Astrology of Joy

Newsletter 4/August/2025 Earthquakes and Opportunity

Written by

David

in

Astrology Monday! Earthquakes and Opportunity… 8th House Astrology 🫢
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This Week’s Focus

Eighth House Astrology: Lifting the Veil
Issue 31 Volume 8          04 August 2025
Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one.
Albert Einstein, German-born theoretical physicist best known for developing the theory of relativity

Your entire life is a Virtual Reality, because you are seeing it only the way it happens in your mind.
Sadhguru, yogi, mystic, author, humanitarian, and self-realised spiritual master

The quicker you are in attaching verbal or mental labels to things, people, or situations, the more shallow and lifeless your reality becomes, and the more deadened you become to reality.
Eckhart Tolle, German-born spiritual teacher and self-help author

For a sorcerer (one who sees beyond normal perception), reality, or the world we all know, is only a description that has been pounded into you from the moment you were born. The reality of our day-to-day life, then, consists of an endless flow of perceptual interpretations which we have learned to make in common. I am teaching you how to see as opposed to merely looking, and stopping the world (letting go preconceived notions) is the first step to seeing.
don Juan, Yaqui Indian, shaman, and teacher of Carlos Castenada; from The Teachings of Don Juan (1968)

The world that you’re seeing isn’t the true world. All of this that I’m seeing right now is just a virtual reality. It’s like you’re born with a headset on playing a video game. That’s your reality. But if you’re the programmer who wrote the code for the game, you know that there’s an entire world outside of it. And as the programmer, you can do miracles.
Donald Hoffman, American cognitive psychologist, author, professor emeritus in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine.
Astrology Monday:
Just the facts, please! 
An American icon from 60s television, hard-boiled detective Joe Friday always insists on “just the facts”.

This week’s no-nonsense forecast:
Saturn and Neptune both retrograde since mid-July…
…and both in Aries for the first time since the 1700s! Saturn and Neptune proceed hesitantly in “forge ahead” Aries; however, when retrograde, these two planets underscore a beneficial change of direction that supports a more truer vision. Use August to reevaluate where you’re going and most importantly, where you want to go. This is an amazing opportunity to get on track.

Ongoing
Mercury Retrograde? Great!
Thru August 11 Mercury is retrograde in Leo. Mercury in Leo wants you to learn how to gauge people and situations accurately — does the potential in your head match with realistic possibility? If, yes, march onward. If not, try plan B.
Uranus in Gemini!
Uranus entered Gemini for four months, giving us a preview of his ways for the next seven years. On November 8, 2025, Uranus exits Gemini and returns to Taurus, then on 26 April, 2026: Uranus re-enters Gemini, beginning the main phase that will last until 2033. Hint: Uranus is is your authentic nature crying to be freed. If you are struggling, it simply means you are not honouring your authenticity. You are living a lie and Uranus wants to put an end to your falsehoods and pretence. Let it show you the way.
Jupiter in Cancer
Jupiter in Cancer is an opportunity to improve your self-image through service, creativity, and abundance when you seek to act upon your highest intentions. Keep your Jupiter pointed high. Jupiter can become distracted and very ordinary if you allow it to serve your passions and your need for comfort and pleasure. Nothing wrong with these as long as they don’t take the lead.

Quick World View
Earthquakes, volcanoes, floods… and the iron fist of karma
As mentioned in previous issues, Saturn represents foundations, including the ground, and this means more geo disturbances. On cue, Saturn, the planet of difficult karma, is showing us his bad side with a recent Russian earthquake and tsunami, Flooding in Texas, Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki volcano erupting, and now more earthquakes in Russia and a volcano erupting that has not done so in 175 years… whew! Unfortunately people have lost their lives and 160 are still missing in the Texas flooding. As mentioned previously, if you live in an area for high risk natural disasters, have a plan and also a “go bag” in case you have to either evacuate or hunker down for a few days. The US government has a nice webpage on what your kit should contain: Build a Kit.

Note: After a short return to Pisces, Saturn is in Aries for 3 years… ouch! 😬

Be prepared. 😉
Questions? Send your questions and feedback here. Questions will be answered in future issues as long as they are relevant to a broad audience. Specific questions require a scheduled reading.
Our house!
In the middle of our…
Our house!
Was our castle and our keep…
Our house!
In the middle of our street…
From Our House, a 1982 hit from the English band Madness, sung at the 2012 Olympics in London

Dear wonderful neighbour and fellow traveller;

On the heels of the transformative Saturn/Neptune dance in Aries, this issue of the newsletter hints at a new direction for me which emphasises Vedic astrology’s inherent focus on revealing the ultimate reality, a primary aspect of which is lifting the veil of the 8th House, the house of the unconscious mind. A long time ago, Vedic astrology became influenced by Greek ideals and Persian intrigue until it became a system of prophesies and prediction.  Thus, it is my experience that in today’s world, one must turn towards the West where Vedic astrology’s spiritual emphasis is more often allowed to shine through. 

