Astrology of Joy

Category: astrology

  • The Significance of the Winter Solstice

    The Significance of the Winter Solstice

    In ancient cultures across the world, the winter solstice was a time of great significance. Marking the “longest night” of the year, the winter solstice heralds the beginning of the Sun’s northward journey in Capricorn. Yogi, mystic, and New York Times best-selling author Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev explains its importance:

    People who have been spiritually aware have always identified this transition as a possibility for human consciousness to blossom. Particularly, the first half of (this northward journey) until the equinox in March is a period where the maximum amount of grace is available. The human system is more receptive to grace at (this) time than any other. History clearly indicates that the maximum number of people have attained (enlightenment) in this phase of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere.

    During the southern run (June thru December), what is below the anahata (heart chakra) can be purified very easily. During the northern run (December thru June), what is above the anahata can be worked much more easily. That is why in terms of sadhana, (the southern run) is for purification. (The northern run) is for enlightenment. This is the period of receptivity, of grace and enlightenment, of attainment of the ultimate. This is the time to harvest… human potential.

    The human body, if brought to a certain level of intensity and sensitivity, is a cosmos by itself. Everything that happens in the external sphere, in a subtle way, manifests in the body. It is happening to everyone, it is just that most people do not notice this. But a more organised and purposeful rearrangement of the human mechanism could be done if one becomes conscious of the external movement and aligns that with the movement that is happening within the human system. If you want this body of flesh and bone to imbibe the nature of the cosmic body, understanding and being in tune with this movement… is very essential.

  • World News and You: December 2023

    World News and You: December 2023

    Considering today’s issues through the lens of an archaeologist/astrologer

    First Look: Saturn, Solar Flares, and Us

    Beginning in 2025, astrological indications and astronomical events will converge signalling an increased likelihood of difficulty for both individuals and the global community. These indications relate to 1) Saturn moving into an inimical sign, Aries, an event that happens every 28 years, and 2) increased sunspot activity affecting the emotional sensitivity of human beings.

    Underscoring the sense of urgency, bestselling author Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has recently spoken of this time as one of great possibility or great challenge. In an article last year, Sadhguru observed how, according to NASA, we have entered into a cycle of heightened sunspot activity which can profoundly affect the psychological and physical processes of a human being. This is because increased sunspot activity increases electromagnetic radiation which in turn affects the earth’s magnetic field — and, thus, anything on earth that is “electrical” including the human brain. With millions of neurones firing throughout the brain at any given moment, any disruption in the brain’s electrical field could cause a disruption in how the brain functions and, conceivably, in how the mind perceives the world.

    Sadhguru writes:

    Probably by mid-2025, this solar activity will rise to its peak. At that time, will we bring realisation to the world, or will we bring disasters? Will nations start shooting at each other? I would like to see something very positive and wonderful happening. But I am just one man… Someone said I have an “army.” An army takes commands. I do not want a “yes, sir” from you. I want you to come to your senses because the next few years are going to be a charged-up time on this planet.

    Sunspots

    Sunspot activity has long been linked to significant world events. The increased solar energy creates a disturbance in both the human brain and the heart’s electrical activity which has underscored some of history’s most ill-conceived plans and decisions. Until last year, scientists were predicting that the current 11-year sunspot cycle which began in 2020 ( pandemic) would follow the preceding cycle and be weak in terms of sunspot activity. However, this past summer, a team of scientists from the United States NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency) published their findings using a multitude of techniques and have predicted that this cycle will be perhaps one of the most active cycles since records were first kept in 1755. Recently, scientists have suggested the peak may come sooner, as early as the summer of 2024.

    Saturn in Aries
    In astrology, a convergence of indicators pointing in the same direction indicate an increased chance of a particular event happening. The more indicators present, the more likelihood that event will come to pass and the more significant its consequences.

    Beginning in 2025, Saturn, one of the the slowest moving planets, will enter its sign of debilitation, Aries, and stay there for about 2.5 years though it retreats back into Pisces for about six months during the fall and winter of 2025/2026. Instead of showcasing its strength as an indicator of stability and dispassion, objectivity and equipoise, Saturn in Aries indicates the breakdown of traditions and social norms, fear and oppression. As individuals, we can become emotionally unstable, selfish, fearful, cold-blooded, and lacking the capacity to be objective and methodical. We can become more easily overwhelmed, disorganised, and unable to “go the distance”. This becomes more pronounced for those of you who have Saturn not-well placed in your astrology charts. Still, your experience is in your hands.

