POWER STRUGGLES
This Thursday morning at 8:40 am Hawaii Time (GMT-10) the Moon will be Full in the star of Mula in sidereal Sagittarius and the Sun will be across the way in the the star of Ardra in Gemini. This axis is on the galactic plane, and is one of the most tumultuous places in the sky astrologically. Ardra, where the Sun is located, is the place where Prajapati, the Creator, is shot down by Rudra, a fierce form of Shiva as he attempts to chase his daughter down to Earth. The Sun is our source of Power, Consciousness, and it is also the government, authority and the father. While his daughter and the rest of the trinity of gods may have misunderstood his intentions to mate with her, that being he wanted to create perfect beings, the fact remains that the ends do not always justify the means. If in order to establish or create something ideal we have to violate another person’s boundaries, push or coerce people, then it is inherently flawed in its process of creation. This is a big theme right now as we see all the ways in which we have consistently been taught in society that the ends DO justify the means. Especially means and ends as chosen by individuals or groups that hold large amounts of power.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
In the sign of Gemini, Ardra has to do with ideas, communication and data. The notion that a small select group of people are privy to extra knowledge and hold capacity to make sense of that knowledge and that we should all entrust those people to not only hold and interpret the information they have, but to do what’s best for all of society with it is problematic. There is a direct dristhi, aspect, here from Jupiter in Shatabishak onto our Sun, highlighting the corruption that has been passing unseen “in the night” and wanting to exact justice for it and make society work more for the collective. The fact that he just began retrograde period himself indicates that this will build up internally before it is actually manifested in the outer world and we will see a lot of frustration over this.

 The mythology moves on to show that by shooting down the creator, we now have disease, famine, natural disasters etc to reckon with, but perhaps we can also imagine that those things eventually help bring us back to our true source. Creation involves separation. It is an illusion, Maya. Destruction is as well. The idea that something must be done to make something else perfect, or to tear down what currently exists, is already caught in the web of illusion. This is where our work lies. We must be able to hold both the truth of oneness and the “reality” of the illusion in which we are ultimately finding our way back to truth. Stepping back and gaining perspective is imperative. So is dropping in and experiencing truth for oneself:)

This axis is also an axis of “reasoning” (where our Sun=Power is situated) versus the “believing” (where are Moon=Psyche is reflecting the Sun’s light). It is where our knowledge and wisdom meet and where we are shown how limited we are in processing information if we don’t examine our biases that come from our beliefs. It is also important to note that people who “don’t have beliefs’ do indeed have them and they are often harder to recognize. We all choose to take in information based on these biases and beliefs. Both Gemini and Sagittarius are masculine signs that go out into the world to find what they are seeking (Knowledge and Inspiration) and they are both capable of starting and finishing what they start. They are also both able to pivot and move in different directions, with Sagittarius having a four-legged animal as the bottom half, therefore indicating it is harder and takes longer to change course. This shows the ways in which our beliefs tend to keep running in one direction, even as we are able to see and experience different perspectives, while our thinking mind is more able to do a complete 180 degree turn when presented with new information (as long as it fits in our pre-existing confirmation bias). Tricky!

The concept of a rage-filled howling aspect of Shiva, pure consciousness itself, that shoots down this creator, fills a place in our collective lore as a singular form of a hero who “comes to save the day”, generally with violence. Why do we feel safer when there is one superhuman source of protection that is outside of us? He incorporates all the rage and ugliness we don’t want to show from ourselves and shoots down the “bad guy”. This is a disowned part of ourselves, perhaps, that we need to both fear and exalt in a form that cannot be mistaken for human. It is important to see that our rage is necessary to call out behavior that is not okay, but eventually we must find the one-pointed calm of many of Shiva’s other forms, if we hope to move out of anger and be productive.

MULA: CHAOTIC DESTRUCTION
On the other end of the axis, our Moon waxes to Full luminescence in the star Mula, which means “the root’. Here we see all the things that are not working, all the assumptions that have been made, all the building that has occurred on a shoddy foundation and we rip it out by its roots. Ruled by the goddess Niritti, related to Kali, she uses chaos as her weapon. She is a whirlwind of energy and fury and like a tornado destroys everything in her path. What is left are the gaping holes, void of any life, that must be tilled to use for replanting. She rides a donkey, yields a sword and hails from the South East, a direction of suffering and pain and a city that is ink-black, “Krishnanjana”. She also has a more peaceful aspect, a “blonde Nirriti” who is the aspect that accepts destruction as a phase, a passing that must occur in order to bring peace. One thing astrologers often do is to warn people about tendencies that may be up in any given time, and how to mitigate disaster. The axis of this Full Moon is asking us to remember that we are mere conduits of a greater energy. The point of our collective and individual realities is not actually to mitigate disaster, as appealing as it may be. Challenges and epic overhauls occur because they are needed to bring balance to the greater energy field, and pain, suffering and disaster are very much pit stops on the way to peace, harmony and oneness.

