Full Moon – October 2019

The Moon – presiding deity of the mind – is in Pisces, a sign ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter and Moon are in relationship as they are in 5/9 aspect to each other. This allows Jupiter to lend its energies to the Moon and multiply what Pisces makes available: sensitivity, psychic skills, dreams, aspirations, wistfulness, and to some extent, escapism. Moon is of Kapha (watery nature) and finds itself home in watery Pisces. However much we may wish to have our heads in the clouds – aided no doubt by Jupiter’s largesse, we need to be grounded, and there is little help for grounding at this time except for the personal efforts we put in to be in touch with Gaia, Mother Earth, Mother Nature. So a time for the short morning meditation on Mother Earth for grounding.

Saturn and Mars are in mutual aspect (again). Mars in Virgo sends its 4th glance to Saturn in Sagittarius, who in turn, sends its tenth glance to Mars in Virgo. Although Saturn is conjunct Ketu, they have parted ways and no longer with degree of each other. So while Saturn might be feeling the heat from Ketu and Mars (the vedanga rule is Ketu behaves like Mars) Saturn does very well with the energy of Jupiter’s sign and raises its mantra with stolid resilience: follow dharma, fulfil your duty and responsibilities, and thereafter enjoy your rights. Many might not like what Saturn has to signify in Sagittarius, but that is not going to change the energy flow, the magnetism, the refraction of light that Saturn gives here.

Jupiter in the second house signifies a certain wealth that is available within. This wealth is veiled, shielded, hidden from us. The wealth of our true nature – Atma – is hidden from us though the activity of the mind, the outward going attachments, desires and imaginations taken up by the mind. Jupiter in Scorpio asks us to examine ourselves and seek the answers to “Who am I”, “How did I get here”, “Where am I going” and “What path shall I take towards the goal”? These questions are important for each and every individual, for our lives should have purpose and we should be living in fulfilment of that purpose instead of aimlessly sleepwalking through our life.

Jupiter asks us to enter into the mystery of human life, our origins, and the inner discovery of the self that leads us to the immortal goal, the Self.

In the navamsha (D9) at this time of Full Moon (navamsha is more relevant for those older than 48 years) the lagna is in Gemini, the sign of the twins – the forces going in different directions. Sun is at home in the third house, Leo, and moolatrikona, with more strength – where Sun is aspecting both Jupiter and Moon in Aquarius. Mercury is in the 11 house and debilitated in Pisces, and additionally debilitated by being in the Rahu-Ketu axis. Communications will suffer and be weak. Make sure that misunderstandings do not come about due Mercury and Rahu in conjunction.

Looking to other planets in the Navamsha , Saturn is exalted and in mutual aspect to Mars (again) so this Saturn-Mars tension and enmity suggests that we need to make sure we don’t put a target on our backs and give people cause to attack us for any reason. The navamsha full moon is in the 9th house, in Aquarius, and conjunct Jupiter, a beautiful place for both planets as they aid spiritual endeavour and exploration of the inherent divinity within.

Valmiki Jayanti

Sage Valmiki, is known as adi kavi or the first poet, and is celebrated as the author of the Hindu epic Ramayana – a story of triumph of good over evil by following dharma, right conduct. Valmiki’s birth anniversary is celebrated as Valmiki Jayanti.

Valmiki Jayanti holds religious significance as it celebrates the contribution of Maharishi Valmiki. He had authored some incredible works that include Ramayana and several Puranas. The celebration of Valmiki Jayanti is a tribute to a sage who conquered his limitations and encouraged the masses to fight against social injustice. He propagated the values of Lord Ram and recognised him as a man of penance.

Rituals/ Celebrations:
Several processions carrying the portrait of sage Valmiki are taken out in towns and villages. Devotees worship him by offering prayers on this day. Recitation of Ramayana is held in temples of Valmiki. There are several temples dedicated to Maharishi Valmiki in India. On the occasion of Valmiki Jayanti, the temples are magnificently decorated with flowers. Kirtans and bhajan are organised in the temples. Devotees also visit Lord Ram temples and recite few verses of Ramayana in reminiscence of Maharishi Valmiki. The food is distributed to the poor. Valmiki Jayanti is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Processions, meetings, and distribution of food are arranged at many places. Many devotees also take out processions in honour of Maharshi Valmiki. Th temples of sage Valmiki are decorated with flowers. Many devotees visit Lord Ram temples and recite verses from Ramayana in memory of Maharshi Valmiki.

