxing gibbous at 85%. In the Nakshatra Rohini, favorite wife of the Moon. A day of great potential for joy, but also one to guard against overindulgence. (I feel heavy today).
Mercury appears retrograde today. Conjoined with Saturn in Capricorn, overindulgence increases karmic debt. The chaos that springs from impulsive actions will affect matters for the next three weeks.
Saturn is preparing for a visit from his father, the Sun, who will spend the next month in Capricorn, a conjunction of light and shadow. Being deliberate and intentional in all actions during these transits will pay benefits of creative productivity in the months ahead.
Today the Moon is exalted in the Nakshatra Krittika. Starting the day in Aries and ending in Taurus, Krittika is ruled by the Sun while Mars and Venus respectively are rulers of Aries and Taurus. A happy Moon, waxing at 77% has the power to burn away unnecessary and ineffective ties to the world.
We all have experienced the negative effects of attachment born from our sensory desires. The desire for money creates the fear of poverty. The desire for prestige feeds the anger of rejection. The desire for power enables the grip of selfishness. What are we experiencing in such cases?
Money isn’t inherently going to ease our fear. It’s what money can buy or rather what we imagine it can do for us that creates the desire. And when we experience just a little of the so-called “good life” we attach to it and desire more. Money ceases to be a tool for meeting basic needs and becomes a cloak that suffocates us in desires we never imagined before wealth let us taste it. Suddenly we have to have a bigger house, newer car, top of the line phone, daily latte, latest fashion, prime seats at the opera or sports event. All that once seemed luxurious to us becomes the illusion of necessity once we attach to it. Any loss feels like a theft, like a limb has been torn off or simply gone numb and useless. But it’s completely outside of our body and mind and had we never known it, there would be nothing to miss. The simple enjoyment of time preparing a simple meal with family, of seeing children play, planting a garden, reading, writing a letter, taking a walk in nature…all things that can be done with modest means…seem less valuable when we are blinded by wealth.
The same can be said for power and prestige. If you understand the point with money you can see it with these also. And you can make the leap to fear, anger, and selfishness. If you don’t get the connection between money and fear then you’re not yet going to get the rest. Am I saying wealth is bad? Not at all. It exists and is available to all. But when it, an external object, overrides the internal compass and we turn away from the lasting wealth of family, friends, and the simple joy in living on this beautiful earth, then we imperil our future and that of every other living being.
Krittika shines a light on the useless so that it can be seen with discerning Venus eyes, cut off by the arm of Mars, and burned to ash for recycling by the truthful fire of the Sun. If you have someone special in your life, what brought you together? If the relationship is healthy it wasn’t Money, Prestige, Power or their enablers of Fear, Anger, and Selfishness. If those things now are front and center in the relationship, do you have the courage to be rid of them and seek a deeper connection? And if you don’t have a relationship with another, how is your relationship with yourself?
Work the equations backwards. Lose your fear by redefining money as a tool for enabling a simple life. Are you working 60 hours a week or more just to have wealth? Saving for that two week vacation, that precious 80 hour break from work? Imagine working 50 or 40 or 30 hours a week. Even a cutback of 10 hours buys you 500 hours a year…11 weeks of vacation time! What is that worth?
Lose your anger by putting your ego aside and just being yourself, doing what you most enjoy whether anyone else thinks you’re special or not. They don’t know you, if they did, they’d see how awesome you already are. But if you can’t even say to yourself that you are exactly as you should be, your very best self and getting better with every breath, how is anyone else going to see that? Every famous person craves the privacy they lost when they attached to fame.
Lose your selfishness by resolving to surrender all power you have over other people. How? By choosing to be of service to them rather than expecting service from them. You can do this with every one you meet. Eating out? Ask your server their name and use it, along with liberal doses of please and thank you. Stack your used dishes. Fold your napkin. Tip a little extra. At the dry cleaners? Smile. Say your name distinctly so the person getting your clothes can hear. Thank them. And if you’re on the opposite side of the counter remember the person facing you is just like you, with the same struggles. Make their time with you the most positive and memorable moment if the day. Simple sincere compliments, not wasting time, personal touches, these are all within the capability of all of us.
Krittika puts a happy face on the Moon. You can wear one too. When we release our attachments to money, prestige, and power we lose our fear, anger, and selfishness and gain riches, peace, and the joy of serving selflessly. The more times we do this, the more we will get back.
Today’s waxing gibbous Moon is 69% illuminated in the Nakshatra Bharani. Ruled by Venus and contained within Mars-ruled Aries, Bharani’s identification as the star of restraint comes from the intersection of aggressive, desirous, sexual urges found whenever Mars and Venus combine. Learning to restrain the impulse to abandon responsibility for pleasure is one of the ways we gain control of the senses and allow the intellect to direct our actions toward achievements of merit. (Note to those shaking their heads: restraint is not abstinence, but is the path of appropriateness of time and place).
