Full Moon in Āśleṣā: The Embracing Star

Full Moon in Āśleṣā

Artowrk: Rita Dixit Indian Miniatures Asavari Ragini: A Painted Melody Murshidabad, Bengal, India c. 1780

The Full Moon (Pūrṇimā) of Māgha (Jan/Feb) rises in the Vedic lunar mansion of Āśleṣā (आश्लेषा). Situated from 16°40′–30° of Kāraka Rāśi (Cancer), the embracing and entwining star appears as a coiling ring of stars in the constellation Hydra. It marks an alchemical threshold where viṣa (poison) becomes amṛta (nectar), drawing awareness toward the subtle work of inner transformation.

Āśleṣā, one of Ketu’s birth stars and the nīca point of Maṅgala (Mars), initiates the gaṇḍānta juncture — the karmic knot between water and fire, Mokṣa and Dharma. Its Devatās are the Nāgās (Sarpas), guardian serpent beings of primordial wisdom. Its animal yoni is the male cat — a nocturnal guardian of thresholds, moving in silence between worlds, master of stillness, instinct, and unseen passage.

Artowrk: Pinterest

Āśleṣā holds the energy of Viṣāśleṣaṇa Śakti — the power to inflict poison, to penetrate and bind at a subtle level — revealing how venom, when rightly handled, becomes medicine, mirroring the inner path where shadow is transmuted into healing. Just as the coiled energy at the base of the spine yearns to merge with its beloved in the crown, Āśleṣā stirs the curiosity to delve deeper and unite with one's desired outcome, weaving disparate elements into coherence and granting true inner authority through the patient art of alchemy.

Āśleṣā is linked with Ādi Śeṣa and Sage Patañjali, pointing to the serpent power of consciousness that binds and releases. Its medicine lies in yoga, mantra, and disciplined inner awareness — the same forces that can entangle the mind become, when refined, the means of profound purification and healing of citta, speech, and body.

What old skin is ready to be shed?

Lalitā Jayantī

Artwork: Mahāvidyā Tripura Sundarī National Museum, New Delhi 

Lalitā Jayantī commemorates the appearance of the Goddess in her supreme form as Mahāvidyā Tripura Sundarī, the third of the Daśa Mahāvidyās — “Beauty of the Three Cities,” harmonizing the three worlds and the three states of consciousness — who embodies supreme beauty, clarity, and the power of refined discernment. 

This observance honors her as Lalitā (the playful one), Śoḍaśī (ever-perfect youth), Kāmakṣī (she whose gaze bestows grace), and Rājarājeśvarī (the Supreme Empress, sovereign of sovereigns), the radiant fullness of consciousness abiding in effortless grace and wisdom.

All my Relations, Tulsi

Full Moon Timing: 02.01.26 14:09 PST | 02.02.26 3:39 AM IST 

The degree to which a person can grow is directly proportional to the amount of truth he can accept about himself without running away.” 

― Leland Val Van De Wall

Varāha Dvādaśī: Appearance Day of Varāha Dev

VARĀHA DVĀDAŚĪ

Artwork: Pinterest

Varāha Dvādaśī वराह द्वादशी

On the twelfth day of the bright half of Māgha marks the festival honoring Varāha Avatār, the third incarnation of the daśāvatāra of Lord Viṣṇu, the wild boar. Varāha Dev is one of the four full Paramātmās whose story narrates how Lord Viṣṇu came to rescue Bhūdevī (Pṛthvī), Earth.

Varāha’s story begins with the doorkeepers of Lord Viṣṇu’s realm, Jaya and Vijaya, who were cursed by Lord Brahmā’s four sons to take human birth and incarnate on Earth. The curse would be lifted only if the two human forms were killed by the hands of Lord Viṣṇu himself, to which they agreed.

One of the brothers, Hiraṇyākṣa, dragged Mother Bhūmi to the bottom of the cosmic ocean to attact Lord Viṣṇu’s attention. The Lord took the form of a boar in order to slay the demon king, rescue the Earth, and restore her to her rightful place in the universe.

Lord Viṣṇu, the maintainer of this world, takes birth age after age only when the balance on Earth has been disturbed. This incarnation of Varāha Dev is associated with the graha Rāhu (north node) in Vedic astrology, who is the karaka for justice, courage, truth, self-sacrifice, risking one’s life for a cause, going against the established order, the foreigner, and the protector of the Earth.

With his tusks, Varāha is said to have the ability to dig up any impurities in the heart. We ask Rāhu to protect our tounge.

ॐ वराहाय नमः।

New Moon Solar Eclipse in Uttaraphalgunī: The Star Of Patronage

SOLAR ECLIPSE

Edit by @___turiya

SOLAR ECLIPSE सूर्य ग्रहण 

Eclipse season culminates with the new moon (amāvásyā) and a partial solar eclipse (Sūrya Grahaṇam) in the Vedic Lunar mansion of Uttaraphalgunī उत्तरफल्गुनी (Virgo), the star of Patronage.

This new moon is also known as Sarvapitṛ Amāvāsyā which concludes Pitṛ Pakṣa (fortnight of the ancestors), also called Mahalaya Amāvāsyā, when oblations can be offered to all ancestors (sarva-pitṛ), especially for those who may have been forgotten or for whom individual śrāddha has not been performed.

Solar eclipses are omens for the energies to come. Track what has been trying to make itself known to you in the past few weeks. They expose what is hidden and set the tone for the next six months. A spiritual culmination unfolds, signaling transformative endings and the potential for new beginnings.

Right now, we’re in a time outside of time, where things aren’t what they seem. 

The eclipse portal has delivered confrontation with the unknown as promised and continues to bring old patterns to the surface for transmutation. Don’t touch what’s coming up.

Uttaraphalgunī calls us to build authentic connections through acts of service, generosity, and mutual support. As the patron of contracts and agreements, this asterism, steeped in the qualities of hospitality and protection, encourages us to honor our commitments and nurture relationships that foster both personal and collective growth.

Holding the energy and śakti of prosperity and the accumulation of wealth through partnership, this is a powerful window for collaboration that ignites a fresh perspective and creative growth. 

With the responsibility of breathing life into new architecture, we become most in need of balance. The fine tuning point between self and other — anchoring into and committing fully to self sovereignty, while practicing the grace of presence and participation within this co-created dream.

You can only change and work on yourself. No matter how deeply you feel the need to hold on or piece together something that is unraveling, you may not be able to. Allow yourself to be surprised. This is an opportunity for profound growth—don’t bypass it simply because it’s uncomfortable. Observe what is unfolding and step powerfully into taking responsibility for your own spiritual evolution.

Accelerated spiritual growth awaits if we allow introspection. Some pattern has been attempting to reveal itself for completion and healing. What would it take for you to stop resisting that which you don’t prefer? Welcome it all—the beauty, the terror, the rapture, and the turbulence. Be with it and let it go. It may not be comfortable or easy, but it will undoubtedly be worth it.

Eclipses stir duality to initiate purification, a necessary process through which self-knowledge is deepened and stabilized. The turbulence you may feel is part of the alchemy drawing you deeper into your own psyche.

Know there is light at the end of the tunnel—keep going. Do yourself a favor and create space to delve deeper into what you may have been resisting. Release what you desire and realign with what is in right relationship and highest alignment.

In this phase of heightened impulsivity, keep life simple, stay grounded, and rest. Reflect on what’s being revealed and what needs untangling. Expect the unexpected.

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. Take your time to process things and allow the story to continue unfolding.

Those in a dasha or sub-period of Saturn, or with natal planets (Sun, Moon, Rising) in Uttaraphalgunī, will experience this transit’s transformative energy even more profoundly….

All My Relations 🦚

We will be diving deeper together in our monthly Vidyā & Chai: Group meditation and Sacred Storytelling

September, 22nd 1:30pm pst 🦢☽☼

Partial Solar Eclipse: New Moon in Uttaraphalgunī (Virgo)

Sept 21st 2025 12:54 PM PST | Sept 22nd 1:24 am IST

Eclipse Timing:

Sept 21st 10:29 am PST - Sept 21st 14:53 pm PST

Sept 21st 22:59 pm IST - Sept 22nd 3:23 am IST