Meera Bai (Mirabai) Jayanti

Mirabai was a Hindu mystic poet of the Bhakti movement. She referred to the Lord, whom she saw as her husband, with different names like Satguru, Prabhu Ji, Giridhar Nagar, Krishna. She even called him the husband of her soul. Despite facing criticism and hostility from her own family, she lived an exemplary saintly life and composed many devotional bhajans. Mirabai is representative of the Bhakta tradition of sacred poetry.

In the tradition of the troubadour, the wandering minstrel, and the Singer of Songs, comes Mirabai, Rajput Princess, famous for her bhaktha poems, her day-long sitting in front of Krishna at Temples, and her wanderings, seeking Lord Krishna. Mirabai’s poems and love songs are sung in many temples, in India. Her spiritual peers were Tulsidas and the blind Surdas.

Recalling greatly honoured women bhaktas, Mirabai stands among Radha and Sukkabai. She is more popularly known as Bhaktha Meera. She achieved mergence through her persistent and complete, all-consuming devotion to Krishna.

 

 

Celebrations and Rituals:
There are no temples dedicated to Meera Bai. She is considered as an epitome of devotion. Every year, on the auspicious occasion of Meerabai’s birth anniversary, the Chittorgarh district officials along with Meera Smriti Sansthan or the Meera Memorial Trust, organise a three day long Meera Mahotsav, where eminent musicians and singers take part. The puja rituals, discussions, musical events are held during these three days. In other parts of the country, Temples of Lord Krishna organises special pujas and kirtans featuring the beautiful lyrical bhajans of Meerabai.

Full Moon Meditation

The Hierarchy have advised us that the times of the Full Moon are times when energy is magnified, and multiplied. Groups sitting together in meditation on peace, harmony, goodwill towards all have a manifold affect on the energies surrounding our planet when they do this on the Full Moon day. If it is not possible to do so on the actual day, then, we have been told, the day before or the day after will also serve as days of excellence in sending out positive harmony, peace and helpful energies to all places on our Earth.

Meditating on light can raise the level of light within the individual. Meditating on light for our home, Planet Earth, can raise the level of light in places where this is needed. For LIGHT can be, as you know when you turn on a light in a room it has different voltages in different countries – in some countries it is brighter – sometimes it is darker. In a way, the Light in each individual on this Earth is the same. Sometimes it is brighter and sometimes it is darker. Such meditation is always of help to others.

News has come forth that light is expanding and brighter from the Supermassive Black Hole of our galaxy, Sagittarius A. So for this month we will have the Black Hole Meditation for this month:

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Black Hole Meditation

Question: How do I turn within?

Reply: Go inside in any given cell. Choose any one cell and concentrate on it.

Question: Can I take a cell in my knee, for instance?

Reply: Yes, cellular consciousness is one and the same in every cell of your body and Atmic consciousness is one and the same in every cell on earth. Visualise a schematic picture of the cell. Take an ellipse form, and realise that this ellipse is infinitesimally smaller than the one you visualise. Now visualise in the cell, space as you know it – the universe with all its stars and planets. Then visualise in that space an infinitely small point, turned upon itself.

Question: A sort of black hole?

Reply: Yes, a sort of black hole, but then one which gives energy. That is the Atma-point. Visualise the Atma-point in each cell as a reversed black hole – as the source of everything.

Comment: When I close my eyes and try it, I see a black sky with stars and one tiny point from which energy gushes up as a sort of fountain.

Reply: Go now to a cell of your throat.

Question: The space there is much lighter. It is as if the sun is shining there.

Reply: You have arrived at the throat-chakra. In essence each cell in itself is a power-station of energy. But in the chakras there is a large assembly of energies.

From now on do this exercise at the end of each morning and evening meditation. That is the way to unity. Try to do it as often as possible. You can do it more often if you feel like it. It is always possible; in any place, at any time, during any activity.

It is not about your knee though, or about your throat or any other body-part. It is about each individual cell, which is enormously magnified in order to visualise it, but which you know to be infinitesimally smaller.

You may also concentrate on the atoms in the cells. For what you really concentrate on is neither cell nor atom. You use these ideas as metaphors for what it is really about. It is really about the Atma, which is in every atom, in every cell, in every being. The Atma is the all-penetrating force which cannot be expressed in an earthly substance, but which gives existence to all that is.