Moon Mind {for the next 3 days}
03.19 Moon has entered Libra (the center of our attention for the past many months) and transits Swati Nakshatra. Ruled by Vayu, the wind god, there is movement, strength and change to be harnessed today. As Rahu has now moved to Chitra nakshatra where sandhi/retrograde Mars is transiting, the desires to build, gain momentum and create, strengthen. An increased push for financial support heightens as well as the mental vigor required to "get the job done". With debilitated Saturn sandhi right now at the edge of Libra, this is not the time to push the physical body. It's a time of contemplation and silence as dictated by the nearing of Navaratri. (See this week's transit report for more details.) Let your creativity be sparked. Let it flow. Softly and quietly plant your seeds. Let the Universe know your intentions. It is enough. You are enough. 03.20 Moon moves to Vishaka at 5:57 am CDT. Joining sandhi Saturn there. Remember that Saturn is in its sign of exaltation (Libra) but since it is currently retrograde, it is considered debilitated (uccha banga). This has effects on the physical body and all things represented by Saturn. We need to slow down and turn inward. Meditation, yoga and the mandates of Vishaka and Indragni request attention to our eating/nourishment habits. We may also notice a slowing of commerce, trade, relationships both personal and work. Clean up, clear out, let go of the old, outworn bits and pieces hanging on in your life. The barnacles. Let them go. Use today to ask for what you really want. 03.21 Moon enters Scorpio at 00:00 CDT, its place of debilitation. This can be a highly receptive location for the Moon, however. Moon moves to Anuradha nakshatra at 05:58 am CDT, ruled by Mitra and the planet Saturn while also being in a sign of Mars (Scorpio). Connect today. With emotions. With friends. With details that need attention and intention. The day will request a slow, introspective approach, so find a way to accomplish and create without forcing or taxing the body/mind.
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You as mother as Ma as angel near as ascended master You as gray crane standing on one leg or white egret You as hooting owl or swooping hawk You as Ma eternal now within me in new ways Now without me in unknown and sacred ways You my mother who is neither here nor there not in a form not housed in a body case Yet you whisper still and answer my prayers and sing my songs though I can't hear your voice It comes in breezes that suddenly stir and in the calls of the birds I only hear while walking in the woods desperate and alone. -Swati J. Miller Moon is waxing (shukla paksha) and transits Gemini, Cancer, Leo and into Virgo this week. Moon is in its own sign of Cancer from the 11th to the 13th.
Full Moon on 3.16 at 12:07 CDT in the first few degrees of Virgo and in Uttarphalguni Nakshatra. Because it will be high noon at its fullest point during the 15th tithi, we won't see the fullness in the sky, but will feel it internally. The night of 3.15 will be our night to view its fullness in the dark sky. Uttarphalguni is ruled by Aryaman, one of the twelve Adityas, who gives sustenance, support, health and physical strength. He is related to repaying the ancestors through family and children, things that sustain unions, contracts and marriage as well as other 12th house matters. The month of Phalguni is a time of spring which connects us to fertility, growth, abundance, colors, flowers and blossoming. Aryaman and Uttaraphalguni usher in the abundance of life. This Full Moon also marks the Holi celebration in the Vedic calendar which roughly coincides with the vernal equinox and the arrival of spring (for the Northern Hemisphere). No matter the hemisphere you are in, both spring and fall are considered "sandhi" times of year- or in between seasons. These are sacred times, when the veil is thin, sensitivity is heightened, and in Ayurveda we attend to necessary physical rituals that help the body cleanse and purify. Holi comes at this sacred junction and is a time to "plant seeds" so to speak. It is a celebration of fertility, abundance and the awakening of Shakti within Nature. This full enlivening of Ma is celebrated during Vasant Navaratri- the nine days of Mother Divine beginning on the last day of March this year. We can consider this her "kick off" celebration however when we plant our desires and create our fruits. Let this Full Moon bring you a sense of spring and possibility. Use this week's Creative Engagement activity (below) for your cultivation process. Mercury moves into Aquarius on 3.11 at 22:43 CDT where it joins Sun there for only a few short days before Sun moves into Pisces. Mercury receives drishti from Rahu while in Aquarius (considered Rahu's own sign) as well as Jupiter, and stays in Dhanishta nakshatra for the remainder of the week. This can present some tension for Mercury as well as expansion through effort. Notice where you are pushing too much for results and see if you can back off. Sun is sandhi starting 3.12 as it moves out of Aquarius and moves into Pisces on 3.14 at 12:12 CDT. Sun is weak in degrees (sensitive) until late in the day on 3.16 but is thankfully happier in Pisces than Aquarius. Pisces is the sign where Venus (creativity, passion, artistry, the feminine) is exalted and currently Venus is receiving drishti