Archive for month: October, 2016

Finding Balance in An Unbalanced Alignment

If you’re feeling slightly off-kilter these days, you may be experiencing the effects of the cosmic phenomena known as Kala Sarpa Yoga.

In astrological terms, a Yoga refers to the impact a particular union or alignment of planets has on our lives. In the case of the Kala Sarpa Yoga, the seven personal planets—Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn—are bunched together on one side of the nodal axis formed by the shadow planets Rahu and Ketu. It is a very lopsided planetary configuration, like each person in a full-grown, seven-member family being crammed together on one side of a picnic table. In accordance with Vedic astrology, the impersonal planets—Uranus, Neptune and Pluto—aren’t considered in the configuration. Now these days the seven planets are temporarily located on only one side of the chart, sandwiched between Rahu in Leo and Ketu in Aquarius.

Some astrologers claim the Kala Sarpa Yoga is the unluckiest planetary configuration in astrology, but that is simply not the case. Vedic astrology teaches that we create our own luck and destiny through our thoughts and actions, and that properly using the information in our natal charts simply allows us to avoid mistakes and make the most of our talents and opportunities.

Nadia Comaneci, the famous Olympic gymnast, has all seven planets between the nodal axis of Rahu in Leo / Ketu in Aquarius.

Having said that, it is true that Kala Sarpa can be an extremely intense period and present us with some major challenges, especially if it is present in our birth charts. However, it can also bring incredible opportunity and give us the drive to reach unimaginable success—in fact, many billionaires, famous artists, actors, writers and world leaders were born under a Kala Sarpa alignment. This includes Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela who, despite facing many hurdles and enduring great struggle, overcame their challenges to achieve greatness—and during this transit we should strive to do the same.

The difficulties associated with Kala Sarpa stem from its lopsided nature. There are twelve houses in a chart and having all of the planets on one side of the chart focuses a kind of hyper cosmic energy on those houses involved. While the intense energy radiating from these occupied houses can drive us with a powerful force of forward momentum compelling us to achieve great things, the remaining houses are sitting empty and unattended. This dichotomy can upset our equilibrium—a fixated, single-minded pursuit to accomplish great deeds can isolate us from others, leaving us feeling alone and alienated.

So it is important that during this hurly-burly transit, we not become too self-absorbed and fail to tend to the needs of our unoccupied houses, neglect the pleasures and company of family and friends, or forget to work on developing our spiritual awareness. It is believed that an unseen karmic energy is unleashed during Kala Sarpa; it is up to us not to be blindly swept away by it, but to channel that energy in the most positive direction possible, a direction that will benefit both ourselves and the people in our lives. Once again, we gain the most by seeking balance in all things—by looking inward as well as outward.

As astrologer Dr. David Frawley writes: “Kala Sarpa Yoga causes significant and unexpected disruptions in the outer world and in our inner world, causing problems with communication. The Kala Sarpa Yoga reflects being caught up in karmic forces, compelling us to take a deeper view of the larger picture.”

This Kala Sarpa transit will be with us until early in the New Year, but during this time we will be given several breaks to reflect upon what we are going through. That is because it takes most of the personal planets several weeks or months to travel from one astrological sign to the next, but the Moon enters a new sign every 2 ½ days. Therefore, the Moon will move through half the chart in just two weeks and then break free of the Kala Sarpa configuration before returning to it two weeks later. This cycle will repeat itself until January 18^th, 2017 when, one by one, the other planets will begin transiting away from this Yoga and the shadow of Rahu and Ketu.

These are the remaining dates of the 2016 Kala Sarpa Yoga:

• October 25 to November 9
• November 22 to December 6
• December 18 to January 2, 2017
• January 18, 2017: Mars breaks the Kala Sarpa Yoga when it enters Pisces and moves away from the nodal axis of Ketu in Aquarius / Rahu in Leo.

If you would like help making the most of this Kala Sarpa Yoga, or want to understand the role it plays in your natal chart, give us a call at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We’re here to help.

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Venus and Saturn are the universal odd couple, like a vivacious young party girl having an impetuous fling with a sombre, elderly statesman.

In mid-October passionate Venus moved into the sign of Scorpio where it will join no-nonsense Saturn for a three-day conjunction between October 28th and 31st.

These two giants of the solar system make strange bedfellows. Venus is the dazzling planet of love, beauty, passion, desire, pleasure, compassion and general joie de vivre—its sunny, gregarious nature thrives on throwing caution to the wind to make the most of all life has to offer. Dour Saturn, on the other hand, represents responsibility, discipline, patience, endurance, practicality, internal reflection, solitude and is concerned with structure and long-term planning.

The pairing of these two planets of wildly contrasting natures can produce a powerful mixture of energy that can impact the most important relationships in our lives—so it’s best not to take this conjunction lightly.

On the upside, because Venus and Saturn are friends, they can respect, tolerate and even benefit each other’s natural attributes and inclinations. For example, Venus can soften Saturn’s more severe qualities—its intensity and rigidity, its exacting need for dutiful discipline and its obsession with self-reflection. And Saturn’s serious outlook and sense of responsibility can rein in the more extreme aspects of Venus’s nature—its frivolity, its casual approach to romance and its sometimes reckless zeal to embrace every experience life tosses its way.

Still, this tug of war between emotional exuberance and dispassionate structure can take a toll on relationships. During this conjunction we must avoid being too deeply drawn into solitary Saturnine reflection or self-imposed isolation in which we fixate on our duties and responsibilities, dwell on lingering feelings of guilt and betrayal and revive old resentments. Excessive Saturn energy can make us emotionally aloof, distancing us from our loved ones and romantic partners. While solid relationships will likely weather this conjunction unmarred, and possibly become stronger by being karmically tested, the mingling effects of Saturn and Venus could produce enough interpersonal discord to seriously damage fledgling or fragile unions.

