Vedic Astrology: The Eclipses of JULY, 2019

July 2019  features some significant planetary action to report. (And yes, I’m late in posting this; chalk it up to my move on 6/30!)  Can you handle TWO eclipses, THREE retrograde planets and THREE planets combust (too close to) the Sun, all in the same month? If so, read away. And hey, “I don’t make the rules; I just work here.” Reporting what’s up so everyone can be prepared.

July 2nd featured the total SOLAR ECLIPSE. It was visible only in the South Pacific and parts of South America, mainly Chile and Argentina. Even though people here in the West run to catch a view of eclipses,  in Vedic Astrology, they are considered inauspicious. They symbolize one of the demon/Rakshasa nodes of the Moon (either Rahu or Ketu) trying to “swallow” and put out the Light and life of one of the luminaries, the Sun or Moon. This time it was Rahu (north node of the Moon), trying to swallow the SUN. But since the luminaries are immortal, they escape that grip. Generally effects are worse where an eclipse is visible. In ancient cultures they found that these celestial messengers, including comets and meteors, would symbolize war, the death of a beloved leader, or earth changes. Citizens were advised not to look at an eclipse, not to eat during one, nor to let their bodies be within the rays of the eclipsed Orb. According to Indian Vedic Astrologers I have worked with, the effects of an eclipse last from two weeks before to two weeks after. Some even say from one month before to one month after! Those who would feel the most impact from this eclipse are those with Leo Rising or Moon signs, as the Sun rules their charts. This occurred in the sign of Gemini, thus those with this Ascendant or Moon sign could have also experienced some low energy.

July 7th – MERCURY GOES RETROGRADE. Oh yes, here we go again. And it lasts until July 31st. Mercury is currently transiting water sign Cancer, along with Mars (which is in its sign of debilitation). For those ruled by Mercury, the Geminis and Virgos, at least this represent good house placements for them. Once again, everyone needs to bring to mind the need to be tactful and have diplomacy. But with fiery Mars conjunct the planet that represents communication, that will be a lot to overcome.  Be careful with all communication devices, or you could end up sending a text or email to an unintended person! The Mercurial natural sense of logic may be influenced by emotions now, due to going through the sign of Cancer. When a planet is retrograde the energy turns inward, more self reflective, or internalized. Saturn and Jupiter already have been retrograde for some time now. Problems and aggravations seem to be enhanced during these cycles. During these retrograde periods, we often have an opportunity to revisit and rework matters we thought we’d already completed or had a handle on. I guess a positive way to look at it is that retrogrades bring second chances.

July 8th – Benefic VENUS, currently in the sign of Gemini, along with Rahu and the Sun, now goes Combust, i.e. traveling too close to the Sun. This reduces its ability to be at its best in terms of generating the usual Venusian qualities that bless our lives: luxury, comforts, affection, pleasures and desires, as well as social behavior. Passion can still be there, with that Rahu conjunction, but be wary of making decisions in haste regarding relationships at this time.  This combustion lasts until September 19th, which is a long time for Venus to be so affected. 

July 11th – MARS goes combust.  Tempers may flare, and as this planet represents the action priniciple,  deeds can be “done in haste” and repented later. Better to attempt to maintain equanimity despite such challenging planetary events this month, if possible. Stay cool, both physically and emotionally. A nice cool dip in the pool, or iced beverage may be just the thing to chill out some now.  Of course, if you have a beach trip planned, these various planet combination are apt to open the door to hurricanes or tropical storms, so stay on top of the weather reports, before you travel.  This Mars combust status lasts until August 8th. And of course Mars is currently sitting in Cancer, its sign of debilitation. It is just not at its best this month.

July 13th – MERCURY becomes the third planet this month in Combust status.  Ruling speech as it does, words may be said that one later regrets, added to the Mars-influenced actions mentioned above.  The Mercury combustion lasts until July 29th.

July 16th – SUN enters Cancer, joining Mars and Mercury there, and adding to the “heat” those with Cancer Rising or Moon signs are already feeling. At least it may be good for finances as the Sun rules the second house of wealth for Cancerians. That’s something.

July 16-17 – A partial LUNAR ECLIPSE occurs. MDT this will occur from 12:43 to 6:17 p.m.  However, we are fortunate not to have it visible here. Areas of visibility will be: Australia, S. America, most of Europe and Asia.  There will be some slight partial visibility in the very southern tip of Florida and uppermost eastern New England. The Moon represents mind and emotions, so when the light is “put out” for that brief time, those arenas get affected. It is a good time to dive deeply into some spiritual insights and reset one’s compass, if the need for that becomes apparent during one’s time of reflection.

