The easy way to navigate the lunar nodes: Rahu-Ketu puja

July 16, 2010 By

The nodes of the moon are like signposts that point the way to our destiny, with the South Node describing the influences of the past, and the North Node pointing towards our future.  The Vedic scholars call these points Rahu (North Node) and Ketu (South Node) and while western astrology tends to look at these points as being relatively benign, in Vedic astrology both Rahu and Ketu are considered somewhat malefic.  This is likely partly due to the role that the Nodes play in eclipses (a lunar event is considered an eclipse if it occurs within 15 degrees of one of the Nodes).

Because of the relationship of the Nodes to an eclipse, Vedic astrologers consider both Rahu and Ketu to be malefic (ruled by Mars and Saturn) since they are seen to have swallowed the Sun and Moon during an eclipse.  But hope is on the horizon:

Former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor and his friend Sunanda Pushkar, are the latest celeb couple to visit Srikalahasti temple and perform the famous rahu-ketu puja, that is believed to negate the ill effects in a relationship that is facing obstacles and friction.

Their visit on Saturday injected some much-needed enthusiasm to the temple, which had been in the media limelight for all the wrong reasons since the collapse of the Rajagopuram on May 26.

Also known as Dakshin Kailash, the temple has attracted a host of celebrities over the last decade who have performed the rahu-ketu puja here. Astrologer and palmist Palakkad Narayan Iyer says: “One of the main reasons why couples are advised to visit Srikalahasti is because this temple is a rahu-ketu kshetram. Rahu and ketu are the reasons why couples face a lot of friction in their relationships. Basically, rahu and ketu signify the two nodes of the moon and a serpent represents these. The two grahas are said to symbolise the dark sides of our personalities and that’s why it’s important to perform shanti pujas to appease them. Rahu causes mental problems, anxiety, misfortune, loss of wealth, etc. while ketu is responsible for causing misunderstandings in relationships.

Another reason why people visit this temple is to negate the ill effects of sarpa dosha. According to Indian astrology, any person who suffers from this undergoes a lot of problems in their relationship with their spouse and women who have this dosha are said to face difficulties in conceiving. In fact, this is one of the main reasons why childless couples are advised to visit Srikalahasti. And unmarried girls, whose kundali shows they have a sarpa dosha, will find it difficult to get married.

read more here, and thanks to Astrococktail for the link.

You don’t have to go to India, anyone can perform this puja!  Instructions can be found at this helpful website.  This sure is a lot easier than the hard work of personal evolution!
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Full Moon, Blue Moon, Eclipse Moon and Other Planetary News

December 29, 2009 By
Once in a Blue Moon, by Sofanya White.Blue_Moon.jpg
A gorgeous big moon followed me home tonight, even though she technically won’t be full until the afternoon of New Year’s Eve.  This is a Blue Moon because it’s the second Full Moon in a month, something that doesn’t happen very often (hence the term “once in a blue moon”).  It’s also an eclipse, because the lunar nodes are involved; however, it’s a partial eclipse and not very powerful astrologically.
The Full Moon occurs when the lunar principle of the subconscious inner world overpowers the solar conscious mind with its brilliance as the Moon opposes the Sun in the sky, with the Earth between them.  At the Full Moon we earthlings are sandwiched between these two archetypal forces, and the experience of the Full Moon can be intensely emotional and unexpected.
This particular Full Moon is in the sign of Cancer, its own sign, suggesting that our sensitive emotional natures will be highlighted at this time.  The emotions of Cancer are vulnerable and tender and easily hurt, and the Moon now is opposed to four planets in the pragmatic and rather rigid sign of Capricorn.  The Capricorn lineup includes a tight conjunction of the Sun, Venus (relating) and Pluto (transformation, death, and rebirth).  There is a feeling now that every emotion we experience is critical and can act as a doorway, and a need to create balance in our own emotional world as well as in our relationships.
A lunar event becomes an eclipse when the nodes of the Moon become involved.  The Moon’s nodes represent the evolutionary direction of the soul, so when the nodes are tightly connected to a Full or New Moon there is a sense of destiny that is imparted.  However, astronomers give the nodes a very wide orb of 15 degrees, and this particular eclipse finds the nodes 11 degrees from the Sun and Moon, which is rather far to have much astrological effect.
Still, Saturn is the fulcrum of what we call a “T-square,” challenging both the Moon and the Capricorn planets.  Saturn demands discipline and focused attention, so in the midst of the New Year’s Eve celebration we might be wise to do a little planning for the New Year as well. This will help us to be prepared when the Moon aligns with Saturn on the 6th, creating the potential for depression and sadness as the two face off in a square with Pluto and that sense of finality that Saturn and Pluto bring.
The message here is that our lives are a gift that we need to take seriously.  Celebrations and parties are a wonderful thing, but this Full Moon/Blue Moon Eclipse wants us to take a look at our life and create something wondrous.
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Total eclipse of the Sun, July 21-22 2009

July 18, 2009 By

The New Moon that occurs at 10:35 pm EDT on July 21 (2 am GMT July 22) is also a total solar eclipse, in which the Moon passes in front of the Sun from our perspective here on Planet Earth, obscuring the light of the Sun for a short time.

