With Navaratri starting this new waxing Moon phase, it's appropriate to cultivate our relationship with the warrior goddess Self. Navaratri begins with three days dedicated to Durga- a fierce and powerful goddess known for winning countless battles against evil forces. Lakshmi and Saraswati have their own strengths and powers, overcoming difficulties in multi faceted ways.
The warrior god/goddess Self is within each of us, though we may not have noticed. This hard and soft being within often doesn't get a chance to fully express itself. The warrior Self is always complex, arrives when needed, hides if necessary, and can remain voiceless, expressionless, unless tended to, acknowledged and nurtured. Part 1: Come to your drawing pad. Choose a medium that strikes you. Is it paint, craypas, pen and pencil, or maybe even collage or clay instead? Use the harvesting questions to prompt your inner inquiry as you arrive at bringing your warrior out from your hidden depths. Let the colors, textures, shapes and images speak to the feelings of this warrior goddess. Take 30 minutes for this piece. Harvesting Questions: What does my warrior have to say? Is he/she/it connected to certain body part(s)? What parts are the most fierce, most alive? What colors does your warrior embody? What does its soft side say? Does it have a flowing side? Nurturing side? Brave side? Vulnerable side? How do the change in seasons effect this warrior? What does your warrior ask of you? What does it need? Circle ten words that strike you most from your writing. Part 2: Look at your image. Pick one element of your art piece- a color, texture, shape, etc. Stand while closing your eyes and envision this element- then begin to move your body. Move this element of your drawing; bring it alive in your body. Move with the shape, color, texture etc. Where is it expressed in your body? How is your body reacting? What sensations, feelings, emotions come up? Your warrior has many sides to it. You are letting one of these come through you. If any of your words come to mind from your writing, say them aloud. Speak, move, embody this part of your Self; cultivate your relationship with this internal energy. Let this last 5 to 10 minutes. Come to stillness. Ask your image one more time if it has anything to tell you. Listen carefully.
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I have made a shift to my content. My planetary transit reports + horoscopes will now be written bimonthly, with the waxing and waning cycles of the Moon in mind. These cycles are both relevant and poignant for our internal/external experiences, and I feel they more accurately represent my work, the connection I have with the Moon, and the way I can serve you in a meaningful way. Creative Engagement Activities will also be posted twice monthly with these Moon cycles in mind. Additionally, I will now be posting a Seven Day Moon Mind Calendar at the top of each week, which will help you maximize the expression of each day, the knowledge of the nakshatras, and will serve as a fine tuning portion of my other offerings. I welcome your feedback and hope to hear how this new cycle of offerings works for you. Namaste~
Moon is now waxing (Shukla Paksha) and transits Pisces to Libra during the next two weeks. Moon is exalted and in its mulatrikona sign of Taurus from 4.02 to 4.04. In its own sign of Cancer from the 7th to the 9th. And enters Libra on the 15th, joining Rahu and Saturn, priming us for a full Lunar eclipse shortly there after. Get my daily Moon Mind calendar for each week via my blog and FaceBook. Vasant Navaratri begins on the 31st and continues for nine days and nights, ending on the 8th. The first three days are dedicated to Durga, The second third is for honoring Lakshmi, and the final three days for Saraswati. Moon will be transiting Aries for the majority of Durga's days- offering cutting, clearing and healing. Moon transits Taurus and then into Gemini during Lakshmi's days, creating a greater sense of creativity, as well as inner and outer expansion. For the final three days of Navaratri, dedicated to goddess Saraswati, Moon will be transiting Gemini and into Cancer, offering comfort, support and a sense of wholeness. Use this time to self track; note your experiences- both inner and outer. This is a sacred time with no coincidences, so pay attention. Read more about Vasant Navaratri and how to connect with the goddesses. Venus moves to Aquarius on 3.30 at 23:11 CDT, joining Mercury there for a few short days. In Aquarius, he receives drishti from both Rahu and Jupiter from this position. At the top of the week, he is still young in degrees, so still delicate and in transition. The next month will offer some rise, some raises, but only through seemingly impossible feats. Pieces that you are holding firmly to, will need to be let go of and burned, purified and released, in order for advancement. The tethers that are binding you and the intense dance you've been doing to "make it all happen" need to shift and change for greater sustainability. What are you clinging to? What old manure do you keep stepping in? This