July 23 – VENUS enters Cancer, stirring up romantic and affectionate feelings within those with this Rising or Moon sign.  Especially considered that Mars is already sitting there. This type of conjunction usually brings in romance!  The desire for comforts and luxuries may also increase for those born under this domestic, compassionate sign.

July 29th – Mercury becomes non-combust (see above).

July 30th – Mercury retrogrades all the way back into the previous sign, Gemini, which is its own sign, and it is comfortable there. This will assist the Gemini Rising and Moon sign people to gain some mental clarity, which Rahu traveling there has muddied to some degree. 

July 31st – MERCURY GOES DIRECT MOTION. And on that cheery note ends the month of three combustions, three retrograde planets and two eclipses!  Communications and commerce can now roll forward with greater ease and success. Plus the Geminis and Virgos will feel more like themselves now.

All the best, from the Sunshine Corner, here in Boulder, CO.  Tel: 720-448-3742.  Your referrals are appreciated; thank you!  Services I offer include: natal chart readings, yearly updates, couples compatibility or astrocartography (location) readings.  If you would like to book an appointment for yourself, or as a gift for someone, please call me, and we can schedule a 90 minutes session, which you are welcomed to record.  Mary Stevenson, Vedic Astrologer, http://www.vedicstarcharts.com 720-448-3742 healingevents@yahoo.com

Vedic Astrology Planets of June

Summer is off to a nice start, and June should be a fairly mild month in terms of the dance of the planets, compared to July with two eclipses coming up then.

I feel to remind everyone that however the planets are aligned in your natal chart, we all came in with just the perfect set up to accomplish our soul’s purpose in this life.  Having looked at many thousands of birth charts in these past thirty years, I am filled with compassion and respect for the courage it took to pile on our plates various karma and challenges. I thoroughly believe that our soul selects the date, time and place to be born, just as it selects the family into which we are born.  As we progress in our journey, don’t we all look back and see how much we have grown, having learned valuable lessons from the most difficult chapters of life? The planets create the timing of those chapters, but it is we who wished to walk through them in our human form and set up those conditions prior to birth.

6/08/18 – VENUS moves into water sign Cancer, bringing some relief to this sensitive sign, which has been bombarded with the roller coaster ride that lunar node RAHU has brought to those with this Rising or Moon sign since 9/09/17.  Venus represents love, affection, beauty, the Arts, and comforts, so brings these experiences to Cancerians now. Rahu stands for passion, among other things.  The combination of these planets conjunct in Cancer may bring some delightful surprises to our Cancer friends. Venus remains in this sign until July 4th.

6/09/18 – MERCURY enters its own sign of Gemini, bringing greater intellectual clarity and empowering those with Gemini Rising or Moon signs.  To have the ruler of their sign now in their first house strengthens these individuals. It is also very good for Virgos, also ruled by Mercury, as it will now be transiting their tenth house of career, power, name and fame. Both signs may feel more playful now (especially the Geminis) and communication should be flowing. Projects dealing with commerce, i.e. buying and selling, will also flourish more.

6/15/18 – The SUN begins its one month journey through Gemini today, joining its friend Mercury there.  Leos should enjoy this influence of the lord of their charts passing through their eleventh house of income, gain and fulfillment of desire.  Geminis gain more energy and will be busy with numerous projects.  The Sun brings a lot of “heat” their way though, so it’s important not to get overheated physically and also avoid arguments and quarrels as the ego could feel strong right now. 

6/17/18 – More good news for Geminis and Virgos, as Mercury becomes non-combust the Sun today. This is beneficial, overall, for all of us, helping communication become smoother, more tactful and diplomatic.

6/25/18 – MERCURY enters Cancer. Still good house placements for our Mercury-ruled friends, Gemini and Virgo. This is the second house of wealth, family and communication for Geminis, connecting them in a positive fashion with these areas of life. It is the eleventh house of income and gain for the Virgos.  Enjoy it while it lasts!  Cancer Ascendant and Moon people may feel more chatty than usual, and engage in some writing. They may also feel a little more inward though, since Mercury rules their twelfth house of seclusion or isolation. Foreign travel could be a possibility.

