“Om Namo Guruveh Namah”– “Salutation to the Eternal Teacher’s- The Universal Guru’s”
What better way to celebrate”Gurupurnima”, or “Vyas Jayanti” than to understand how the celestial planets play a vital role in our lives and how each one of them teaches us something and why we must learn and imbibe their teachings!
As I always say and believe, nothing in the universe is ever present or has ever evolved with a motive to conspire and work against any life form- whether it be human or animal, animate or inanimate structures for that matter! When there is deviation and disconnect from the way of life which is aligned to nature and to the attributes of greater good for all, there are problems and these manifest as challenges which keep coming every now and then no matter how much you are ready to deal with them! When it comes to astrology you can say, this is perhaps the real essence of malefic influence of planets! Planets are a part of the natural scheme of the universe, so are the nakshtaras – the stars and the Panchmahabhuta’s (The five cardinal elements of the nature: Akash (Ether), Vayu (Air), Agni (Fire), Jal (Water) and Prithivi (Earth)). Through action or inaction an imbalance is created which is followed by an impact- this impact can either make an individual’s existence peaceful and purposeful( when you interact with nature in the way it is supposed to be) or if a confrontational approach is taken up against nature through your presence- one will end up setting themselves up for receiving unhelpful energies- read malefic impacts! Well, I will leave it here for now with this and read along what each of the planets and the Sun want to teach us and what is that we should try and hold on to! So here we go!
As students or practitioner’s of astrology we certainly do know and appreciate what each of the planets and the Sun represent and mean; I will share with you what my takeaway and learning has been in a very simplistic manner which helps us all to take some piratical steps to enrich and improve our soul’s so that we are abe to as much as we can stay focused on the greater good!
The Sun is the promise of the soul! The Sun as a teacher drives home the importance of discipline, predictability and the need to dispel darkness through harnessing the power of light- this light is not the visible light alone but also the light that is within the soul that you are-the need to share the same with everyone around to nourish and replenish!
The Moon teaches you the power of the mind- a discerning mind- which using the senses can strive to connect with what is obvious and beyond! A nourished mind is always compassionate and accommodating, never dismissive of anything and which takes time to reflect upon what is been dealt with. The phases of the moon also represent the fragility of the mind with context to the push and pull that it experiences as the soul traverses the path of the destiny; as one goes on to pick up what is destined and what isn’t on the way! The moon also signifies that the mind is supreme and it alone is the last step between allowing the soul to transcend further or fall back into the cycle of birth and rebirth until the karmic cleansing is completed! The learned hence always said, Guard you Thoughts, for that is what you will end up becoming! “Humans are nothing more than an aggregate of their reinforced thoughts, in action through their displayed behaviors”!
Jupiter teaches us why Knowledge is supreme and humility is the essential trait which needs to flow with it! Humility allows one to either become an exponent and a learned master, when it’s absent, you may end up becoming a self limiting and self consuming arrogant individual! A Soul equipped with a nourished and compassionate mind-replete with knowledge and humility the hallmark of greatness and success! Jupiter teaches why rules matter and also let’s you know what the consequences are when they are broken. Jupiter is the promise of fulfillment of the soul’s desires in the human form and the manifestations of the soul’s karma following the righteous way, following the principles, the rules, rituals and as long as the Mind listens and is in sync with Jupiter, even the most testing times of one’s life eventually seem to sublime away into nothingness! Jupiter’s grace is felt like an omnipresent ocean of lam and bliss around oneself and where a sift glow and warmth always seems to hang around no matter what the real world challenges seem to dodge around you! This vital warmth of knowledge that one can get enveloped with by a well manifested Jupiter is the secret to being a progressive soul on the right path! Jupiter stands for universality and essentially wants to spread the light of goodness and righteousness through humility and compassion!
If Sun is the Principal, Moon the Supervisor, Jupiter the class teacher, than Saturn is certainly your maths teacher! The Teacher who all of us feared – for reasons known and unknown! More often than not- it is this grim reputation of Saturn which unnecessarily puts many of us into defensiveness with regards to the trues greatness of this Teacher! Saturn is the hard task master, who wants the soul to accomplish what it has set out for following the ethics and principles so that it can accelerate further onto it’s journey’s, as soul’s get entrapped by the weaknesses of their susceptible mind and fleeting so-called knowledge- it just irritates this great teacher- who simply fails to understand why is it so difficult to be disciplined! Saturn teaches us to respect work- the essence of it- dignity of labour- and the whole concept of doping what has been assigned to the best of your capabilities! Once you know this, trust me- Saturn will be your best friend for life! That’s all Saturn is asking for- How will you perform under adverse conditions? Will you stay true to the path of your Soul, illuminated by Sun, reign in your fleeting mind and will you find rescue in the vast ocean of knowledge? This is what the real essence of Saturn is- once you have solved this than you are in a state of eternal bliss and well on your way to realize the calling of you soul! Saturn is a witness to the fact that hard work, perseverance, service for the greater good, uplifitment of all those around- who you can and righteousness alone is the path to move forward and achieve the soul’s desire’s each time, if that path is cut for any reason, the whole journey starts all over again!
