The eclipse takes place in a Nakshatra (constellation) called Mula. Mula is symbolized by roots growing deep into the ground. It’s a time to drill deep into your own psyche and analyze your mind. With more attention and consciousness, old thought patterns emerge and can be burned away in the light. This constellation’s Shakti (energy) is the power to destroy, so this is an especially good time to break old habits and addictive behaviors. Mula is ruled by Nirriti, the ancient form of Kali. So, a mantra that may be helpful during this eclipse is the Kali mantra: Om Kreem Kalikayei Namaha. This mantra is famous for its power to clean out negative energy and thought patterns from your life. I know, all this sounds pretty heavy for the Christmas holidays, so try and soak up as much of the festivities as you can before the eclipse begins!​

The second eclipse takes place on Jan 10th 2020 12:07PM to Jan 10th 4:12PM EST (Jan 11th 2020 4:07AM to 8:12AM AEST). This is a lunar eclipse, visible in most of the world:

This second eclipse takes place in a constellation called Punarvasu. Punarvasu means “good again” or “light again”, which makes this time especially good for renewal. It’s a time for rejuvenation, a time to look internally to what feels worn out and run-down, and make everything full of light again. The Shakti (energy) of Punarvasu is the power of wealth, and because eclipses disrupts the energy of the constellation, it is an especially bad time to make investments or financial decisions. The deity that rules Punarvasu is Aditi, the mother of the gods, so a good meditation practice during this eclipse would include feminine mantras, light practices, and Kundalini / energy practices. ​

I wish all of you a productive and spiritual eclipse time, and also a wonderful time with your friends and family 🎄

I’m back from India! Actually I’ve been back for almost two months, but it’s been a little hectic. Let me tell you about one of the places I went to in India before diving back into your regularly scheduled astrology :) ​

In September, I went to Gomukh. Gomukh means mouth of the cow, and is the glacial source of the Ganges river. It is mentioned in the Puranas - once upon a time, a shepherd boy got lost while looking for his sheep, and stumbled upon the source of the Ganges. He described it as looking like a cow’s mouth, and the name stuck. I’ve been told 50 years ago it really did look like a cow’s mouth, but now I can’t really see the resemblance because the glacier has melted significantly in recent years.

The Ganges river is considered the most holy river of India. It is said that bathing in the waters wash away your sins, and bring you closer to liberation. There is a story that explains her source, and starts with a king’s sacrifice. Once, there was a king named Sagar, and he undertook an Ashwamedha Yagya (horse sacrifice). This is the sacrifice where a chosen horse is allowed to roam wherever it pleases for a year, and wherever it goes, the people must pledge loyalty to the throne (either willingly or nudged “gently” by the king’s army). It was all going well until Indra, the king of the Devas, got jealous. Indra hid the horse near a powerful sage’s ashram, and when King Sagar’s army / sons found the horse, the sage was disturbed and annoyed. Imagine leaving civilization to meditate in the mountains and being disturbed by an army! Well, the powerful sage cursed King Sagar’s sons, and when they begged for forgiveness, the sage said everything would be forgiven if they managed to bring the holy river Ganges down from the heavens. After a few obstacles, King Sagar’s grandson was successful, and Brahma ordered Ganga (the Ganges river) to flow down to Earth. As the legend goes, she flows from heaven down one of Shiva’s locks and onto the Earth to purify our sins. If you are ever in India (upstream from Rishikesh is cleaner), it’ll be cold but make sure you take a dip in her holy waters!

Jupiter in Sagittarius
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Earlier this month on November 5th, Jupiter moved into Sagittarius. Jupiter’s original name is Brihaspati, and he symbolizes abundance, religion, and knowledge. In the Vedas, there is a class of beings called the Devas, and Brihaspati was their teacher. The Devas are higher beings, and battle demons for control of our universe. Brihaspati guides them through their endeavors by giving them knowledge, and reminding them of their dharma and spiritual path. In fact, Brihaspati was the first Jyotish teacher, the originator of the light that illuminates our future. Sagittarius, being the sign of truth, religion, and knowledge, is one of Jupiter’s home signs. This is where Jupiter’s energy can be expressed more clearly. 
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Jupiter usually stays in a sign for about a year. However, this year it’s a little bit more complicated. Because Saturn is also in Sagittarius currently (leaving in January), Jupiter’s energy is still somewhat suppressed till Saturn leaves. Also, Jupiter will leave Sagittarius next year for a couple of months. So to modify my earlier statement, Jupiter’s energy is expressed more clearly for the next year or so, and is expressed most clearly during these dates: 

