Wading into the Rift

The sky is beginning to open up, with the retrograde stalemate finally waning and several planets inhabiting or entering their own sign. August and September may be welcome months after the rough skies that have characterized the majority of this year.

While retrograde planets bring delay and effort, planets in their own sign (the sign that they ‘rule’ in the zodiac: for example Sun rules Leo, Moon rules Cancer, etc) tend to bring comfort. They are in their natural environment and can therefore express their strengths more readily.

Both Jupiter and Saturn have been in their own signs AND retrograde since the end of June, and will remain in those positions (Sagitattius and Capricorn, respectively) until later this fall.. The combined qualities of retrograde and own sign suggest adaptation to delay. The negative side of this could be comfort inside dysfunction, which it could be difficult to pull yourself out of before Jupiter and Saturn go direct. My suggestion is to make an effort to somehow enjoy your circumstances as they are right now (as long as they are not endangering anyone), and get on board with the natural momentum to shift habit patterns come November when you’ll have the sky on your side.

Rahu and Ketu remain exalted in Gemini and Sagittarius, where they are strong to give their results as the planets governing extremes of behavior. Their transit has brought the challenge of locating the ‘middle way’ in an environment that nearly necessitates polarization. I think I’ve written before that now is a great time to be a little bit Buddhist and locate that sliver of ground between warring opposites.

Sun and Mars are on their way to their own signs this month, but must first traverse the tenuous gap of sky called gandanta or the ‘spiritual knot.’ There are three gandanta points in the zodiac and they are all located between fire and water signs. Those elements are considered inimical in the Vedic system, so their meeting places will almost inevitably dredge up some sort of psychological storm—which may also translate into actions.

A planet moving through gandanta is insecure, not only because its body is stitching together the two elements that together create an explosion, but because these points in the zodiac are where the lunar zodiac (called the nakshatra) which shows the mental experience of external events reaches the end of one of its three cycles at the same point that the solar zodiac (12 constellations) is changing signs. This means, essentially, that the mind cannot see its way to the other side of this gap. In every other case a nakshatra will hold two signs together showing the mind’s ability to create some continuity in a situation, but with gandanta it’s as if the ground drops off in front of the planet and it must develop a way to navigate that does not involve psychological certainty.

So, this will be the task in front of us. Mars officially entered gandanta on 8/7 and won’t make it into Aries (from Pisces) until 8/16, which is the same day the Sun moves into his own sign (Leo) from Cancer. Mars won’t find firm footing in Aries until 8/10, when he will pass one degree of Aries, and even then gandanta effects can linger on for another week or so.

The fact that both planets entering gandanta are fire planets suggests that the collective unwinding will be around the indications of this element. Fire is anger, passion, directness and transformation and (speaking more materially) weaponry, war and destruction. Chances are that someone, somewhere is going to lose their temper with this transit.

Once Mars and Sun are rooted in their own signs they can begin to give the gifts that come with a planet in its home: Sun in Leo is a creative placement that is excellent for decision making and leadership. Sun will move into Virgo in mid-September, making the time until then great for planning—particularly creative pursuits or anything related to children. If there has been chaos in your home, now is the time to reign it in and re-build some structure.

Mars in Aries might be a reflection of the season: we are at the tail end of Pitta season and the accumulated heat of long summer days can be felt both in the earth and in our bodies. Aries being the first sign of the zodiac shows the ‘head’ of the body of God which is the zodiac, and suggests a certain ‘hot-headedness.’ This can be beneficial if you’ve been needing to somehow assert yourself and/or begin a new project and become more focused. On the negative sign it can give impulsiveness and anger and a general tendency to mentally overheat. Be friendly with all things cooling this month: seasonal fruits like watermelon help flush heat out of the body which can alleviate some of the psychological pressure that can come with excess heat at the end of summer. We are also approaching cleanse season, and a cleanse is a great way to relieve the body of the burden of excess heat. Here is a link to an online Ayurvedic cleansing option which is gentle and fairly painless.

Mars will be teetering between that gandanta point that straddles Pisces and Aries until the end of December! This lets us know there is something Mars will be attempting to resolve around this particular point of the zodiac. The specific challenge for each individual will depend on their natal horoscope, but if you notice your tension level increasing (and in particular your irritability, frustration, impulsivity and temper) during this time you can employ the #1 strategy to deal with gandanta: spend some time with the physical, psychological and emotional tension you’re holding. Gandanta tends to turn us into giant knots. The process of getting to know the ways in which you might be resisting your own reality—the tightening of that knot— is the best way to begin to gradually let go of some of the ‘holding’ so that the unwinding can begin.