from retrograde Mars and will get Moon drishti the 11th to 13th. This combination can enhance creativity, relationships, passion and drive. Connect and socialize on these days. Work it! But as mentioned above, also note where you may be putting your Self into overdrive. With three retrograde planets in Libra currently (Mars, Saturn and Rahu- which is always retrograde) we have increased "returns" coming to us in all ways connected to Libra. This is also a sign ruled by Venus and is associated with relationships (work and personal) as well as commerce, the marketplaces, business and creativity. The desire for Libra is a sense of balance- balance in relationships and from hard work. Desires, in general, are extra strong right now. The retrograde planets are helping us remember what isn't working as well as what is. Old relationships blowing back in and making reappearances? Patterns and behaviors rearing their ugly little heads? Discomforts and discouragement on the rise? Physical fatigue and overwhelm setting in? Pay attention and make adjustments where necessary. Retrograde Mars is moving back towards Virgo and pulling that Virgo energy into his dance which gives an extra essence of Mercury (Virgo's ruler). This can enhance communication and commerce, connections and creativity, but can also bring some confusion and mismatched action steps. Use good communication (internally and externally) at this time to express your needs and healthy boundaries. Being clear about expectations is very important right now. Be realistic about what you can actually accomplish by working backwards and mapping it out. Read more about the unusual dance of Mars until September. As per last week's post on Retrograde Saturn: Now that Saturn is retrograde, there is a greater emphasis on the physical body; a demand of sorts. A unique perspective of Jaimini jyotish dictates that when an exalted planet goes retrograde, it becomes debilitated. Saturn in Libra is considered exalted, retrograde now, and thus debilitated. He is also giving direct drishti to his sign of debilitation, Aries. The results of this will vary individually, but the overall effect will be a slowing down of systems, structure and a greater request from Saturn to focus on, well, all things Saturn. Saturn loves routine, gives prosperity with time and consistency, wants meditation, physical movement and hard work. He rules the physical structures of life (time quite literally) and within the body this means bones and muscle tissue. Until Saturn goes direct on July 20th, we may notice increased physical fatigue, depression, heightened worry, a need to focus on our physical body more directly- either through awareness or force. We will also be "re-structuring" areas of our life that involve relationships, creativity, nourishment, receptivity, vulnerability, business and commerce, contracts and obligations, boundaries and balance. Leave it to retrograde Saturn to help us re-purpose and resolve what is not working in our best interest. Remember that if there is excess pressure from his means and ways, it is likely a place we need to look for a resolution. Ask: What is working? What is not? What do I need? What needs to shift right now for greater harmony and balance? Where am I pushing too hard? What am I resisting and where am I not letting life flow? If you are curious about Saturn's movements through Libra, you can read my articles on his transits here: Part 1: Rahu and Saturn in Libra Part 2: Saturn Retrograde + the Influence of the Nakshatras For increased awareness, utilize my jyotish inspired Body-centered Expressive Art Therapy articles. Each week I post a new Creative Engagement Activity to help inspire your own unique creative process, Self-tracking, and to enrich your cultivation of presence. This week we will revisit a Full Moon activity from the archives. I still have a few sessions available for April. Schedule a yearly progression with me in order to make your New Year a truly transformational year and to make the most out of the current transits. *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: Here we go again You're dancing with the fire You're dancing with the Beast You're still hungry- I'll take you to the feast. Here we go again The rage is a craving The thunder is your song The power is misfortune The misery is strong Here we go again The spirals and the chaos The torment and the chains No steps to the mirror Oh! The Beast lives on. Here we go again I'm waiting with my palms I watch you burn and writhe I sing your laments Still waiting for your dawn. -Swati J. Miller Taurus: THE HOUSE OF BELONGING I awoke this morning in the gold light turning this way and that thinking for a moment it was one day like any other. But the veil had gone from my darkened heart and I thought it must have been the quiet candlelight that filled my room, it must have been the first easy rhythm with which I breathed myself to sleep, it must have been the prayer I said speaking to the otherness of the night. And I thought this is the good day you could meet your love, this is the grey day someone close to you could die. This is the day you realize how easily the thread is broken between this world and the next… -David Whyte Gemini: It doesn't interest me if there is one God or many gods. I want to know if you belong or feel abandoned. If you know despair or can see it in