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​"Jyotiṣa is a model of reality which interprets the observed conditions of the cosmos at the time of an event in order to promote insight into the nature of that event" 

"A runner who stumbles as the gun fires at the start of the race sets in motion a particular outcome." Hart de Fouw/Robert Svoboda: Light on Life

There is a long story and a short story. We all need stories to live by. Some stories are healthier than others. 

From an astrological perspective there are many causes to this current coronavirus crisis. Jyotiṣa or Indian astrology seeks to understand the nature of causes, particularly unseen or invisible causes.The purpose being to give advice about and prepare for possible outcomes, offering ways to mitigate negative effects or enhance positive ones. I am going to focus on the effect of Rāhu Ketu. There is a story. A short one.

Rāhu Ketu was a particular class of celestial being(asuras) often characterised as a serpent, who was possessed by an overwhelming desire for the nectar of immortality. The gods(devas) and the asuras worked together to get the nectar of immortality by co-operating to churn the ocean. In order to get the nectar Rāhu disguised himself as a god but it was his misfortune to be recognised for what he truly was and cut in two. However he had supped of the nectar prior to his dismemberment so he was now immortal, he got what he most desired but he paid a great price for it.

Rāhu is the head of the serpent, and has tremendous ideas and insights into life but despite this can never be satisfied because he lacks a body through which he can properly digest whatever he experiences. We live in a culture right now that has a strong Rāhu dominance. We spend a lot of time hypnotised by fantastic technological devices, that would have been inconceivable to our parents, and yet while these things promise much, nothing truly satisfying or lasting can be extracted. Rather we surf from one thing to the next in a ceaseless search for validation that never arrives or is fleeting. 

Rāhu and Ketu are the nodes, those places where eclipses take place. They have no substance, they have no mass, they are not planets in the way we understand them, and yet they have tremendous power. They have the extraordinary ability to veil the light of the Sun( the soul) and the Moon (the mind). Eclipses in ancient times were events that were feared, for it was an upending of the natural order of things. It was as if the world might come to an end. 

In Jyotiṣa they represent, amongst other things epidemics, confusion and anxiety born of this inverting of the natural order of life. There is no doubt that right now we are all experiencing a collective karma, the whole world is focused on the virus. A virus that can erupt quickly, the 'invisible enemy' , spreads unseen through the population, is difficult to pin down the cause, and is highly adaptable. All themes of Rāhu. 

A planet in Jyotiṣa is called a Graha. Graha means "seizer". We are 'seized' or 'possessed' by a planetary energy that can manipulate us to act in particular ways consistent with their themes. If you are 'possessed' by Venus then you will fundamentally view the world and seek to act in the world in a Venusian way; all things being equal you will prioritise beauty and harmony in your actions and your environment. 

Rāhu and Ketu are currently in a nakṣatra (lunar house) which is linked to themes of destruction and suffering. The positive side of this is that all life is born out of 'destruction'. My veg patch, or at the least the weeds in it, is in need of clearing in order for my beans and carrots to grow. It is currently causing me suffering every time I look at it. If I focus solely on the clearing away that needs to happen then I suffer more rather than focussing  on the beans and whatnot that I will be eating in the future. One step at a time..

Ketu moved into the destruction house around mid January, Rāhu has been in place since September.
They both rule difficult to diagnose diseases, epidemics, fear confusion ,hysteria , mental health issues, delusion and illusion. Bearing in mind that Graha(planet), means ‘seizer’ . It is as if the whole world is being seized by Rāhu Ketu energies. As if they have taken us over and possessed us and are pursuing their own agenda through us.

We do not see clearly. I do not see clearly. We do the best we can based on what we currently know or think we know. 

Rāhu moves out of Ardra in middle of May. Hopefully this will bring an easing of the current situation, at the very least it should lessen the level of intensity, agitation and restless that we are all currently possessed by. It is difficult to know what is true and what is not. Fake news seems to come from all angles. Conspiracy theories flourish.

Rāhu Ketu are restless, they turn things upside down. If you want to get a sense of how Rāhu Ketu possesses someone then look at Donald Trump. He is a happy man, right? Altruistic, always takes responsibility, never blames anyone, always puts others first, and is always clear? Yes he is very powerful, but he exaggerates his own capabilities and relies on smoke and shadows( both ruled by Rāhu) to maintain and manipulate his self image and power. Rāhu Ketu represent areas of life that are unconscious to us, blind spots, obsessions and compulsive behaviour. Often these are blindingly obvious to other people, while we ourselves are just blind.
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So what can do to counter the negative effects of Rāhu and Ketu in this situation we find ourselves in? The first thing is to connect with something real. Rāhu is a head without a body, it is all about ideas, often very good and innovative ones, because technology and technical things are what it is good at but it does so in a very disembodied way, in a way that is not good for the health of the body. We live in our heads.  When Rāhu (a Vāta planet) seizes us we become disconnected from our bodies and environment. 

We are all living in Rāhu times , getting hooked in to screens, and the swirl of information on the internet often only increases the agitation and confusion. Connecting to something that is real, of the element of earth is a good place to start. Focussing attention on something else, somethings that nourishes like Nature, doing some gardening, nurturing a plant, connecting to the natural world  in any of it s forms, feeding the birds, particularly crows and seagulls. Eating good earthy foods, and soups. 

In Indian myth it is Durga, a strong protective mother, who ultimately is the only one who is able to defeat the demonic energy symbolised by Rāhu. Any honouring of the female divine aspect is going to be helpful on a personal and collective level.