Returning to our traffic signal metaphor, for the next six days the Moon will increase in apparent size and brightness, culminating in its full phase on January 17. We are crossing the roadway with traffic, but it is not a deserted country lane we traverse. It is a broad boulevard fueled by materialism and super-charged technology. To get distracted now is to put ourselves in harm’s way should some fellow traveler be simultaneously inattentive at the point where collision is possible.
Restraint means to keep our attention on the task at hand, to move with deliberation and speed without haste to safely make our crossing. There is time for everything and no need to multitask when our present action requires full attention for not only our safety, but the well-being of those around us. (If you’re reading this on a phone while crossing the street, please put your phone away until you get to the other side).
The intersection of Venus and Mars is auspicious for amorous creativity and overcoming procrastination, but only when we are able to restrain our impulses and attend to our duties and responsibilities first. Otherwise, we may spend years recovering from the negative effects of an ill-timed collision brought about by our distraction and haste. Everything from traffic accidents, decay due to neglect, unwanted pregnancies, and a cascade of related consequences arise due to lack of restraint, which isn’t a choking back, but rather giving the intellect an opportunity to assist us in sound judgments. If you believe intellectual capacity is lacking or over-rated you’ve probably neglected yours and it is eagerly waiting to welcome you back! Like Cassandra of Troy, it simply wants to be heard.
Bharani has the power to advance us on our life path and bring us achievements when we exercise restraint, or to take away everything if we are reckless or impatient in seeking the fulfillment of desire. When impatience arises, focus on the people and objects around you and consider the possible consequences before acting. Intelligent restraint makes one master of their world.
The Moon is waxing gibbous, 59.8% illuminated and getting brighter. 8 days past new moon marks the beginning of the “green light” phase for activities related to growth and movement.
To fine tune this a bit, think of the Moon as a traffic signal for both vehicles and pedestrians. The vehicles represent major energy sources such as Sun, Moon, planets, seasons, elements (fire, earth, air, water, ether). We are the pedestrians trying to navigate the landscape safely and successfully.
The day after 1st Quarter marks the “Walk” phase, where you look both ways and step away from the curb, walking with the traffic. Watch out for those right-turning drivers on their cell phones and the opposing left turners who want to engage you in a game of dodge’em!
Moon is at the start of its Nakshatra cycle today, Mars-ruled Aries and Ketu-ruled Ashwini. It is a very auspicious placement for new beginnings. Plans that have been forming for months may suddenly fall into place, or your taking a single action may set off a wave of increasingly powerful effects.
With about the same risks as surfing (for a competent novice) riding that wave can bring about rapid change and healing.
Journaling practice affords a simple, efficient way for nearly anyone to access hidden wisdom that can enhance their life. Because the Moon was the basis of the first calendars and is known to have measurable effects on earth related to its cycle, keeping a Moon journal puts us in touch with the most consistently visible planetary energies. Understanding your personal Moon Cycle opens the door to deeper knowledge of your entire Vedic chart.
The whole process can be as simple as getting a blank book and taking a few minutes each day to note the phase of the Moon and one or two sentences about how you feel and/or what thoughts have impacted you emotionally over the course of the day. Be brief and stick to inner experience only: “Today I feel sad, happy, elated, apathetic, anxious, excited, etc.” Don’t analyze or try to explain. Just say what is. If you feel a need to go more deeply into the thought or feeling, please do so in a separate journal. You only want to record your dominant feelings or moods and the Moon phase, not other influences. This way the patterns of the Moon form organically without being clouded by our over analyzing minds.
The process can grow over time to include Nakshatra placements, transits and aspects of other planets, and relationships to major and minor planetary periods as well as the whole natal chart. But most of us will be more successful beginning slowly. I recommend a four column format or a single paragraph to include date, day, moon phase, and one or two sentences on mood, feelings, and emotions. Don’t overthink it. The important thing is to get the data on paper every day.
After you have at least three months of entries you will have developed a habit and are ready for the next step. Since humans are pattern-seeking animals, you may have already noticed that particular days or Moon phases contain recurring feelings, and moods. For the second phase of the process you should do each day’s entry first, then go back to previous entries for the same Moon phase and see if there are similarities. Don’t rush or force this, just look. This is wisdom and understanding that grows over time. It will reveal itself when you are ready for or need it.
Eventually you will begin to see that your outer life activities may benefit from realignment around the Moon cycle. For instance, you may discover that the last five or six days before a new moon your energy level is depleted. Trying to start new activities or engage in mentally or emotionally demanding experiences leads to dissatisfaction or failure to complete the intended activity. Conversely, you may feel a surge of energy leading up to the full Moon where everything feels charged with life and your mind races with insights. Every person’s experience will be different, but like circadian rhythms that create our natural sleep and waking patterns, the Lunar cycle effects the mind and emotions with a regularity we can learn and work with.
For more information or to schedule a Vedic Astrological reading built around your unique Moon chart, email me at stephen@jyotishamerica.com. I’m a professional Vedic Astrologer and student of Dr. David Frawley, (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri). I offer Vedic Natal chart interpretations, Mundane and Annual consultations, and instruction in Karmic work based on the practice of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology) along with Vedic Palmistry.
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