‘Lean into the Sharp Points’

it’s tuesday, may 19, moon is in gemini, in the starspace called ārdrā, it’s the fourth phase of the waxing moon & mars’ day.

gemini is an air sign ruled by mercury, who is curious, communicative & intellectually oriented, who likes to connect ideas with people. this sign is represented by a couple (not twins!), a male holding a weapon & a female holding a musical instrument. two halves make a whole: are we not always seeking our other half, a kindred spirit, a sense of wholeness, divine communion?

where is your curiosity leading you? what will satisfy your craving for wholeness?

ārdrā is ruled by rudra, god of storms, inner & outer. he is the primordial aspect of shiva (mentioned in scripture before shiva), the lord of destruction/transformation—something has to go for something new to arise. we almost never like that, right? we generally want things to stay the same (unless they are really awful), aren’t so good with uncertainty, with not knowing what’s next, right?

but/& storms of transformation are upon us—all we have to do is embrace them; after all, the superpower of this nakshatra is the ability to make effort.

chögyam trungpa rinchoche taught to “lean into the sharp points,” as pema chödrön shared on a recent podcast (highly recommend!), to embrace hardships rather than avoid them, partly b/c we can’t, b/c they’re gonna come & get us regardless, b/c the only way through is through & partly b/c the more we habituate our nervous system to the icky feelings the easier it will get for us to deal with them, be with them.

rudra means “the howler/roarer,” so cry if you want to, scream into a pillow, do whatever you need to do to get through any discomfort, but don’t hide from it.

the fourth lunar day (tithi), the fourth phase of the waxing moon, is ruled by both yama & ganesh—indications of endings & obstacles—so inward-diving, doing our spiritual work, our personal-growth work, is how we’re going to be most supported.

& the fourth waxing tithi + tuesday is a combo for happiness (sukha). worship ganesh for strength, protection & good health.

it’s not all tough love today!

tuesday invites us to tap into our inner mars, our warrior spirit, calculating like an army general, not reactive, not rampaging for the sake of rampaging without a clear strategy, of which there are endless examples, including plenty in the present moment (& not to say that rampaging is ever ok). when he is most intelligent, as he is now in his home sign of aries, mars fights the good fight, defending underdogs &/or his own inner demons.

got limiting beliefs? an overactive superego? seek out & destroy them!

& that’s your daily bliss! which is a sort of lunar weather report. may it allow you to align with the day’s cosmic energy so you can find & create a little more bliss.

p.s. jyotish is the science of light—if you want to shine more light on your life, click here to book a session with me.

Image by Jeffrey Christian from Pixabay