Om duṃ durgayai namaḥ!​

One of the symbols of the nakṣatra Ketu is in,  is a bunch of roots tied together suggesting confinement and restriction, and it also connects to herbs and healing and by extension diet. All food is seen as medicine in Ayurveda. Adjusting your diet, consulting a herbalist or similar or simply taking some herbs which have a nervine action(supportive action on the nervous system). Go back to your roots and declutter your house. 


One last thing connected to all of this is that Jupiter is the planet of faith, trust, good counsel, good judgement and wisdom. It has been debilitated since end of March and will be so until the end of June. This is a good time to connect with whatever it is that restores our faith or trust in the universe. And keep on connecting with that everyday. However it goes retrograde, which gives it some more strength, in mid May so hopefully there will be a gradual easing of the restrictions we are currently in, and certainly by the beginning of July.

Allow yourself to be possessed by Jupiter, a wise, compassionate and philosophical planet. Use this time wisely. As best you can given your current circumstances. There is nothing we can do except wait. We are not very patient. I am not very patient. Good time to discover the benefits of slowing down and being patient. And Umbrellas. 
 
 

..We like to think we control our minds and are in charge of our thinking, but often we find that this is not the case. Have you ever lain awake at night worrying about something that you cannot do anything about? No matter how much you might sensibly tell yourself to forget it, to go to sleep and to think about it in the morning instead, you find yourself coming back again and again to the problem, searching for a solution.
 
In India they often use the analogy of the mind being like a monkey, but not just any old chatterbox monkey. No. To drive the point home It’s likened to a drunken monkey( think Saturday night in any town centre). But that analogy is still not enough. The Mind is like a drunken Monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion. Crazed and tormented it lurches around looking for relief somewhere, anywhere. 
 
Yoga offers many tools to move from an agitated, restless mind/body to one where there is peaceful, harmonious flow. Whether it being doing āsana(poses), prāṇāyāma( seated breathing) or meditation, the one thing that is key to success is the ability to pay attention, to be able to direct the mind to do any activity we wish to do. 
 
Chanting is an excellent way to learn and practise this ability to control the mind. When we chant we have to pay attention to what we are reciting. You cannot chant if you are thinking about something else. Well...you can but inevitably we make mistakes and that is what alerts us to the fact that the mind has become a monkey.
 
Whether it be through repetition of a mantra or a longer passage we have to give our attention to the words. We need to repeat them in the correct sequence, just one syllable at a time. If we are in  a hurry then we make mistakes. If we try to hard we make mistakes. There is an art to chanting where we must coordinate the movement of the tongue and mouth with what we see or hear.
 
It is no problem if we do find ourselves distracted by other thoughts, because each time that we come back to the chant we are developing the ability to dismiss our unwanted thoughts. This could be a useful skill to develop for when you find yourself awake at night.
 
 

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We live in strange times it seems. There has been a lot going on in the skies this past 6 months reflecting the uncertainty and confusion we are experiencing in the UK.  

Just this past week Mars moved into Virgo from where he and Saturn will be 'looking' or gazing at each other, which is to say they will be influencing each other. It's a little like two hoodlums staring at each other from across the street. There is a sense of threat. Neither of them like to be gazed at in this way but neither is going to back down. It makes them edgy and unsettled. 

Imagine yourself, even if you are in your own home, under the constant gaze of someone across the street. It would be surprising if it didn't make you feel a little  anxious and edgy in a way that diminishes your capacity to think and act clearly.

In saṅskrit a planet is called a graha. Graha means to seize, to grasp.  We are often seized by the energy of a planet for good or ill.

It can be helpful to look at planets in Jyotish( Indian astrology) in two ways. In general the effect of planets can be  favourable or unfavourable for us in our life (depending on what they promise in our birth chart to begin with.)  

However no matter what they promise in our birth chart when we are in balance, in good health and suffused with a general sense of well-being we are more likely to harness the energy of a planet in a way that is ultimately beneficial for us.  When we are out of balance, stressed out, overwhelmed it is more likely that we will experience the negative side or energy of a planet.  

With Mars-Saturn combination when we are in balance we can have a high energy that allows us to focus and get the job done in a way that doesn't alienate those around us.  There is a level of intensity but it is aligned with an inner stability that yokes courage with prudence, the calculated gamble as opposed to the wild, rash action of the impatient. 

When we are out of balance we can swing between excessive desire to get the job done at ANY cost often alienating and upsetting those around us (why are other people such idiots! just get it done!),  to depressed inactivity because,  you know,  what’s the point? nothing EVER works out for me etc. There can often be a high level of agitation, restlessness and frustration that, if we allow it to, takes over and sends us further and further out of balance swinging between rage and depression.

How this current transit affects you personally will depend on your birth chart. We are all born with a particular arrangement of planets that predispose us to certain behaviours, patterns and fruits that will either be sweet or bitter in their effect. Where these planets are currently placed in the sky may activate strongly or weakly the existing patterns in your chart for good or ill. Having said that it is undeniable that it is affecting us all in a general way as seen last week in the supreme court and Parliament.  

Saturn and Mars will be gazing at each other until the 12th of November. Whatever happens in the next 6 weeks on the world stage we can help ourselves to harness the more positive side of the Mars-Saturn combination by taking a step back from the centre of our particular stage and take some time out behind the scenes. 

Very important if we are feeling overwhelmed and exhausted to find our own way of coming back to what truly matters. For some this will be through Yoga, meditation, chanting, t'ai chi and other forms of meditative practice but includes any physical activity or sport as well as things like having a relaxing massage or bath, spending time in nature, reading a good book, art, music, dance. Anything that reconnects us to some deeper aspect of ourselves. Whatever works for you. The main thing is to make time for it on a regular basis and enjoy it.    

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