others. I want to know if you are prepared to live in the world with its harsh need to change you. If you can look back with firm eyes saying this is where I stand. I want to know if you know how to melt into that fierce heat of living falling toward the center of your longing. I want to know if you are willing to live, day by day, with the consequence of love and the bitter unwanted passion of your sure defeat. I have heard, in that fierce embrace, even the gods speak of God. —David Whyte Cancer: How do trees deal with injustice? They grow a branch wherever they were cut. And how do sparrows deal with grief? They open their tiny wings and swoop at anything that glistens. So why am I all cut & hungry? Because I do not know the tree that is my soul and refuse the sparrow in my heart. - from Finding Inner Courage by Mark Nepo Leo: Everyone who terrifies you is sixty-five percent water. And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes you cannot even breathe deeply, and the night sky is no home, and you have cried yourself to sleep enough times that you are down to your last two percent, but nothing is infinite, not even loss. You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day you are going to find yourself again. - F. Butler Virgo: "Once upon a time, when women were birds, there was the simple understanding that to sing at dawn and to sing at dusk was to heal the world through joy. The birds still remember what we have forgotten, that the world is meant to be celebrated." -Terry Tempest Williams Libra: SWEET DARKNESS You must learn one thing. The world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which you belong. Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you. -David Whyte Scorpio: The Thing Is The thing is.. to love life, to love it even when you have no stomach for it and everything you've held dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hand, your throat filled with the silt of it. When grief sits with you, its tropical heat thickening the air, heavy as water more fit for gills than lungs; when grief weights you like your own flesh only more of it, an obesity of grief, you think, How can a body withstand this? Then you hold life like a face between your palms, a plain face, no charming smile, no violet eyes, and you say, yes, I will take you I will love you again. -Ellen Bass Sagittarius: Be taught now, among the trees and rocks, how the discarded is woven into shelter, learn the way things hidden and unspoken slowly proclaim their voice in the world.... Find that far inward symmetry to all outward appearances, apprentice yourself to yourself, begin to welcome back all you sent away, be a new annunciation, make yourself a door through which to be hospitable, even to the stranger in you. - David Whyte Capricorn: You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting- over and over announcing your place in the family of things. - Mary Oliver Aquarius: Praying It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch a few words together and don’t try to make them elaborate, this isn't a contest but the doorway into thanks, and a silence in which another voice may speak. - Mary Oliver Pisces: What To Do In Darkness Go slowly Consent to it But don't wallow in it Know it as a place of germination And growth Remember the light Take an outstretched hand if you find one Exercise unused senses Find the path by walking it Practice trust Watch for dawn - Marilyn McEntyre Moon Mind
2.21 Moon transits Libra in Vishaka nakshatra with Mars, Saturn and Rahu there and receives drishti from Jupiter. Moon is in the 7th tithi ruled by Saturn. Today can offer a sense of expansion and a productive agenda towards goals. As the there is much movement being felt energetically with so much Rudra energy here, it is important to effectively harness his strength and momentum. Be practical in your to-do's and set mini goals for maximum achievement. Take time for embodiment and bring conscious awareness to the physical body and the "internal winds"- ie. prana. It's too easy to get "blown around" right now and not be grounded. A three level check in is a great way to Self track and check in with your own needs. Close the eyes and do a scan for Mental body, Physical body and Emotional body. Listen to their messages. 2.22 Moon moves to Scorpio (its sign of debilitation) and into Anuradha nakshatra. Debilitated Moons give us the ability for refined sensitivity, an internal focus and heightened intuitive awareness. Use your Saturday for stillness, inward attentiveness and grounding. Embodiment ensures a certain ability to "hear" what your needs/wants are so you can better address them. As Anuradha is ruled by Mitra and the planet Saturn, paying attention to the details of the physical body is assisted here. Today is the halfway point in the waning Moon (Krishna Paksha) as the Moon transits the 8th tithi (Ashtami). Let the pull be to the inside. We are nearing Shivaratri on the 27th where the silence is tangible. Though the planets are inspiring an outward pull, it's essential to attend to the calling of the inner realms as well. Today, if we pause, we can move towards greater balance and harmony. Go slowly. Moon is waxing (Shukla Paksha) and transits Pisces, Aries, Taurus and into Gemini this week. Moon is exalted on 2.07 and transits its Mulitrikona sign (Taurus) on 2.08 and part of the day on 2.09.