Prophesies and predictions are inherently limited because they only address the known universe which is ‘known’ through the five senses. This is why gurus like Sadhguru, Muktananda, Yogananda, and many others caution about using astrology as a tool to predict the future. What are we predicting? It’s like making a prediction in a dream.

This is not to say astrology is not offering valuable information into trends and trajectories — it absolutely does, and this is what I want to emphasise more as it relates to karmic tendencies. Along with the nodes of the Moon, the 8th house holds the key to our subconscious. Opening the door and peering into the darkness, we come face to face with the karmic tendencies that keep us stuck. Knowing your 8th house gives you a leg up on retaking control of your inner state. 

Much like the song Our House, the 8th house in your horoscope is your castle, your keep — the stronghold where your buried past lies protected by your egoic mind. The 8th house is the shadow mind Carl Jung urges us to illuminate. It is the unconscious that will never see the light of knowledge… unless we open the gate, push open the door, and peer inside. This takes self-effort not because we can do anything ourself, but because right effort attracts grace, the force of God that transforms from within.

After receiving initiation from the renowned siddha guru Swami Muktananda in 1981, I eventually became a staff member at the ashram of his successor, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda. Assigned to the kitchen, I immediately experienced the intensity and fire of helping feed 5000 guests on any particular day. One night, I decided to go to sleep holding a copy of the Guru Gita, Song of the Guru, to my chest. The text is a conversation between Shiva and his wife Parvati in which she asks him how to achieve liberation. Shiva answers her by describing the guru principle (grace), the proper ways of worshiping the guru, and the methods and benefits of repeating the Guru Gita. It is primarily a treatise on attracting and holding the grace of the guru, the grace of God. That night, I dreamt of Muktananda holding a large paddle and stirring a huge pot just like I did each day in the ashram kitchen. In the dream, he gazed intensely at me and repeated over and over “Duṣkarma! Duṣkarma!”

Upon awakening, I felt this was no ordinary dream and I wondered what the word duṣkarma meant as it played such an important aspect in the dream. This was waaaay before Google, the internet, even mobile phones. My older brother who shared a dorm room with me had a copy of the Guru Gita which had the original Sanskrit, a transliteration, and a word-by-word English translation. On a whim, I began searching the 182 verses of the Guru Gita for the word duṣkarma in the transliteration beginning with the first verse. Voila! There it was in verse 143:

Sarvesham stambhana-karam
 gunanam ca vivardhanam
Duskarma-nasanam caiva
 sukarma-siddhidam bhavet.

Translation: It (reciting the Guru Gita) grants the power to paralyse all (hostile creatures), it nurtures good qualities, it stops (the fruition of) bad actions, and it also brings about the fruition of good deeds…

It was obvious through the dream, I was being told that my time in the ashram kitchen was an important aspect of removing bad karma, that by helping to feed 5000 people, I was burning up countless impressions from past actions in the fire of the kitchen. Yogis call this Karma Yoga, the path of selfless action, and it was through dharma karma, right action, that I was becoming free… Stir the soup and watch your karma boil away!  😁

Jupiter in Cancer
Have you been enjoying Jupiter in Cancer these past weeks? Jupiter represents the grace of God and to the sages, this grace was most accessible through the guru. Indeed, in Vedic astrology, Jupiter is called Guru and represents the ever present attribute of God that transforms from within.

The 8th sign of the zodiac is Scorpio and reveals the fundamentals of your own 8th house. The 8th house is the storehouse of difficult karma that awaits you from your past actions, the unconscious that you must enter and transcend. Thus, the 8th house represents death, disease, chronic illness, accidents, debt, and those “rocks” that fall unexpectedly from the sky and which, at times, can seem like boulders.

Yet, the 8th house is considered a moksha house in Vedic astrology. Moksha means liberation and enlightenment. Along with the 4th and the 12th, the 8th house leads one to spiritual liberation, transformation, and deeper awakening. Like the 12th, it does this through detachment from ego and material attachments.

More significantly, the 8th house refers to the death of ego, attachments, and illusions, leading to spiritual growth and self-realisation. The 8th house is associated with the process of purification, where an individual is tested through challenges and transformations that ultimately lead to higher wisdom and spiritual awakening.

