Astrology of Joy

Author: David

  • Alert! Rahu/Mars Conjunction

    Alert! Rahu/Mars Conjunction

    Rahu and Mars is a combination that should raise a yellow flag of caution. Through August 21, Rahu, the North node of the moon, and Mars will be together in Taurus. This combination indicates a general tendency to be lead astray either through distraction (Rahu) or through compulsion (Mars). Don’t think the latter is simply a matter of knowing right from wrong. We tend to rationalise our actions in order to satisfy a compulsion or craving. It’s self-aggrandisement hiding in plain sight. This happens because we falsify our real intentions, convincing ourselves that what we seek is for the good of all.

    Writing this newsletter, being inspired by the recent joyful Sufi experiences of one of you, I decided to offer some poetry by Rumi and Hafez, two giants of Sufism who lived in the 13th and 14th centuries, respectively. After a bit of web searching, I came across a wonderful poem by Hafez — only it wasn’t his. Fortunately for both you and me, I also came across an article from a Muslim scholar who said that 99.9% of the poems attributed to Hafez are not his poems. Most of what you find on the internet is the original poetry of either David Ladinsky or Coleman Barks whose many best-selling books were marketed as “translations” of Hafez’s and Rumi’s poetry though neither one knows Persian. For each, this was just a small detail. Ladinsky has professed that his books received their impetus from a dream he had in the 90s where Hafez “came to him” and told him to write in his name. 🤔 Coleman Barks deliberately changed Rumi’s poetry from expressions of love and devotion to God and his guru to a mundane encounter with a lover. Saying the Koran is hard to read, he also removed references to Islam from Rumi’s works.

    When I discovered this, I was dumbfounded. As a society, how is it that we allow such things? Misinformation, falsification, and intentional deceit by corporations, political leaders, school councils, and the person on the street has become as commonplace as eating with a knife and fork. As a society, ‘if it feels good, do it” or, if it leads to self-gain, it must be good.

    With Rahu and Mars together this month, it’s a good idea to hit the pause button. 😉

  • Your Sun-sign Forecast June/July 2022

    Your Sun-sign Forecast June/July 2022

    (June 21 through July 20, 2022)

    Cancer
    You already know you are an emotional and sensitive being. The challenge comes in channeling high-energy emotions like anger, impatience, and jealousy into life-promoting activities. Fortunately, you get a strong boost this month to do just that as your Jupiter and Mars are influencing your work and income. Been feeling a bit under-appreciated in these departments? Now’s the time to take your stand.

    Leo
    O my! The lioness within you seems a bit sheepish this month… or is it that she really is a lamb inside? Like the reference to Christ in Revelations:5-6, you are both the conquering spirit and the sacrificial lamb this month. No worries! It is only your smallness that is being sacrificed. Only by seeing the world with soft eyes do we discover our true greatness.

    Virgo
    Income and finances seem to be on your mind. This month, find others who share your dreams and take that next step. In the meantime, offer your time to a community project and watch the wonderful response you get not only from others, but from yourself. Watch out! It may become habit forming. 🙂

    Libra
    Libra is the sign associated with the stage of life where we seek out relationships only to discover that “finding the one” is not enough. This month, direct the energy of relationship toward your workplace. There’s a chance for you to ‘make your mark’ and both you and your colleagues will be better off because of it. Right action brings right results.

    Scorpio
    Teacher, teacher, I do declare; I see someone’s… remember this childhood rhyme? Scorpios like you have a natural ability to see things others cannot. However, even the master was once a student. This month, look for a teacher to help you attain what you have been yearning for. You may have to travel to find it.

    Sagittarius
    Ah! The sweetness of emotion… it brings so much! This month, open your heart to the sweetness of emotion and comb the depths of the mystical. Sagittarius is symbolised by the centaur: half human and half horse. Throw yourself into nature not as a distraction, but as a stepping stone across the stream of attachments that keep you limited. What you’ll find is what you are: Love.

    Capricorn
    There is a bell ringing in the belfry, but not the one in your neighbourhood house of worship. It’s the one within you and it’s calling you to attend the Church of your Higher Reason. This month, there is a chance of handing over your willpower to others; the more intimate the relationship, the more challenging to overcome. However, Capricorn, I trust your ability to stand your ground through your in-born ability to see through the charade.