month (as Mercury's shift to Pisces dictates as well) is about upgrading the way you do business. The business of life, of relationships, communication, creativity, work and joy. Let the shift come- even if it begins with crumbling, rubble, and chaos. You will be offered tools, choices and options for how you want to rebuild with more stability. Mercury moves to Pisces on the 3rd at 20:48 CDT, which is its sign of debilitation. He joins Sun here and gets direct drishti from retrograde Mars. This transit, though relatively short in duration (a little over two weeks) may bring a feeling of being pulled in too many directions. Retrograde Mars will force the issue and request that all things Mercury get pierced, pushed into action, and at the least, force you to put some attention and focus on these issues. The Mercury Mars tension can bring a "too many irons in the fire" experiences- where every iron gets hot and requires your attention. Simultaneously, there is an exchange between Mercury in Pisces and Jupiter in Gemini which insures growth in the process. To maximize this, turn everything into a smaller, more bite sized morsel if possible. Prioritize everything. Only the most time sensitive details should get your top focus in the coming weeks. See this time as a way to clean up and upgrade your actions, abilities and purpose. The positives can be more mental acuity, precise and clear agendas if you laser focus on details that matter most. Overall, some expansion is likely from your efforts if you can avoid mental drain. Sun moves to its position of exaltation on 4.13 at 20:42 CDT where it joins Ketu, receives drishti from a retrograde and compromised Saturn, as well as Rahu. Mars gives his drishti from Virgo, bringing an extra level of heat and pressure. Despite the challenging combinations at play, there is clearly moksha in the works from this configuration and the nakshatras involved. The coming weeks of Sun in Aries, bring surprises, pressures and awakenings that insure liberation on multiple levels. This transit occurs right before the full lunar eclipse on the 15th. Exalted Sun is a time when Sun is the "fullest" in his experience of life; his energy is maximized and feeling its own power. With power comes great responsibility, a need for purpose and a request of intention- in order for maximum alignment with dharma. His cohabitation with Ketu at this time indicates cleansing, restructuring and purification of our soul, our sense of dharma, purpose and power. Ketu's extraction process is usually not fun and often comes quickly. Prepare to feel naked and vulnerable. You may also feel stripped at times and uncertain who and what to trust. Though many dire and dramatic predictions are circulating about this year's set of eclipses, it's important to remember that with any bout of chaos, a restructuring of power is inevitable- both with our own inner, personal power, and our experience with it. I will share more about the lunar eclipse in my next post, but suffice it to say, the theme of "cleaning and clearing" from the inside out, is relevant and potent for this month, for the eclipses, and for the delicate time between the lunar and solar eclipses. It is a big year with multiple {major} planetary changes. We will experience the changes of Jupiter, Rahu and Ketu, Saturn and unusual movements of Mars all in the next eleven months. Big changes are in store for each of us! Feeling uncertain about your action steps? What needs to change in order for growth? What kind of support you need? Schedule a yearly progression with me in order to make your New Year a truly transformational year. I still have some sessions available for the end of April and the first part of May. *Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart. Aries: You've been waiting for the curtain to come up and the spotlight to shine on you. Your moment is coming as Sun moves to your first house, but in the meantime, there's still some ripening to be done. Find clarity by prioritizing life properly. This includes making sure Self and family values are in place, while relationships are clear and in order. Who and what do you keep locking heads with? What fears are holding you back? It's time to get what you want, but you have to do things in a new way. Taurus: Gains to losses. Outer to inner. Rise to fall. These become themes for your next two weeks. Your need for stability, comfort and support brings you some ultimatums, choices and creative action. There's tension with alone time, silence, marriage, and relationship contracts simultaneously. Your healing work is needed like never before, and the theme of listening carefully to your gut is more important than ever. Belly dance. Gemini: This could be a challenging time for career and how you present your Self if you don't communicate from the heart. Then again, that's no guarantee that you will be received well; at least you will be authentic to your Self which is a worthy effort. Relationships in general may be stifling your creative forces, causing frustration and misalignment. There are strong cravings for more harmony. Achievements