The Venus-Neptune war 2012—When weak Muhurtas go Bad 

On January 13, the Costa Concordia became grounded off the Tuscany coast. It was an unimaginable error with tragic human loss of life.

 

Upon inspection of the ship’s departure time, it becomes apparent that the cruise line broke many rules when it comes to Muhurta (auspicious Inaugural timings).

At approximately 7:00 PM CET, the ship set sail north from Civitavecchia, and became grounded off the coast of the Isola de Giglio, which is Italian for “Gilligans Island".

The ship was supposed to cruise for seven days, but instead it turned into–a “three hour tour.”  

What catches our eye immediately is that we see Venus, in a water-linked sign; Aquarius, in the oceanic eighth house, in a planetary war with Neptune. Ironically, Neptune is named after the Roman god of the Sea. The cruise embarked from the port of Rome.

Now I know, I know–here we go again. Venus always wins right? But, is it possible that Venus lost a war to a planet not visible to the naked eye?

Ever since they fired Popeye, the service at Costa Cruiselines has been on a downward spiral.

Neptune seems to dissolve things it comes into contact with. The tight Neptune-Venus conjunction also points to the state of mind of the captain. The Moon was much too close to Mars in an opposition with Neptune-Venus in the eighth–the   captain's mind was preoccupied with the wrong vessel. The Moon, (mind) involved in a four-way opposition involving Mars-Venus and Neptune, indicated a heated-illusory-passion clouding the mind of the captain. Venus was dissolving into the primordial ocean of consciousness. This illusory, Neptunian distraction, led to the Venusian cruise ship to be dissolved into the primordial ocean. The Venusian feelings of relaxation and enjoyment experienced by the passengers, dissolved into Neptune-shock. Did Venus lose?

The strong passion combinations linked to the eighth would have prompted me to advise the captain not to eat clams, onions or garlic before the journey.

As for the captain, well, all I can say is that he makes captain Ahab look like a Jungian Zen priest.

 

The chart for the time of the accident, makes it all too obvious that this captain watched way too many episodes of the “Love Boat”.

The Ascendant, Mars and the Moon where placed within three degrees of each other in the sometimes euphoric star cluster of the Phalgunis. The symbol of the Phalgunis is a bed, another sign that this captain was asleep at the wheel because he wanted to bed a woman (Venus in seventh).

We look to the mid-heaven for leadership, but find a withdrawn debilitated Ketu. We look to the Sun for leadership, but find him fragmented, and sandhi at the Sag-Cap border. Thus, leadership lacked a solid foundation.

A scorpionic, exalted Rahu in the fourth, is being controlled by a double-pitta Mars–things unseen in the water that will “cut, attack” your vehicle unexpectedly.

The Vedic astrological chart of it’s embarkment, at first glance, looks like a typically good Muhurta for a sailing trip. One of the most basic rules for leaving by boat, is to set sail while the ascendant is in a watery sign or nakshatra. In this case the chart looks rather fitting, having both a watery ascendant rising (Cancer) and a watery nakshatra–Ashlesha.

Jai Hanuman Ki Jai

After ten years of exhaustive research, it has been determined that Popeye is indeed a descendant of Hanuman. A super strong vegetarian hero? Obvious genetic match. 

Here are just a few of the dozens of rules broken by the cruiseship when it  departed.

When the Sun lies to the back of Rahu and the Moon lies in front of him, the journey will be inauspicious and result in losses

When the Sun and the Moon are in the path of Moksha Nakshatras there will be many difficult obstacles in the journey

Being that the Moon occupied a southern nakshatra, rules of Parigha danda forbid northern travel.

Death will come to the person journeying if the Sun is Uttarayana and the Moon is Dakshinayana and the person goes North/East by night or South/West by Day.

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If it must be, one may try to find the proper time to leave on a night journey to all directions except North.

Add in the fact that the lord of the northern direction is in the 6^th house of accidents/injury at the onset of the journey.

 May Varuna lead the souls of all those lost, to the divine ocean of spirit.

OM NAMAH NEPTUNE

Many thanks to my Western Astrology teacher Linda Rouda.

Mercury Retrograde 2012–Beware The Ides of Mars

On Jan 23, 2012, Mars begins his journey retrograde at the last degree of Leo. He decides to journey back to Regulus to take in the royal scenery one last time before the end of the great 5,125-year Mayan Long Count cycle.

Saturn peeks over the fence to glance at Swati on February 7, and decides to have mercy on the constellation–for now. Saturn, will then make a long retrogressive journey backwards for a rendezvous with Mars at the brilliant star Spica(Chitra) on August 14. 

There explosive conjunction will be the bell that signals the last few chapters of 2012-that is when I am told my beloved sea monkeys will take their maha Samadhi. Om namah seamonkey.

Many of you are probably familiar with the shloka, “When Mars is retrograde in Leo, and Saturn is retrograde as well, a third of the world will perish.” There seems to be quite a few versions of this shloka floating around, but I can never find mention of the sage it is derived from. Basically, Saturn should not be in certain specific signs to fulfill the passage. Luckily for the world, Saturn retrograde in Virgo and Libra, while Mars retro is in Leo is exempt from the bad juju of that particular shloka. But it still leaves one question unanswered. Why were the sages so concerned with Mars retrograde in Leo?To heat things up even more, Mars will be the closest it gets to the Earth throughout all of 2012 on March 3.

 The incredible mathematics outlined in Kepler's Astronomia Nova include brilliant calculations of the oppositions of Mars.

On March 11, Mercury begins his retrogression cycle in a debilitated state. The hyperactive wunderkind will then cross backwards into Aquarius to become ensnared in a staring contest with Mars. Between April 2-4, Mercury will crawl to a halt, entering briefly into a stationary opposition with a slowing Mars. Adding more instability to the combination, Mars will be casting a malevolent aspect on Mercury the whole period as Mercury retrogrades out of, and then transits-direct back into his sign of debilitation (Pisces). All of these factors make this one of the most challenging Mercury retrograde cycles that can occur. A debilitated- retrograde Mercury, aspected by a fired-up triple-pitta Mars. My prediction:  someone somewhere is gonna get cursed-out big-time.

The last week of March is a time to contemplate all of your battles. Be they weight loss, financial, or emotional. The last week of March 2012 is an opportune time to reflect on and audit the nitty-gritty reasons and patterns that are behind all of our struggles and battles. It is one of the best times to create a battlefield sketch of all your conflicts–internal and external; and determine how you will fight, or end those conflicts.

 From March 23 through April 3, an interesting pattern that you do not see all that often colors the night sky. All the malefic and neuter planets will be retrograde, scattered throughout over 180 degrees of the zodiac, while the silver and gold planets (Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter) will all be direct, spanning the other half of the zodiacal hemisphere.

In other words, retrograde Saturn, Mars, Mercury, and Rahu will be scattered from Leo to Pisces, while the Sun, Moon, Venus and Jupiter will be placed from late Pisces to Cancer. In one half of the zodiac all planets move forward, on the other half of the mandala, all the planets will be moving backward. Kind of like the dynamic that contrasts progressives and republicans.

Unfortunately, this points to a major world crisis involving the concerns of many nations occurring in the last week of June, first week of July.

                                                              Yantra creation Mavis Gewant

For all you Leo Ascendants, It will be a time of secrets. Secrets between mothers, siblings, neighbors, children, students, and lovers will be a huge theme throughout this transit. If you have any difficulties with this period you can buy my book “Why Big Bad Leos Need to be Petted Like Little Tiny Putty Cats”.

For you Aquarianic Lagnas, don’t get caught having sex in a church or anything like that. Basically, don’t get caught with your hand in the nookie jar. Watch for scandals at work or in public places. Tread lightly at work and don’t offend your boss or clients. You can also read my book “ Why Aquarian Lagnas Need to eat Indian Food 24/7 to stay Grounded so They Don’t Float Away to Saturn”.

 The first fortnight of February and April will bring incredibly cold temperatures. Unreasonable freezing weather will attack southern regions not accustomed to having chilly temperatures. There will be damage to crops sensitive to cold. Oranges may not fair well. Regions of the Middle East that never get snow will get a fair share of the fluffy stuff.

Mid-April will bring biblical rain, wind and flooding.

Look for some heckling attacks from surprise places in the equity markets, and expect a 100-150 point correction in the S&P (1500 Dow) in March. Markets will likely rally in April and then encounter an even steeper correction in the last week of May–first week of June.

You will be hard-pressed to find a shloka that treats three retrograde planets in the sky lightheartedly. Especially, when those grahas are Mars, Saturn and a compromised Mercury.


Luckily for the world, The great Guru, Jupiter
will be shining his gracious light on Mars and Saturn, nullifying what would otherwise be a cataclysmic year in history.

Om Kraam Bhaumaya Namah

         Jupiter-Saturn opposition 2012

The Earth enters the gates of 2012, greeted by two of the great sages of the sky–Saturn and Jupiter. They lie on opposite ends of a billion and a half mile-wide expanse, drifting in a slow eccentric opposition.

Jupiter-Saturn interlinks can be quite volatile. From the Arab spring to the Occupy Wall Street movement, the Jupiter-Saturn opposition has been one of the top three astrological combinations catalyzing mass protest around the globe.

 We find very few hints that indicate the effects of Saturn-Jupiter interlinks in shastra. A couple of shlokas attributed to Parashara that reflect the protests of the last two years are: “The subjects will be highly displeased” and “the palaces (government buildings) will be overrun.”  Though these passages are specifically to be applied to their placement in  Krittika and Vishakha, it is one of the few writings I could find that mention the affects of their opposition.                                                

How bad can a Jupiter-Saturn interlink get? Well, last time they came together in 2000-2001, the presidency of the United States was ambushed, some funky court did fuzzy math, and Bush became president–that’s kinda bad.

There is a kinetic interplay of energies that push and pull when Saturn and Jupiter interlink. This is primarily because Jupiter’s nature is inherently expansive, while Saturn's is innately contractive.

Jupiter- Saturn interlinks unveil perspectives to gauge the borders of expansion and contraction in our life. How is my relationship to my career? Should I expand or contract it? What is my relationship to my loved-ones? What aspects of my relationship with them do I need to expand? What facets do I need to contract? Most importantly, what are my relationships to my thoughts and engrained habits, how should I expand or contract them? Jupiter-Saturn oppositions create an opportune time to objectively view and augment the boundaries of all aspects of your life. It is an opportune period to hone our skills at identifying the proper attitudes of liberality or conservativeness that we must constantly weigh in the judgements of our manifold interactions.

“If we do not accurately define our boundaries, then we cannot clearly contrast or identify the different meanings signified between the various objects or people that drift in or outside of those undefined boundaries”- tzitzilxa

Jupiter and Saturn began a lengthy opposition in 2010. Saturn and Jupiter interlinks primarily occur when Jupiter and Saturn are either conjunct or opposing. These “connections “ that Jupiter and Saturn form occur approximately 1 to 2 times every 10 years.

 The last time Saturn and Jupiter where interlinked was 2000-2001. Their conjunction lasted for several months and spanned two signs. In May of 2010, Jupiter and Saturn began engaging; off-and-on, intermingling across the span of 4 zodiacal signs over the course of the last two years.

 The next time Saturn and Jupiter interlink it will be in 2019. They will mingle on and off for two years affecting two signs. Interlinks can happen other ways, but those combos happen even less frequently than the previously mentioned two forms of intimacy.

Jupiter in Aries, is kind of like Santa clause. Saturn in Libra, is kind of like Gandalf.

        VS.

Jupiter in Aries indicates an expansion of Adyatmika–seeds of self expression, while Saturn in Libra indicates a controlled expansion, or contraction of Adibautika- what drives others to act and express. Their opposition on the Aries-Libra axis indicates a terse dynamic between personal freedoms, and the laws imposed by others. Thus, the boundaries that dictate personal liberties and birth-rights have exploded into a world-wide issue needing immediate legislative attention. The opposition of Saturn and Jupiter in these signs indicates a form of zodiacal naisargika dig bala. Only when Jupiter is in Aries, and Saturn is in Libra can this occur. Maybe this is one of the reasons why the sage chose the Krittika/Vishaka axis to highlight themes of their opposition.

Luckily, it is a nandana year of Jupiter; which helps to counteract, to some degree, many of the negative combinations that occur in 2012 with the golden grace, hope and guidance of the guru.

 Devanam cha rsinam cha guru kanchana shanibam

 Buddhibutam Trilokesham tam namami brihaspatim

                    A Diamond in the Rough

                               Saturn in the palace of the Jewel

On September 20, 2011 Saturn entered the lunar mansion of Chitra. His journey through Chitra will accompany historic change, progress and transformation through the year 2012.

The star that is the nexus of Chitra, was acknowledge by several cultures on many continents to be of paramount importance. In modern times the conspicuous gleaming star of Chitra nakshatra is commonly called "Spica."

Saturn’s transit through the nakshatra Chitra catalyzes a deeper reflection of how we have constructed the world around us. It polishes the internal mirror that reflects how our thoughts, actions and reactions have concretized into a physical reality we can see reflected in the world around us. It summons our objective mind to revisit the blue prints we have drawn that reflect our aspirations to harmonize the architecture of our lives.

Saturn’s transit through Chitra elicits an accounting of how we have designed the framework of our life. From the creations of our social circles, formation of our outward persona, to the structure of our living arrangements, and the environment that we have created in our immediate surroundings. Saturn’s transit through Chitra subconsciously interrogates our subjective enthrallments to allow a sobering reflection of what you have created in this life. How have you framed your world? And more importantly, what is it that you painted in the first place to constrict within the boundaries of that frame?

It is written that the Egyptians, who had temples attributed to have been built to Spica, counseled the Greeks to worship Spica as a remedy to resolve shortages of wheat and grain. The Arabs, Greeks, Egyptians and many other cultures held Spica in high esteem including religious and ritual ceremonies dedicated to Chitra.

 When we take a crooked path in our lives, Saturn attempts to reveal to us the passage that is more aligned to universal dharmic principles. The path of least resistance in the case of Saturn is the trail of persistence in integrity. Resisting the subtle yet often painful lessons that Saturn attempts to convey is to exacerbate the disjointed views and actions that fuel the downward spiral in evolution that we sometimes feel ourselves to be in.

Saturn’s transit through Chitra, also spurs one to reflect on excesses and how to curb them, or eliminate them altogether. Impulses to reflect challenging or unresolved personal issues with a psychologist or spiritual guide are also provoked by Saturn’s transit through the palace of the Jewel.

              On November 15 2011, Saturn enters Libra.

As Saturn transits from the Virgo portion of Chitra to the Libra portion there arises a focus on how we have drawn the blueprints of our life, but the themes switch from a reflection of how we have built the interactions to our ancestral lineage, arts, health routines, home, property, and diet, to how we have constructed the mechanism which responds to our connections in the world – our deals settlements contracts, business and social and romantic interactions.

Saturn’s journey through the Virgo portion of Chitra may focus on the more mercurial aspects of this concept such as written works, books, old leases needing renewal, old contracts, renovations, old art and construction projects needing completion.

Saturn’s transit through the Libra portion of this star cluster would likely be linked to new contracts, new designs, new projects and a new found transparency on the fractured nature of our relationships and contracts, both personal and business.

 On June 24, 2012 the mighty Saturn stations. In a stunning astronomical phenomenon, Saturn will appear to hover over the great jewel Spica for five days. Saturn will station, burning a hole at 28 degrees and 43 minutes of Virgo – just one degree from Spica. This causes major delays and reassessments of many construction projects, as well as art and writing projects.

On August 4 2012, Saturn heads across the threshold of Libra once again, blazing a new trail. But there is one caveat that accompanies this re-ingress into Libra. Major projects that have been started within the last year will see major delays, so make sure you give Shani some time and space to point out your shortcomings and overlooked details.

Unfortunately, Mars will enter Virgo to spar with Saturn for several weeks until they join to create a stunning spectacle in the mid-summer sky. On August 14, 2012, Mars and Saturn will conjunct in a beautiful alignment with Spica. The apparent magnitude of Mars, Saturn and Spica will be near equal, giving the conjunction the appearance of identical triplets in the sky, lined up equidistant to each other. Unfortunately, It appears that for many northern latitudes the explosive conjunction will not be visible. This potent conjunction will mar the latter half of August 2012, causing violent border disputes and terrorist attacks to monuments and art installations.

One theme that occurs when Saturn transits Chitra is the big-ego-smackdown.

There is a huge shift, or make–over that occurs. You are forced to confront aspects of your behavior that are overbearing to those around you. There is also the strong possibility that you have moved or thought of moving, experienced a shift in career, renovated, had to repair your surroundings, or have had a makeover; In fashion, make up, or career. It seems to spur one to adopt a new hairstyle, or cutting of the hair that changes your appearance. These themes have probably been introduced into your life to some degree since September 20 2011.

Saturn’s transit through Chitra spurs one to reflect on completion, from construction projects to art and music projects. A delay will occur in one of these fields.

When Saturn transits through Chitra there is danger to artist, writers and women.  Many scandals both government and social will orbit around writers and artists, and major persecutions will arise from political writings.

Oil and mineral mining are very active and profitable during Saturn’s transit through Chitra and Swati, but many hazards including severe destruction to the environment is indicated. Ironically, Saturn’s transit through Chitra also influences the initiation and building of environmentally friendly villages and cities.

Destruction of historic artifacts, monuments and artistic works of art overshadow this transit of Saturn through the lunar mansion Chitra.

Saturn’s transit through Libra causes intense windstorms throughout its roughly two and half year journey through Libra.

             

On October 11 of 2012, Saturn will spend his last day in the domain of Chitra. The great King of Dharma will not bask in the shimmering rays of the jewel Spica for another 

29 years.

Om Praam Preem Praum saha Shanaishcharya Namaha