The Sun, son of Aditi - courtesy of Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash
An Astronomical Lesson
This month the grahas themselves are teaching all who observe them their order—from closest to furthest from the Sun. The lesson begins before sunrise during the month of June and especially the last days of June when Mercury will be easier to see. This alignment of the five tārā grahas (true planets) in their exact order occurred last in 2002 and won’t happen again until 2040.
To add to this very beautiful sight, on June 24th, the crescent moon will be visible between Mercury and Venus. If you are fortunate enough to have a good clear Eastern horizon and it isn’t cloudy that day, you will be in for a special treat, one worth getting up to see.
The Paradox of the Sun
Would there be life on earth if not for the Sun? Haven’t untold generations worshiped the Sun as it rises each day, some chanting the famous Āditya Hṛdayaṃ quoted above? Among the three guṇas, isn’t it so that the Sun is classified as sattvic? Don’t many of the teaching examples in the Vedic tradition use the Sun as the metaphor for the all-pervading light of pure being or consciousness—ātman. Isn’t it true that the Gayatri mantra, the stotra that extolls the Sun, is considered to be a singularly sacred hymn?
Yes, all of the above statements are true. Then why is the Sun classified as a krura graha, a word usually translated as a natural malefic? As is often the case, the answer is embedded in a traditional tale in the Vedic tradition.
When it came time for the Sun (Sūrya) to marry, Saṁjñā, the beautiful daughter of Viśvakarma, the architect of the universe, was the perfect choice. As befitting such a spectacular couple, their wedding was in the palace of Viśvakarma with all of the devatas showering blessings on the couple. A golden palace was built by the father of the bride and the couple lived happily together for awhile. However, after some time, Saṁjñā could no longer bear the heat emanating from her husband. He was her beloved but she could not endure his presence. She finally had to ask him to reduce the intensity of his heat and radiance or she would have to leave. The tale goes on to describe the extraordinary circumstances in their marriage such Saṁjñā substituting her shadow as a stand-in wife. However, ultimately there was a workable conclusion. This story deals with the very quandary I have laid out. How do we view the Sun in a chart? A sattvic, kind (saumya) graha or a cruel (krura), malefic one?
The answer is that we, like Saṁjñā, need to deal with the reality that the Sun’s inherent nature is to burn. It is a star. That heat will burn where it is in a chart, not from malice but because the Sun is essentially a ball of fire. Yet it is also the absolute truth that the Sun is the source of light in our solar system and no life is possible in its absence. As it is pure light, it is sattvic and has all the attributes that flow from that. And they too will come shining through.
Swami Vivekananda: An Example of Resolving the Paradox
Swami Vivekananda was the brilliant disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who brought Vedanta out of India to the world. The power of his voice was legendary as evidenced by his speech in Chicago in 1893 at the first Parliament of World Religions. Upon uttering his first five words, “Sisters and Brothers of America”, the throng of thousands sprang to their feet in thunderous applause that lasted at least two minutes.
He was given the responsibility of carrying forward Ramakrishna’s mission at a very young age of 23 and made a Swami at 24. Having fulfilled his duties, he left this world at age 39.
Swami Vivekananda
The Sun in Swami Vivekananda’s chart is an excellent example of how this graha can operate at the most exalted level in life and yet be a detriment to the physical body and a contributor to his health problems. Let’s examine both of these ideas.
The Sun is the lord of the 9th bhāva of dharma and is utterly unafflicted in Swami-ji’s first bhāva. At 29° 25’ of Sagittarius it is vargottama and therefore strong. Note also that the 9th bhāva is likewise unafflicted. The puruṣārtha of dharma is dominant in his chart as he has Jupiter, Mars and Sun, the 3 dharma lords (rulers of bhāvas 1, 5, 9) in or aspecting the dharmasthānas (bhāvas 1, 5, 9). Furthermore, two of those lords, Mars and Jupiter, are in sambandha (mutual aspect).