    Though I always express to my clients that life is of our making, this is so only to the extent we are embracing our authenticity. The past has shaped your personality and it is your personality that shapes your future through your choices. To know the future, the astrologer simply reads your past. There is no need to be a psychic; for most of us, it is easily apparent in the birth chart, but for one who has risen above the confines of their past, the birth chart becomes a canvas upon which can be painted the highest of possibilities. This should be our focus and is always the goal of the astrology reading I give you.

    But what about the world as a whole? Is everyone pursuing a path to reclaim their authenticity? According to the sages, conscious pursuit of one’s true nature is very rare. When Saturn is debilitated, it indicates an incapacity or inability to stay grounded and dispassionate. Debilitated, it indicates an overt focus on the survival instinct, the “what’s in it for me” attitude that wreaks havoc upon the world.

    Next month

    In January’s issue, we shall take this topic up again and look at ways we can counter the challenge and bring our life to an even keel during this period. In the meantime, contemplate the nature of this world and your part in it. Too often we run full steam ahead towards the illusory objects of this world believing fulfilment is found in relationships, wealth, power, and status. In truth, it is only our connection to our true nature that settles the mind and brings fulfilment. In a state of incomparable bliss, the world becomes a playground, a garden to enjoy.

    Aries represents the entirety of what is both conceivable and inconceivable. It is where the untainted masculine and feminine unite in a play of consciousness giving birth to the cosmos. Aries is the vision; Saturn is the methodology. Therein lies the answer: during this period, do not allow your survival nature to take the lead. Saturn, a planet of prudence and caution, becomes fearful in the expansive nature of Aries. Keep focused on the good you can do for the world (vision) and allow Saturn, i.e., your capacity to be organised and objective, to help make it happen.

    See you next month.

  • What confines you doesn’t define you

    What confines you doesn’t define you

    Though we enjoy technological achievements vastly beyond what previous generations could ever have imagined, our increasing reliance on intoxicants to make it through each day is unprecedented. As a society, we are turning to anti-depressants, alcohol, and illicit drugs in a fruitless attempt to hide our pain and ease our fears. Yet, even those who stay sober mistake their pettiness for something meaningful and spend so much of their life energy propping up an illusion. We cling to race, religion, nationality, even political affiliations, titles, and surnames. No matter the consequences, we will use anything as a lifeline to keep us afloat… until it doesn’t. When the storm hits and the waves of circumstance tower over us, our pride abandons us and we are left feeling alone and afraid. What’s the answer?

    Considering the zodiac as a representation of our journey from embodied being to liberated soul, the constellation of Leo is that point in our journey when we assume a physical body in order to find meaning. For most, this means seeking the answer in the material world (through Virgo). Yet, even though our physicality is projected outwards, it is how we see ourselves that unlocks the door to meaningful experience. Thus, Leo is the state of our self-confidence and our self-worth; in short, Leo is our self-image and Virgo is where we express it.

    Uma’s Garden is a wonderfully, uplifting site featuring aphorisms and artwork as well as inspiring quotes from icons of spiritual thought. One of the illustrations I found especially relevant this month is that of a butterfly and chrysalis with the proclamation “What confines us doesn’t define us”. From one perspective, this illustration urges us to look past our limitations and trust in the process of transformation — a natural part of every human life. This is an important attitude to take for too often we sabotage our experience of joy simply through over-analysis and self-judgment. 

    The chrysalis also symbolises how the process of transformation happens within us just as we are. Though we are a bundle of physical and emotional traits gathered from our past, those traits do not define who we are. Like the caterpillar in the chrysalis, no matter what is on the outside, the inner change from individual to exalted soul is happening within the context of who we are, just as we are — right here, right now. Though it happens whether we realise it or not, even whether we want it or not, becoming aware of the process has the power to turn a fragile spark into a roaring blaze. 🤗

  • Are you holding on to the past or the possibility?

    Are you holding on to the past or the possibility?

    The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our only choice now.

    — Eckhart Tolle

    Synopsis:

    When the storm comes…

    Illustration credit: @ Umasgarden.com

    That the current positions of the stars and planets reflect the present state of affairs of life on earth is of little value in and of itself without the context of the past. Where we were shapes where we are and where we are determines our future. In this sense, understanding the past is ultimately about creating a better future, a future that is unfolding now, in the present, through our choices.