6/26/18 – MARS becomes Retrograde. Already situated in Capricorn, its sign of Exaltation, which has made it plenty strong, now Mars becomes even more powerful. It rules Scorpios, and this third house position will make them feel courageous, active, having ambition and drive to get much accomplished. Though we cannot forget that it is traveling there with tricky Ketu. These two planets are now, and will be then, within close proximity by degree. Thus Ketu absorbs even more Mars energy. In a way, it is like having TWO Mars planets in this Earth sign! Good luck with that, Capricorns. You know what I mean.  Harness the energy, is my advice, without letting it go sideways on the wild goose chases that Ketu may like to introduce. Mars helps you have clear focus and helps your ambition, drive and ability to accomplish things now, too.  As I cautioned one client with Capricorn Ascendant, Mars can also bring accidents….and the client reported that a fender bender did occur. Ketu just brings in a tricky, monkey wrench component to practical Capricorns’ best laid plans!  Mars also rules Aries, and for those with this Rising or Moon sign, this position is your tenth house of career, name and family, position and personal power. Thus this transit can support your goals well, as long as you keep the Ketu influence in mind. One thing Ketu can bring is addictions of some type. So all Ascendant and Moon sign people referred to in this paragraph certainly need to be mindful to stay away from those.

All the best, from the Sunshine Corner, here in Boulder, CO.  Tel: 720-448-3742.  Thank you for any referrals you may send me.  I offer many services such as: natal chart readings, yearly updates, couples compatibility or astrocartography (location) readings.  If you would like to book an appointment for yourself, or as a gift for a family member or dear one, please call me, and we can schedule a 90 minutes, recorded session.  Thank you, Mary Stevenson, Vedic Astrologer, healingevents@yahoo.com

 

 

Jupiter photo

The Four Retrograde Planets of April, 2017

It’s a really “happening” month with planet changes, so keep your seat belts fastened.

4/05/17 – SATURN goes Retrograde. This is our slowest-moving planet. Changes he makes are significant, often affecting broad segments of society from law enforcement to the working class, and laws concerning same.  Saturn has been transiting fire sign Sagittarius since January 26th. This has been a wonderful let-up for those with Scorpio Moons (especially) or Rising Signs, where it had been stationed for over two years.  Capricorn and Aquarius are the signs ruled by Saturn. The retrograde motion may make them have to work harder to reach their goals.  Now we have three planets in retrograde motion. There will more explanation of retrograde planets, in general, below.

4/09/17 – MERCURY goes Retrograde.  Yes, here we go again. This condition will last until May 3rd. Virgo and Gemini are the signs ruled by Mercury. They get affected in the following ways:  With Mercury crossing Aries at this time, that is the 11th house for Geminis. Thus income may actually see some nice increase now. However, the Virgos do not fare so well, as Aries is their eighth house.  Whatever “transformations and vulnerability” they may have been going through since March 26 when this transit began, could intensify now.  This could affect the areas of career and health. Mercury retrograde can cause confusing and misunderstandings, in general.

4/09/17 – On this day, we now have FOUR planets in retrograde motion, which is the appearance of going backwards. Already, the great benefics Jupiter and Venus have been retrograde for some time. As we see above, Saturn goes retrograde on 4/05 and now Mercury on 4/09.  That is a LOT of “backwards motion”!  Those ruled by Venus (Libra, Taurus) and Jupiter (Sagittarius, Pisces) have already been having the opportunity for some introspection and re-examining any old issues that had not been previously totally resolved.

Now we have those ruled by Saturn (Capricorn, Aquarius) and Mercury (Gemini, Virgo) in that same boat.  It is best to view circumstances that arise now as impersonally as possible, not letting emotions cloud our thinking, or actions.  It is a time to use caution and patience, not going with urges or rash, quick decisions.  It may indeed feel like affairs are “going backwards” or “just marking time” in your life, but once each planet moves forward again, and crosses the degree it had reached at the moment it went retrograde, the time is ripe for reaping the harvest of our actions and hopefully noticing some new advantage and perspective that we may have ignored earlier, to help propel us towards our goals. This is a time when many “buried” behind-the-scenes actions in government or elsewhere could be revealed and come to light, with the end goal of cleaning up many messes.

4/12/17 – MERCURY goes into combustion with the Sun.  Thus there is the double whammy of this planet which rules communication, tactfulness and commerce being both retrograde and too close to the Sun for comfort, at the same time. You know what that means, Virgos and Geminis, as you’ve gone through this type of cycle many times before, but it is never comfortable. Hang in there!

4/12/17 – MARS moves into Taurus.  In the previous transit of the sign of Aries, Mars was very strong and feisty, since Aries is its own sign, bringing out some war-like, competitive qualities of Mars.  Taurus is the second house for those with Aries Rising or Moon signs and connects them to wealth, family and communication, so not a bad transit at all. For Scorpios, who are also ruled by Mars, this will be a good transit, too, representing their seventh house of business, partners, travel and marriage, connecting them more with these important arenas of life.

