What is a Muhurtha, and Mars in Aries

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:

First of all, the ruler the relationship house is Mars, and it is placed in the house of arguments and conflicts. This is a classical combination for a divorce - lots of fights in the relationship, hinting at the troubles to come. On August 20th 2012 when they divorced, their marriage chart was in its Rahu / Saturn period: 

Saturn is the planet of discipline and commitment, and is close 0 degrees in the chart. This means that the commitment energy of Saturn was not expressed well in their marriage. There is a lot more you can tell from these Muhurtha charts, but we’ll have to leave it here for now. So, just from the time they were married and without even looking at their individual birth charts, we can see that they had a strong tendency for divorce. 
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These Muhurthas cannot bring things that don’t already exist in your own charts and karmas, but it can help offset some of the negative tendencies that we may have in different parts of our lives. On the flip side, if you pick a difficult Muhurtha to start something, it can short-circuit even the best birth charts, or cause greater aggravation to an already difficult area of life. This is a really powerful way to exercise your free will in the world - using Jyotish to minimize your own suffering, so that you can have more time to focus on what you want to do in this life. 

Mars Transiting Aries

This wouldn’t be an astrology newsletter without some predictions about your life! From February 6th to March 22nd 2019 (Feb 5th to March 21st in the US), Mars transits into Aries. Aries is Mars’ home sign, so this is a significant transit in Jyotish. When you’re at home, you are generally more comfortable and relaxed. Similarly, when Mars is at home, he can express his ambitious and assertive energy more comfortably. 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 Mars transit will show one small perspective. 
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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 (for reasons which maybe can be explained in a future newsletter). If you know your Ascendant sign or your Moon sign, the predictions corresponding to those signs are also applicable to you. 


Aries (April 14th to May 14th): This is a good time for you to emphasize your leadership qualities, and take control of your life. It’s also a good time for you to start a physical exercise routine and improve your health. 

Taurus (May 15th to June 14th): Mars will be in your spirituality house, making it a good time to meditate. Mars is a physical and energetic planet, so a physical meditation like yoga, or energy practices related to Kundalini, Chi, or Prana are all appropriate. 

Gemini (June 14th to July 16th): This is a good time to achieve your goals in general, but specifically goals related to your health. If you have a project at work that you are trying to complete, or you have a desire to improve your health, set some goals and work towards them during this period. 

Cancer (July 17th to August 16th): Mars, the planet of ambition and materialization, is in your career house. This makes this period a great time for your career, and also your general investing ability. It’s also a good time to emphasize your leadership qualities at your job. 

Leo (August 17th to September 16th): This is a good time for learning and for general finances. If you wanted to seek advice for anything related to your home, this may be the time to talk to a contractor, property agent, or mortgage broker. 

Virgo (September 17th to October 16th): Mars, the planet of physicality, is in the house of yoga, making this a great period for you to do more yoga. Also, if you wanted to change something in your life, this is the period where you can initiate the change. It’s also a good time to work on improving your communication skills. 

Libra (October 17th to November 15th): If you are single, this is a time where you can ask people out and take charge of your relationships. If you are in a relationship, you might have to practice a little surrender and allow your partner to be a little bit bossy and assertive. 

Scorpio (November 16th to December 15th): Mars is in your house of health. This is a good period for you to exercise more, or exercise more energetically. If you wanted to get fitter, this is a good time to start. 

Sagittarius (December 16th to January 14th): Mars is in the house of learning, and also the house of mantra meditation. This is a good period to chant mantras more, especially warrior mantras related to Mars like the Hanuman mantras. 

Capricorn (January 15th to February 12th): This is a period to achieve your goals related to your house or vehicles. It’s generally a good time to buy a new car or house, or improve your existing property. 

Aquarius (Feb 13th March 14th): Mars is in your house of communications, making your speaking style a little bit more assertive. If you notice yourself getting on anyone’s nerves, maybe take a step back and be a little bit less bossy. 
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Pisces (March 15th to April 13th): This is a good period generally for your wealth. You might also develop an interest in eating more energetic or Sattvic food, like vegetables, nuts, grains, and legumes. 


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