For a jyotish Moon-centered approach to your day, follow my daily Moon Mind posts via Face Book. This week kicks off a fascinating waltz of the signs. As I've written about in quite a few of my posts and articles recently, there will be an intricate dance of the planets this year with multiple unusual retrograde cycles happening simultaneously. Lots of overlapping changes happening all at once. This cosmic dance of planets really brings to life the interwoven web of this existence and the intricate network of movements, changes, stops and starts that life presents us with. To me, the metaphor of a "dance" is really the most descriptive way to explain the fancy footwork of the planets at this time. Mars moves to Libra on 2.04 and will join Rahu and Saturn there. He will be sandhi this week (in weak degrees transiting the gap between signs). This will bring experiences on the inner and outer levels of stops and starts- with a bit of chaos and shadow mixed in. Think: lurches. Lurches feel frustrating so I've created a special Creative Engagement activity with this in mind. He won't be in Libra for long before he retrogrades back into Virgo. You can read all about his unusual transits back and forth between Virgo and Libra for the coming year in my current Elephant Journal article Mars as the Karma Yogi and His Unusual Transits This Year. Saturn is also sandhi right now, inching towards the edge of Libra, but will soon do a retrograde of his own. Suffice it to say, Saturn is requesting us to mind his manners right now as he "weakens". This usually results in his brut force and an insistence that we attend to our lives in a more harmonious Saturn way. We may feel more fatigued at this time, some depression could set in; in general a desire and need to draw our focus inward and slow down will present it self. He likes meditation, yoga, structure and to be in tune with the rhythms of Nature. Use these tools to listen to Saturn's messages and he will grant you more stability and grounding. It is actually good timing with the rest of the retrograde motions which require and request we pause, re-evaluate, re-adjust and retrace our steps more consciously and intentionally. As per usual, Saturn has our best interest in mind. If you are curious about his movements through Libra, you can read my articles on his transits here: Part 1: Rahu and Saturn in Libra Part 2: Saturn Retrograde + the Influence of the Nakshatras In keeping with the theme of flux and change with retrograde and forward momentum- very much alive in the planets in the coming weeks and months- Mercury begins his retrograde movement on 2.06 and will be moving backwards for the greater part of February. Despite the common dire predictions associated with Mercury retrograde, I am rather looking forward to his backward dance. I offer a different perspective in my latest article Mercury Retrograde, It's Not What You Think. Jupiter is still retrograde as well and moving back through Gemini- currently in Ardra nakshatra. Here is an article I wrote months ago on his transit through Gemini and how his retrograde movements will impact each sign. Jupiter in Gemini: Expanding Our Creativity Plenty of Mercurial delights and introspection offered above through my articles! Enjoy the information and may it be of benefit for your mental body, emotional body, physical body and spiritual body. For increased awareness, utilize my jyotish inspired Body-centered Expressive Art Therapy articles. Each week I post a new Creative Engagement Activity to help inspire your own unique creative process, Self-tracking, and to enrich your cultivation of presence. This week's activity has to do with "stopping and starting". If you have been uncertain about seeking guidance and support for the coming year, I urge you to reach out and get help refining your vision for 2014. Intention is potent! 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. *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: Start looking for gains in unusual places; this may be connected to returning friendships and relationships. Father and early childhood could inform these insights. Both work and personal relationships are re-presenting themselves. Career is super charged at this time; use thoughtful action steps and courage to close the deal. Watch your mouth and try not to get overheated. Avoid rushing into relationships right now in order to avoid getting burned. Learn from past gains and losses. Taurus: Creative offerings are presenting themselves from your depths. Teaching, sharing and offering your Self in new and different ways can be helpful. Father, emotions, heart, home and mother may lend some insights. Work on digestion, assimilation, processing bad habits. Being in service is your best resource right now. Gemini: Your expansion in reverse continues. Do you know where you are going or has confusion set in? You may be doubting your Self and feeling uncertain about direction. Clearing and cleaning your gut will help with intuitive (gut) responses. You're in a rest phase. Stand still. Get the most out of your recharge with yoga, meditation and the creative arts. Cancer: Your mind has some intuitive strengths right now, but slowing down to hear these messages is important. Passions are high, desire is strong, emotions