This month’s question comes from India: Is suffering a necessary part of life? Must we suffer in order to learn our lesson and grow?
A well-known astrologer friend once said to me, “Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional.” What he meant is that though life invariably has pain, whether we suffer that pain is up to us. Suffering is always a product of identification with the body or mind. Identify with your unlimited nature, and suffering is no more.
However, the questioner here is alluding to those emotionally painful situations when it was our own actions that lead to suffering. Often we hear from someone, “I needed to go through this in order to learn such and such…” as if given their state of mind at the time, there was not even a snowflake’s chance in the desert they could have chosen a different path. This is just a clever way to avoid responsibility.
Suffering is self-inflicted. In an attempt to escape the primal wound of being separated from God and all its transmutations, we leap unconsciously into the lap of hope and desire only to fall into the abyss of suffering. Blind leaps are made with blind faith, and only darkness and despair shall they find.
As spiritual seekers, we must ask ourself if we are a pack animal that needs to be beat into submission by Life in order to move forward, or are we a human being who can objectively examine the motivations and intentions behind our actions? To say we were simply lost in the moment ensures that such ‘forgetfulness’ will happen again.
Suffering is not necessary in order to learn that which we need to learn. All we need is an awareness of why we are about to do what it is we are about to do. This in itself can save us countless days and nights of untold suffering. In order to have this kind of awareness, we cultivate each day virtues like vigilance, equipoise, and a commitment to dharma, living a life true to our nature.
Living a life true to our nature is the solution to every problem and issue. Our true nature is a direct link to God. It is the ‘divine plan’ emblazoned within us at the moment of creation and when we are aligned with this plan, though pain is still a possibility through the body, suffering is not.
Suffering is a result of deviating from our authenticity. We deviate because of past wounds that masks our true nature and makes us believe fulfilment lies elsewhere in the objects of our fantasies and imagination. Simply familiarising yourself with how these wounds manifest in your life will help tremendously in navigating the waters of desire which become shark-infested with compulsions, obsessions, fears, and all the other modifications of the mind that bring misery.
“The unexamined life is not worth living” is a famous quote attributed to Socrates. I always tell my clients: never regret the choices you made in the past, but closely examine the trials and tribulations that brought you to your knees: you will likely realise how choices better attuned to your true nature would have averted the situations that caused you to suffer. This is good; this is learning from your mistakes. Only a stupid person or one who fails to contemplate their life experiences repeats the same thing while expecting different results… .
Taking Socrates’s cue, if we consider thoughtfully why it is we make choices that lead to suffering, we will discover a multitude of deeply buried pain and hurts that caused us to believe something about ourself that was not true. This caused us to initiate or undertake actions that ultimately proved detrimental to our joy and peace of mind.
The whole premise of astrology is that we can avoid much suffering simply by being aware of the tendencies of the mind. Indeed, I have known many people who averted suffering during particularly vulnerable periods by simply being vigilant to the tendencies which could drag them into challenging dramas and painful circumstances.
If you would like a Vedic astrological consultation that alerts you to the pains and hurts specific to you, visit this link.
In the beginning, before there were human beings, before planets, stars, and even light, God spoke the Word and manifested himself through the Big Bang. So mighty was His word, the fundamental building blocks for all creation, earth, water, fire, air, and space were born in that monumental effulgent eruption of grace. Yet, at that same moment, a primal wound was opened in the energetic field, a wound that reverberated throughout the Universe. For human beings, it is a reminder that the source of creation lies beyond any physical form.
In its essence, the primal wound is one of separation from God and it was born the moment God manifested Himself as physical reality. That moment is reflected in the story of Adam and Eve as told in the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, an allegory for how the primal wound was formed. Eden represents God, the Source of All, the conscious nothingness which contains within it the Tree of Knowledge whose fruit represents the sum of all possibilities. Eating its fruit, God separated Himself from Himself to become the physical reality. Since that moment of separation, when ‘Adam and Eve’ were cast out of Eden, everything in the Universe holds this primal wound. It is reflected in how everything in the Universe is at the mercy of Kala, time. Nothing physical lasts forever, not even the Universe itself…
For human beings who are blessed with self-awareness, this primal wound is not only a reminder there is a dimension beyond form, but a reason to keep searching, to rise above the pain of separation and the suffering it unleashes. In Astrology of Joy, we divide the primal wound into four basic categories: rejection, abandonment, betrayal, and shame (See Table 1). These afflictions create modifications of the mind that influence every aspect of our life until the moment we separate ourself from our past. The purpose of our life, the meaning of this game within which we find ourselves, is to reclaim the Eden within us where there is no past, just our one true nature connected to the Source of All, God.
