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Volume 46, 2 October 2019

“Be yourself. You are so beautiful. Never before in creation has there been anyone exactly like you. You are unique in the whole universe - what could be more beautiful than that?”

Beginner Jyotisha and Sanskrit Classes Online

I will be starting a new Online Basics I class sometime this fall. There are still a few openings so please let me know if you are interested. I am also starting a new Beginning Sanskrit online class for those who want to learn correct pronunciation and how to read the devanagari script. Sanskrit grammar will be offered to those students who want to be able to access the texts without relying on a translator’s choice of a word or meaning of a phrase. Date and time for both of these classes to be determined by the students who wish to join. The maximum number is seven as my classes are very interactive.

Big Changes on the Horizon

As detailed last newsletter, the tight association between Saturn and Ketu in the rashi of Sagittarius is slowly on its way out though the actual separation won’t happen until January. One of the significant patterns that will shift is Saturn’s move out of the tight Kala Sarpa pattern that has been in place since the end of July.

In early November, Jupiter will be joining the Saturn-Ketu combination and as Sagittarius is Jupiter’s own rashi, Jupiter will be quite strong. Depending on other factors, those of you with Sagittarius rising who have had transiting Saturn and Ketu sitting on your ascendant might start to feel some relief. That relief will be twofold - the Saturn/Ketu combination will be softened by Jupiter and Jupiter will no longer be moving through the 12th house as the lord of the ascendant. However, there will be a period of time mid December to early January when Jupiter will be combust.

For those who enjoy sky watching, Jupiter and Saturn are easy to see this autumn from nightfall into late night. Mercury and Venus appear only briefly in the afterglow of sunset. Because Venus is not a bright evening star at the moment, Jupiter is center stage especially since it is close to the red giant star Jyeshtha (Antares). If you use binoculars, you might even be able to see one or more of Jupiter’s Moons.

Follow along the ecliptic east from Jupiter and Antares, and you will see Saturn who is going to be as bright as any of the bright zodiacal stars. It is, in star gazing parlance, around three fist-widths away from Jupiter. It is not as bright as Jupiter but since this particular patch of sky doesn’t have any other bright stars, it should be quite visible.

Whistleblowers: Can you see it in a Chart?

Thought this might be an appropriate time to do a little teaser on this fascinating subject.

What kinds of themes characterize whistleblowing? How about secrets and plots, research, scandal and manipulation? Sounds like a good place to start. Let’s add in some thefts, litigation, blame and reproach. And let’s not forget falls, loss, secret enemies and imprisonment.

Hmmm. Sounds a lot like the 8th house, the 6th house and the 12th house. Bingo. But we would also need a good dose of courage and ability to go against the grain.

Let’s examine these ideas in the chart of Edward Snowden who may now be relegated to second place in significance to the unknown whistleblower whose disclosures may bring on impeachment of the current president.

 

Snowden’s chart shows a highly intelligent person who nevertheless has a very unstable 8th bhava. All the malefics in the chart activate the 8th and there is no influence of any benefics. The 6th house holds a very powerful Saturn that influences all the dussthanas (3rd, 6th, 8th and 12th bhavas) as well as the lagna lord and Moon. And the 12th bhava is afflicted without relief with the lord going to the second bhava joining the other malefics influencing the 8th bhava.

His Saturn dasha began at 16 years old and it marked a big change in his life. At the time of his transformation into a whistleblower, Saturn was transiting the sixth house thus returning to its natal position during a virulent Sadhe Sati. The whole process of stealing the documents and releasing them occurred in his Saturn Moon, Saturn Mars and Saturn Rahu period. Mars and Rahu were also transiting the 6th house at various times in his process.

All the other dussthana houses are drawn into that power keg of a sixth bhava and the rest is history. Because of the unstable situation in the dussthanas, Snowden’s whistleblowing had dire consequences for his own life.

If you are interested in a much more detailed accounting of Edward Snowden’s story, the article I wrote on the subject is under the publications tab on my website.

The Media Corner: Love Knows no Boundaries

Here are two lovely videos demonstrating the transcendent nature of love. The first is self-explanatory. The second is the moment when a chimp is released in the wild. The older lady is the famed Jane Goodall.

Sorry for the inevitable ad at the beginning of one of them.