So, during this Venus-Saturn conjunction, exercise patience with your loved ones, make an extra effort to reach out to your spouses and children, and be as loving as possible. If you are not in a romantic relationship, try not to jump into one until November 5th, when Venus is well away from Saturn’s sphere of influence.

You would like help to ensure this powerful Saturn-Venus conjunction works in your favor? Call us at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We are here to help.

Full Steam Ahead!  If you’ve felt an urge to let off a little steam in recent days, you could be moonstruck.

This month’s full Moon is in the fiery sign of Aries, which is ruled by the warrior planet, Mars. Mars epitomizes masculine-yang energy—a hot and aggressive force of nature. The Moon, however, is a watery, feminine planet representing all that yin energy embraces—a nurturing spirit, sensitivity and acute perception. But don’t be fooled by Moon’s softness—it has the power to shift oceans and rule the tides of emotion within each and every living being.

While Moon and Mars are both very powerful in strength, they are completely contrasting forms of energy. When those energies interact, as they are doing around the October 16th full Moon, emotions can boil over—when water is subjected to intense heat, it produces steam.

Adding some ultra-combustible fuel to this celestial cauldron is the fact that Mars is currently conjunct with Pluto, the higher octave of Mars that is related to Lord Shiva, the god of destruction and transformation. When properly channeled, this cosmic intensity can drive our ambition with the force of a steam engine, but when undirected it can scald us and leave permanent scars.

So in days leading up to and immediately following this full Moon, we must use our energy wisely by remaining calm, caring and focused. This will enable us to harness and utilize the many positive aspects of Mars: intensity of purpose, initiative, passion, determination, resourcefulness and quick thinking. This can make us extremely ambitious, but we must not allow the desire to get things done quickly, or do things our way or no way, prevent us from harmoniously and successfully achieving our immediate and long-term goals. Likewise, we should strive to keep our Moon-energy in check; avoid being swept away by emotion or becoming overly sensitive if things don’t go exactly as planned.

In short, don’t get all steamed up at work or with friends and family. During this full Moon you will reap more personal rewards and get more accomplished by slowing down, being forward thinking, remaining cool-headed, playing well with others, and not jumping to conclusions.

If you would like help making the most of the full Moon energy, give us a call at 866-428-3799, or click here to book a consultation. We are here to help.

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* : To all our Vedic astrology readers, our transits are based on the ayanamsha of Sri Yukteswar

Call it the cosmic boomerang effect. At the end of June the planet Uranus left the sign of Pisces and entered Aries, but this past Saturday (October 8th) Uranus left Aries and returned directly to Pisces. What’s up with that, you ask? If Uranus orbits the sun, shouldn’t it visit the other 11 signs of the Zodiac before returning to Pisces? Have the laws of physics suddenly been suspended?

The short answer is no—the laws of physics remain intact, but Uranus has gone into retrograde. Astrologically speaking, that means Uranus has stopped in its tracks, shifted its gears from forward to reverse, and started backing up.

Impossible, you say! Well, it is and it isn’t. Of course planets don’t actually stop on a dime and change direction. But due to an optical illusion caused by the position of the Earth in relation to

Uranus, this appears to be the case. In fact, with the exception of the Sun and Moon, all planets go in to retrograde (some more often than others) from time to time, and from our vantage point on Earth they seem to move backwards.

Uranus retrograde can be earthshakingly powerful and impact not only the course of our lives, but also the course of history. Uranus is the planet of rebellion, invention and technological discoveries that brew slowly but arrive at lightening speed and with a colossal bang, often ushering in irreversible change. The kind of change that follows realizations as momentous as the world is round and not flat, that the Earth revolves around the Sun, that the atom can be split, that we can walk on the moon, defeat apartheid, eliminate small pox, cure polio or talk to anyone, at any time, anywhere on the planet using a tiny portable phone with a cheap long-distance plan. It is for this reason that Uranus is referred to as “The Great Awakener”—it is renowned for overturning the status quo and sweeping away anything that has outlived its usefulness.

When Uranus is direct—moving in the normal, forward direction—anything and everything is possible. When it is in retrograde, well, everything and anything is possible—only more so. Governments could rise or just as easily fall, wars could break out or peace could descend on the Middle East. The only thing that is certain is whatever change does occur will likely be as dramatic as it is unexpected.

But the impact of Uranus retrograde is not weighed solely on a global scale—it can be, and often is, experienced at a profoundly individual level, knocking us out of our comfort zones and prompting life-altering change. We may wake up one morning with the sudden awareness that we are working in the wrong profession, married to the wrong person, remained silent when we should have spoken out, or played it safe and settled for second best rather than taking the road less traveled. While this can be extremely unsettling, it presents a golden opportunity for us to make course corrections to our chosen path. Uranus retrograde is an ideal time to make a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves, to re-evaluate our values, priorities, decisions and lifestyles, and to shed any negativity that is holding us back, causing us pain or blocking us from attaining lasting happiness.

The fact that Uranus is retrograding in Pisces also affords us the opportunity to widen our hearts and deepen the spiritual and humanitarian aspects of our nature. Pisces, a water sign charged with nurturing yin energy, is ruled by benevolent and expansive Jupiter, which symbolizes and encourages justice, fair play, optimism, magnanimity, devotion and an expansive world view.

Uranus will continue to retrograde in Pisces until the very end of the year—plenty of time for us to reflect upon where we want to be in life, and to ensure that whatever changes “The Great Awakener” may bring will be changes we are prepared for, changes we can use to shape a better future and a better world.

You would like help to ensure this powerful Uranus retrograde works in your favor? Call us at 866-428-3799, or book a consultation by clicking here. We are here to help.

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