In astrology, the Source of All is represented by the Sun. The Sun is the brightest, most visible object in the sky; it symbolises God, the Father, the creator, the Source of All. It is only through the Sun that life exists on Earth. In the same way, it is only through the Sun that we are able live a fulfilling life. The Sun in astrology represents our connection to God and manifests as our dharma, our life plan. When we are aligned with our dharma, with the life plan instilled within us by God, the Creator, our life flows naturally, without effort, and we rest in a state of ease that is beyond all understanding.
Yet, the opposite is also true. Deviating from our dharma, we suffer. The more we ‘get off track’, the more we suffer. In this sense, we can use our suffering as a gauge for determining the quality of our relationship to God and the extent to which we have separated ourselves from Him. Enlightenment is simply letting go of the illusion that we are separate and reclaiming our rightful place in the Kingdom of God.
“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Jesus to the Pharisees, Luke 17:20–21 (NKJV)
Why do we deviate from our dharma? The primal wound pushes us to do so. Having forgotten our true home, Eden, we first seek resolution in the world (Virgo) with all its possibilities. When this fails, we attempt to stop the pain through relationships and sex (Libra). For most, this is how their life unfolds and, in the end, they leave this world with regrets only to try again in another life.
For others, however, a realisation dawns, that neither the world nor another person will ease the pain in their heart. This moment is encapsulated in the sign of Scorpio whose symbol, the scorpion, stings one into wakefulness. Though there is still much inner work to be done, such people have at least a spark of awareness which can become a blaze through grace and self-effort.
To gain a better understanding of how the primal wound affects your life, draw your attention to its basic transmutations in Table 1 below: rejection, abandonment, betrayal, and shame. These exist as subconscious impressions within us, reverberations from that first moment when physical reality was born, separated from God. Each of these transmutations are always at play in our life in different combinations, creating modifications in the mind that keep us from making choices beneficial to ourselves and others.
In astrology, these modifications have a past (Ketu, the South node) and a present-future (Rahu, the North node). They have a history made up of countless lifetimes and when one life is not enough to express them, they are carried over into the next life. In this way, every human being carries with them into their life the burden of the primal wound which in turn causes us to attempt to escape its pain. How? Through Rahu, the North node, the shadow planet of desire.
Rahu in Vedic astrology represents the areas of life where we attempt to escape the pain and constriction of the primal wound. Those of you who have had a Vedic astrology reading with me understand how Rahu is a very difficult energy to harness, process, and express in a beautiful way. Without the guidance of a strong connection to one’s inner virtues, Rahu is like attempting to ride a wild horse: untamed it can take you to the edge of a cliff… and into the abyss of suffering. For many, it often does.
Rahu is Maya, illusion. It draws us into actions that lead to suffering through worldly enticements, sensuality, and promises of pleasure. Wherever it is in your chart reveals where it is you battle to keep your wits about you. Rahu shows where people lose their discrimination, boundaries, moral compass, and, sometimes, even their sanity. A person with Rahu in the first house, for example, is preoccupied with their own survival. For one with Rahu in the seventh, they find themselves in an exhausting cycle of relationships, affairs, and sex which serve only to leave them energetically depleted and disillusioned.
Nevertheless, Rahu can be tamed; after all, unmodified by the primal wound, Rahu is the creative impulse of Consciousness. When expressed in accordance to one’s dharma, Rahu is powerful in its capacity to create, whether it be new inventions or a new life. Rahu cannot be tamed through will power; the power of Rahu can only be harnessed by raising one’s level of consciousness.
Still, you can use the table above to help guide you towards actions that will actually benefit you and others. When we are caught in Rahu’s web, our actions are hurried, impulsive, compulsive, obsessive, restless, and even temporarily insane. Like a ten-headed demon, Rahu tramples logic, reason, and objective thinking and we don’t even notice, so inflamed our our passions, our fears, and our desperate attempt to escape the pain of the primal wound.
When you feel restless to make a decision, pause. Reflect on the modifications in Table 1 to see which wound could be making you feel off centre. For example, if your relationship is strained and you sincerely want to improve it, look at the table to see where you might be limiting or holding back progress. Ultimately, one must understand that, although they are not responsible for how another person feels, they are completely responsible for providing what is needed in any given moment. This is what responsibility means, the ABILITY to RESPOND. This takes willingness.