Venus, like Jupiter takes you to the depth of knowledge wherein- it brings you face to face with the completely diametric realities of life- Extreme indulgence on one end and extreme aversion on the other end- the indulgence is formed and played out at the material plane of the world while the aversion propels you towards an extremely intense path of spirituality and seeking of the supreme universal energies using techniques and tools which have powers that have helped Sura’s and Asura’s alike! Unlike Jupiter, Venus is more intense and is more expressive, when Venus graces by knowledge and wisdom, that shine can’t be hidden away and it takes a great tug by the Moon to bring in that much needed grace and humility- so that what Venus provides is not ended up being wasted! Venus teaches you the essence of endless pursuit through- bhakti, tapasya to attain what the soul pursues, it signifies that irrespective of who you are as long as you are ready to bear the pain and take the unpaved pathway to your seeking, you will always be rewarded! While Jupiter focuses on universality and applicability of the attained knowledge, Venus focuses on allowing the individual to shine like a luminary and let the world come to witness! As long as the individual is able to reign in the Moon- the Mind- the world ends up being the stage for the soul for the times ahead!
Mars is the personification of Courage and Confidence, Mars teaches you, that a well reigned Mind and a resilient soul can overcome any and all adversity, as long as they function the way they should! Mars blesses when courage is used and directed with a purpose that helps to protect the righteous path and creates obstacles whenever the soul tries to abuse the very same courage to meet lower values of individual arrogance and greed! Mars teaches you that real courage comes form the Soul and how well it is anchored to the right path, it tell the importance of a vibrant mind- which alone can known what is to be done with the abundance of power and courage that mars blesses the soul with! Mars has always shown through history, reckless, self-serving and brash attitude and behavior – manifested by a disconnected Moon, a lackluster soul- personified by a faltering Sun and a shallow Jupiter- represented by despise towards righteousness, sets the soul to the path of eventual destruction and accelerates the same! Courage and Power only make sense when they are aligned to the purpose of the Soul and serve the greater cause of the people around you! That is the real essence of what Mars teaches us!
Mercury, signifies how, wit and intelligence are necessary to apply knowledge, whether it comes from Jupiter or Venus and how even as Mars provides you with courage and power, for being able to decide how much of what attribute will be used and when- is the function and blessing of a well manifested Mercury. Mercury when bathed in the power of the Sun- as it is always close to the Sun- and graced by Moon- aided by Venus or Jupiter helps an individual master the worldly moves to ensure the soul manifests what it needs applying a path of least effort! Mercury knows the challenge of time and drives us to be fast, brisk and on our feet as we think and we act- this is vital to help individuals achieve the soul’s desires in a timely manner, so that as the worldly karma’s are played out- lighter is the baggage and easier does it become to propel the soul further! Mercury also tells you the essence of being detail oriented and through with your dealings! Unfinished and half-done tasks are nothing more but an invitation to trace back your journey! When mercury is nourished by the Moon and graced by Jupiter or Venus- Mars obliges to create an individual whose voice and communication is heard, paid heed to and is adhered to! Mercury signifies the fact that what is good and essential- what serves the greater good must be spoken about, written about and communicated about- this soul’s desire to communicate well and effectively for everyone else around is the pinnacle of a well manifested Mercury!
The Shadow planets- Rahu and Ketu- maybe called as nodes, or shadows but don’t let that terminology lay you astray- if there’s any duo in the planetary system of things who can teach you fast, intense and briskly, it is these two and often their teachings are life lessons for the soul as they either provide you with the blessings of the earlier acquired karma’s or they make you complete the unfinished tasks and simply hold on to you until you have done them thoroughly and perfectly fine! Rahu-Ketu, although signified as nodes of the moon, they present us the teaching that fluke, luck and windfalls are there but whether they help or harm will depend only and only on the Moon-Sun and the ability and courage to deal with that event which is provided by other planets! Rahu-Ketu signify the fact that greatness is achieved through a series of lives and cycles of birth and death and one must not waste away the wonderful form that the soul has been blessed with! Rahu takes you to heights of indulgences to tell you that, there is noting more beyond this and Ketu takes you to the depths of aversion and solitude to let you know that there is an universe deep within! When the soul connects with this and chooses a path- depending on what it’s journey and destiny is that life starts to become more magical and blessed! Rahu and Ketu is about letting us know that in life we often forget that even shadows have their power and wherever the shadow is; opposite to that is the salvation and freedom from that compelling shadow!
So, you see, This Gurupurnima, the 9 great teachers came visiting and shared with you, who they are and what is that they are whispering to your soul- even as you are perhaps oblivious to that whisper! Each of them is a divine grace and whether they help or harm is not because of the way they are, rather it is because the way we choose to listen or ignore to what they stand for and what they preach! When we write an exam poorly, it is not because the Teacher was bad, it is because, perhaps we fell short of what we could have done! Likewise when we excel, it is not because we did well, it is because we reflected, assimilated and replicated the teachings of the master through our soul and aligned ourselves to the progressive path that the soul is supposed to be on!
I leave you with these thoughts, here and will be back with another article, here’s wishing you all, “A Very Blessed Gurupurnima” May the Navgraha’s continue to nourish and illuminate your Soul!” God Bless!
SimplifyAstrology 