    In Elemental Astrology, the task at hand is to gain awareness into the subconscious patterns that shape our future so we can make better choices in the present. Though most of our past exists as impressions imprinted upon our subconscious, these ‘memories’ still contain the emotion of the experience and that impetus creates everything we consider ourselves to be including our personality. That you tend to be gregarious but a poor listener arises from your past just as the fact you like to eat herring with your oats and love to salsa but not waltz. In the words of the spiritual masters, who we think we are is simply an accumulation of our past. Thus, a snapshot of the sky at any given moment only becomes relevant when considered relative to the past. In this way, it becomes a predictor of the future, your future.

    The question is whether we allow our future to be shaped by these subconscious thought patterns born from the pain and pleasure of past experience or through conscious intent born from an unencumbered awareness. No one wants to make choices based upon what happened in their childhood, let alone what they experienced three lifetimes ago… or a hundred. Yet, this is how we live. Being authentic is simply living without the influence of the past. This is not about embracing amnesia as a practice; rather, it is letting go of our subconscious attachment to the past. We take ourselves, and our life, much too seriously. Memory is a useful tool and a needed component of physical life, but when it becomes your guide, life falls apart. 

    The past only influences us because we cling to it thinking it is necessary for our survival. Once we let go, however, we are free to act according to what is natural, what is needed, and what is for the benefit of all, including ourselves. In Elemental Astrology, the past is illumined in order that you might see the folly of living your life according to your pain body. Avoiding aspects of life because your subconscious “remembers” a hurt is immature. Infatuated with your own opinion, you shut down dialogue and ‘cancel’ others because they hold a different opinion. Is this how we should live?

    As significant as this is on an individual level, it is on the collective level where we come face to face with the insanity to which Elkhart Tolle refers. When our course of action is determined by a pain-pleasure body rooted in the past, it is not difficult to see why the world is in such turmoil. As a collective, we embrace our limited identity as if it is a matter of survival. Indeed, to the egoic mind, it is a matter of survival. Afraid, alone, and feeling separate from God, we cling to our pettiness like a drowning man clings to a piece of driftwood. We have become separated from our incomprehensible magnificence, our true glory, and this makes us prone to mistaking the delusions of others for truth.

    Thus, as a society, we move closer to annihilation, one unbelievable policy decision at a time — confident in our choices, but lacking the clarity to understand the far-reaching effects.

    Common sense is rooted in the capacity to comprehend the consequences of our choices. It astounds me to read of recent studies that find how the current crop of young people, those who have recently acquired the right to vote, are unconcerned with restrictions on free speech. Indeed, on a recent episode of Dr. Phil, an American talk show, the creator of Instagram and other Generation Z members of the audience, those born between the mid 90s and the mid 2010s, expressed how it is good policy to restrict the opinions of others if those opinions are found to be offensive. The unspoken question, however, is who will determine what is offensive? Controlling speech is the very first step toward controlling the narrative and the bedrock upon which every dictator and totalitarian has built their empire. Why, one wonders, are young people so separated from understanding the importance of free speech in a democracy?

    It begins with us — in our homes, at work, on the beach and at the corner market. When we arise each morning, do we feel the lightness of being or are we burdened before the day even begins? The spiritual process is nothing but embracing our greatness, our authentic power, beyond the survival instinct, beyond a past that has no reality but what we give it. Who we are is beyond measure and even a moment’s taste of our magnificence can transform our lives in an instant. I urge you to seek the truth, not “your truth”, but the one great truth you are.

    .

  • Yogi’s Corner: Accountability

    Yogi’s Corner: Accountability

    Real life stories from David’s spiritual diary…

    One of the great ironies of human behaviour is how we quickly judge others with very little consideration of our own affairs. What we rail against most loudly is often what we have percolating on high within ourself. It’s as if we subconsciously believe we will stamp out our own shortcomings by condemning others. In this day of social media anonymity and the passing of the buck, the lack of accountability has become the standard way of doing business. From YouTube trolls to Twitter Tweeters, we hide behind aliases, fake names, and faceless commentary.

    I am reminded of a manager at the ashram I lived in upstate New York who had fallen asleep on the late night shuttle ride from JFK airport in New York City. Two and a half hours later, he woke up at the ashram and groggily asked the driver if this was the shuttle, meaning the shuttle to the dorms. The relief driver, thinking he meant to JFK airport, said ‘yes’ whereupon the manager quickly fell back to sleep. Two and half hours later, he wakes up back at JFK. When told there was no need to pay for the return trip back to the ashram since it was an honest mistake, the manager would not hear of it. “If I don’t pay for my mistakes,” he told the driver, “who will?”

     🤗