I have received a barrage of calls and emails from anxious clients requesting emergency astrological and energy/breath healing sessions today. What is going on? Well, partly I assume is because we are coming to the end of 2015, when it is typical to consciously or unconsciously experience a sense of transitional urgency and anxiety. The past 12 months are drawing to a close, and last year’s resolutions and plans may just not have panned out exactly as hoped. Yet, the next set of expectations for 2016 looms large in the minds of many! In some cases, holiday festivities have taken their toll on finances, patience and energy levels. And if that were not enough, we can always look to the Sky Mirror for further understanding.
One set of transits that mirrors the transitional energy of the end of the year can be seen in the current zodiacal movements of Jupiter and the lunar nodes Rahu and Ketu. Using the sidereal zodiac of Vedic astrology, transiting Jupiter and the lunar nodes are now at the edges of their respective signs: Jupiter is at 29 degrees Leo, and Rahu, the Moon’s True North Node is at 0+ degrees Virgo; and the Moon’s True South Node Ketu is at 0+ degrees Pisces. The last or first degree of a sign is known as “sandhi” in Vedic astrology, and refers to a critical juncture, hinge or boundary between the signs.
Sandhi planets are considered weak and fuzzy in terms of what they can offer. Their energy is unclear or nebulous due to the intermingling of different energies between the two signs they span. Sometimes their effect feels like neither here nor there, similar to what we feel moving across the edge between the old and the new year. The sandhi is also like a crevice in which things (or we) can accidentally slip, be dropped, temporarily misplaced or even lost. We can lose our footing trying to cross the crevice, and so may feel a bit out of sorts. It can be a good time to call upon all our best practices, resources and support systems to help us bring balance and equanimity now.
In addition to sandhi weakening effects, planets at the 29th degree (Jupiter in this case) are said per western astrology to be anaretic, an ancient Greek word which means “that which destroys form.” Anaretic planets often represent a “too little/too late” dynamic, which carries a sense of angst, urgency or even compulsiveness. On the other hand, the beauty of sandhi planets is that they can open us up to other realms and alternate viewpoints when we are willing to ride the waves of uncertainty that they can represent. One example that is often given for understanding this potential refers us to the liminal (sandhi) times of day ~ dawn and dusk ~ when the veil between the worlds is lifted and we can access more magical “spiritual” power.
Jupiter in astrology represents dharma, path and purpose. It also signifies wisdom, morals, beliefs, finances, children, fortune, long distant travels, higher education, benevolence, protection, advisers, spiritual preceptors, compassion, generosity and speech. Jupiter is very weak in the last anaretic degree of the sign now and also it is afflicted as it conjoins sandhi malefic Rahu within two degrees. They are moving closer into each other every day, as Rahu moves backward toward Jupiter in Leo, and Jupiter is slowly moving forward but soon will be grinding to a halt for its retrograde station.
Rahu will enter Leo and conjoin Jupiter right around when Jupiter goes stationary retrograde on January 9. Rahu adds some potential for drama, confusion, chaos, insecurity, or unsettled conditions to any and all of Jupiter’s significations from now until the station, but then also, Jupiter and Rahu will travel close together on and off through much of 2016. The lunar nodes moving into Leo and Aquarius (Jan. 9, 2016) also represents a sea change ahead, and I will write more about this at another time. For now, I believe we are feeling the coming change as the lunar nodes reflect our karmic path, and it is changing fast.
This combination of Jupiter and Rahu is called Guru Chandala Yoga, which has some challenging effects when Jupiter is weak, as it is now and until January 22 being in the last degree of the sign, though the greatest weakness is probably from now until Jupiter stations retrograde on January 9. I say this because a stationary planet gains strength, as does a retrograde planet. The results of weak Jupiter forming a Guru Chandala Yoga can point toward violence, corruption, lack of conscience, self-indulgence, misguided spiritual and political beliefs, false gurus, concerns about children and education, and all kinds of scandals, especially those related to teachers, leaders and those in the entertainment industry since the combination occurs in Leo.
These potentially negative effects are further indicated by the fact that Rahu and Ketu are sandhi (also until the third week of January). Sandhi lunar nodes will often reflect serious life-changing circumstances, including shocking revelations, all kinds of flareups, and disruptions in the status quo; but this is only in certain cases where a natal or mundane chart is specifically being activated at the same time and in a similar fashion.
OK…so now that we know why some may be feeling this vague (or not so vague) anxiety, we can work with our practices to cultivate more peace instead: May peace be in our homes. May peace be in our communities. May peace be in our hearts.
