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.

May 2009

Changing Values, Changing Goals Conversations with the Moon The full moon of May takes place on Friday, May 8, at 9:02pm Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Vishakha. For this next lunar cycle, the focus is on goals. What goal has captured your attention lately? Picture yourself attaining your goal - does it feel joyful? Is it true to who you are today? Does it line up with your current values? In answering these questions for ourselves, we have the dynamic, creative energy of a Venus/Mars conjunction and the painstaking, methodical energy of a Saturn/Mercury square. We'll each do some playful dreaming around our goal, at the same time as drawing up budgets and timelines. Write this day/time into your calendar: Sunday, May 24 at 5:12am Pacific Time. Sunday of Memorial Day weekend is when the New Moon in the lunar sign of Krittika takes place. We'll each be able to take stock of our material possessions that weekend, and trim the fat (i.e. taking clothes to Goodwill; examining your cellphone contract and making sure you're not paying more than you need to.)

Planning & Scheduling Living in Accord with the Seasons Mercury is retrograde in the sign of Taurus from May 7 - 30, receiving a square from Saturn until May 24: reconnect with old friends, edit papers, review contracts. Build solid conceptual frameworks through writing, rewriting, and rewriting. Venus exalted in Pisces until May 30: On the whole, we are interested in beauty, and maybe even the idea of "life as art." Mars moves into his own sign of Aries on May 24, (joined by Venus after May 31,) and stays there throughout the month of June. We all want some action, and some physical release, just in time for summer. So get outside and play! Jupiter briefly tours the sign of Aquarius, from May 1 - July 30, forming a touch and go opposition with Saturn, which fully completes its cycle two years from now in May 2011. The United States learns that to lead is to serve. Jupiter is also closely conjunct Neptune, for the months of May, June and July, signifying a strong, idealistic optimism about the economy. In general, people may tend to want to escape during this time, into imaginative technological spaces like the movies and the internet. Saturn has been retrograde since the first of the year, and turns direct on May 17, in the last portion of Leo: May 17 - Sept. 9, 2009 is a period of proving oneself in a chosen field of expertise or leadership. This summer is not a time to rest on your laurels. Continued success in your field will require persistent effort, humility to admit when you're wrong, and strength of character to course correct when necessary.

May 2006

The Star of Purpose: The Full Moon of May 2006
happens on Friday, May 12, at 11:52pm Pacific Time, in the lunar sign of Vishakha. According to vedic astrology, this full moon takes place in the ending degrees of Libra, assisted in buoyancy and optimism by Jupiter's placement in the same sign as the Moon.

The moon's brightness in Vishakha brings to the fore the unambiguous power of the Indra/Agni pairing, symbolized by a triumphal arch or gateway or arbor, bedecked with leaves. Wherever 28 degrees of Libra is in your vedic chart will be infused with this Vishakha Moon's sense of ambition and goal- oriented strategizing towards achievement.

This full moon may surface our underlying knowing that although many things can be done with the help of a support system, there are some things in life that have to be done alone. The inner strength and sense of victory that arises from 'picking yourself up by your own bootstraps' is a decidedly Vishakha kind of feeling.

Rx: Living Yoga Today
Beginning in ancient India, astrologers prescribed "upayas", or remedial measures, for weakened planets in a person's chart, knowing that "taking" the remedy would help the person balance the energies of their chart and live more balanced, fulfilling, prosperous and intelligent lives.

Just like you wouldn't take your grandfather's heart medication, you also wouldn't take just any planetary prescription. Ideally you would seek to understand your birth chart for the purposes of personal and spiritual development and greater life fulfillment, and in so doing, you would stumble on which of the planets in your chart could use strengthening. Sometimes, as with a healthy body, nothing need be done, in which case, practicing virtues acts as a nice preventative measure against diseases of the soul. And sometimes, as with a diseased body, a prescription can help to root out or strengthen imbalances of the life.

Mercury
In this month's newsletter, I'm going to suggest a practical remedy for the planet Mercury, who rules the thinking, logical, rational mind. A strong Mercury allows one to facilitate the "doings" of one's life with ease and precision. A weak Mercury can indicate the feeling of anxiety over accomplishing tasks and errands, a lack of equanimity, poor concentration, poor communication abilities, nervousness and overwhelm.

In order to strengthen the function of Mercury, a person might do one of the traditional vedic astrology remedies such as wearing an emerald. (If you are interested in such a powerful remedy, please ask a vedic astrologer for the details of going about this.)

A simple remedy might be deciding that for one week, (beginning on a Wednesday to honor Mercury on his own day,) you are going to remember the name of every person that you meet, including on tv and in email and on phone calls, etc. At the end of each day, consciously bring to mind each person and their name, visualizing them dissolving back into the Oneness from which they came.

Planning & Scheduling: Living In Accord With The Seasons
All older cultures had their form of an almanac or calendar, and they understood the value in working in accord with the seasons.
In our age of information, we have an unprecedented opportunity to observe earth's seasons with sophisticated instrumentation. These seasons are determined by the movements of the earth with her moon around the sun, and the relationships between all the heavenly bodies sharing our central star. All of this affects life on earth. Farmers have known that since they began farming. So by all means, if you can, just go outside and sense it. And here it is too, spelled out for your calendar:

Full moon on May 12, New Moon on May 26
The two weeks of the waxing Moon leading up to Friday, May 12 are good for initiating important projects, and achieving goals you've set for yourself. The two weeks of the waning Moon from May 12 to May 26 are a time to stand back, ease up, go inward, rebuild, and gather energy. The day of the new moon, May 26/May 27, is particularly powerful for meditation, and silence.

The astrological landscape includes Mercury moving into Aries, on May 3rd until which brings energy and conviction and impatience to communications.

The sidereal Sun moves into Taurus on May 15 and stays there until June 16, getting us to focus on our fixed assets, our material well-being and practical concerns, and the earthy, sensuous enjoyments of life.

Venus moves into Pisces, it's sign of exaltation, on April 29 and stays there until May 25. Compassion, beautification, enjoyment, and friendships bring us the nourishment of exalted Venus.

Mercury is direct from March 25, 2006 until July 4, 2006.
(Mercury goes retrograde from July 4, 2006 until July 28, 2006.)

Do while Mercury's direct:
Initiate new business ventures; sign contracts; get things printed and released; get all dealings with bureacratic institutions finalized before Mercury goes retrograde.
Wait to do until Mercury's retrograde:
reconnect with old friends; revisit old ideas; edit and review art projects, writing projects, photo albums; clean up your hard drive.

Transiting Saturn square transiting Venus and transiting Jupiter opposing transiting Venus:
Monday, 5 June through Wednesday, 7 June, 2006
Energetically, there is support during this time for getting the legwork done on projects that will bring your creations into manifestation. Venus and Jupiter may want to gang up on Saturn, call him nasty names like "spoilsport" and "partypooper" in favor of enjoying the beginning of summer, but if you can just let Saturn influence the situation and get the work done, you'll likely even have fun in the process, and have something to show for it in the end.