• January 24th 2020 to March 29th 2020
• June 30th 2020 to Nov 20th 2020

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The last time Jupiter was in Sagittarius was from Nov 23rd 2007 to Dec 11th 2008. This was a tough time economically for the world. The US stock market had just peaked on October 9th 2007, and existing home sales peaked in the US during October 2007 also.

Hey everyone!​

I hope everyone had enjoyable and productive eclipse experiences. I recently read an interesting article about how eclipses affects plants - scientists observed that rates of photosynthesis and respiration declined almost to night time levels during the eclipse, and that when the Sun reappeared, it stressed the plants out. Poor plants! 

Just a quick announcement - I’m going to be in India for most of September, so if anyone needs any astrology in the next few weeks, please let me know soon so we can schedule something. India is going to be a bit of an adventure. I’m planning to visit a few remote temples deep in the Himalayas, and if all goes well, you’ll be reading about it in the next newsletter some time in October. Stay tuned! :)

I wouldn’t be able to leave without giving you an update on what’s happening in the skies, so back to our regularly scheduled astrology - Venus is going to be in Virgo from Sep 10th to Oct 3rd (Sep 9th to Oct 2nd for Americans). Virgo, being the sign of analysis and organization, is not a natural place for the loving and creative Venus to be in. This placement of Venus gives us a tendency to be a bit analytical with our relationships, and perhaps even a little critical. Many relationship counsellors and psychologists have their Venus placed in Virgo in their birth chart, and during this transit, we will all be able to experience some of this energy. In general, this is a good time to feel your emotions, experience it fully, and let it go.
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For an example of this in a person, let’s look at John Mayer’s chart, whose Venus is in Virgo:

This is a special edition of my newsletter focused on the upcoming two eclipse. Eclipses are generally not a good time to start something new, but are great for spiritual endeavors. This is especially true for the 3 days before and after an eclipse, and is also true regardless on whether you can see them or not. In addition to this, eclipses can affect certain individuals for up to 6 months if the eclipse happens to take place over one of the person’s birth / natal planets. To learn more about eclipses, please click here. 
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The first eclipse’s maximum point is on July 3rd, 5:23AM AEST (July 2nd 12:23PM PST in the US). This is a total solar eclipse, visible only in parts of South America:

There is a story about this. Once upon a time, all the higher beings in the universe were competing on who could ride around the universe fastest. All the Gods had their mighty mounts ready - Indra ascended his powerful elephant, Murugan took his place on his magnificent peacock, Ganesha sat on his mouse, etc. Well, after Shiva said "ready, set, go!", all the Gods took off and left poor Ganesha on his mouse. Ganesha realized he couldn't catch up, and so he went to his mother Parvati for some company. As he was walking towards her, Shiva said "the boy's got it!" ​

Ganesha didn't get it initially, but after thinking about it for a while, he rode around his mother and told her she was the entire universe. Because Parvati is the embodiment of Shakti, the universe's divine energy, she is the universe personified. By the way, we have this same energy (and the entire universe!) in the Kundalini energy in our spine. 

As a prize, Shiva said that every Vedic ceremony will begin with Ganesha. So back to the eclipse - because this eclipse will disrupt the energy in Uttara Ashadha, it makes the 3 days before and after July 17th especially bad for starting anything new. It is however a good time to meditate and release internal blocks in your physical and astral body, and let go of things that cause obstacles in your life. If you don't already have a meditation practice, this is a good time to experiment with a Ganesha mantra like Om Gum Ganapatayei Namaha. 

Hey everyone!

