New Moon in Pūrva Bhādrapada
Dance of Shiva and Kali-1778-1882 artist unknown
The Star of Single Mindedness
In the Nakṣatra of Pūrva Bhādrapada
March 10th at 5:00am ET
At 26° of Aquarius
Deity- Aja ekapada, name for the Sun God.
Yajamana udyamana shakti-the power to spiritually uplift the sacrificer
Symbol- A man with two faces, up and down, one looking to the past and one to the future
aja ekapād udagāt purastāt | viśvā bhūtāni pratimodamānaḥ | tasya devāḥ prasavaṃ yanti sarve | proṣṭhapadāso amṛtasya gopāḥ | vibhrājamānas samidhāna ugraḥ | āntarikṣam aruhad agan dyām | taṃ sūryaṃ devam ajam ekapādam | proṣṭhapadāso anuyanti sarve || 25 ||
“The Leader Aries (Ram) of one foot rose in the East,
Rejoicing at all the beings [here].
His movement all the gods join,
[especially] those of Proshthapada constellation,
the guardians of Immortality.
Being ignited, shining wide and strong,
[He] grew up in the middle world, reaching to heaven.
Him as the Sun God, Leader on One Foot,
All Proshthapadas follow.”
-Nakṣatra Sukta translation by Vladimir Yatsenko
Today's New Moon falls in the lunar stars of Purva Bhadrapada, representing the funeral pyre, the burning of bodies, and the cremation ground. This is one of the most complex, and harsher of the lunar asterisms. These stars often prompt a type of existential crisis in the wake of loss, endings or tragedies. Because only one thing is for certain, death will find us all. If you are feeling lost amongst the storms of sorrows, unable to make sense of the harsh cruelty of the world, and wondering if there is a god at all…you may be feeling the energy of this New Moon.
The deity for this star is Aja (unborn) Ekapada, a name for the sun, one of the 11 Rudras, as the fierce forms of Shiva. Shiva represents destruction in the trinity of Creation (Brahma), Sustenance (Visnu), and Dissolution (Siva). This is a star of transcendence, which can unsettle and churn everything up in the process of prompting a deeper internal and external process towards life. This star seeks only that which is eternal, extending beyond the body, and human experience.
Things I think of, when I think of Shiva… The feeling of timelessness. The space that holds the whole universe circling in slow motion. The nothing that gives rise to all experience, safely holding all the heavens in his hands. The magic that can transform any one thing or experience back to its original form. Peace in silence. Creating a sphere of protections for all beings, and reverence for this tiny little blip of a life.
Have you ever looked up in the dark cold night? In chills, I think of you Shiva, look at all the world's you hold, keeping everything in it’s proper place until it’s time to go. How could I ever lose faith in you? You reach deep into the infinite, taking us beyond what the eyes can see, and the hands can touch. Let us know you, here, as a protector of this mother earth again.
“Whatever is here (in man) is there (in the universe).
Whatever is there is here.
The one who does not see this identity wanders from death to death.”
-Katha Upanisad, II,1,10
Pūrva Bhādrapada spans 20° of Aquarius- 3°20 of Pisces, this New Moon falls in the Aquarius portion of the lunar asterism. Pūrva and Uttara Bhādrapada are a twin set of nakṣatras representing the front and back legs of a funeral cot. In the karmic wheel of time that is the zodiacal belt (the stars the whole solar system travels through by sight), this is the part of the sky that is associated with the journey beyond the body and the spirits return to source.
The yogatārā, marker star for Pūrva Bhādrapada is lambda piceum at 2° of Pisces. Alpha pegasus a brighter star in the great square of Pegasus above this star is a helpful pointer star to locate this dark patch of the zodiac. There is sort of pentagram and bed shape in this faintly lit region, that can be seen as a funeral cot, the symbol for these twin stars.
In the space between the dead of winter and the dawn of spring on the coming Equinox on March 19th, we live for one passing moment in the equilibrium of daylight and nightlight. Now is a natural time to reflect on what has transgressed over the last 12 months. With one eye gazing into the past and one eye focused on the future, straddling this transition point brings a natural feeling of pause before the springtime blooms. In the northern hemisphere many of us look forward to warmer days, and greened earth.
Lessons from the 2023-2024 solar cycle (spring equinox to spring equinox)
Everyone deserves peace (mind your reactions and projections).
The more I learn the less I know.
The divine will is doing everything.
Celebrate your differences.
What's in front of you, is for you.
Pay attention.
The magic is in you.
Lessons from The Moon
“The Moon is endowed with a mysterious quality which the Sun does not have: all that is unseen and occult is governed by the Moon. Therefore, the Moon is called the mind of the universal being just as the Sun is called the eye of the universe. The knowledge that man can acquire is of two kinds: discursive knowledge based on logical thinking, and immediate knowledge based on intuition….The Sun, ruler of the day, is the symbol of lower knowledge which can be learnt from the study of books. The Moon symbolizes wisdom that can be gained only by the intuitive and the psychic. In Hindu religious symbolism. Visnu is the lord of the Sun and is frequently shown sitting within the solar orb. Siva is the lord of psychic knowledge and so the crescent Moon adorns his matted hair… The waxing and waning of the Moon was essential in telling time and so the Moon became associated with time and its mysteries.”
- Astrology and Religion in Indian Art, Swami Sivapriyananada
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