The 8th house is the rocky road we must all travel in order to be free of karma. Karma, the enlightened ones tell us, is only real for those who believe they are a body and a mind. It is through the 8th house of our horoscope that we come to discover this truth and it is only by passing through the 8th house that we embrace our infinite nature…

More to come… stay tuned.

 🤗

David 🔆
Shadow Mind Special! Want to know the potential and possibility of Uranus, your “personal authenticity meter”? Contact me here.  £45/hr online

Astrology Monday

Weekly Planning Forecast
Suggestion: match the significations of the following dates to what you wish to accomplish. To plan important events further into the future, contact David for a Muhurtha reading which finds the best date(s) for your specific tasks or goals.

Leo Sun…
23 July — 22 August

The Sun in Leo has returned home. It’s not that the Sun does not appreciate its time in other signs, but in Leo it can let loose and not worry about offending someone’s fragile sensitivities. As Thomas Paine, the English-born American Founding Father once said,  “He who dares not offend cannot be honest.”

Nevertheless, Leo, it would be wise to abide by the words of the Siddha master Gurumayi, “Compassion is knowing where the other person is spiritually.” Sometimes the whole truth will only alienate those you wish to help — and who very likely need your help. A smaller slice of the pie may be easier to digest. 😉

Leo relates to the physical body and embodiment, creativity through authenticity, self-worth and our persona. The condition of our Sun reveals whether our persona is authentic or a fabrication.

Sun in Aditya Vivasanan…
Fun Fact: Zodiac comes from the Greek zodiakos (kyklos) which literally means “circle of little animals” and reveals how astrological knowledge was shared between the cultures of Greece and India beginning in the time of Alexander the Great.

Before the arrival of the Greeks, the ‘zodiac’ used in India was a 360 degree circle based upon the Sun’s movement (Adityas). The aditya corresponding to Leo was Vivasanan which relates to Manu, the law giver, and digestion. This underscores the nature of this sign being supportive of law and order and of the assimilation and dissemination of knowledge.

😊
 
Moon Planner
Has the Moon got you hurried and harried?

No worries! The Moon represents the feminine and your capacity to receive and recognise the resources you have available to fulfil your emotional needs.  Too often, we get distracted with what is not ours and miss out on the available opportunity, experiencing disappointment and disillusionment, or worse, we become like my hairy friend, Monsieur Lou Garou. 🤭

Full Moon in Aquarius
Saturday, 9 August: Full Moon in Aquarius (08:54 BST )
Full moons magnify your emotional mind, good or bad. There is science behind this: just as full moons create higher than usual tides on earth, so there is a natural draw of fluids into your brain. Full moons are a great opportunity to access profound emotions through spiritual practice and alone time bringing you deeper insights and intuition.

This Aquarius Full Moon packs a powerful influence from retrograde Pluto. Though by degree the aspect is not so strong, in Vedic astrology, there is still considerable influence when planets share the same sign:
— Moon influence on Pluto: if unchecked, your emotional needs (Moon) can stir up trouble from your karmic pot (Pluto). Instead, use this time to investigate the unfulfilled needs within you that are begging for attention. Some will arise from past trauma and need to be released while others may be your authentic nature seeking expression. Your task is to find out which is which. Pay attention to your inner state and especially any triggers: those people and things that make you want to pull your hair out. Whatever bothers you on the outside is a reflection of who you are on the inside. Yep. It’s true. 🤭
— Pluto influence on the Moon: Pluto indicates real transformation is possible when you allow your yearning to know who you are wash over your emotional needs. With courage, this wash will wash away those needs that are holding you back. I say courage, because you will likely find that what you have been giving your life to is a dead end and will never fulfil your needs. There is something else deep inside you Pluto wants you to discover… 😉
 