His destiny as a renunciate is clearly seen by the fact that he was born into the very combination that forms a pravrājya yoga, a yoga for renunciaton. Saturn influencing the Moon in the natal chart while Moon is in a rāśi of Saturn or Mars in the Drekkāna (D-3) is one of the conditions for forming this kind of yoga. To actually be born into the daśā and bhukti of exactly those two grahas is stunning.
So much more can be said about this remarkable chart. But in the context of resolving the paradox, we can want to confirm how his powerful prominent Sun, the lord ot the principle bhāva of dharma, represents the exalted ideas laid out in his life above.
Yet it is also true that when the Sun is in the first bhāva, it is an indicator of physical issues for the native. The Sun burns. In this sense it is krura or cruel. As we saw in the story, the Sun’s wife Saṁjñā could not handle the heat. As the Sun is the kāraka of the first in the first, we have the principle of kārko bhāvo naśya - the kāraka in the bhāva it signifies is often deleterious. The Sun is also in the final degree of Sagittarius, Mrita avastha, which adds confluence for a loss of bodily vigor and health. His health declined precipitously in the Jupiter daśā. Note that Jupiter is afflicted by powerful natural malefic Mars, a good combination for dharma but not for health. It is also hemmed in by Saturn and Rahu.
Every chart will have the Sun in it and therefore contributes to the native’s destiny pattern. Will the problematic side be well contained and /or will its very lovely attributes shine through? This will be determined by the current of karma in each individual’s chart.
Media Corner: My Debut on Social Media
The inevitable did happen. I was invited to do a podcast on the YouTube channel of Anuradha Sharda, a well-known Jyotiṣi in India with a big online presence. It is linked below. Anuradha is a pleasure to work with and we are scheduled to record another one very soon. Please feel free to share this one and make a comment if you feel moved to do so.
“ Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future. ” - Robert H. Schuller
The Expanding Cosmic Kaleidoscope
I am thrilled to announce a new website that represents the vision of our saṅgha as it has grown over the last seven years. I hope you will enjoy meeting the awesome teachers who are partnering with me and creating the opportunity for students to pursue studies that are transformational and deeply respectful of the source. We hope those who visit will be inspired and the content will touch the minds and hearts of all of you. There is a very special surprise jewel somewhere in the website. Hoping you all find it. https://www.cosmickaleidoscope.com/
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
The immortal words of Emily Dickinson form a soaring metaphor for the resilience of the human spirit. Just a ray of sunlight, a hint of hope and the human spirit embraces even just the possibility that adversity can be conquered. Somehow that capacity for hope lodged deep in the soul gives strength and resilience even in troubled times.
The sweetness of hope is a unifying force capable of moving mountains. It is one of the most precious resources of a human being and when it moves to a collective, anything can happen. And it never asks a thing of us. It is just there. Here is the complete text of the poem that I hope resounds in all of your hearts over the coming months:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
The Race is On
I know I can’t get away with not showing the chart of Kamala Harris. This is not the forum for detailed predictions but a couple of comments on her chart are warranted, comments which might not be the run of the mill.
For example, I am struck by the symmetry of the graha distributions. Jupiter and Mars are on either side of the lagna followed by Venus and Moon being equidistant from the lagna in the 3rd and 11th and Sun/Mercury in the 5th equidistant from the lagna with Saturn in the 9th, completing the pattern. In śāstra there are specific descriptions of planetary distributions that constitute a number of yogas but they all exclude Rāhu and Ketu and are thus formed by the seven “true” grahas. They are known as Nābhasa Yogas.
Interestingly, if Mars and Jupiter were in the 1st and 7th, it would have been a Cakra yoga whereby the native would be “an emperor at whose feet will be the prostrating kings’ heads”! Ah so close but no cigar. However, along with the symmetrical pattern present in Harris’s chart, note that like the Cakra yoga, the seven grahas occupy six separate bhāvas.