Solar eclipses always occur at the time of the New Moon, when the Sun and Moon are in the same degree of an astrological sign and said to be conjunct.  Because the conscious intention of the solar principle combines with the instinctive longings and reactions of the lunar principle at the New Moon, these are excellent times for new beginnings.  But in an eclipse, the solar principle is temporarily blocked and the lunar principle prevails.

Eclipses can only occur when the New or Full Moon occurs near the Lunar Nodes, the points at which the Moon crosses the ecliptic of the Sun.  In the astrological language, the Nodes of the Moon represent the evolutionary direction of the soul, with the South Node pointing to the direction from which we have come, and the North Node the direction of our future.  Therefore, the symbolism inherent in the eclipse is a powerful clue to the evolutionary potential in an eclipse event.  This upcoming eclipse is very tightly conjunct the Nodes – within one degree – which portends its importance for planetary evolution.

The ancient Chinese, Incas and Hindus viewed the nodes of the moon as the Dragon’s Head (North Node) and the Dragon’s Tail (South Node), and they perceived an eclipse as the Dragon eating the Sun or the Moon.  From the beginning of the use of astrology, somewhere over 2,000 years, eclipses have been used to time significant events.  In a typical year there are two pairs of eclipses, but this year there are an astonishing six, indicating that this is a significant year for change.

The upcoming New Moon is not only an eclipse but also the second New Moon in Cancer (a phenomenon also known as the “Secret Moon.”)   Because Cancer rules the Moon, it is particularly powerful in Cancer and because this is an eclipse of the Sun, the lunar influence is even more powerful.  The Moon presides over all issues of emotion, but also our emotional connections to each other and to our ancestral history.  Cancer is known for its concern with family matters but that sense of family extends beyond the nuclear family, and even the extended family, to the entire tribe of which we are a part.  Some of us have strong family ties; others of us create our own tribes that serve the family role.

Because of the intensity of the triple conjunction of Jupiter, Chiron and Neptune which is still tighly in alignment, many of us are more sensitive and more highly reactive than usual. Under the eclipse the influence of the solar conscious mind is diminished, and the emotional power of the Moon stands raw and undiluted.  The Triple Conjunction is already stripping away the veneer that we have built to protect us from ourselves; the eclipse may accelerate the process of unmasking the vulnerability (Moon/Cancer) that reveals our true heart.

The first New Moon in Cancer occurred in June on the day following the Summer Solstice which added its own bit of drama. This New Moon is at the 29th degree of Cancer, within two degrees of the North Node. The 29th degree is sometimes called the “critical degree,” and there is a sense of something coming to a close, of needing completion. The New Moon, when the Sun and Moon conjunct, is typically a time of new beginnings; however, here we have something new beginning and closure occurring at the same time. The Sun is on the cusp of Leo, so the fresh new start is already in place – we have only to turn our view so that we are looking forward again and we will be in motion.

The New Moon is trined by Uranus, the planet of radical change and surprise, suggesting that the new wave of evolution will not be what we are expecting.  Uranus demands that we let go of any rigid ideas that we have and open up to the intuition of the higher mind.  A harmonious sextile of Mercury to Mars is embedded in the New Moon as well, helping to sharpen our focus and provide us with the mental energy we need to get through any difficulty we encounter in our day.

Relationships may be under some pressure with a square of Venus (relating and beauty) to Saturn (disappointment and restriction), and we may find that this is a time that the soul prefers solitude to companionship.  This is a time when we are pulled deep within ourselves and the presence of others in our lives may create pressure with the Saturn/Venus influence.  On the other hand, Saturn inspires us to greater loyalty and commitment so it is possible now through the hard work that is required of a Saturn square, a challenging aspect, to strengthen our relationships based on the Truth that is emerging from within.

The effect of the eclipse will be most powerful for those who are currently undergoing transits to their chart from the Triple Conjunction, or who have planets in the very last degrees of the Cardinal signs (Cancer, Capricorn, Aries and Libra).  The eclipse is also most powerful in the areas where it can be seen, which in this case includes central India including Mumbai and Bhopal; Nepal, Bhutan, Shanghai, and the islands south of Japan.