are somewhat tempestuous and charged. Seek stability, comfort and support in your relationships, home life and with family matters. Regardless let these details inform your needs. Learn from the past and what hasn't worked in your favor in this regard. Leo: Cleanse and cleanup some old habits, share and offer these findings through service. Creativity, intuition and the gut can help you with your findings and are a resource at this time. Create, connect, share and take bold action in new ways. But look before you leap. Virgo: Say what needs to be said. Go ahead, blurt it out. You may end up sparing your Self some headaches in the long run. This vocalization is about boundaries and feeling like you can express your needs and wants effectively. Singing can help open the throat chakra. Go ahead, sing your desires and comfort your own soul. Libra: The storms rage on for you Libra. Carefully navigate anger and rage, passion and drive or you will burn your Self out quickly. This is a good time to use these pieces for growth and learning, rather than letting them rule you. Use anger and passion in your creative processes and let them invoke and stoke your fire of life. Stay out of blame and victim-hood. Learn from your cravings, wants and desires. What are your greatest needs? Who and what needs to be cut free and let go of for different results? Scorpio: Transitions, releases, and letting go are effective strategies for you right now. You may feel a sense of urgency to act- especially with career. Some frustrations may arise and things may go slower than you like, but act anyway. Make sure the cart is not before the horse. Romance and passion are stoked. Tend your heart fire- even if it's only mental right now. Remember to ask for what you really want and don't settle for the old ways and old days. Sagittarius: Watch what goes in and out of your mouth. Don't over indulge on sweet and alcohol. Relationship and heart matters may be more soothing now, but you are still working on these pieces: giving/receiving, gains/losses, attraction/repulsion, keeping/letting go. Listen carefully: What's working well? What is not? Take an action step. Just pick a direction and let the arrow go. Capricorn: You are gaining momentum and drive towards goals. You are learning to offer and share your Self in new ways which assists your career. Your light is shining from your depths and others are noticing. Continue to speak your mind and find new ways to do so. Teach, create, inspire. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Aquarius: Re-learn, revise, re-listen. Stop, slow down and integrate the messages fully. This is a powerful time of learning, growth and awareness. Did you get all of that? As you power down the drive and the rushing forward, power up your senses and sensibilities. Teach, advise, share. Learn as you go, but trust your instincts. Pisces: Clean up continues for you in all corners of your life. Remember to look under the furniture for dust bunnies as well as vacuuming cracks and crevices. Digest, purge, rummage, release, transform and transcend. It is good for your heart and home; tangibly and metaphorically. As per this week's horoscopes:
Mars moves to Libra on 2.04 and will join Rahu and Saturn there. He will be sandhi this week (in weak degrees transiting the gap between signs). This will bring experiences on the inner and outer levels of stops and starts- with a bit of chaos and shadow mixed in. Think: lurches. Lurches feel frustrating so I've created a special Creative Engagement activity with this in mind. Pick a body part. Don't deliberate; let it be an impulsive choice. Set a timer to chime every two minutes. Let this body part be your entry point into your dance. Start small and with great intention. Move and be moved- paying attention to your breath. When the chime goes off, freeze. This is your "freeze frame". Hold for five counts or five breaths. Then resume your dance. Every time the chime sounds, pause exactly where you are. Do this for several rounds and then begin to interject slow motion into your dance. When the chime sounds pause as before. Then after five breaths begin to move but in very slow, molasses like movements. When the chime sounds, pause and take your five breaths in "freeze frame" then resume with normal or even fast forward motion. You can continue to play with speed each time the chime sounds and after you pause with your five breaths. Here are some other elements to play with as well: Repetition of a movement Repetition and speed of movement Utilizing surfaces (focus on just floor, wall, ceiling etc.) The "third" or space Balance Expand/contract and open/close Harvesting: Bring your dance to a close with eyes closed. Lay on the ground or stay standing but find a sense of closure. What is the "take away" from your stop/start dance? What did you learn about your reaction to the chime? Did you notice resistance, relief, surrender, a sense of flow eventually? Name your dance and let this title capture the essence of your experience. *Try this dance again and set your timer to a shorter or longer time frame for a different experience. Notice your response. Also, you can use this "score" with your yoga practice for a different type of "dance". |
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