4/13/17 – The SUN enters Aries. Here the Aries Rising and Moon sign people had just gotten rid of one fiery malefic planet (though Mars is a “functional benefic” for them, since it rules their charts),  only to have another one move into their sign. The Sun is in its sign of Exaltation here and thus very happy and powerful. This is a positive placement for the Leos, as the Sun rules their chart and will now be transiting their very best house, the ninth house of good luck, good fortune, dharma, Natural Law, remedies and pilgrimage. This transit will bring out leadership qualities in those with Aries Rising or Moon signs, though their egos could be a bit overbearing now.

4/15/17 – VENUS gets out of retrograde and goes direct motion. This will bring a sense of progress and moving forward for the Libras and Taureans.  Now we will be down to just three retrograde planets, which is still quite a lot!

4/27/17 – MERCURY gets out of combustion with the Sun. This helps communication across the board for everyone, and is especially helpful to those with Virgo or Gemini Rising or Moon signs.

Blessings of the planets to you, from the Sunshine Corner in from Sedona, AZ.  Tel. 928-284-4060.  Thank you for any referrals you may send me.  I offer many services such as: natal chart readings, yearly updates, couples compatibility or astrocartography (location) readings.  If you would like to book an appointment for yourself, or as a gift for a family member or dear one, please call me, and we can schedule a 90 minute, taped session.  Thank you, Mary Stevenson, Vedic Astrologer, healingevents@yahoo.com. vedicstarcharts.com

 

 

March 2017 Planet Positions – Venus goes retrograde 3/04/17

We are all ready for Spring, right?  Before I get into the new planet movements for March, in case you are on Twitter, please follow me @VedicStarExpert – hope to see you there! What a nice change, to get away from February, which brought the two eclipses.

3/01/2017 – MARS moved into its own sign of Aries where it is very strong. It gives the Aries Rising and Moon chart people much energy, drive and ambition. Just watch out for some rashness, impatience and temper issues. For Scorpio, which Mars also rules, this represents your 6th house of enemies, rivals and competitors, helping you overcome same.  You may have to confront some delays, until Mars moves on 4/12/17.

3/04/17 – VENUS goes retrograde. It remains in its sign of Exaltation, Pisces. This brings happiness to the Pisces and Taurus Rising and Moon signs. Still some worries for the Libras, since this is your 6th house.  It will go forward into direct motion on 4/14/17. It stays in Pisces until 5/30/17.

3/10/17 – MERCURY enters Pisces, joining its friend Venus there.  In this sign, Mercury’s dignity is “debilitated” meaning it feels weakest in this sign. However, the fact that it is sitting with an Exalted planet grants “Neechabhanga yoga” which contributes to cancellation of debilitation. At least Pisces does represent very good houses for both signs that it rules, Virgo and Gemini.

3/14/17 – The SUN enters Pisces now as well, for a one month stay. For Leos, the sign that the Sun rules, this unfortunately is your 8th house of vulnerability and transformation, thus not the most comfortable transit. Already Venus in this sign has been multiplying how vulnerable you may feel, since it’s been in Pisces.

3/20/17 – VENUS goes combust the Sun. This is a brief, ten day period, ending on 3/30/17.  Times of combustion bring a tendency for feeling more irritated than you normally would, with less tactfulness, for the signs ruled by Venus, which are Taurus and Libra.

3/21/17 – MERCURY gets out of the combustion period that it has been in since 2/16/17,  bringing relief to those ruled by Mercury, which are Gemini and Virgo, and improved communication in general.

3/26/17 – MERCURY enters Aries. Here, it is out of its debilitated status so communication for everyone should improve. For Geminis, this represents your 11th house of gain, income and fulfillment of desire, so enjoy it while it lasts! For Virgos, however, this is your 8th house of transformation and vulnerability, which may be experienced on either the physical level, the feeling level or in terms of your business, since  for you Mercury also rules your 10th house of career. It will stay here all the way to June 3rd, due to a Mercury Retrograde period coming up next month.

Blessings of the planets to you, from the Sunshine Corner in from Sedona, AZ.  Tel. 928-284-4060.  Thank you for any referrals you may send me.  I offer many services such as: natal chart readings, yearly updates, couples compatibility or astrocartography (location) readings.  If you would like to book an appointment for yourself, or as a gift for a family member or dear one, please call me, and we can schedule a 90 minute, taped session.  Thank you, Mary Stevenson, Vedic Astrologer, healingevents@yahoo.com. vedicstarcharts.com