It is really very simple: we feel miserable because we have strayed from our true nature, the authentic plan that God instilled within us so He could experience the delight of being human. The only reason we stray from our authenticity is because one or more of the modifications in Table 1 is rearing its head from our past and insisting that we make this choice or that, but what our hurt urges us to do is completely contrary to what is needed in order to “get back on track”.
Embrace your authenticity one breath at a time. Allow your one true nature, that which you are and always have been, to be your guide in whatever decisions you face. The key to knowing when this happens is to simply look at your state of mind. Let joy be your guide. When we make decisions from our joy, we have invited our divinity in to help guide us. Joy is God and through Joy we will do good works. After all, the Kingdom of God is within you and Joy is its banner.
Your monthly horoscope according to your birth sign (Sun-sign).
March/April 2024
Beginning last month, the Sun in Pisces brings a challenge to avoid falling back into old patterns of self-hate, doubt, and unworthiness as the Sun crosses a transiting Saturn. February and first part of March brought more of this, but as the Sun moves towards Aries, we will find our self-confidence begin to rise…
20 March 2024
Pisces Sun Happy Birthday, Fish! This has been a tough month, Pisces, with Saturn and Neptune pushing you from all directions. Saturn tries to coax you back into old thought patterns while Neptune urges you to offer yourself unconditionally in the name of Love. How well you do this is determined by how far away from the abyss of the past you can remain. I have confidence you will do just fine. 😉
Aries Sun What an opportunity to let go of your small self for something bigger! It’s a good thing because small identity brings small gains; big identity brings big gains. This month, give yourself to your spiritual process and embrace your true resplendent self in all your glory.
Taurus Sun You’ve been helped for the past several months with Jupiter in Taurus. However, that pesky Saturn is holding you back. What say you let go of old patterns and embrace the real purpose of Saturn — to align you wih your authentic self. Do this, and income gains are likely.
Gemini Sun A light is being shined on your work and activity. Is it reflecting back to you what you want to see? It’s very simple, Gemini. Follow your true nature and you find yourself in the zone while at work. Then you’ll wonder, “Am I at work or play?” A nice experience, indeed. 😉
Cancer Sun Communication is important this month. Are you listening? Not to your smallness, but to your unlimited nature. This may take the form of a teacher or father-figure or perhaps your own inner guide. In any case, be alert to what it’s telling you. Good luck and good fortune awaits.
Leo Sun This month, you might be feeling like staying in bed was the better option. That’s only because you don’t see the opportunity. Change is on the horizon and transformation beyond that. Use your intuitive self to peer behind the veil that protects you. That veil is holding you back from what you want. Time to let it go and wear a pair of fashion sunglasses, instead. That’s more your style, Leo!
Virgo Sun The Sun is illuminating relationships for you, Virgo. What do you see? Saturn wants to drag you into the past, but Neptune is telling you to stay focused on Love. Unconditional Love. Keep this in mind and you’ll move mountains.
Libra Sun Your health gets a boost when you remember that you can heal others, too. It works both ways. It always has. Look outside your usual relationships; there’s a lot of possibilities in your community. No need to make this a career; there is as much tenderness in a blade of grass as there is in a whole bouquet.
Scorpio Sun Love, romance, children… so much to do! Be careful — some of these possibilities have thorns. Remember who you are and jump through the door that has your name on it in gold letters. Only the best go through that door. Now’s your chance, Scorpio!
Sagittarius Sun Home, family, contentment… aspects of life that are so important to you… they all arise naturally when you exchange desperation and fantasy for doing what’s right. And guess what, Sagittarius? Doing what is right is your nature. Make it easy on yourself. Sweep away your fear and self-doubt and open your heart: there is nothing there but the light of your own greatness.
Capricorn Sun Desire is a double edged sword: it can turn dreams into reality or destroy the dreams of many. Be clear of your intentions, Capricorn, before you act. Though the path to hell may be paved with good intentions, intentions that benefit everyone lead straight to God.
Aquarius Sun Relationships are strong when communication is strong and this month is your chance to strengthen your relationships. Be warned, however. Fall back into the past and you are no longer communicating, but airing your pain. Let Neptune’s energy of unconditional Love help you navigate any emotion laden waters you may come across in your conversations.
