On Wednesday evening, December 28th at 8:54 pm here in Hawaii, the Moon and Sun will join together in sidereal Sagittarius. The majority of the Amavasya tithi (New Moon phase) will take place in the nakshatra (star) of Mula, with the final percentage falling in the nakshatra Purva Ashada. Mula is the root, literally, the place where we must uproot the philosophies that have not been playing out well in the sign before, Scorpio and replace them with new philosophies, which we nurture in Purva Ashada. The seeds that we plant must be carefully selected, watered and given enough sun to grow. Purva Ashada is often depicted as a winnowing basket, allowing us to discern between the healthy grain and the shell. This star is ruled over by the deity Apas, the god of the sacred waters without which we would perish. The sign of Sagittarius is a fiery one, indicating our need to find balance between the emotional and nourishing waters and our fiery drive and determination, allowing our philosophies and the following actions that stem from our beliefs to come from the heart.

Sagittarius is the sign of the forward moving inspiration. It is where we aim high and try to follow our highest aspirations and beliefs in action. We are entering a period of great potential, and must look out for getting caught up in the dogma of whatever it is we believe and maintain the purity of the seeds we have planted. It is a blessing, perhaps to have this New Moon joined with a Retrograde Mercury, allowing us to think before we speak and really reflect on whether or not we are aligned with what we are wanting to grow and share with others. Mercury will be just 1 degree away from the Sun and Moon here, creating a very powerful intellect, due to it being both extremely Combust (close to the Sun) and Retrograde. Here with the planet so close to the Earth, it is our discrimination indeed that will be most powerful, giving us the power and potential of an inspired Sagittarius Moon cycle with the necessary buddhi to maintain integrity in our words and deeds in the outside world. Mercury will end it's Retrograde motion and begin to go Direct late the night of January 7th here in Hawaii.

Mercury is also in a powerful exchange of signs with the ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter. While neither planet does particularly well in the other's signs, we find that here they are lending each other some of what the other might be missing...Jupiter offering more hope and inspiration to Mercury and Mercury offering more intelligence and non-biased integration of ideas. After an intense Scorpio cycle, which ended with an exact conjunction of Mars and the South node Ketu and the Moon in Debilitation and then joined Saturn, it will do us all well to pull our heads out of our inner sandpit and rise up to meet our highest Self.

Venus has just joined Mars and Ketu in Aquarius for this New Moon, offering a softer and gentler feeling here. We may have felt a strong cutting feeling, removing ourselves from others and embracing a harsher sense of action, especially in the realm of the larger global community this past holiday weekend and whatever area of life Aquarius rules (the house in your Vedic chart) will likely feel a bit more connective and sweet in the days and weeks to come as Venus moves deeper in to this humanitarian sign. While Venus will soften Mars and Ketu, they will bring a harsher edge to our sense of beauty and happiness, as well as our relationships. We might find ourselves becoming more heated sexually as Venus nears Mars, but the two will never get close enough in Aquarius to bring this energy to full fruition. Careful to not pull away from the sweet and loving energy of Venus in favor of simply gratifying intense sexual drive, as Ketu and Venus will join in exact degrees on the 8th of January, causing us to avoid or pull away from relationships and beauty while still having that drive and push pull with Mars 10 degrees away.

There is still an exchange of signs between Mars and Saturn as well, now with Mars in Saturn's other, airier sign. This exchange between Fear and Fire is likely to keep us moving, maybe the one year we follow through with those resolutions? Maybe, as Mars is now moving away from the South Node, we are more inclined to move forward on the physical plane.

As always, some time to one's self, especially spent in mediation or meditative activities is the best New Moon activity. As we bring in this New Year, perhaps finding yourself immersed in some of Nature's sacred waters will bring you in touch with the energy of Apas and your own inner waters, opening the channels for your heart to flow through to your mind and your feet! Blessings on this New Moon and the New Year. Aum Shanti


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Tuesday afternoon, December 13th at 2:06 pm Hawaii Time (-10 GMT) the Moon and Sun will be exactly opposite one another, forming the Full Moon in Taurus. This Full Moon is the balancing point between the inner fires of Scorpio, where the Sun has been since November 15th, and the steady tread of the comfort-loving bull in Taurus. Here we remember to keep our emotions in check and that slow and steady gets the most grass! As we indulge ourselves in sensory pleasures and try to relate in a more harmonious way this Tuesday, we realize that everything does not have to be quite so intense and emotional as we've let it be this past month.
This Full Moon is happening in the specific nakshatra Mrigasira, the deer's head, which is often referred to as the Searching Star. This placement is spiritually-inclined and “on-the-move,” seeking a higher plane to engage upon than just beauty and desire. Straddling the signs of Taurus and Gemini, it is star that brings us both ease and grace as well as curiosity and intelligence. Let us settle into this space of comfort as a way to elevate ourselves from the more controlling aspects of Scorpio, allowing us to come into the next phase with a more peaceful heart and settled mind.
The Sun will move into Sagittarius on the 15th , and there we will likely take ourselves out of the scope of our relationships with others and into the realm of the bigger picture and universe, allowing us to aim high and believe rather than feel. The Sun will be joining Mercury in Sagittarius, giving us cohesion between our words and ideas and our deep soul resonance. This will be a good time to share your ideals with others and to stand tall in what you say. If we have allowed our beliefs to just be regurgitated dogma then we run the risk of becoming preachers on a pulpit, talking down to others without having integrated our message. Mercury is going into his Retrograde motion on the morning of December 19th, giving us our all-too frequent reminder to slow down, review and LISTEN. When he moves backwards as the Sun moves forward, we will find him both Retrograde and Combust towards the end of the month, making his energy more powerful than ever. At this time, he will be ever close to the Earth and while usually being so close to the Sun makes for a frustrated sense of Communication and a feeling that we are not being listened to, or our intellect is not being honored, when he is Retrograde and Combust, we are holding our tongue a little longer and allowing the real juice to surface inside ourselves, rather than outside with the Sun's penetrating rays illuminating rather than just frying our ideas and interests.
Meanwhile, Mars has moved into Aquarius, leaving his exalted position in Capricorn and joining forces with the South Node, Ketu. Aquarius is the sign of innovative thinking and working for the good of all humanity. We may find our efforts in the physical realm moving in this direction, but it is a slightly sluggish placement for Mars, who is best at operating in environments that are either grounded or fiery. When Mars is over-stimulated and his energy is not utilized properly, we can find that anger or laziness reign...when Mars is joined Ketu we really have to watch out! As he moves closer to the degrees of Ketu in early January, we will find an increased irritability and feeling of annoyance, especially in whatever area of our life Aquarius rules in our Vedic Chart. We will also find ourselves pulling away from solid action in favor of intellectual anger, since Ketu withdraws and Aquarius as an air sign rules over the realm of the intellect. Mars and Ketu can bring about favorable energy for surgeries or other harsh, cutting actions like divorce, quitting a job, pulling away from any sort of relationship or situation that is not working.
Venus is still in Capricorn, solid and self-interested, we need to be aware of the ways in which we are not allowing ourselves to be happy. Venus in Capricorn can be conservative and fearful, with an over-arching air of seeing people as utilitarian rather than in and of themselves worth having around. However, in the spiritual star of Sravana, we might find ourselves listening deeper than the surface of things and having a love or bhakti that goes so far as to serve the divine.
Both Saturn and Jupiter are offering their dristhi or gaze to this Moon, creating a feeling of expansion and idealism coupled with some fear and diligence. Neither planet is in very good dignity, or intelligence, so we are getting idealism that is constricted in its essence and an extra fearful commitment mindset. Notice what house in your Vedic chart the Moon is transiting and see if you can't sort through what is compelling you to commit and believe in this aspect of your life. You may find that after pulling it all apart, your beliefs are based in a microcosmic view that is not going to serve your higher vision after all and that you are more drawn towards buckling down out of fear than out of love for whatever you are working towards.
This is a good Full Moon to enjoy the company of others, whether it is a few close friends, an intimate night with your partner or a larger gathering. Keep it comfortable and down-to-earth, perhaps even enjoying some nature, if the weather in your parts allows for it. Relax and enjoy the relative ease of this Taurus Full Moon while you get ready for the Solstice and Holy Days!
Blessings and Hare Ohm!



“May God bless and keep you always, may your wishes all come true. May you always do for others and let others do for you. May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung. May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true. May you always know the truth and see the light surrounding you. May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong...May your hands always be busy, may your feet always be swift. May you have a strong foundation when the winds of changes shift. May your heart always be joyful, may your song always be sung, and may you sta-a-ay Forever Young.” Bob Dylan

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