New Moon & Diwali: Inner Light in the Darkness

The New Moon is in the nakshatra Swati on November 4th at 11:14 am HT (GMT-10), and also marks the Festival of Lights known as Diwali. This 5 day celebration of the triumph of the light over darkness comes importantly with this New Moon because our two luminaries will both be in a state of debilitation. The Sun is debilitated in Libra because it is where we give our power and authority over to others, as opposed to standing in strength with Source being our guiding light. The New Moon is when the Moon and Sun pass through the same constellation in exact degrees from our perspective here on Earth, and it is also a time when the Sun “eclipses” the Moon, as opposed to illuminating it, and so our mind is more quiet, dark and can tend towards depression. This is a more meditative and solitary time of the month. While the Sun remains in a constellation for a month, the Moon moves quickly on, putting it in its lowest state of operating intelligence in sidereal Scorpio soon after this New Moon. Scorpio is where we are emotional, fiery and controlling. It is the place where our real and imagined fears can be magnified and we must battle the shadows. Since the Moon is the mind and emotions, it can be quite a roller coaster ride here! The Moon is where we want to connect and when the mind is projecting its own movie with a plot line that is mistrustful of others, then it is difficult to have true connection. This is exacerbated this year by the presence of the South Node, Ketu at 7 degrees Scorpio, giving us a laser sharp focus on exactly what disgusts us most about our fear and trauma (in what ever area of life Scorpio rules for you), and giving us a somewhat removed experience from our own feelings.

All of this is to say that our confidence and emotional security are being challenged from what we perceive to be outside of ourselves (relationships, situations, circumstances), but the true source of our dim light and fearful emotions is within us and thus can be evolved. If we were to look at our power differently, we would not need to “give it away” because we would understand that no one owns it or doles it out. Power just is. Like the Sun itself. It is Consciousness itself. It can only be realized, not passed around like Halloween candy. If we choose to follow someone other than our own guiding light that is a choice we are making and we are just as able to make a different one. It is the potential fear of losing others if we don’t follow them, or show up for them that creates these choices in our brains and the sign of Libra is where we are confronted with “others”. While many aspects of ourselves as shown through the Grahas (the planets) need to understand compromise (like in our communication, with Mercury, or our relationships, with Venus), our authority is not something that can be bargained or traded. Ultimately, authority that is given by others can also be taken away if you do not do their bidding, so it is not actual authority. Whereas, the authority that comes with actually knowing more than others on a subject, or by being a parent to children born from you, or in having such a strong stance on an issue or belief that you live it and others want to emulate you, is real. No one bestows it upon you, it is a realization within yourself that it exists and you merely act within that discovered reality.

Diwali comes as a reminder of the light within, the candle that is always lit no matter what external reality you are mired in. While more darkness is surrounding us in the Northern Hemisphere daily, we are moving towards the darkest night of the year. This is a time of shedding, decay and resolution. As we move towards our final two eclipses of the Taurus/Scorpio axis, culminating with the total solar eclipse on Dec 4th, we are being asked to follow Ketu’s penetrating tail to pierce the heart of what we fear most and see it transform!

Swati is the star that is in the middle of Libra and shows where we are trying to differentiate ourselves in spite of our need to be accepted and liked. Swati is ruled by Rahu and its diety is Vayu, the god of the Wind. This shows the airy and often delusional nature of Swati, where we might find ourselves swatting imaginary demons all around us, as opposed to the clean decisive action of one good swing of the sword. Here our real goal is to find the confidence to know that a true warrior will seldom use their weapons and that much of what we think we are fighting against is actually a creation of our own doing. If we look to others to validate our power, we can just as easily look to ourselves and know it is inherent. This star leads to Vishaka, where the Moon is debilitated, a nakshatra that falls mostly in Libra and the final pada is that debilitation point in Scorpio. In Vishaka we are walking the path on our own and it is often dark, or overgrown and full of scary sounds. It is with time and age that we are able to yield the fruits of our energy and output. We must let faith and our good teachings be the guide (as shown by Jupiter’s rule) and burn our ego struggles in the sacrificial fire (Vishaka diety is Indra-Agni, the aspect of fire that is sacrificial). It is no accident that the nakshatras behind the constellation of Libra are teaching us to follow our own lead, this is the ultimate lesson for Libra where we can over-compromise and leave ourselves feeling depleted or bereft.

Right now we have Mercury and Mars joined this Sun and Moon and while Mercury is usually very happy to be here where communication can focus on connection and harmony, it is also going to feel the heat of the combust Mars. If you haven’t gotten your FREE report “Mars combust for all 12 Signs” yet, go to http://www.alexiscoxyoga.com/forecasts to sign up for my newsletter and get instant access to that as well as 2 other Key Transit reports! With Mars putting our anger on a short fuse, we can expect Mercury to feel this anger and try to find a nice way of communicating it. Taking a few breaths before speaking or responding might not be a bad idea! Mars’ anger comes from a lack of personal discipline. Discipline is the highest form of self-care, so when we choose others over what we need to do for ourselves to keep us strong, protected and active towards our goals, we will feel angry at others when it is actually ourself who gave away our energy to something/one else!

The ruler of all those planets in Libra, Venus just moved herself into Sagittarius, in the chaotic star of Mula, “the root”. Mula is where we upheave and pull out from the roots anything that is not serving us. Relationships in particular may feel uprooted right now and this last week (also whatever area of your life Venus rules as a house lord). Venus in Sagittarius is where we have a tendency to over-ride people’s real human issues with a spiritual belief or ideology that may or may not be a “truth” but is not tending to the person in front of us in a way that indicates care and relating. Be careful of simplifying, giving advice or being quick to respond when a loved one shares with you their thoughts, feelings or experiences.

Now is a time to really sit with the darkness and light your own candle within. All the power exists within. Our true connection to others can only exist when we show up as our true self. Hare Ohm. Happy Diwali!

To sign up for the newsletter and receive 3 FREE reports instantly, scroll up and to the right!

To Book a Reading:

Contact