and gains come through your own self initiated courage once Sun moves to Aries. Be prepared to step like lightning. Cancer: Learning turns to wisdom in the coming weeks as you ingest and digest, assimilate and filter out what you need. Meditation is nourishment for the soul and an important part of this download phase that you are in. As heart and emotions go through yet another cycle of transformation, overhaul and reboot, sparks begin to fly in your career house with the transit of Sun moving to Aries. Restructuring of home and heart comes with it. Leo: Your momentum builds over the next two weeks and moves from silent inner realms, to outer, courageous leaps. You will need to keep the inner intention, however, for the time being and not neglect your meditation practice. Use what stirs you and your inner depths to inform your outer experiences. Your ego gets a buff and shine when Sun moves to your 9th house, and comes with an emotional cleanse. The good news is your courage will strengthen once the dust settles. Virgo: Finding comfort and harmony within your life and relationships is a general theme in this waxing Moon phase. There is a renewed sense of learning from love while healing simultaneously. And yet, intense inner transformation abounds mostly through letting go- of expectations, "shoulds" and past "mistakes". Your perfectionism gets a make over in other words. Prepare for a brighter polish as Sun moves to Aries. This will be a rest phase for you, but don't mistake that for the amount of change this vacation will bring. Libra: From inner to outer is the theme for the next two weeks. Scrub, polish, shine, repeat. Gut and digestion are sensitive and need your attention. Bad mental habits can creep in without you noticing- at first. Get ahead of your Self by staying true to course. Agendas, action steps and plans help set your intention, even if you get blown off course. Sparks and endings are inevitable with relationships. Try not to blow a fuse and keep your head on. Scorpio: Awareness, intention, transformation and liberation rule the weeks ahead. Intuition gains depth and potency, which assists career matters greatly. You will use this wisdom for healing and refining your work with others as Sun enters Aries. Prepare for an ego scrub closer to the eclipse. This may help you clarify a piece of your work that you've been lax about. On the other hand, a certain laser focus regarding duty, purpose and self worth is strengthened. Sagittarius: Though hurdles and hoops will be required, the next two weeks help you affirm a new resolve with career. Heart and home matters turn to gains and connections for your internal and external process. Cravings to connect require your courage to act. Need for nourishment and support may be more attainable through self soothing than reaching out. Sparks fly as you get passionate about life. Cut out what is not working, and also by getting creative. This is what your career and offerings have been missing. Capricorn: This waxing Moon phase has you working hard on your motivations. Who and what is driving this ship, steering you on or off course? What is the underlying need here? Get creative with your courage and start thinking about your laser focused action plan that leads to greater fulfillment, enjoyment and less work. Yes, I said, less work. Working smarter, not harder, insures that you will be rich. How rich do you want to be? Aquarius: Speaking with purpose and offering wisdom and comfort to others has you thinking in new ways about how you share and who you share with. Hone in on your expert strengths and gifts and don't be afraid to upgrade some of your marketable skills with a bit more education. Communication shifts for the coming weeks and requires you to have extra clarity. Don't be wishy washy. Bold action steps and courage are forced upon you as Sun enters Aries. Look for the lessons; watch out for land mines. Pisces: You continue to re-visit some very old pieces of the puzzle. Some relationship return with the same old issues and concerns and yet nothing seems to have changed. Here in lies the frustration, the confusion, the disappointment and the grande discomfort. I can't help but hear Bob Dylan playing in the background: "Well, it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe. Even you don't know by now. And it ain't no use to sit and wonder why, babe. It'll never do somehow". It's not the clarity you should be looking for, it's the change agent. You are ripe and ready for transformation; relationships are shifting all around you. Get ready, you're about to be pushed further out of your comfort zone. Trust that this is necessary for your healing process to be complete. The last few week's we've been working with our inner warrior. During the Navaratri festivities, the epic battle of goddess Durga fighting and overcoming the rakshasa (demon) Mahishasura, has been enlivened within us and around us. The planets continue to cultivate this theme for us, refining our inner work and calling us into action. This is a time of deep inner work and it requires us to be courageous about it.