    Aquarius
    This month, there is an uptick of possibility that you may be asked to help someone in need. This is fortunate for the other person because you are a natural healer. Just remember, healing is not always concerned with the body; a wayward mind often needs a shoulder to cry on, and a troubled heart a soothing word. You are up to the task to offer both.

    Pisces
    Romance is in the air! Or is it your artistic talents? Perhaps it’s even your inner child attracting children to you like the Pied Piper. In fact, it is all of these. This month, take advantage of your openness to explore the beauty of emotion. Smile at the neighbour! Hug a tree! Sing a song! I guarantee the birds will sing back. 

    Aries
    Aries, you have always been known for your sharp intellect and your courage, but this month, you are being asked to explore something a bit more challenging: your gentle side. Regarding the world through “soft eyes”, you will discover a hidden strength: emotion. Love, gratitude, and compassion holds the key you have been seeking.

    Taurus
    Expressing emotion has always been a mixed bag; on the one hand, the strength of your expression is second to none, on the other, it stays in a box. This month, you have the opportunity to take the bull by the horns and discover how emotion is tied to your capacity to fulfil your desires. What you’ll discover along the way is that the quality of your emotion matches the quality of what you choose to experience and guess what? This is the secret to a joyful life.

    Gemini
    Have you noticed something interesting about your life? Your capacity to fulfil desire is related to your capacity to communicate those desires not only to others, but to yourself. Make this a joyful process and you will have found the key to manifestation. It’s not the fulfilment of desire that makes you joyful, though, it’s the discovery of the power TO fulfil desire — and that makes you feel good, really good.

  • Your Sun-sign Forecast MAY/JUNE 2022

    Your Sun-sign Forecast MAY/JUNE 2022

    (May 21 through June 20, 2022)

    Gemini
    Okay, Geminis! It’s your month to shine. Look for ways to increase your income, especially through creativity, art, and beauty. This will help pay for that extra urge to spend money this month. Give some time reflecting on how you can serve the world just the way you are. If you need help giving this a shape, look toward authentic teachers and mentors for advice. Most important, add fuel to your fire by looking inward for answers.

    Cancer
    Change happens, Cancer folks, but just as a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, what you’re going through is made sweeter when you focus on work and your life plan. You are much, much more than who you think. This is a great month to become familiar with your God-given talents, and you have a bunch to offer. If you need help, look toward your community — volunteering for the charity of your choice without reward is a great way to discover your hidden talents.

    Leo
    Your roar may be keeping relationships a bit rough around the edges this month; better to spend your time hanging out with mystics, yogis, and borderline societal outcasts who nevertheless have your back. Work offers a chance for gain and promotion if you can do what you’ve been afraid to do. And that gloomy feeling that seems to be hanging around? Ever read The Cloud of Unknowing written by an anonymous 14th-century Christian monk? Not for the faint of heart. No worries: you have the heart of a lion.

    Virgo
    Take a break from personal ambition. Now’s not the time, I know; work seems so important. Embrace the passion you have for helping others then watch the waters of abundance wash over you like a healing salve. Be cautious about listening to false prophets —  but remember, false prophets can only exist because of true prophets. Can you find the good apple amongst the bad? Do so and the door to what is possible becomes the door to personal experience — yours!

    Libra
    Feeling a bit tongue-tied this month? Embrace the uptick in loving relationships by becoming attentive to how you can be the jewel in someone’s life. Doing so, not only do you become a gift to the world, but your home and family life experience a boost from your increased ability to solve issues in creative ways. That sudden interest in secretive things and what lies in the shadows? It’s not a problem as long as you have a good purpose. Keep it light with a topping of humility. A guide you can trust can help.

    Scorpio
    Hard to get out of bed with a smile on your face? Stop dreaming about how relationships can be and make of them what you wish. Use that eloquent tongue of yours to communicate effectively. Come to think of it, you have an especially eloquent way to serve others this month. And guess what? It starts with knowing what makes you truly content in your life and to do this, you need to break down some of those emotional inhibitions. If you’re happy and you know it, why not show it?

    Sagittarius
    O my! Looks like you can get what you want this month, but only if you figure out how to express it. The universe is listening. Need help? Stop putting your creativity on the back burner. Don’t you realise it’s the secret to your happiness? We all know you want to help people, but charity begins at home. Why not put some money there? That’s right: I am giving you permission to spend money on yourself. In fact, I insist. 

    Capricorn
    The power of your speech reminds me of working in the garden in the spring: not many fancy things to show, but the soil is mighty fertile. Why, I reckon you can grow just about anything in those words of yours. Good thing, too; there are opportunities to grow plenty this month. I should remind you, too, that the secret to getting what you want lies in the mysterious depths of who you really are. There is a wise ol’ owl within you urging you to discover your authentic self: Who? Who? You! You!

    Aquarius
    Love affairs do not make you a whole person; experiencing your creative side, does. Why not channel your increased emotional sensitivity into your creative side? Think out of the box: building wealth and income can become a creative pursuit or an obstacle. This month, become intimately acquainted with what you want, then notice how learning to communicate your wish is related. Better still is to look toward your community and discover a way to fit in that is true to you. 

    Pisces
    You have always been willing to empathise with others; this month continues that willingness and offers a chance for you to discover that you are the source of amazing emotions, feelings, and experiences. Eloquence through communication helps you get along with colleagues and powers your sense of accomplishment. The fly in the ointment is an expanded yearning to fulfil deep-rooted desires. Raise the caution flag: not all desires will take you where you want to go. Bring into work and home more of the world that reflects who you really are. And who are you really? Follow the inner whispers you hear in the quiet of the night.

    Aries
    There is a Michelangelo awaking within you. Think not of Sistine Chapels but of a wish-fulfilling tree that sprouts from your creative mind. Warning; you may get what you wish for, so wish wisely. This may seem a bit esoteric and otherworldly, but I have faith in you. This month, you get a fine boost of otherworldly energy, and it will go well with that renewed capacity to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

    Taurus
    Yes, words are important; so is your ability to offer others words vital to their wellbeing. However, words are not at the centre of what makes you happy; it only seems this way. Central to YOUR wellbeing is knowing what makes YOU joyful and alive — and acting upon that discovery. Spend time in the garden; don’t worry about getting muddy — that’s the point!
  • Yogi’s Corner: Science Backs Meditation

    Yogi’s Corner: Science Backs Meditation

    Do you know that scientists from the University of Indiana and Rutgers University recently discovered that regular meditation can improve short-term and sustained mental health, improve the blood lipid profile, and reduce systemic inflammation (peer-reviewed study)? This follows a 2012 study from Stanley Medical College in India that found an improvement of cardiovascular health in regular meditation practitioners. To read a more user friendly breakdown of these studies and others, visit the Isha Yoga science page.

    Though these studies were based upon Isha Yoga meditation practices, whatever path you follow, the important thing is to follow it consistently.

  • Earth Day April 22, 2022

    Earth Day April 22, 2022

    Never in the history of human life has humanity been at such a significant crossroad. With so many challenges facing us, we are tempted to throw up our hands in consternation and say, “What else could possibly go wrong?” In such a predicament, we don’t often know where to put our limited time and resources and so we look for distractions to help take our mind off the world’s problems. However, there is a new global campaign that seeks to resolve what many scientists consider is our most pressing concern, asking for nothing save our willingness to tell others.

    Taurus is an earth sign and the campaign to save our soil makes this coming Earth Day especially relevant. With the sun in Taurus, now is the perfect time to raise awareness that will end soil degradation and desertification by becoming an “earth buddy”. Doing so has the potential to cause a cosmic shift in how governments approach the health of our planet and literally save humanity from running out of arable land, a possibility the United Nations has set at only 60 years in the future. This would have an absolutely devastating impact on geopolitics causing countries to go to war with each other simply to feed their hungry masses.

    There is a solution and it’s not rocket science. This has been known since at least the 1930s. First, though, we all need to speak up.

    Click the image below to learn more.