November 2009

On Dharma and the River of Souls Conversations with the Moon The full moon of November takes place on Monday, November 2nd, (coinciding with the Day of the Dead/All Souls Day,) at 11:14am Pacific Time, appropriately in the lunar sign of Bharani. This constellation is associated with Yama, the Lord of Dharma. Even though Yama is also the Lord of Death, he is playful and most definitely has a sense of humor. Being the ferryman over the river of souls from this life to the next, he'd have to have a sense of humor! Dharma is a concept whose true meaning tends to be obscured by either religious adherence to codes of conduct or justifications made for behavior rooted in preferences. Neither of these extremes truly captures dharma. Dharma is a very natural way of being, before rules are considered, before social conditioning has taken over, and before preferences and avoidances get to have their say. Animals follow their dharma more easily than humans, because they are not encumbered by excessive mental evaluation. To live a life of dharma requires shedding oneself of every concept about "right action" and acting instead from a place of pure acceptance of life As It Is. Dharma is far more accessible from a place of stillness. When the mind grasps at things, dharma is more difficult to access. Yet a person experiences aliveness, joy, contentment and gratitude naturally, when life hands itself over to dharma. So beyond what your chart might say about your dharma, or what your religion or your nation might say about your dharma, or even what your yogic learning about sattva might say about your dharma, try to notice What Is. You'll find your dharma there, more quickly than you'll find it through theoretical examination. Dharma is often more a movement of acceptance, than of effort. When dharma requires effort, that effort is not applied willfully. It is simply, the effort that is happening. Dharma does not condone *or* condemn destructive behavior. A life given over to dharma does not abdicate its powers of discernment. It simply does not waste mental energy on commenting, criticizing, or fomenting defensive reactions. This life of dharma acts when the opportunity is there, at the same time as it accepts What Is. Write this day/time into your calendar: Monday, November 16, at 11:15am Pacific Time. This new moon in the vedic lunar sign of Vishakha renews ambitions. The last two weeks of November will want major effort in some area of your life. As you "effort," attempt to take actions from a place of contentment. On this day, make effort to experience gratitude and contentment such as enumerating all the blessings in your life that you're grateful for.

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons Venus joins the Sun and Mercury in the sign of Libra on Nov. 3rd and stays there until Nov. 26th, temporarily bolstering markets. The thorough analysis of October paved the way for designs we'll see being proposed in November - nationally, communally, and individually. On November 12th, Mercury moves into Scorpio, and Saturn is conjunct the Moon in Virgo. Expect this day to bring up the theme of self-reliance. The Sun joins Mercury in Scorpio on Nov. 16, the New Moon, with a sextile from Saturn. Individuals and leaders will be tempted to act independently of their alliances, out of insecurity. Expect trust issues to arise, so make extra effort on this day, to check in with others about what you're doing. Saturn is opposite the Moon on Thanksgiving Day, making the experience of togetherness slightly difficult to achieve. The next day, however, Venus moves into a conjunction with Sun and Mercury in Scorpio, bringing deep conversations about meaningful things. Mars moves into the sign of Cancer on October 4, ending his face-off (mutual square) with Saturn, but beginning a ten week period of opposition to Jupiter, in which both planets are weak. This doesn't bode well for the U.S. economy for the next ten weeks. Also, as a nation, we will likely experience renewed interest around homeland security. Jupiter is in Capricorn, the sign of his debility. Unemployment throws curve balls into economic equations. Jupiter is also slowly approaching a conjunction with Neptune that becomes exact in December. Watch as general public opinion stresses egalitarian ideals, and watch as economic and political globalization gains steam. Now in the sign of Virgo until November 2011, Saturn is hard at work on issues like unemployment and healthcare. Individually, we can each utilize Saturn's placement to make efforts and set plans in motion to improve physical and financial health. Notice what doesn't change, even when everything around you does. Coming from this place of what doesn't change - this is one way of apprehending enlightenment.

November 2006

Doorways Between Worlds
Watching the Vedic Moon

The Full Moon of November 2006 happens on Sunday, November 5, at 12:57pm Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Bharani.

Bharani is associated with birth and death, and passing
from one world to another, from one chapter to another. The
part of your chart where Bharani resides will experience a
certain gestation period of secret development, and eventual
birth. Bharani's symbol is the female sexual organ, the seat
of creativity, the source of Shakti.

Bharani has an extreme, intense energy driven by
primal desires and will be especially prone to arouse
passions and sensuality in people around this full moon due
to the Sun's conjunction with Mars and Venus in Libra on this
same day.

This sign is associated with the deity Yama, the God of Death
and Lord of Dharma. Yama is actually a pretty jolly
character with a great sense of humor - not at all the droll,
grim reaper we associate with Death here in the west.
Appropriate then, that the Latin holiday with Aztec origins will
have just been celebrated - El Dia De Los Muertos -
the Day of the Dead - known for it's bright costumes and
revelry.

Other deities whose energies bear similarity to this part of
the lunar zodiac are Kali, the Hindu Goddess of
transformation, and Pele, the Hawaiian Goddess of the Fire in
the Volcano. Paying homage to these types of strong
feminine deities on this day can bring great transformative
potential to anything you are seeking to change.

In it's wise elder stage, Bharani brings us a fully rounded
understanding of natural law. But because the explosive
feminine creative principle coming through this lunar sign is
so un-mental and more experiential, the wisdom coming
through Bharani is less an articulated treatise, and
more the wisdom in action of a mother with a child.


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Planning & Scheduling
Living In Accord With The Seasons

The astrological landscape includes:

Venus and Mars continuing their co-habitation of the sign
of Libra with the Sun during the 1st half of November
, which carries themes of socializing with flair, fashion
& style, and enjoying your friends. Issues of fairness and
equality may arise.

Jupiter enters the sign of Scorpio in November,
bringing Grace for positive transformations. The Scorpio
house of your chart will benefit.

Saturn enters the sign of Leo in the month of
November, retrograding backwards into Cancer in January
2007. Any planets in Leo in your chart will experience the
need to prove themselves. Leo personalities will likely be
facing extra responsibilities, pressures and demands, during
the two years that Saturn spends in Leo.

Where this transit occurs in your chart, will represent an
area of life in which you may feel a little stretched by your
own, inner, conflicting needs for right brain vs left brain
approaches.

Ketu (the South node of the Moon) travels in the same
sign as the Sun, from Oct. 18 until Nov. 12 creating a
nebulous, unidentifiable feeling of malaise that stems from
uncertainty about Who We Are, on the deepest levels. This
lingering trace of the eclipsing of the Sun, has the potential
to send us into radical, spiritually productive questioning
about ourselves and the nature of our existence.

Mercury goes retrograde from Oct. 29, 2006 until
Nov. 17, 2006

Do while Mercury's retrograde:
* reconnect with old friends
* revisit older ideas
* edit and review art projects, writing projects, photo
albums
* clean up your hard drive (back it up first!)

Avoid signing contracts, embarking on journeys, or
scheduling yourself too tightly, until Mercury's direct.
(Appointments tend to change, events have a higher chance
of being canceled, information gets lost..)