NEW MOON IN AŚVINĪ
Curated by @___turiya
April 17th 4:51AM PDT | 7:51AM EDT | IST 17:21
The New Moon अमावस्या of April arises in Aśvinī अश्विनी (sidereal Aries), the Vedic lunar mansion known as the Star of Transport—governing movement, as well as the subtle passage between states of being.
Aśvinī stands at the threshold—where one state dissolves and another has not yet fully formed—making it a potent gateway for transition, initiation, and swift reorientation of the path.
Seated at the beginning of the zodiac, Aśvinī holds the spark of latent power, igniting the unmanifest into manifestation. Initiating the first of the dharma houses, and governed by Ketu graha (south node)—marking Sūrya’s uccha (exaltation) point—the emergence of the individual principle, singular and self-illuminating—it is represented in the celestial firmament by two bright stars in the constellation of Meṣa—known in modern astronomy as Hamal (Alpha Arietis) and Sheratan (Beta Arietis)—which ancient Vedic ṛṣis saw as forming the head of a horse.
This asterism holds the energy of Śīghravyāpana Śakti—the power to quickly reach or attain the object of one’s aim. There is a swiftness inherent here, a directness in movement, where intention meets response with minimal delay. There is also an element of the miraculous—an intelligence that moves beyond limitation, where outcomes once thought fixed may be restored, reversed, or brought back into alignment.
Artwork: Pinterest
Ruled by the Aśvinī Kumāras, the celestial physicians to the devas—Daśra and Nāsatya, “bringing help” and “truthfulness”—this Nakṣatra embodies healing, rejuvenation, and the intelligence of alternative medicine. Symbolized by the head of a horse, it carries vitality and the eagerness to begin—to set forth with sensitivity, precision, and a swift, determined current.
The Aśvinī Kumāras are born of a subtle concealment within the solar lineage—when Sañjñā, wife of Sūrya and daughter of Tvaṣṭṛ, unable to bear his radiance, placed her shadow (Chāyā) in her stead and assumed the form of a mare. Sūrya followed, taking the form of a stallion, and through this union the twin horsemen were born—carrying the intelligence of swift restoration, arriving at the threshold where life is renewed.
Initiatives taken now, especially those related to health and healing, are said to bear rapid results, drawing upon the potency of creation itself. There is a subtle current here that replenishes what has been diminished, restoring vitality where life force has waned.
Half animal and half human, they hold an invisible thread—linked to the nostrils, to the first and final breath, and to the currents of iḍā and piṅgalā. The practices within Yoga Śāstra encourage the gentle and steady purification of these channels, guiding awareness toward the inner, hidden pathway, through which the journey of transcending identification with the body, the senses, desire, and even the fruits of action unfolds.
There’s a desire here for a fresh start and rebirth, one that lays the foundation for something enduring. This is attainable through unwavering focus and a commitment to the inner and outer purifications that may have kept you in a holding pattern. This constellation carries the swift momentum to achieve one’s objectives, much like its animal totem, the horse.
Artwork: Pinterest
Just as the race horse wears blinders to avoid distraction or misstep, we too must maintain singular focus, centered in our own lane. Let us remain resolute — unmoved by the opinions, expectations, or noise of the waking dream and world around us — steadfast in the pursuit of what truly matters.
The energies have been clearing the way, awakening clarity, and inviting us to take our seat at the center of our wheel and draw in congruency. With this New Moon, like a doorway swinging wide open, that which we’ve been tending to with steadiness, patience and a slow maturation can begin to land and meet with forward momentum.
What are you claiming?
All my Relations, Tulsi
Join us for our monthly New Moon gathering | Pulse of the Stars: Vidyā & Chai - Sunday, April 19th ☽☼
My schedule is now open for consultations. → Jyotisa Readings
I Said to the Wanting Creature
by Kabir (trans Robert Bly)
“I said to the wanting-creature inside me:
What is this river you want to cross?
There are no travelers on the river-road, and no road.
Do you see anyone moving about on that bank, or nesting?
There is no river at all, and no boat, and no boatman.
There is no tow rope either, and no one to pull it.
There is no ground, no sky, no time, no bank, no ford!
And there is nobody, and no mind!
Do you believe there is some place that will make the
soul less thirsty?
In that great absence, you will find nothing.
Be strong then, and enter into your own body;
there you have a solid place for your feet.
Think about it carefully!
Don’t go off somewhere else!
Kabir says this: just throw away all thoughts of imaginary
things, and stand firm in that which you are.”