As per this week's horoscopes: Full Moon is on 10.18 at exactly 18:37 CDT as Moon enters Aries. It joins Ketu there and will receive drishti from four planets: Rahu, Saturn, Sun and Mercury. Moon will be transiting Ashwini Nakshatra at the time of the full Moon. Healing comes to the forefront for each of us. Health and rejuvenation of mind, body, soul and pysche are themes for the new waning Moon cycle and will effect our choices and actions in the coming weeks. The creative arts can also be used as healing tools and are enlivened with Ashwini Nakshatra. You will need the mask that you created last week for this activity. Need the details? Find them here. This week is about "unmasking". Beginning with gentle movements that awaken somatic awareness, lie on your back and gently lift the chest with an inhale, relax on the exhale. Repeat several times until you feel the chest opening and the shoulder blades responding. Next rock the pelvis with gentle tilts coordinating your movements with inhales and exhales. Find a gentle spinal twist and then move into any series of poses that bring more awareness to breath, spine, and grounding. Take a 5-10 min sivasana to close. When your body excavation is complete. Come to your drawing pad. With your warrior mask in mind (or nearby), complete a drawing of what is behind the mask- or the unmasking of your warrior. Who is behind the mask? What is there? What messages does it have for you? If your unmasking could speak, what would it say? Keep your work. We will build on this again next week. 10.14.13 ::: Depending where you are in the world, today (in India) or yesterday (in USA), is the celebration of Vijayadashami- or Victory Day. This day is the 10th day- after the culmination of the 9 day Navaratri celebration- and the day when we celebrate Goddess Durga's powerful victory over the rakshasa demon Mahishasura.
This week, Moon is waxing and passes through Aquarius, Pisces, Aries and into Taurus, its sign of exaltation. Full Moon is on 10.18 at exactly 18:37 CDT as Moon enters Aries. It joins Ketu there and will receive drishti from four planets: Rahu, Saturn, Sun and Mercury. Moon will be transiting Ashwini Nakshatra at the time of the full Moon. Healing comes to the forefront for each of us. Health and rejuvenation of mind, body, soul and pysche are themes for the new waning Moon cycle and will effect our choices and actions in the coming weeks. The creative arts can also be used as healing tools and are enlivened with Ashwini Nakshatra. This Full Moon we will also have a penumbral lunar eclipse. Beginning at 16:53 CDT and ending at 20:48 CDT. In the Vedic tradition, eclipses (even partial) have symbolic meaning. Moon (intuition, intellect, connection to Source or MA) is being shadowed and can effect our ability to think clearly. It is not recommended to be out under the eclipse, nor is it a time to start new projects or ventures. The time period between lunar and solar eclipses is considered a delicate time. Until the total solar eclipse on 11.03, keep these thoughts in mind. [For more info on lunar eclipses: http://www.space.com/15689-lunar-eclipses.html] This two week period between eclipses is a good time to "clean things up" internally and externally and will culminate on Diwali, the Vedic celebration of light where we honor goddess Maha Lakshmi. Think of the next few weeks as creating space for more light to enter, more wealth to flow, more creative abundance to course through you. Clear, clean, purge, and cut out all that is not working in your favor. This will be happening for you on a conscious and unconscious level as well as on multiple levels of existence. Surrender to the uprooting process. Sun moves into sandhi (the gap) this week and changes to Libra on 10.17 at 01:07 am CDT where it joins Mercury, Saturn and Rahu there. Sun is debilitated in Libra though it will be receiving drishti from the benefic Jupiter and sitting with an exalted Saturn. Sun will be in weak degrees as the Moon goes full and the eclipse occurs. The theme at this time (especially when Mercury goes retrograde next week) is cleaning up the soul and taking slow, structured and steady steps towards goals, desires, and aspirations. This is the perfect time for soul retrieval, excavation and revival. With all the movement in Libra, change and transformation is inevitable. Let the Rudra energy happening in Libra move you- and ask your ancestors for