This is known as a Dāma or Vardāma yoga meaning a garland or line. Not every Dāma yoga, however, is made in such a symmetrical way and that close to being a Cakra yoga. This symmetry might heighten the positive results that are indicated across the śāstras for the Dāma yoga—statements such as helpful to others, famous, generous, devoted to public welfare, patient etc.
The other comment I would like to make involves the Rāja Yoga of the 5th and 9th lord, which I have dubbed a “trikona rāja yoga”. It is formed by Venus and Saturn. This catches my attention for a couple of reasons. The first is that Harris is running a Rāhu daśā and Venus bhukti starting in February 2024 so this yoga will be operative. And even more importantly, transiting Saturn is back in its natal position recreating that yoga and will remain there until early spring 2025. I will leave it at that for now.
Media Corner - The Audacity of Hope
This seems like an appropriate time to revisit the book that changed history. Its message of hope caught fire and the messenger became the first African American president of the US. Perhaps history will repeat itself.
“ We cannot cure the world of sorrows but we can choose to live in JOY” - Joseph Campbell
The great Leonard Cohen penned a beautiful song called Anthem which is particularly relevant in times like this. I would like to highlight the chorus of this song as it is the inspiration for this particular newsletter written on the winter solstice. I have linked a video of him singing the entire song in The Media Corner.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in
I dedicate this newsletter to bringing in the light. How do we do it?
Studying the Light
There are many among you reading this newsletter who have an abiding interest in the ancient wisdom tradition of Jyotiṣa - the study of the lights of the heavens. The planetary patterns are a language. If we could but learn that language, we might understand and communicate the destiny patterns of own-selves, of others and even of great nations. For those inclined to bring in the light through this study, we would be honored to have you join our new student group beginning in January. https://www.cosmickaleidoscope.com/
Understanding the Light
There are probably many among you who have had their destiny patterns unfolded for them by skilled practitioners of Jyotiṣa. In that unfolding is the story of the play you wrote and how all of us come into this lifetime with an even measure of light (sattva) and darkness (tamas). Understanding the river of karma, which cannot be detected by our senses (adṛṣṭa) and yet propels us towards actions, is a powerful tool. Those actions can bring us grace (puṇya karmas) or create future obstacles (pāpa karmas). Conditioning patterns that are brought to the conscious awareness can be worked on whereas those operating below the conscious level may continue to undermine us. This is a rich source for moving towards a more illumined version of ourselves.
Spreading the Light
One of the great beacons of light comes from those who commit to what might be called “the yoga of the tongue”. This concept is taught in the Bhagavad Gītā, the Manusmṛti (a great text on dharma) and other śāstras. It addresses perhaps the most pervasive way that we turn away from the light. The ancient texts relate that the most important trait of a person who is sattvic is the one who does no harm—ahiṃsā. It is thought that the most harm is done through speech—something as simple as arguing and bickering all the way to hate speech that incites violence.
The yoga of the tongue is not easy but would change the world. The teaching is that considered speech would have three qualities. It would be appropriate (hitam bruyāt), pleasing or at least constructive (priyam bruyāt) and truthful (satyam bruyāt). One of my teachers demonstrated this in a riveting way when he brought us into a room where there was a lovely young girl of around 20 sitting with tears rolling down her cheeks. With fire in his eyes, he told us that some jyotiṣi said to this young girl “You will never marry”. Was this appropriate to say to a young girl especially if she did not ask about relationships? Violation of hitam. Was it constructive? Neither constructive or pleasing. Was it true? Possibly in the chart it might have shown an issue but two out of the three strictures were violated and great harm was done to this girl. Could some difficult patterns around relationships be communicated in a constructive way? Absolutely but that requires skill and a sense of timing along with the person asking for input in that area of life.
