Mars enters Ashwini Nakshatra on February 5, 2019 at 13:18 EST for 20 days. Mars enters his own domicile of Aries (sidereal Lahiri) when he enters Ashwini. Thus Mars’s strength increases and he becomes the transiting awake lord of the houses he rules in your chart, making it easier to bring things into being in those areas of life. Ashwini is ruled by the twin horse deities, the Ashwini Kumars we are are associated with healing and miracle cures. They give the Shakti Power “to reach things quickly” to Ashwini. Mars feels right at home tapping into this energy! This is an action oriented, rajasic nakshatra that is light and swift with a keynote of transport. Its primary motivation is dharma. The ruling planet is Ketu indicating that sometimes we have to liberate something from the past in order to transport ourselves lightly and quickly on our dharmic path. Mars is a malefic planet that is prone to anger, aggression, impulsiveness, fighting, and can cut, sever, or burn (it rules sharp objects, fevers & scars). On the positive side Mars gives us courage, autonomy, passion, bravery and the capacity to defend. Mars is adventurous and daring and this becomes impulsive in Aries, especially in light and swift Ashwini.
Whatever you are going after for the next 20 days, remember to use your head. Aries rules the head and the symbol for Ashwini is a horse’s head, reminding us to use ours to intelligently direct the impulsive energy of Mars in Ashwini. Mars rules the solar plexus (manipura) chakra that is associated with the Pancreas, the endocrine gland that regulates metabolism. The solar plexus is the energy center in our body that is connected with self-worth, self-esteem and confidence. This is the specific call to healing that relates to Mars in Ashwini is to be aware of the regulation of our energy and to heal the past that negatively impacts our self-worth so we can grab the reigns of our life with confidence.
Sun enters Dhanistha Nakshatra on February 6, 2019 at 8:06 am EST for 13 days. The Sun represents our radiance, life force, heart, heart-center and Atman. Dhanistha means “drum” or “bamboo-cane flute” both of which are hollow instruments that represent the great silence beneath the noise of manifestation. By quieting the mind in meditation, the Sun as the Atman and observing consciousness, can reveal the true nature of Self. The drum symbol of Dhanistha is related to Shiva as the cosmic dancer, stomping out illusions and becoming absorbed in the pure ecstasy of divine bliss of true cosmic reality. Krishna’s flute attracts devotees with its celestial tune, calling devotees to renounce self-consciousness, merge with the Supreme consciousness and become one with the inner Flame (Sun, Atman).
The 8 Vasus rule Dhanistha. They are the personification of cosmic energy and give the Shakti Power of “wealth and fame” especially when one turns what it heard in Shravana into a divine symphony in Dhanistha. Dhanistha also has connections to the vital sheaths of the aura. The subtle energy center related to the Sun is the bliss-body or the Anandamaya Kosha. It is the outermost and innermost kosha that represents the threshold between our individual embodied consciousness and universal non-embodied consciousness of Brahman or the Supreme. With the Sun in Dhanistha it is time to find your bliss and dance until your heart’s content.
Venus enters Purva Ashada Nakshatra on February 10, 2019 at 5:12 am EST for 11 days. The planet of love, beauty, sensory impressions and desires enters Purva Ashada where is can access the Shakti Power “to purify and invigorate the cosmic waters.” Purva Ashada is ruled by Apas, the Goddess of Water, who presides over literal water (lakes, rivers, oceans, rain, etc) as well as the physiological waters of creation and procreation, and the divine spiritual waters of the cosmos. Purva Ashada means “early victory” and it is often called the invincible star. It represents the spiritual environment in which the soul dwells and attunement to the interrelationship between all things in creation. The evolutionary attribute of Purva Ashadha is to cleanse the soul of ignorance so it can open to a universal of consciousness. This is one of Venus’s nakshatras. Here, her relationship focus goes beyond inter-personal relationships to expand our attunement to our relationship with all of life and the sentient and non-sentient things in it. Dhanistha is associated with nourishment of creativity and becoming aware of latent qualities which for Venus would relate to the arts. Dhanistha is associated with purification of the ego, which for Venus indicates the sensory impressions that inform the ego-mind and manas-mind. Dhanistha provides insight to working with Divine Law (laws of karma & dharma), developing a spiritual quality of life and rectifying the karmic account, which for Venus would be the devotional aspect of spirituality and rectifying relationship karmas.
Venus in Purva Ashada is a great time to pay attention to how your attachment to desires creates karma in your life. Try for the next 11 days to do what you normally do but without the attachment to a specific desired result. Step into the flow of your creativity and allow to unfold like water on the path of least resistance. Then check in with yourself and see how that practice makes your victories feel.
Mercury enters Shatibisha Nakshatra on February 10, 2019 at 16:10 EST for 8 days. The planet of the intellect, communication, commerce, and sharing information enters the veiling nakshatra of the 100 healers, stars or flowers. This nakshatra is associated with healing and sky watching. Mercury will make his evening appearance on February 12th while in this Shatibisha so it might be fun to make a point to go where you have a clear horizon and dark skies to locate him. However, when Mercury first appears, he’ll have to be spotted through the glow on the horizon caused by the setting Sun. Try on the 17th or 18th if you have a take a long drive to get to a good location when he will be visible until about 7:00 PM (varying by your location) after the glow of sunset dissipates.
Shatibisha is a movable nakshatra with the Shakti Power of “healing.” It is ruled by Varuna who was originally was God of Cosmic Order. His son was Soma (moon god). The Sun was his eye and the Wind was his breath. Later, Varuna became Lord of the Oceans. Shatabisha is often called the veiling star and represents the void of space behind the veil or illusions of maya. Shatibisha follows Dhanistha and the evolutionary unfoldment follows as the spiritual knowledge gained in Dhanistha becomes actualized toward healing and toward understanding the illusions we are caught up in as we see beyond its veil with our inner sight. With Mercury in Shatibisha, this would relate to the illusions our mind gets caught up in when it makes its judgments. This is a good time to work toward removing the veil of illusions from the mind, and tuning it toward the oceanic space beyond the veil. It is a good time for healing unhealthy programs running in the mind and a very good time for all types of exchanges that promote healing and the sharing of spiritual knowledge.