assistance as you build and re-build your life journey. Utilize the creative arts and art as therapy practice through my Jyoti/Expressive Art Therapy Creative Engagement Activity for the week of 10.14 ::: *Horoscopes are based on your Vedic rising sign. You can also check your Moon and Sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your “Western Sign” as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart. Aries: This is a time where relationships get re-evaluated. See them as a mirror for your own work. Want something to shift? Change your Self. Fearing the old patterns and a closet full of haunts? Time to call in some helpful healing assistance. Take a step in a different direction with all your relationships. Ask for help. Trust that things can get better than they are, than they have been thus far. But all of this will require your effort. Taurus: You are digesting some big pieces of the past right now. Try taking smaller bites. It's very important for you to work with your anger and your emotions of rage. Find your fierce button and safely let the steam out. Relationships, mother, home, early childhood, insecurities, vulnerabilities and security issues are red hot issues for you right now. Don't run from the work- go into the emotions and dig around. Find out what is the core of these old haunts. They keep returning in your relationships and won't go away until they get some attention. Remember, small bites, chew carefully. Gemini: The self expansion continues. Courage and bravery are moving you forward and lessons abound. There may be confusion with decisions, making the right choices and trusting your gut instincts. Sometimes you are on it, and other times it feels like you are taking a shot in the dark. This month continues to test your abilities. Doubt may creep in and overshadow you ability to trust your Self. Watch for enemies and vulnerabilities but use this time for growing in Self awareness and learning how to ask for help. This is a great time to create alliances and build support in new ways. Think outside the box. Cancer: Your work is centrally located- in your chest. Heart and home matters continue to take precedence for you. The same old feelings, issues, haunts seem to plague you and your relationships. Want something different? Angry that you are attracting more of the same? Can't seem to find what you are looking for? Quit taking it out on others. It's you, dear one. You need to change. You need to re-evaluate your relationship with your mother, with your emotions, with your heart and need for security. Only you can make the necessary changes. Quit asking others to do all your work for you. #ToughLove Leo: Your lion power is heating up. Courage, self-activated action, and personal effort seem to be paying off for you. Think about how you are effecting others though. Notice if your fierce Self power is working well in your work and personal relationships. See if there might be a better way to channel your power and your efforts in order to harmonize and create peace with the whole pack. Let your lion lay with the lambs. Find your inner Lion Tamer. Virgo: Work and career continue to move forward and expand, but some feelings of discomfort are still having their way with you. Taking courageous steps towards creativity and relationships are part of how you can find more sustainable forms of comfort and security. Work with early childhood experiences, familial patterns, ghosts and haunts from the past that keep offering their messages. There's some rage hiding in your closet. Might as well bring it out in the open and find a way to dance with it. It wont be going away any time soon. Libra: This is not the time of year that works in your favor dear Libra. It's the one month for you when Sun goes debilitated in your first house and you get the opportunity to re-evaluate life from the inner to the outer. Call it a soul overhaul, even though it may feel more like a depressive time where you lose a bit of your chirpiness. Best to think in terms of rest, restoration and rejuvenation for your soul. Lay low, and clean your soul from the inside out. It's time for a complete overhaul. Scrub and scour. Scorpio: Endings. It's all about endings right now. So much upheaval, chaos and churning- but all internal. On the outside it looks like your life is rosy and powerful, but on the inside, in typical Scorpio fashion, it is anything but. Believe it or not, you