These two oppositions show the difference between chaotic and one-pointed destruction, between feminine and masculine principles of anger and even justice and how important the root of belief is to the manner in which one processes the information they receive. The fact is both Rudra and Nirriti have an opposite sex partner in the original texts, but the masculine aspect is what came out in the story of a one-pointed focus of anger, and the feminine for the chaotic role of massive disruption. Discrimination is only as good as the person using it is clear with their confirmation biases. Most of us are not very clear here. Likewise, information can and is used as tool for deceit as much as it is as a way to reveal truth and facts. As the first Full Moon since the eclipse, we are coming out of a month-long grasp of the nodes on our psyche and consciousness. We may be starting to really see more clearly, but we also have planets keeping us deep in our own confusion and pain. Mercury , now direct again as of June 22nd, is joined tightly with the north node, causing our communication to be magnified and misunderstood. It can also cause information to get sprayed out in a dispersive manner that does not maintain integrity of how it originated. Mercury is also the ruler of our Sun at the moment, so it affects our capacity to stand in our power in this intense placement in the middle of Gemini.

RETROGRADES
While Mercury has begun direct motion, Jupiter is beginning retrograde motion as of June 20th, joining Saturn for a long stint until October. This means the delays will still be with us. While Mercury is blamed for nearly all retrograde challenges, it is only in this state for 3 weeks or so, Jupiter and Saturn enjoy this condition almost half the time and affect a much bigger aspect of our ability to move forward in life. Our phones and computers may be back to normal functioning, but our capacity to really commit and show up with the hard work necessary to reach goals will be greatly hindered. Saturn rules time and when time itself is slowed down, we all feel its humbling stagnancy. Jupiter is our beliefs, our inspiration, our teachers and wisdom. In his retrograde state we experience a “back up” with these things. We become acutely aware of them, but in an internal way that inhibits the external production possible. This is the retrograde frustration. We are actually being given a beautiful opportunity to mull things over and make sure we have done all the steps so that what we put our energy into is aligned with our beliefs and that we have taken care of necessary details. What it feels like is a delay, lack of forward motion and questioning if we are on the right track at all. This can be un-inspiring and de-motivating if we don’t understand it and use it wisely.

RESERVE YOUR STRENGTH
Mars in debility in Cancer is not helping us any, as our actual planet of anger, action and courage is feeling lazy, emotional and sensitive. This does not help us show up for our own routines or discipline that help mitigate our anger and laziness. It also does not help us do the things in life that infuse us with courage, and we may fall back into old habits and ways. This can especially true if we are not taking care of ourselves. With Saturn Retrograde and in mutual dristhi with Mars, we can see that we are caught between fight and flight, with flight in the stronger dignity. Any anger and courage we can muster is muted, and sourced purely from emotions, diluting it in its capacity to illicit action. We need to take alternating periods of work and rest and allow for plenty of hydration. Water therapy can be helpful, but don’t allow yourself to wallow your whole day away in a bath or pool. Discipline is showing up again and again in the same way to create pathways in your brain that train you to show up even when you don’t want to. Now would be the time to tap into those reserves if you’ve created them. If not, start small and simple to bring some order to your life.

BLESS YOU ON THE BUMPY PATH
This Full Moon is here to remind us that the path to Santana Dharma (Eternal Truth) is not linear, neat or clean. Jump on that donkey and hobble your way through the fields of your beliefs, ripping out roots of anything you did not intentionally plant. Also remember that after the storm, or tornado passes through, we have to examine the wreckage and build on stronger foundations for the future. These times are not easy ones and we did not sign up for the lazy shift. We can ignore and bypass and “just live our lives” but it too will be to our own destruction if we do not make sure to examine our own roots and why we believe, think and act on what we do! Blessed Full Moon.
Hare Ohm

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE HOW THESE TRANSITS AFFECT YOU PERSONALLY...

The second half of our eclipse cycle is the New Moon/Solar Eclipse on June 10th in the star of Mrigasira. The max point of the eclipse is at 12:41 am HT (GMT-10) and the exact time of the Moon and Sun joining each other is at 12:51 am HT, so the hours leading up to it are in the night of the 9th for us here in Hawaii. A small sliver of Canada will be able to see this “Ring of Fire” eclipse and some Northern US locations will wake to see a small part of the sun as if it was a lit up crescent moon. Mrigasira is “deer-faced” and it indicates a search, especially the start of a spiritual one. Governed by the diety Soma, the Moon, and lord of the eternal nectar sought by both the devas and asuras, the forces of light and dark. It is liquid; delicious, nourishing and youthful and the bringer of ecstasy. He rules over the life juice itself and all its manifest forms in vegetables, fruits and herbs. In the Taurus portion of this star (where the Sun and Moon are being eclipsed) this star is especially rooted in the pleasure of sucking the marrow out of life. Upon finishing our earthly pleasures, the Moon moves into the Gemini portion where we seek the same juicy nectar for our minds.