How has your practice of relaxing and letting go of frustrations gone during this Saturn / Mars transit? I hope you are enjoying this wonderful opportunity to surrender to the universe! And if not, don’t worry, everything will get better in a couple of weeks :)

On June 4th (June 3rd in the US), Venus joined the Sun in Taurus. Taurus is the sign of material comfort, and as Venus is the planet of sensual material pleasures, Taurus is one of Venus’ home signs. This means, just like how you are probably more comfortable at home expressing your true nature, Venus is more comfortable expressing its energy and delivering you enjoyable experiences from Taurus. 

In addition to this nice situation, Jupiter is looking at Venus, giving it a big positive boost through this period. Venus is also with the Sun till June 15th (June 14th in the US), making Venus even more expressive. All these planets combine to bring love and light into your life. 
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However, this combination is happening at the same time as the Saturn / Mars transit. This can be a little confusing - will this month be pleasurable like Venus, or frustrating like Saturn / Mars? Well, my teacher always says everything in the chart comes out. Life is messy and there are always multiple things happening at the same time. Take for example model Miranda Kerr - her birth chart has Jupiter looking at Venus, her Venus is in Taurus, and her Saturn and Mars are also looking at each other (exactly what is happening in the skies right now):

Miranda married Orlando Bloom in 2010, and later divorced him. She is currently married to the Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel. Her Jupiter and Venus form a powerful wealth combination, and since Jupiter is in Anuradha (a constellation related to devotional relationships), this gives her material comfort especially after marriage. At the same time, her Saturn rules her house of relationships, and being involved with a conjunction with Mars, gives her some frustrations related to her partner. So, everything in the chart comes out - she married wealthy men but has has had a divorce. 
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So, back to your life - how does this Venus / Jupiter combination affect you? I’ve written out some mini-predictions to try and answer this question. Of course, there are many other things that fill out the picture of your life (most of it individualized from your birth chart), but this transit will show one small perspective. I have arranged these mini predictions according to your Vedic Sun signs; you can find your Vedic Sun sign by finding which date range includes your birthday. Please read the birth times carefully as your Vedic Sun sign can be different from your Western one (reason here). If you know your Vedic Ascendant sign or your Vedic Moon sign, the predictions corresponding to those signs are also applicable to you.
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Aries (April 14th to May 14th): Venus is in your house of food and family, giving you pleasurable experiences related to both. You may have a desire to eat nice food, and this is a good time to enjoy your loving family relationships. 

Taurus (May 15th to June 14th): This should be a period of good health for you, so if you were ill in the last few months, you can look forward to a period of better health. This transit will also make you express your charisma more easily, and people may like you more. 

Gemini (June 14th to July 16th): Venus is in your house of spirituality, so this is a good time for you to go deeper in practices of devotion like Bhakti Yoga. If you are feeling overworked, this is also a good time for you to go on a nice holiday, far away from where you live. 

Cancer (July 17th to August 16th): This placement should help you achieve your goals, and is also a transit that encourages socializing with groups of friends. Networking, meeting new people, or just seeing old friends are all appropriate activities for this period. 

Leo (August 17th to September 16th): You may experience an uplift in your creativity during this period. It's a good period for brainstorming, or if you're in a design-oriented career, you might be especially productive during this period. In general, you will receive a boost in your career. 

Virgo (September 17th to October 16th): This is a good period for traveling, learning, and general wealth. If you are studying, you might develop a closer relationship with your teacher. If you are feeling overworked, this is also a good time for you to go on a nice holiday, far away from where you live. 

Libra (October 17th to November 15th): This period may bring a bonus or some additional income from your business partners or clients. It's also a good time to do some debt collection if anyone owes you money. You will also have good experiences if you choose to indulge in a therapeutic massage or other relaxing treatments. 

Scorpio (November 16th to December 15th): Venus is in your house of relationships, so this period should bring you pleasurable experiences with your partner. If you're single, it might be time to go on some dates. 

Sagittarius (December 16th to January 14th): This should be a period of good health for you, so if you were ill in the last few months, you can look forward to a period of better health. This can also bring you pleasurable experiences related to pets, or bring you a positive boost in your employment. 

