Full Moon in Āśleṣā: The Clinging Star

FULL MOON पूर्णिमा

Feb 12th 19:23 IST | 5:53 AM PST

Artwork: British Museum | Asavari Ragini c.1740, Deccan

The full moon (pūrṇimā) of February rises in the Vedic lunar mansion of Āśleṣā आश्लेषा (Cancer), The Embracing Star. 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.

The new moon in Śravaṇa (Capricorn) initiated a cycle calling us to release distractions, realign our priorities, and attune our listening to the inner voice, intuition, and the unspoken word.

Now, this energy culminates in an initiation—an invitation to embrace the balance between virtue and vice, the dance of our primal nature that must be harmonized before we ascend to our higher dominion. This journey of transmutation, turning poison into medicine, mirrors the shadow energies entwined within our ego. Here, you must become an alchemist, learning to digest this poison. These shadows, often buried deep in the subconscious, await acknowledgment and transformation, granting true sovereignty over the self.

The energies within Āśleṣā, positioned at the gaṇḍānta point—the liminal juncture between water and fire—hold immense potential. Ruled by the Nāgas, the heavenly serpents, and symbolizing a karmic knot, this subtle energy calls for openness and patience as we refine the art of transmutation. Āśleṣā, also known as The Clinging Star, possesses the shakti to unite us with our desires, weaving together seemingly unconnected elements to manifest a singular vision.

Your intuition is sharpened now. Elevate yourself beyond emotional reactions. Employ strategy and goal orientation while tempering your agendas. Consistency, patience, and discipline will be your allies in realizing your cherished ambitions and stepping into your legacy. Embrace your darkness, knowing that healing emerges through the extraction of poison. Depending on where Cancer falls in your chart, you may find yourself guiding another through their own metamorphosis.

What are you prepared to shed to reach your desired goal?

All my Relations

“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

― Leland Val Van De Wall

Jupiter Direct in Rohiṇī: The Star of Ascent

JUPITER STATIONS DIRECT IN ROHIṆĪ

Artwork: Pinterest

On February 4th, Jupiter (Guru), the benevolent teacher, stationed direct in Rohiṇī रोहिणी (Sidereal Taurus), the Star of Ascent. After months of retrograde motion since October 9, Jupiter’s forward momentum restores clarity and expansion, offering renewed stability in areas where growth may have felt uncertain or stalled. 

Rohiṇī, the Moon’s most beloved nakshatra, is a place of magnetic attraction, abundance, and creative intelligence. This red star, Aldebaran, stands among the brightest in the night sky, illuminating the path toward both material and spiritual prosperity.

Jupiter’s retrograde journey took us through the refining energies of Mṛgaśīrṣa, the Scorching Star, prompting deep inquiry into our desires and the direction of our seeking. Mṛgaśīrṣa’s restless search had us questioning what is truly worth pursuing, stripping away illusions to reveal a more authentic sense of purpose. 

Now, as Jupiter regains forward motion in Rohiṇī, we are called to ground those insights into tangible creation. Rohiṇī supports growth on the material plane, making this a potent period for laying strong foundations in finance, relationships, and personal expansion. With Jupiter’s wisdom guiding this process, there is an invitation to align with enduring prosperity rather than fleeting gain.

Jupiter reenters Mṛgaśīrṣa from April 10th to June 13th, rekindling themes of curiosity, exploration, and intellectual refinement last illuminated between August 20th and October 9th. This return calls for a reassessment of our chosen path, urging us to realign our pursuits with our highest truth and ensure our investments—of time, energy, and intention—are placed wisely.

When Jupiter enters Gemini on May 7th, the focus will turn toward learning, adaptability, and the expansion of ideas. For now, the invitation is to cultivate steady, intentional growth—one rooted in wisdom, beauty, and the fertile ground of your highest aspirations.

Those in a Jupiter or Moon Daśā (or sub-period), as well as those with natal planets in Rohiṇī, will experience this transit’s uplifting influence most profoundly.

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Terence McKenna // “Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles. Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up. This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood. This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall. This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it's a feather bed.”

