Eclipses in Ashwini and Vishakha

Hey everyone, 

Hope April is treating you wonderfully! 

This newsletter will delve into the mysteries of the two upcoming eclipses. In general, eclipses are not a good time to start something new, but are really useful for spiritual endeavors. This is true especially for the 3 days before and after the eclipse, and is also true regardless on whether you can see the eclipse or not. In addition to this, eclipses can affect certain individuals for up to 6 months if it occurs over a prominent place in their birth chart. To learn more about eclipses, please tap here.

The first eclipse takes place from April 19th 2023 9:34PM to April 20th 3:00AM EST (April 20th 11:34AM to 5:00PM in Melbourne). This is a total solar eclipse, visible in most of Australia and South East Asia:

The eclipse is taking place in a constellation called Ashwini Nakshatra, whose Shakti or energy is the power to reach things quickly. Combining this energy with the solar eclipse, which symbolizes our underlying consciousness (the Sun) being covered up by our emotions (the Moon), this eclipse has the potential to make us rush unnecessarily, or make our minds a little messy. So, I would definitely recommend against making any major decisions during the week of this eclipse. 
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Instead of starting something new, this eclipse is perfect for healing - Ashwini is ruled by the Ashwini Kumaras, the twin gods who were the universe’s first pharmacists. Consequently, the period of time around this eclipse is perfect for healing therapies of all kinds, helping us rejuvenate the divine temple that is our body so it is more capable in handling the rigors of everyday life. 

The second eclipse takes place on May 5th 2023 from 11:14AM to 3:32PM EST (May 6th 1:14AM to 5:32AM in Melbourne). This is a penumbral Lunar Eclipse, visible in most of the world outside of the Americas:

This eclipse is taking place in a constellation called Vishakha Nakshatra, ruled by two beings of polar opposite personalities - Indra, the King of the Devas / celestial beings, symbolizing ambition and achieving material desires, and Agni, the god of fire, representing our inner consciousness and universal divine awareness. There is a story in the Mahabharata which involves both these celestial beings - once upon a time, there was a human King named Swetaki who decided to perform 12 years of continuous fire sacrifices. As a result of this, Agni, the god of fire, had to eat sacrificial oils for 12 long years, and got indigestion. He was feeling really sick, and Brahma, the creator of the universe, told him to eat / burn the Khandava forest as medicine - the Khandava forest had become a gathering place for demonic entities, and so Agni would also be helping with the cleansing of the forest. 

However, just as Agni started burning the forest, Indra stepped in and caused rain to fall, stopping the burning, because he had some friends in the forest. Even though Indra was the King of the celestial beings, he represents ambition, and so he could relate to some of the demonic beings living there (the “demons” in the Vedic system are just wayward beings who focused too much on enjoying their material lives, instead of pursuing higher spiritual endeavors. Ultimately in time, they will also return to the source). This is when Krishna and Arjuna stepped in, and helped Agni complete the burning of the forest. 

I think the story is a metaphor for universal divine awareness (Agni) ultimately dissolving our material desires (the demons in the forest), despite our ambitions sometimes getting in the way (Indra). And so a great way to mark this second eclipse is to delve deeper into your awareness and consciousness, and watch your desires and emotions dissolve into your true self. 

That’s it from me for now - I hope these eclipses bring you deeply spiritual and wonderful experiences,

Ken