Capricorn (January 15th to February 12th): If you have an investment idea in the next few weeks, this might be time to give it a go as Venus should bring you pleasurable experiences related to investments. This can also bring you nice experiences related to children and learning. 

Aquarius (Feb 13th March 14th): This will bring you nice experiences related to your home. If you've wanted to start a renovation or remodel a part of the house, this is a good time to seek some advice about the project. 

Pisces (March 15th to April 13th): Venus is in your house of communication, so you will have a tendency to speak more charismatically and lovingly during this period. If you have siblings, this may bring pleasurable experiences related to them. Venus is also in the house of short distance travel, so a nice road trip might also be an appropriate way to celebrate Venus in Taurus. 


Venus is in Taurus till June 28th (June 27th in the US), just before the start Eclipse Season 2 of 2019. So, hope you all have a pleasurable rest of June and go into July ready for a more introspective and meditative month. Stay tuned - I’m planning on sending out a special eclipse edition of this newsletter later this month. 

Her Rahu is in her first house, and describes a key part of her personality. As mentioned earlier, Rahu in Gemini brings an obsessive desire to communicate, and this has materialized clearly -  she is an actress, and wants to express her creativity and communicate it with the world. ​

Specific to Elisabeth’s first house and general life, and not necessarily related to how the transit will affect you, Rahu in the first house can make a person an outsider and have a different belief system to society. This is because in the above story, Rahu was an outsider and had a different belief system to the Devas. So, it is perhaps appropriate that in Elisabeth’s Mad Men and Handmaid’s Tale roles, she plays an outsider to the society she lives in. Outside of her acting roles, she also has a different belief system to our society, as she was raised a Scientologist. 

Ms. Moss’ Ketu is in her house of relationships, and this gives her chronic disappointments related to her relationships. This tendency to be disappointed is emphasized by her Ketu being in a Nakshatra called Purva Ashadha, which is symbolized by a winnowing basket, a symbol of separation. In fact, she separated from her first husband after only 8 months, and described the marriage as "extremely traumatic and awful and horrible". Ketu in Sagittarius brings disappointments related to dharma and truth, and her ex-husband’s infidelity is an expression of this. 

Back to transit starting on March 24th - how this transit affects you depends on your chart, shown below. Of course, there are many other things that fill out the picture of your life (most of it individualized from your birth chart), but this transit will show one small perspective. I have arranged these mini predictions according to your Vedic Sun signs; you can find your Vedic Sun sign by finding which date range includes your birthday. Please read the birth times carefully as your Vedic Sun sign can be different from your Western one (reason here). If you know your Vedic Ascendant sign or your Vedic Moon sign, the predictions corresponding to those signs are also applicable to you. 


Aries (April 14th to May 14th): This transit will bring a desire to communicate with everyone, and especially with people from different cultures or different countries from you. It may also cause disappointments in wealth, so this is a time to be conservative with investments. On a more positive note, it might be a good time for you to go on a quiet backpacking trip or a religious pilgrimage. 

Taurus (May 15th to June 14th): This period may give you strong desires to eat and drink, and it is beneficial for you to abstain from drugs and alcohol. The reason for this is once you start, the desires will become obsessive, and may result in adverse health effects. Meditation and yoga can help bring you detachment so you have a bit more self-control. 

Gemini (June 14th to July 16th): You may have some disappointments related to your relationships. This is a good time to spiritualize your relationship, and develop a meditation practice with your partner. Being disciplined with this practice will allow both of you to go deeper together, and overcome any obstacles. 

Cancer (July 17th to August 16th): This is a period where you may develop a greater interest in spirituality, especially new or esoteric spiritual topics. On a more negative note, it is important during this period to seek a second opinion if any health issues surface as Ketu is covering up the true nature of your diseases. To offset this, maybe you can be more disciplined with your exercise routine. 

Leo (August 17th to September 16th): This is a period where you may develop intense and obsessive desires related to your goals. Try to be more detached when pursuing your goals in life - focus on your actions and not on the end result. You may also experience some difficulties in learning things during this period - maybe your mind is going through your textbook in a stream of consciousness, and you are getting a little lost in your mind. Take a step back and relax, and that will help you see the whole picture. 