As much as some of you resist a teacher, others often ask me to recommend a teacher, a spiritual master who can take you across to the other side, across the vast ocean of illusion from which all problems arise. The illusion is that you are small and separate from God. From my own experience in the company of such beings, I can assure you are not who you think you are. In the company of an authentic teacher, you will see this as easily as you see a flower or a sunset. Still, it’s your choice whether to seek and follow their teachings…
As you know from the Astrology of Joy, you came into this life with countless impressions from countless lives, which are themselves a mere drop in the karmic bucket. In our sessions together, we have discussed your past life burden and steps to free yourself from its grasp. Yet, according to enlightened spiritual masters, we have as much karma as every grain of sand on every beach in the world. How can we possibly hope to teach ourself to rise above this mass of memory and live as free men and women?
It’s true that you can do things on your own that will bring you peace of mind and pleasant life experiences and if this is all you want, what’s the problem? I commend your efforts.
As it is, I can only offer you my own experience being in the company of enlightened spiritual masters. Finding one’s teacher is a blessed event and a personal one: your teacher appears when the yearning of your heart reaches a certain peak. This teacher will be one who has “been there done that” and will themselves guide inward.
Beginning next month, I will share with you some of my own stories of being on the spiritual path for several decades and of being in their company. It’s my wish that my stories will inspire you to find your own teacher. This coming period may be bumpy, but it is also an opportunity of a lifetime.
Your monthly horoscope according to your birth sign (Sun-sign).
This month, the Sun and Pluto share Aquarius, the zodiacal sign associated with following the will of our higher Self. Sun/Pluto is a razor’s edge and if we are to find success this month, it will come through our willingness and courage to sacrifice our pride on the alter of humility. Saying, “I don’t know” is a strength not a weakness…
Aquarius Sun Happy birthday, Aquarius! Although the beginning of this month can leave you feeling a bit discombobulated and unsettled because of the Sun and Pluto occupying the first degrees of Aquarius, spending alone time can help you understand the deeper opportunity. Pluto is an agent of transformation and this only happens through change. What (or who) are you identifying with, Aquarius, that is holding you back?
Pisces Sun Giving without expectation is a powerful spiritual practice and you have a penchant for serving others and empathising with their troubles… but are you taking on too much? This month, remember to maintain your own sense of self even as you serve selflessly. Honouring Self begins with honouring self. 😉
Aries Sun Material gain and income is possible when you combine your creative vision with working with others. Even if you don’t add to your bank account, you will take a huge step towards acting upon the all-knowing voice in your head that says, “Follow me!”:
Taurus Sun Do you sometimes wonder how to balance work and home? It’s hard to be in two places at once, but this difficulty starts in the mind. This month, if you throw yourself into your work and activity with abandon, a door will open in your understanding and you will ask yourself what all the fuss was about.
Gemini Sun Fulfilling desires gets a boost this month, but only if you recognise the double edged sword that is brandished by your shadow self. No worries! After all, it is your own self that will tell you quite plainly that one road takes you to difficulty while the other takes you to the promised land. Hint: unconventional spirituality is a dear friend.
Cancer Sun What was that you said? Communication opening doors you don’t want opened? I have faith in you, Cancer. That door is an opportunity to bring realisation and resolution. Walk through and destiny smiles… the reward makes it all worthwhile.
Leo Sun Losing ourself in relationship is never a good idea unless it is in a relationship with our higher Self. Discover the difference this month, Leo, and not only will you find your relationships blossoming but you will be the Sun that brings out the very best in everyone.
Virgo Sun We already know your capacity for tending to life’s details: second to none! Still, this month reveals how easy it is for you to become overworked and over stressed. Learning to delegate is a talent too often learned from the hospital bed. Use your power of communication to let go what is not yours to do.
Libra Sun Think outside the box and this month can bring you improved relationship with children, more romance, and a creative vision that can open doors to income. Mind what I say, Libra; outside of the box means lifting the rug in your own mind and discovering what you swept under there a long, long time ago. Don’t be afraid; it’s something good.
Scorpio Sun If you have ever had thoughts to have a home business, now’s the time to get a clearer vision. When you hit it, it won’t follow convention, but you’ll know it because it will stimulate your thirst for adventure. And guess what? Along the way, you have the chance to know what it is that makes your heart sing.
Sagittarius Sun The Lord of Good Luck is offering you a chance to throw out all those pesky little desires that only serve to distract you from what you really want. Suggestion: go on a short journey and watch how clear-headed you become. Nature is your friend and others can be a support, but only in measured doses. Room to reflect is wonderful.
Capricorn Sun A restless energy is detected in you, Capricorn. What shall we do with it? It seems the Sun is shining through a window of open communication revealing an opportunity to lay a road to more wealth and prosperity. There’s also a path to resolving issues that arose during childhood. Remember, however, communication is a two way street.
