New Moon in Viśākhā
November 8/9
The new moon of November aligns in the Vedic lunar mansion of Viśākhā विशाखा (sidereal Libra), the Star of Purpose.
Viśākhā in the Sky
In the sky, Viśākhā shines as two stars of the Scales, α and β Librae, whose Arabic names still mean the southern and northern claw. The ancient ṛṣis saw them as a forked branch.
The Forked Branch
Libra, the sign most in need of balance, holds Viśākhā at its edge. Its name means “two-branched,” the forked branch at the crossroads of choice. In the Atharvaveda it also bears the name Rādhā. Yet its deity is one: Indrāgnī, Indra and Agni invoked as a single pair.
Said to be the birth star of Sūrya Graha (the Sun), Viśākhā reveals how light is born. Through the churning of duality, the singular is born. Through that same churning and turmoil, Śrī Rādhā is born. At the fork, viveka is the one who chooses.
Śrī Rādhā was an unkempt girl in the forest, essentially an outcast — and this is exactly who Viṣṇu loves: the one suffering in the fire of separation (her trial is tied to Viśākhā), expecting nothing in return for that suffering. She is His hlādinī-śakti. Bhakti’s own children are Vairāgya and Jñāna — non-attachment and wisdom — both required for devotion to be true rather than merely wanting something in return.
Viśākhā is symbolized by a triumphal arch, suggesting arrival and initiation. Its śakti is vyāpana, the power to achieve. Dispersed, its force divides; gathered into one channel, it is unstoppable.
What We Protect
Viśākhā’s yoni is the male tiger, guardian of its territory. With Budha and Śukra both retrograde, rajo-guṇa is amplified, along with a heightened sense of protection. Indra guards his throne; his fury and his generosity are two faces of one kingship. What is it that you are seeking to protect? A position you have claimed? A sense of personal justice? Where has the mind divided its force?
Returning to Center
Just as Viṣṇu descends age after age to restore balance, these retrogrades call us inward through svādhyāya, returning to the center of our own wheel. Some karmas are seeking completion. Guru and Ketu activate the pitṛ gaṇḍānta, loosening ancestral knots. Some patterns have reached their natural conclusion. The old is truly complete. Budha’s blessing is realizing who you are not; Śukra’s, what the heart truly loves.
Budha and Śukra station direct on the 13th and 14th. This pivotal week is a time to move where creativity is flowing. We are still gathering information; reconsider before reacting, and make use of this last doorway the vakrī energies are penetrating as the veil is thin.
Viśākhā reminds us that triumph is not found by pushing forward. It is found by gathering the mind into one aim.
ॐ वृषभानुजायै विद्महे कृष्णप्रियायै धीमहि तन्नो राधा प्रचोदयात्
oṃ vṛṣabhānujāyai vidmahe kṛṣṇapriyāyai dhīmahi tanno rādhā pracodayāt
November 8th: Dīpāvalī | Mahālakṣmī (Lakṣmī Pūjā) |
Śrī Kamalā Jayantī
November 8/9: New Moon in Viśākhā (Libra)
November 9th: Govardhana Pūjā | Annakūṭa
November 10th: Yama Dvitīyā | Bhāī Dūj
November 12: Mars enters Maghā (Leo)
November 13: Mercury stations direct in Svātī (Libra)
November 14: Venus stations direct in Citrā (Virgo)
November 14: Lābha Pañcamī
November 15: Skanda Ṣaṣṭhī | Kārttikeya Pūjā
November 15–16: Chhaṭh Pūjā
November 16: Sun enters Scorpio | Vṛścika Saṅkrānti
November 20/21: Deva Prabodhinī Ekādaśī | Utthāna Ekādaśī
November 21: Tulasī Vivāha
November 24: Kārttika Pūrṇimā | Full Moon in Kṛttikā (Vṛṣabha Rāśi) | Deva Dīpāvalī | Guru Nānak Jayantī