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Death and the Lunar Nodes

July 3, 2009 By

Traditional astrologers seem to like to predict death.  Because traditional astrology is based in prediction and the concept of fate, the question of when a person will die becomes a subject of inquiry and analysis in the traditional modalities, whereas modern branches of astrology and certainly what I call “transformational” ‘astrology is more concerned with the evolution of the personality and the soul and our ability to transform our karma and create our destiny.  (You might be interested in my earlier article on this topic as well.)

In my personal theology, the chart is the karma that we are given, and our dharma, or soul work, is to maximize the potential of the chart and integrate the individual pieces that are often in conflict.  As we begin to make conscious choices rather than using reactive impulses in our day-to-day life, we are able to change our destiny and create a magnificent life.  This has been my experience as someone who has Saturn conjunct the Sun, Moon conjunct Pluto squared by Venus and Jupiter, and lots of other “bad” stuff in my chart, and this is what I teach my clients and students.

Theo White is a classical astrologer who has a new article out regarding the sudden rise of celebrity deaths over the past week, with the loss of major icons of popular culture (including Ed McMahon, Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett and Billy Mays within a 5-day period in June).

I have talked in these pages about the association of Jupiter with death.  Although I do not believe we can predict death from the birthchart (the “malefiic” planetary cycles that are said to predict death are experienced by people every day without resulting in death), we can often look back at the transits at the time of death and see what the quality of the death experience would have been for that individual.  Pluto can show a violent death; Saturn can bring a difficult one.  Jupiter in the death chart often shows a liberation of the soul, and when Uranus is present there can be a surprising event that causes sudden death.

Theo makes an interesting connection to the nodes of the Moon and this cluster of celebrity deaths:

These rising death rates often accompany the transits of Jupiter, and are also associated with the transiting Nodes of the Moon at this time, are along the Aquarius/Leo axis and reducing towards changing quality onto the Capricorn/Cancer axis in late August 2009.

During the month of June 2009, the Lunar Nodes are at their strongest along the 0-1 degrees along the Leo/Aquarius.

The Leo/Aquarius axis is ruled by the Sun, Saturn, and Uranus, and is often associated with congestive heart failure, and accidents. Many of the notable deaths have been reported as involving those who suffered heart attacks.

The lunar Nodes (these are actually points where the Moon’s orbit intersects with the orbit of the Sun) travel at a variable rate of speed but they slowed down to a crawl in June, making an effective station (standstill) at the zero point on the Leo/Aquarius axis.  The Nodes will remain at the zero point into the middle of August, coinciding with the strongest linkage of Jupiter, Chiron and Uranus.

At that point the Nodes, which always travel in retrograde motion, will change signs and move into the Cancer/Capricorn polarity which will be accompanied by a shift in attention of the global psyche.

Read more of Theo’s article here…

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A Summer of Eclipses

June 8, 2009 By

Deirdre has a great article today on the upcoming eclipses this summer:

Although we have a month to go, I consider eclipse season to be in full swing now. The June 8 lunation opened a door to some specific geometry: 17°+ Sagittarius was the June 8th Full Moon. The July 7th full moon will be at 15°+ Capricorn and it will be an eclipse, too. Being so close in degree, these full moons will both effect charts sensitive at the mid-degrees, a port of entry for the first in a triplet of eclipses this summer.

Looking at a list of eclipses between 1980 and 2020, seventy-five percent of summers have one pair of eclipses on just one axis. This summer is now in the twenty-five percent and has three eclipses on two axes. From what I see, usually when three eclipses occur in a summer, this pattern will repeat every other year three times. This means the summers of 2009, 2011 and 2013 (when Pluto is in early Capricorn) will have have three eclipses each on two different axes, as did 1998, 2000 and 2002 (when Pluto was in early Sagittarius), as well as 1980, 1982 and 1984 (when Pluto was in early Scorpio). It started to be a tidy geometric package, and then I noticed 1991 was a irregular, isolated summer of three eclipses and it had the nodes freshly in a new sign. Besides 1991, the eclipse pattern I am diagramming seems to roughly parallel Pluto’s ingress into a sign.

read more here...

Eclipses have fascinated humans throughout the ages.  The nodes of the moon are known as the Dragon’s Head and Tail, and in many ancient cultures it was said that during an eclipse a dragon did battle with the moon – a myth that has a basis in science because of the proximity of the Moon to the lunar nodes, or dragon, during an eclipse. The blood red color that the Moon turns during an eclipse was said to be the Moon’s blood, adding to the fervor over the “death” of the Moon during an eclipse.

Eclipses do not affect everyone in the same way, and in my experience unless the degree of an eclipse is within a degree of a planet in your chart it is not likely to affect you in a significant way.  If you are affected directly by an eclipse, expect something to change or to be altered irrevocably – there is an unmasking process that can produce some interesting revelations!

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