Being the Light
The great Vedānta guru Swami Dayananda Sarasvati always had an answer when someone came and asked what they should do. He said “do what needs to be done”. Implicit in that answer was always do what is dharmic. Dharma means to be in accordance with natural law, that which supports and upholds. Following dharma can be very inconvenient, but adherence to the golden rule brings in sattva as the very epithet “golden rule” implies. This concept appears in some form in all the great teachings be they religious or philosophical.
Thoughts From Others
In the days following the November election, there was and still is a lot of despair. I got communications from many seeking to contextualize, understand and come to terms with the consequences. Perhaps the most impactful is one I sent around right after the election but worth republishing for any who have not seen it. It is a Facebook posted by Rosa Harper, a student in our sangha and also studying Ayurveda.It spawned many responses some of which I include below:
“This morning as I was pondering what the purpose for this choice we made was and what the outcomes might be, my mind (as it so often does these days) circled back to Ayurveda.
The Ayurvedic perspective on disease and healing is elegant, simple, and all about balance. Disease starts with an imbalance. If the imbalance goes unchecked, disease will naturally spring up in the most vulnerable area of the system (which varies person to person). If still nothing changes and the environment (internal and external) continues to support the disease process, the death process will eventually come in to reestablish balance by taking things back to zero.
There are many ways to reverse the disease process. In the early stages simply applying opposites through diet and lifestyle can bring a system back into balance. If the imbalance continues to a point where disease has taken root (established qualitative changes in the tissues), the body actually starts to crave the very things that created the imbalance, making the road to healing even harder. This is an interesting phenomenon that seems like a mistake on the part of nature/biology, but might actually also be aimed at balance. It takes great will power to say no to an unhealthy craving. Exercising this willpower can awaken a great healing force within. Sometimes it takes a “wake up call” to summon the power of our own commitment to health and well being, as individuals and as a society.
Panchakarma is one of the primary tools used in Ayurveda to help reverse the disease process and restore balance to the body. Translated it means “five actions” and these actions are all purgative measures. I won’t get into the details of Panchakarma now, but I bring it up to point out that purgation is an essential part of the healing process. Some of the purgative measures actually involve provoking the causes of the imbalance first in order to bring them to the surface so that they can be eliminated (for my Ayurvedic friends, think of vamana therapy). Another classic example of the provocation method is bringing a boil “to a head” by the application of heat and other irritating substances.
As unflattering as this analogy is, it’s the best one I can find for our current situation. We’ve got some deep toxins that need to be purged. What American can honestly deny that? We had the choice to go in a direction that might have masked some of the symptoms for longer (but ultimately allowed the disease process to continue by avoiding real change), but we chose the option that seems likely to exacerbate the symptoms and bring them “to a head.”
There is a healing force underneath the inflammation, the puss, the discomfort and the embarrassment that I hope we are able to be present with and utilize. Can we face the giant boil as it shows itself? Can we look at what we have created in this country without fear and judgment? Can we approach it the way Mother Teresa’s followers approached the diseased bodies of their brothers and sisters on the streets of Calcutta? It’s going to take real maturity and some trust in a higher power.
I have to trust in what is happening and keep trusting in the intelligence of a system much larger than myself. After seeing the way people have responded to a crisis here (which is making the election seem almost trivial at the moment) I believe it is not only possible, it’s already happening.”
And here are some responses to this beautiful submission:
“It is always the light that arises and leads in our darkest moments”
‘This is a lovely reminder there are larger forces at work that we may not see at the moment. May grace flow through all experiences.”
“This really resonates. It’s what I have been coming back to, an abscess can’t heal unless it’s lanced and drained of the pus. It will take a lot of faith in a higher power. I am grateful for you taking the time to connect and to send comfort during this time of upheaval. The light with in me bows to the light with in you.”
“I have been leaning into the fact that we do not know the direction Reality will go with this new turn of events. But one thing I do know for sure: life always supports life, and endings are very much a part of that support.
We have been incredibly supported with the nurturing from this sangha and all the other teachers of how to apply grounded love and light in our lives. Now, we can put these gifts to use in the world. And we are endlessly supported in that.