Mother’s milk from mother Moon: Gurumayi of the Siddha lineage once shared with us two practical ways to imbibe the full moon energy. The first is to simply go somewhere quiet and gaze at the beauty of the full moon for an extended time paying close attention to the source of the feelings that arise within you. Another is to leave milk in a clear, covered glass overnight in a window sill where it will catch the full moon’s rays. In the morning, consume the milk. Milk easily absorbs positive energy as well as neutralise negative energy, Milk is also used to purify jewellery of negative energies or unhelpful karmas that may be associated with the jewellery maker or previous owners. You can also do this as a jewellery rejuvenator every six months or so to keep your jewellery energetically fresh. It is best to use organic whole milk, raw if possible.
Important dates (2025 — 2026)
JAN 12 2025 thru summer 2026: Rahu enters Pisces
     — Loss of boundaries; excessive empathy; heightened creative expression
MAY 25 — AUG 31: Saturn enters Aries, its sign of debilitation
     — Weakening of foundation; supports taking calculated risks
JUN 9 — JUN 30, 2026: Jupiter exalted in Cancer
     — Oh, boy! We finally get some help from the good guys!
JUN 17 — AUG 6: Mars in Virgo
     — Taking on too many responsibilities; supports fitness programmes; Mars gets confused by so many choices in Virgo. Stay focused on what it is you really want.
JUL 14 — 8 NOV: Uranus in Gemini! (See above)
JUL 14 — 28 NOV: Saturn retrograde; great time to review your long range plans and vision.
SEP 1 — FEB 13 2026: Saturn in Pisces
     — Tendency towards fear-based decisions; loss of boundaries; strong creative ideas
FEB 14 2026— APR 12 2028: Saturn in Aries
     — Weakening of foundation; supports taking calculated risks
Hero’s Journey
The journey of the hero is about the courage to seek the depths; the image of creative rebirth; the eternal cycle of change within us; the uncanny discovery that the seeker is the mystery which the seeker seeks to know. ~ Joseph Campbell, 
True gurus are those who have reached the highest expression of human potential and help us find the way. I most often quote Sadhguru and highlight his practices and events simply because he is arguably the most publicly available guru today. Initially, his mission on Earth was to install the Dhyanalinga, an energy form not seen for over 2000 years, but something wonderful happened after his body recovered from the enormous energy drain of such a profound process: he decided to stick around to touch the lives of as many as possible… 😉

Free and low cost programmes and discounts…
Miracle of Mind! FREE Meditation App!

Recent science shows that even a short amount of time is enough to spark positive neuro-physical changes in your brain. Stick with it, and these quick sessions build up, boosting your mental resilience and overall happiness.

Launched by Sadhguru this past Mahashivratri, Miracle of Mind is a free app to download that empowers you through a daily 7 minute meditation. For more information, follow this link.

 
Consultations

Become an Astro Affiliate! Receive 20% cashback on any referrals.

Visit astrologyofjoy.com/special-offer for more information.

What is the Astrology of Joy? It’s a tool for finding your bliss and living a joyful life. It’s a gentle “push” to get you back on the right track. Based upon the time-honoured system of astrology practiced in India for thousands of years, Astrology of Joy is inspired by David’s four decades living in ashrams, seeking truth, and learning from enlightened beings who taught, “You are more than a body and a mind. You are That!” 

Readings

1. Natal in-depth overview:
£199… 2hr online reading. Includes £29 add on eBook and session audio file.
 
2. Varshaphala (6-month Solar return)
£129… 2hr online reading. Optional: £29 add on eBook. includes session audio file.

3. Specialised Consultations:
£129… 2hr online reading. Optional: £29 add on eBook. Includes session audio file.
  • Relationship/Compatibility
  • Career/Finances
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Spiritual Development
  • In-depth examination of any area of your choosing3.
4. Rahu/Ketu Elemental Reading
£99… 2hr online reading. Optional: £29 add on eBook. Includes session audio file.
 
5. Muhurta Consultation
Auspicious date determination for wedding, pregnancy, business start up, surgery, etc
 £79 for three month analysis. Months do not need to be successive.

6. Astro Chat
£45/hr… Talk about anything you want; you choose. This reading is an open-ended chat with me, the astrologer. Designed for the budget conscious or as a review. Audio file included. It’s a perfectly fine reading, and works best as either a follow-up or a general exploration of current issues.

Financial Hardship? It is my vision to make Vedic astrology available to all those who are willing to take steps towards their wellbeing. If you are eager to use Vedic astrology to make your life into a better reflection of who you really are, but financial resources are a genuine barrier, please contact me about your situation.

For more information, visit astrologyofjoy.com/consultations.


AstrologyOfJoy.com
About David: Personally certified by Dr. David Frawley, author and founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, David has been a professional astrologer for over 30 years. David learned the art and science of Indian astrology while a ten-year resident in the ashram of a realised spiritual master. David guides clients throughout the world on achieving everyday fulfilment in their spiritual and personal goals, relationships, and wellbeing.

David served as editor of Isha Yoga’s European newsletter for two years, was Vice President of the Rosia Montana Cultural Foundation in Romania, and has a Masters in Archaeology (with Distinction), studying the challenges and issues facing contemporary society from the archaeological perspective. He also wrote and published a parent-child picture book with his brother, Steve (illustrator), about the life of Adiyogi, the first yogi. He currently resides in Burntisland, Scotland, where he serves on the board of the Burntisland Harbour Access Trust helping maintain public access to the historically significant harbour.
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