*Vedic Astrology, or Jyotish, is one of the oldest sciences on the planet and considered a relative of astronomy. It is an important and valuable part of the ancient Vedic texts. This complex, logic-based and also intuitive science, has survived thousands of years in India’s Vedic tradition and is still considered a highly valuable tool of guidance and life insight. It is not a religion, but rather a philosophical understanding of human and cosmic existence. In Sanskrit, Jyoti means light. Essentially, the study of jyotish is the study of light and how we interact with the cosmic light—within us and within the cosmos. Vedic astrology, or the sidereal approach to astrology, casts charts differently than Western, or Tropical astrology. The meanings, implications and purpose of jyotish is therefor different, as are the details used for prediction and the indications given below.

The themes of healing, release and letting go carry us through this waning cycle.

In many ways this is a time to prepare for the big transformations and changes that will occur after the new moon.

Attend to inner nourishment and clean up any pieces of your life, health, routine or schedule that have been neglected. Reduce stress, chaos and overwhelm as much as possible. Identify patterns of self sabotage and actions and behaviors that keep you stuck in mediocrity, conflict and suffering. Your critic and its fear inducing tactics will likely be at the root of it. Pay attention and work diligently on loosening its grip.

As three exact conjunctions begin to release and ease apart, we feel a certain release within as well.

At the beginning of the waning moon cycle, Mars and Venus form exact conjunction as they continue to move through Cancer. Honor your heart and let the feelings flow. Mars brings cutting and precision which is painful to our softer, gentler side. Water planet Venus, can help us maintain fluidity and movement. Don’t let stagnation hold you back. Try to avoid heart burn and heartache by staying in the flow. Use your body wisdom to navigate the emotional body challenges. Get embodied.

Simultaneously, Mercury and Rahu‘s tight conjunction begins to ease up, allowing our mental body to breath and separate from shadows and illusion. Thankfully sun and Jupiter have also separated from combustion and now issues with power and authority, father and lineage matters, also begin to clarify and purify. This process can be helpful with giving us new awareness and perspective. Let gratitude fill the new space that’s been created within you. What have you learned? How are you growing? What resources are you receiving?

The heat is on. Venus (life force energy, shakti, our feeling body) has been retrograde for weeks. As Venus goes stationary the first week of September, our feelings intensify with its discomfort). Planet of love and harmony will create agitations and frustrations to surface. Just before going direct, he is in tight conjunction with planet of fire, Mars. Both planets are in Ashlesha nakshatra, while transiting water planet Cancer—which is intimately connected to our emotional body center. Hot feelings are present. Ashlesha nakshatra can create a poisonous mind and illusions. This is intensified right now as Mercury (mental body) is conjunct shadow planet Rahu.

Watch for fire and smoke as September begins (literally and metaphorically) and be careful with this element in general. It’s too easy to scorch our life force energy at this time and get burned out. Less is more. Hang out in water or near it, if possible.

Venus goes direct on Sunday, September 6th, at 1:28 PDT, while in Cancer. For well over a month Venus’s backward dance has asked us to re-evaluate relationships, money, creativity and our life force energy. The planet of relationships, creativity and artistry—Venus is connected to all things feminine and life giving. It offers beauty, fluidity, wealth and life giving powers, most essentially, shakti. Worldly comforts and resources can increase through Venus’s benevolence and help us feel more stable in material ways.

As Venus continues to move through Cancer, conjunct debilitated Mars, our chest, heart and emotional body center feels the pangs. The planet of feeling, creativity, relationships and all things beautiful and worldly continues to adjust to the high demands of the heart and emotions until September 30th. With debilitated Mars in this sign as well, our heart is in for an emotional ride. The valves are opening and an influx of water, feelings, heightened emotions and all the challenges connected to sensitivity increases. Home, heart, land, vehicles, mother and all fourth house matters get amplified. How do you navigate the choppy waters? Will you sink, swim or learn to float? Can you attend to the moving tides and go with the flow? Now is an excellent time to clean up and heal issues with relationships, money, creativity and emotions. Don’t fight the tidal waves, but learn to swim with the currents.

Venus must now re-trace his steps back through the first part of Leo. As he moves back into Leo on September 30th, he works his way through Magha nakshatra once again—the domain of the ancestors, most notably the father. This increases our attention on power, authority and the need to pay special attention to our personal mythology connected to these themes. As Venus moves through Leo, we can expect passions to increase for relationships and connection, while strong desires may emerge simultaneously. Expect intensified strength, determination and power to materialize, while aggression and agitation may increase as well.

The transit of Venus through Leo is the instigation of an unfolding theme that has been ripening within the planets. Working with power and authority dynamics is vital, especially the masculine energy within you. Notice where you are pushing, using excessive force and using an over-active drive to accomplish and succeed. Take time to contemplate the meaning of success from different angles. Your ego may feel challenged by this. How can you soften your action steps? Where can you let go and surrender more? How can you be a winner- on all levels of life? How can you meet your relationships with more compassion—both with yourself and others? This work with power dynamics is especially relevant while Venus enters back into the first portion of Leo- where Jupiter is currently.

Though there continue to be small planetary shifts and changing moon tides during this cycle, in many ways we are able to experience a certain rest and rejuvenation at this time. Use this time wisely. The coming eclipse cycle and multiple planetary shifts that will arrive in the next waxing phase will certainly test and stretch us. Take care of your needs now and get the rest and self care that will be essential for the coming cycle.