Thich Nhat hanh said a garden will always produce refuse, but if you cut it away and put the refuse back into the garden it will make the garden stronger.
We will be challenged for sure! And we are supported by the greater force of life to meet these challenges and transmute/metabolize/nullify/digest the toxins of this world and allow Life to flow into its new creation that that endings always initiate.”
This is what we are being called to live. As we each digest and expel the refuse of the toxins in our lives and communities, the expression of the ground of Life and Being will get stronger. “
May we always recognize and lean into the unending support of that which is the Source of all. Om.🙏”
My profound thanks to all the contributors. I am constantly in awe of the beauty of your hearts and profoundly grateful that you have chosen to be part of this sangha.
“ Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future. ” - Robert H. Schuller
The Expanding Cosmic Kaleidoscope
I am thrilled to announce a new website that represents the vision of our saṅgha as it has grown over the last seven years. I hope you will enjoy meeting the awesome teachers who are partnering with me and creating the opportunity for students to pursue studies that are transformational and deeply respectful of the source. We hope those who visit will be inspired and the content will touch the minds and hearts of all of you. There is a very special surprise jewel somewhere in the website. Hoping you all find it. https://www.cosmickaleidoscope.com/
Hope is the Thing with Feathers
The immortal words of Emily Dickinson form a soaring metaphor for the resilience of the human spirit. Just a ray of sunlight, a hint of hope and the human spirit embraces even just the possibility that adversity can be conquered. Somehow that capacity for hope lodged deep in the soul gives strength and resilience even in troubled times.
The sweetness of hope is a unifying force capable of moving mountains. It is one of the most precious resources of a human being and when it moves to a collective, anything can happen. And it never asks a thing of us. It is just there. Here is the complete text of the poem that I hope resounds in all of your hearts over the coming months:
“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all - And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - And sore must be the storm - That could abash the little Bird That kept so many warm - I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And on the strangest Sea - Yet - never - in Extremity, It asked a crumb - of me.
The Race is On
I know I can’t get away with not showing the chart of Kamala Harris. This is not the forum for detailed predictions but a couple of comments on her chart are warranted, comments which might not be the run of the mill.
For example, I am struck by the symmetry of the graha distributions. Jupiter and Mars are on either side of the lagna followed by Venus and Moon being equidistant from the lagna in the 3rd and 11th and Sun/Mercury in the 5th equidistant from the lagna with Saturn in the 9th, completing the pattern. In śāstra there are specific descriptions of planetary distributions that constitute a number of yogas but they all exclude Rāhu and Ketu and are thus formed by the seven “true” grahas. They are known as Nābhasa Yogas.
Interestingly, if Mars and Jupiter were in the 1st and 7th, it would have been a Cakra yoga whereby the native would be “an emperor at whose feet will be the prostrating kings’ heads”! Ah so close but no cigar. However, along with the symmetrical pattern present in Harris’s chart, note that like the Cakra yoga, the seven grahas occupy six separate bhāvas.
This is known as a Dāma or Vardāma yoga meaning a garland or line. Not every Dāma yoga, however, is made in such a symmetrical way and that close to being a Cakra yoga. This symmetry might heighten the positive results that are indicated across the śāstras for the Dāma yoga—statements such as helpful to others, famous, generous, devoted to public welfare, patient etc.
The other comment I would like to make involves the Rāja Yoga of the 5th and 9th lord, which I have dubbed a “trikona rāja yoga”. It is formed by Venus and Saturn. This catches my attention for a couple of reasons. The first is that Harris is running a Rāhu daśā and Venus bhukti starting in February 2024 so this yoga will be operative. And even more importantly, transiting Saturn is back in its natal position recreating that yoga and will remain there until early spring 2025. I will leave it at that for now.
Media Corner - The Audacity of Hope
This seems like an appropriate time to revisit the book that changed history. Its message of hope caught fire and the messenger became the first African American president of the US. Perhaps history will repeat itself.