Sūrya Jayantī: Birthday of the Sun

SŪRYA JAYANTĪ सूर्य जयंती

Artwork: Pinterest

Today marks the auspicious occasion of Sūrya Jayantī, also known as Ratha Saptamī—the birth of Lord Sūrya, the eternal source of vitality, truth, and illumination. Falling on the seventh tithi (Saptamī) in the waxing phase (Shukla Pakṣa) of Māgha, this day is revered as a gateway to spiritual awakening, clarity, and renewal. Just as the Sun’s ceaseless journey across the heavens sustains all life, today invites us to align with that same steady, unwavering light within.

Sūrya, the all-seeing witness of dhárma, is the very embodiment of divine consciousness in motion. He rides his celestial chariot, drawn by seven radiant horses—each representing a Vedic meter, a planetary force, and the spectrum of cosmic intelligence. 

He is the one who measures time itself, as he moves one degree a day and never waxes or wanes. He is the giver of life and health, Ātma Kāraka—the indicator of the soul’s journey—illuminating clarity of purpose and inner radiance. Governing Sundays and ruling over Siṁha (Leo), the sign of kingship, strength, and unwavering will, he bestows vitality and the courage to walk the path of dhárma.

His brilliance is mirrored in Lord Rāma, the seventh incarnation of Lord Viṣṇu, who walked the earth as the perfect embodiment of righteousness, patience, and sovereignty. Just as Lord Rāma’s story is about sambandha, or relationship, Sūrya’s birth story shows how unconditional love and sacrifice give rise to great boons and blessings all around. This birth story also conveys the secret of how the turmoil and churning of the two give birth to the one, the singular.

Sūrya is also linked to Śiva, the supreme ascetic, who is often depicted with the Sun’s golden hue at dawn and invoked through the transformative hymn Śrī-Rudram, aligning one with the primordial power of light and dissolution.

In Nakṣatra Jyotiṣa, Sūrya presides over three luminous constellations:

• Kṛttikā (where Agni, the god of fire, purifies and refines)

• Uttara Phālgunī (bestowing divine grace and the fruits of effort)

• Uttara Aṣāḍhā (where victory is won through perseverance and truth)

He is exalted (uccha) in Meṣa (Aries), where his strength is undiminished, and debilitated (nīca) in Tulā (Libra), where his sovereignty is tested in the balance of relationships and external validation. In Āyurvedic astrology, Sūrya governs the heart, eyes, bones, and circulation, sustaining the vital force (prāṇa) that animates all existence. His constitution is Pitta, his metal gold, his gemstone ruby, and his offerings include red flowers, wheat, jaggery, and pure ghee.

Artwork by Jahnavi Lucas | Samadhi Collective

To invoke Sūrya’s grace on this sacred day, one may:

• Offer Arghya (libations of water) to the rising Sun at dawn.

• Practice Sūrya Namaskār, the yogic salutation to the Sun, to cultivate vitality, flexibility, and longevity.

• Recite the Āditya Hṛdayam, the hymn of invincible radiance, chanted by Rāma before his victory over Rāvaṇa.

• Chant Lord Rāma’s mantras, such as Śrī Rāma Jaya Rāma Jaya Jaya Rāma, to fortify one’s inner strength and dhármic resolve.

• Chant the Gāyatrī Mantra, invoking the highest light of wisdom.

• Observe a fast or consume only sattvic foods to purify the solar channels.

• Engage in dāna (selfless giving), particularly offering wheat, copper, or red cloth to those in need.

• Sit in meditation with the Sun at dawn, visualizing its golden light dissolving all impurities and restoring balance.

Sūrya is the cosmic reminder that all things move in cycles—darkness yields to light, ignorance to wisdom, and inertia to action. To align with his grace is to walk with purpose, uphold dhárma, and shine fearlessly in the face of adversity.

May the radiance of Sūrya illumine our path and burn away all that obstructs the light of our highest Self.

All My Relations | ॐ सूर्याय नमः

“What would your life look like if you had the energy of the sun? The radiance of the stars? Love as infinite as the oceans? What if you had perfect health? Radiant Beauty? Strength in body and a mind of brilliance that always served you, and never erred? This is the promise of the Vedas: A wellness that draws out “the splendor of the personality that expresses itself in love, courage, creativity, and a melting tenderness that draws all hearts.”

— Eknath Eswaran