are finding inner and outer balance right now, digging up the old and the dark, while finding new sources of light and life. Keep going. You are on a powerful journey that will certainly give rewards- even if it feels like you are fumbling around in a never ending dark tunnel right now. Sagittarius: You are likely learning a lot from friends and older siblings right now. Some gains from your long, hard work give a bit of pay back right now. This month though may bring feelings of weakness and confusion with your sense of purpose and power. You are learning and growing from others and from your efforts, but something is missing still. There seems to be a war with your wisdom. Will you fight to your death, or find a way to surrender on the inner battle ground? Lay down your arms and see what happens. Capricorn: Career will be bringing some twists and turns this month. You may be questioning your Self a lot and second-guessing your abilities. This is a time when you have options. You can reach deep within your soul and find the missing pieces to fill the holes within you. You can also start asking for help from others more, learning to trust the support systems in place all around you. Or you can keep burning your Self out. Your choice. Aquarius: Lessons, learning and growth are coming in strange and challenging parcels. Hard knocks. There are also some trustworthy landing pads that are cushioning your falls simultaneously. Relationships are charged, passionate and are vulnerable to anger and rage. What parts of your self are you avoiding, refusing to look at? Ask for help. This month brings lessons to the soul, to the ego, and will give you opportunities to re-evaluate your actions. Ready to make some changes? Trust your Self and trust the lessons. Pisces: This is an especially solitary month for you- a time for deep inner work- the kind that goes unnoticed by others. The work you are doing on your soul is very hidden, and the darkness is pushing you to look into corners of your soul that you'd rather not look at. A certain discomfort is having its way with you. The chaos may be feeling overwhelming at times. This is the reality of life- learning to dance with chaos and destruction as well as growth and harmony. You are learning to dance in the dark right now- so that when the lights come back on, you'll be ready. Navaratri Blessings! Moon Mind ::: 10.7 Moon is waxing and has just moved into Scorpio, its sign of debilitation, where it joins Venus there. Both planets receive drishti from Mars which is now in Leo. On this third day of Navaratri (and final day of Durga) use this as a time for deep introspection- especially in regard to relationships, emotions, using blame (rather than confronting our own demons). May the fierce and unapologetic warrior goddess Durga lead the way towards obliterating our shadows, so that new layers of light can enter our awareness. 10.8 Moon moves to Anuradha nakshatra in the early hours of the morning. Relationships with friends, forming contracts and bonds, attending to fine detail work, is enlivened by Mitra today- though it may be through hard work and some struggle. Old allies return, or disappointments resurface. Mercury crosses Saturn in exact degrees at 14:15 CDT today and continue to be in close conjunction through the weekend. Let old, stubborn thinking patterns get restructured. Re-evaluate. Re-calculate. Watch for stubborn thinking and notice if you are getting lost in the details. Eating too much sugar? Emotional eating and drinking? How are you seeking the sweet in life? Moon is crossing Venus today, so look for shadows effecting your actions. It is also the first day of goddess Lakshmi in the Navaratri festivities. She brings us the nectar of life, abundance and nourishment. Ask and yee shall receive- but do you know how to ask?! Jai Ma. Abundant Navaratri blessings! *I am currently observing Navaratri and taking more silence for my self. Horoscopes will resume next week. See last week's post for Navaratri details. (See links below). Horoscopes for the week of 9.30 ::: http://www.swatijrjyotish.com/1/post/2013/09/horoscopes-for-the-week-of-930.html Creative Engagement for the week of 9.30 ::: http://www.swatijrjyotish.com/1/post/2013/09/creative-engagement-activity-for-the-week-of-930.html Current Services and Offerings: http://www.swatijrjyotish.com/services--offerings.html |
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