The partial solar eclipse on September 13th begins a very delicate two week gap between eclipses that will need special care and intention. As with any eclipse portal, it is a time to go inward, reflect and contemplate. It is not a time to start new endeavors or take risky actions. I’ll be sharing more about the waxing moon and the eclipse cycle in my next horoscope post.

*Horoscopes are based on your Vedic (sidereal) rising sign. You can also check your moon and sun signs for further insight. Do the same with your Navamsa signs for further clarity. Do not use these horoscopes with your Western sign (Tropical) as there is likely no correlation. These horoscopes are meant to be used as a broad overview of the current transits and obviously do not address the specifics of an individual’s unique chart.

Aries: Hang onto your heart. As Venus and Mars intensify emotions and home matters for you, prepare to release and clear out the chambers of your heart. The intensity will be brought on by the mind, so attend to mental body stories and parts of your personal mythology that need to be released. Stand up for and support children, creativity and your passions. Get focused and aligned with your money and clean up bad spending habits. Attend to self care and remember to meditate.

Taurus: Use courage to get empowered, focused and truly aligned with your creative powers. Let your heart and emotions guide this process. Where aren’t you showing up in your life? Who and what is controlling you—at the negation of your happiness and well being? Fear and illusions of perfection will rob you of any joy and happiness you desire. Reclaim your power, find your stability within your body and ground into your inner wisdom.

Gemini: Courageously invite in more nourishment, abundance and wealth. Get yourself well fed by life. Power arrives with your creativity. Trust your gifts and creative powers. Mental body shadows are keeping you from feeling your nourished and abundant life. Radically remove the old programming and align with new mental health. Continue to remove old, bad habits and clean up your diet. Let the internet be your friend as you share your passionate message with the world.

Cancer: Part of you feels like you’re going crazy. Part of you is crazy creative energy is moving through you right now and it’s overpowering you. Step into your power and get focused on what truly serves you. Speak your truth, but make sure it’s the sweet truth. Move toward your passions and make this your priority. Relationships may feel intense, passionate, loving and problematic all at the same time. Try to find balance with the wild extremes.

Leo: Heart and home are seeking stability, use your physical body to gain support. Challenge and contraction, restriction and constriction bring pain and suffering to your emotional body. Where are you letting your power leak out and weaken? Who or what is robbing you of your inner wisdom and intuitive knowing? Take your power back. The illusion that you are “not getting your needs met” is not serving you. Release the old mental stories in order to gain deeper comfort, security and abundance.

Virgo: Mental confusion and illusion are keeping you in the dark. Look directly at your shadows and keep pulling off the veils that aren’t allowing you to see the light. Continue to let go and release—especially with relationship matters. Gains come with losses and losses allow new gains. Your power is fragile right now. Others may not see your strength. Let your body wisdom be the reminder of your inner wisdom and power. It has all the messages you need for reinventing yourself and helping you transform.

Libra: Your career is going through some wild changes and passionate excitement. It’s vital to be releasing and letting go of parts of yourself that keep you in the dark. Self sabotage and limiting beliefs will stand in the way of any success you can achieve at this time. Diligently track your mental stories, old programming and personal mythology around success, power and being seen. What’s holding you back from truly standing in your power?

Scorpio: Saturn continues to sit in your head, bringing his pressure, pain and discomfort. He’s reminding you what you need and what you don’t need. Radically resist taking on fear that others dump on you. Your power is only robbed when you let it be taken. Dissolve the mental illusions that are causing old traumas to be re-triggered. There is no authority higher than your own inner knowing, your intuition and the wisdom within you. Align with your truth and don’t compromise.

Sagittarius: Clean, clear and clarify your emotional body and let your suffering out of its cage. Show and share your vulnerability, darkness and pain with others. This will be the catalyst for deeper connection and more nourishment. Perfection is keeping you from fully being alive. Share your words, write and communicate in bold and powerful ways. Believe it or not your light will shine more brightly if you are truly authentic with your full human being.

Capricorn: Relationships are providing you with an intense amount of growth and self development right now- mostly as a result of challenge, emotional heat and old haunts that are returning. Are you letting old pain keep you from feeling joy right now? What mental body illusions are showing up that induce your fear? It is a fear of being controlled and overpowered. Use these stories to help you unravel the programming and conditioning. The darkness is your biggest teacher right now. Let your pain guide you towards your inner truth.

Aquarius: Nourishment is arriving but you aren’t sure what to do with it. You mistrust it, fear it, feel it won’t last. How can you be satisfied if you aren’t giving gratitude for the gifts that are already arriving? The nourishment can’t fully be integrated unless you start feeling every drop of it within your body. Fill your cup. Trust there is more where that came from. Seek stability within your being and trust that others are here to support you. Finding balance between power and vulnerability is key.

Pisces: Lack of clarity in your relationships is causing pain and unnecessary suffering. The illusion of togetherness and the fear of being alone are keeping you from fully getting your needs met. What are you trying to control, manage and resist within yourself and your relationship paradigms? You are misusing your power and its beginning to take its toll. Align with your heart wisdom and listen to your feelings. They will guide you towards your truth.

*All timing used is Pacific Time Zone.

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Relephant bonus:

Relephant read:

5 Easy Steps to Expand your Heart & Create a Life of Thriving.

~

Author: Saraswati J.

Editor: Ashleigh Hitchcock

Photo: courtesy of the author