New Moon Solar Eclipse in Dhaniṣṭhā
Artwork: Pinterest
February 17th
Eclipse season commences with the new moon in the Vedic lunar mansion of Dhaniṣṭhā (sidereal Aquarius), the Star of Symphony. Expect disciplined ambition and the culmination of long-term goals.
This cycle presents an upbeat cadence tempered by sobriety — urging us to awaken and move one-pointedly toward what truly matters. This eclipse occurs with five planets in Aquarius — the Sun and Moon joined by three additional grahas (mercury, venus and Rāhu) intensifying the field of delivery.
The points where the Sun and Moon intersect the ecliptic plane, positioned exactly 180 degrees apart, are known as the lunar nodes — Rāhu and Ketu in Jyotiṣa. These shadowy grahas, often called the great awakeners, govern eclipses and symbolize the eternal dance between light and darkness. They confront us with what has been concealed, disrupt stagnant patterns, and offer the opportunity to awaken to deeper truths along our journey.
Solar eclipses expose that which has been hidden from view and set the tone as an omen of the energies for the next six months. A spiritual culmination unfolds, signaling transformative endings and the potential for new beginnings — inviting introspection, healing, and the initiation of new creative endeavors. This cycle urges us to refine our inner compass, untangle and release an old karmic pattern.
Dhaniṣṭhā, zenith of Martian energy, is traced across the night sky by four luminous stars in Delphinus, arranged in a perfect rhombus — Śiva’s ḍamaru poised beneath the canopy of stars. As the drum of Mahākāla, keeper of time, its beat measures the birth and dissolution of worlds. In the ancient telling, when its cadence shifts, the old order falls away and a new one is born. We are no longer standing at the threshold; we are dancing to a new drummer.
Dhaniṣṭhā lands between Capricorn and Aquarius, both rāśis of Śani. Ruled by the Aṣṭa Vasus — elemental deities of abundance (Vasu meaning “wealth” or “brightness”) — it carries Kṣepayitrī Śakti, the power to bestow fame and prosperity. Activated by Maṅgala, it contains his uccha point and, in certain traditions, is remembered as a birth star of both Guru and Budha.
What is revealed now invites you to reassess and consciously redesign the physical architecture of your life with greater awareness. Accelerated spiritual growth becomes possible when we allow ourselves time to introspect. Some pattern has been attempting to surface for completion and healing. Create space to meet it with steadiness.
We have been preparing the soil through the discipline and inward focus of Sūrya in Makara — now we enter a time of action.
Like the drum itself — hollow, receptive, precisely tuned, neither too tight nor too loose — this affluent asterism teaches that the pulse flows through what is emptied. When we become a conduit for Source, when we become as a hollow bone, the rhythms of the universe move through us more effortlessly.
As the drum shifts hands and the cadence changes, step into receptivity. Trust in the presence of the Unknown and attune your awareness to the shifting pulse. Act when the rhythm calls.
During eclipse windows, for most, it is traditionally advised to postpone major auspicious undertakings such as marriage or business ventures. However, it is an ideal time for sādhanā.
Eclipses stir duality to initiate purification — a necessary process through which self-knowledge is deepened and stabilized. Any turbulence you feel is part of this alchemy.
During this eclipse window, keep life simple. Stay grounded. Rest. Reflect on what is being revealed and what needs untangling.
The ancients taught that any practice undertaken during an eclipse bears fruit a thousandfold. In this sacred window, they consumed less — physically and mentally — to keep their channels clear. With the Sun and Moon — our sources of prāṇa — obscured, this becomes a potent time for:
Mantra chanting
Meditation & breathwork
Prayer & fasting
Turning inward, rather than outward
It is also recommended to bathe before and after the eclipse to cleanse both body and mind, allowing for a smoother energetic transition.
Trust that this cycle serves as an initiation, sowing the seeds of transformation that will blossom in divine timing, guiding you into the next phase of your journey.
Pay close attention if you have major planets — your Sun, Moon, or Lagna — in Dhaniṣṭhā. This cycle may bring sudden change, an unanticipated turning point, or the revelation of something deeper within. Also take note if you are currently running a dāśā or antar dāśā of Rāhu, Ketu, Sun, Moon, or Maṅgala.
All My Relations, Tulsi
ॐ तत्पुरुषाय विद्महे
महादेवाय धीमहि
तन्नो रुद्रः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Tatpuruṣāya Vidmahe
Mahādevāya Dhīmahi
Tanno Rudraḥ Prachodayāt ॥
New Moon: Dhaniṣṭhā (Aquarius)
February 17th | 06:01 AM CST | 17:32 IST
Eclipse Timing:
3:56–8:27 AM CST | 15:26–19:57 IST
"In order to establish order, disorder has to be shaken; and for shaking to remain under control, we who are at the basis, at the level of Para, have to be Para – that is, unreachable by the surface turmoil. In that integrated state, the fast moving chaos and change will pass away in a steady manner.
So, we have to be very steady. We have to be very careful not to get upset by little or big things. If we lose our basis, our dignity, the phase transition will take much longer.
Don't give importance to things which may upset us. This is a very precious time for the world. Everything depends on how our awareness is; just don't let it be shaken. Our awareness is the basis of all these transformations. More than ever before, time demands we remain completely ourselves. It is a very tender, delicate time for us - we should not become angry, indifferent, or sad; we should just be like an ocean. The evolutionary power is waking up.
We shake it, then leave it; then after some time shake it again. Each time a new level of purity, awakening, is added.”
~ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