In the story of this star and the one before, Rohini (the star in which the North Node is actually eclipsing from) is the most beautiful and fertile of all the 27 stars. Her father, Prajapati, decides he needs to make perfect beings for Earth and approaches her to be his partner for that endeavor. She is mortified and turns herself into a deer to flee him and runs down to Earth. The issue of autonomy and leaving one’s family and their set of values arises as we come to the end of the natural 2nd house of values (Taurus) into the 3rd house of learning new skills, the ego (identity separation) and our will (Gemini). This can be seen in leaving what is comfortable and secure in search of new ideas, perspectives and information. Can we find that divine nectar when moving from the stability of earth to an ever-changing landscape like the windy mind? Here we have to be careful not to end up in an endless search for something juicier. If we are always seeking something more delicious than we can forget to revel in the present. However, if we never seek greener pastures, we may never evolve out of old habits and routines that no longer serve us. The trick is to keep our mind fixed towards God (dess), Spirit, Love. Here it is the Moon in the same place in the sky as the Sun (from our position here on Earth) that is blocking our light. Since the Moon is dark, it is already eclipsed every month as it fades to the dark by the Sun. The Sun is our light, our connection to Source, and represents the father or king. So instead of just running from some perceived power, as when the Moon is in Mrigasira alone,  we are directly aware of our own power and how it is being eclipsed. Do we know all the information? Perhaps we are seeing things in the illusory grasp of Rahu. Have we magnified the power struggles before us?

A good question to ask yourself here is if you are running towards something new or away from something that doesn’t feel good. In the eclipse portal especially, this can be confusing. There is heightened illusion, especially with regards to power and it has been expanding while the Sun has been transiting sidereal Taurus, where the north node has been since September 2020. The nodes are not actual bodies, rather chaya graha, shadow “planets” that are mathematically calculated points in space where eclipses will occur when there is a full or new moon in that place. What falls in their path is shrouded in mystery, and also delusion. The North Node (Rahu) brings erratic expansion and magnification, as we begin new karma and step into “foreign” territory. Since the Sun is our source of power… In what ways do you feel empowered and in what ways do you feel others are trying to “run” you? The bull does not like to be taunted, led or even followed. He just wants to be. The deer can be skittish and gets distracted easily.

 Eclipses come in pairs, and the axis of Rahu and the South node Ketu are also a pair. In order to understand and realize the potential of the open mouth obsession of Rahu, we must untie the karmic knot that is keeping us stuck where the tail of the serpent resides. If we haven’t been actively unwinding what holds us in the deep waters of Scorpio, through our trauma, fear and emotions, we will not be able to build the gardens of our future in Taurus.

On the heels of the powerful total Lunar Eclipse two weeks ago, and with Jupiter giving dristhi to Venus, the ruler of this eclipse sitting in Gemini, we can expect that our strong-held beliefs our influencing our capacity to relate to those we are engaged with. Jupiter is not only the fixed sign of Aquarius, but he is beginning to station himself, as he prepares for retrograde motion June 20th. He is also in the star of Satabishak, which is able to illuminate the corruption of power like the thousands of stars in the night sky. This star also holds the power to heal both physically and socially. With this gaze on Venus in Ardra, the star where Prajapati is shot down as he chases his deer-like daughter across the sky we can see how we might feel like shooting first and asking questions later. Eclipses are always a time to tune out from the mundane everyday of our lives and into the spiritual, meditative and other-worldly realm that the nodes offer glimpses of. Ketu is releasing message from before, and Rahu is grasping at what the future has to eat. This is a good time to turn off the phone, the computer and the tv and focus just on Source. True power is within each of us and lights up when it meets outside reminders of that power (like the Sun). With Mercury and Venus in exchange of signs (and Mercury slowed down to his own retrograde tune), we are more likely to take that extra minute, hour or day before responding or reacting. It might also mean our delays are being magnified by others to signify our own assertion of power. With Saturn also in perceived retrograde motion, our commitments, hard work and sense of time management is slowed down and being reviewed and revised as well.

This combination of eclipses and retrograde activity is likely to cause the restless searcher in us to feel a bit frustrated, but if we can remember all the calamities we have lived through before this, perhaps we can remember that much of those came from pushing through what needed to wait, cutting corners, especially when it comes to communication and steps to establish true integrity and connection with people we are in relation to. To push our own agenda forward without being aware of how it is experienced by everyone else involved, is to “shoot down” what could’ve been beautiful before it is created. On the other side, to run from what feels like old boundaries being crossed is not necessarily going to get us where we want to go either. If we didn’t dive back into our trauma on the lunar eclipse to dig up what subconscious fears lurk in our shadow realm, then perhaps we aren’t clearly seeing what the intentions of others are. It may be projections from past scenarios. Don’t worry, we will get to visit this all again in Nov/Dec eclipses where the solar and lunar energies will be reversed. For now, just allow yourself to sit with all your questions and all your answers and taste the sweetness of not knowing as you lean in towards your highest truth.

Hare Ohm

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