Virgo (September 17th to October 16th): You may have some disappointments and delays related to your home or vehicles. If you are trying to buy a house or a car, you may have some delays and feel a bit lost during the process. On the plus side, this is a good time to focus on your career, especially if your career has anything to do with new or unconventional things like technology etc. 

Libra (October 17th to November 15th): This is a good period to work on improving your communication. Be conscious if you are communicating in a stream of conscious because people may find difficulty following you. There may also be a tendency to be evasive or lie - be careful as it might come back to bite you in the butt! You might also be interested in new or alternative spiritual paths during this period. 

Scorpio (November 16th to December 15th): Be careful with finances during this period. It’s a good idea to be a little more conservative with your spending and try and save more. This is also a period where you should be a bit more careful about your health, especially related to your diet. Try and eat more sattvic and healthy foods. 

Sagittarius (December 16th to January 14th): During this period, there is a tendency for you to be overly obsessed about your relationship, especially if the person you’re with has a similar background or personality to you. If you are single, there is a possibility for you to start dating someone that’s a little different from you - perhaps they are from overseas or from a different culture. If you feel you are becoming a little too clingy, take a step back and breathe. 

Capricorn (January 15th to February 12th): During this period, if you are in any competitive situations like legal battles, sports, business, or if you’re trying to get a promotion over someone else, there is a higher possibility for you to win. This is also a good time to travel overseas, especially if it’s a spiritual pilgrimage. 

Aquarius (Feb 13th March 14th): You may have some disappointments related to goals or promotions during this period. There is a tendency for you to be sucked into bad investments - remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! During this period, it may be better to invest in conservative, more slow moving financial instruments. 

Pisces (March 15th to April 13th): This is a good time to remodel your home or living situation, maybe with some smart home devices or anything related to technology. At work, there is a tendency to feel a little lost. If this happens, just relax and go with the flow, and if you find that difficult, maybe try and meditate a little more. 

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I hope you find these mini-predictions useful, till next month! :)

Your Vedic Sun sign may be different from your Western Sun sign because Jyotish is a visual system that uses the sidereal zodiac, whereas Western Astrology is a symbolic system that uses the tropic zodiac. I know what most of you are thinking - what does this mean? 

Well, Western Astrology uses the first day of Spring to symbolize new beginnings. So, the Western system says that on the first day of Spring every year, the Sun enters the first sign of the Zodiac, Aries. From that date, the rest of the planetary movements are calculated. However, if you looked up in the sky, the Sun actually entered Aries on April 14th this year, not on the first day of Spring (March 20th). This is because as our Earth rotates, it wobbles a little bit, causing the the Sun to enter Aries at a slightly later time every year. For reference, the last time the Sun first entered Aries on the first day of Spring was about 1500 years ago. 

Jyotish, on the other hand, is a visual system, so it uses fixed stars to calibrate the date and time when all the heavenly bodies move across signs. These have been verified through modern astronomical observations. Said another way, if you looked into the sky when you were born, your Sun would be in your Jyotish Sun sign, but may or may not be in your Western Sun sign. ​

Having said all this, Western Astrology works well in isolation, and so my general advice is to not compare astronomical details across astrology systems. Both systems should tell you similar things, and generally the universe guides you to the astrologer that can tell you what you need to know.

If you would like to learn more about Vedic Astrology, please click here :) 

Hi everyone!

In the last two newsletters, we talked about how eclipses aren’t the time to start something new. Well, when do you start then? In Jyotish, there is a technique called Muhurtha, where an astrologer picks a good time for you to start something. This is a time consuming process, as the astrologer (me!) has to go through charts calculated from many different times to find the best one. Imagine if you could pick your own birth time - what would your chart look like? What qualities would you give yourself? How would you offset the weaknesses in the chart? Muhurtha gives you this freedom on a smaller level, letting you pick the “birth time” of many things in your life, for example, your wedding, your business, your house purchase, your new job, or even an important trip or journey. 

As a brief example, let’s look at the marriage chart of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. They were married on November 18th, 2006 shortly after sunset, and divorced in August 20th 2012. Here is the chart of their marriage: