SOLAR ECLIPSE - APRIL 8, 2024

The New Moon, which is a Total Solar Eclipse, is on Monday, April 8, at 1:20 pm CDT in 19° Aries. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac, rushing into the future, moving forward with a burst of  fiery energy. It might sound good until you find yourself (metaphorically) a rider astride a bucking bronco wondering how long you can hold on. If you already have a goal or project plan in place, put your energy there. Don't be surprised if there are some obstacles. Mars (the ruler of Aries) is conjunct Saturn at this eclipse time which can mean authority figures can (temporarily) block your actions. 

Saturn can be very helpful if somebody in your life insists you run your plan in a business-like way. Even if your plan is something simple, like a resolution to meditate daily, businesslike could mean writing down your intention, making a commitment to a certain time and place and establishing your meditation practice as a priority.  

A mantra for overcoming obstacles might be helpful to get Mars and Saturn working together constructively. Try this Ganesha one, "Om Gum Ganepataye Namaha".

The approaching Jupiter-Uranus conjunction is also in the chart of the eclipse. That makes the eclipse a trigger even before the exact conjunction on April 20 at 21° Taurus. Jupiter is the urge to expand or grow and Uranus is the urge to seek freedom or disrupt the old order of things. At its best Jupiter is wisdom and higher learning and Uranus at its best is the lightning strike of genius. Watch for new thoughts and big ideas coming into your mind and write them down before they vanish. 

For astrology students: A conjunction is the most powerful aspect and can be both harmonious and inharmonious depending on the planets involved.  Some of Goswami Kriyananda's words for Jupiter in harmonious aspect to Uranus: "originality and creative genius which often manifest in the realms of religion, law or medicine." And inharmonious: "tendency toward revolutionary attitudes and actions, often in the realm of religion, law, medicine or governments." Watch the news between now and the end of April and see if you can pick out the stories that match the aspect. Watch your own life and see if you can recognize Jupiter and Uranus in the flow of your thoughts and your impulses toward action.

April is National Poetry Month

I was in a poetry salon this morning at The Narrative Method where we write to prompts and share our writing in small breakout groups. The Jupiter-Uranus conjunction was on my mind so this was my haiku-ish poem today:

Thinking a new thought
How does that work in everyday life?
The space between thoughts

Thoughts and memories
Where is the space in between
Things past, things to do

In a quiet room
Sitting, breathing, and doing no thing
Spark! Flash! Radical!

The vastness of space
Planets, galaxies, universe
And beyond the beyond

~~~ Marcia Sacks 4/5/24

Coming Up:

The Babaji Festival from The Temple of Kriya Yoga 
April 21, 2024 starting around noon via Zoom
More information soon at
https://templeofkriyayoga.org/

The Babaji Festival celebrates the gurus of our lineage and will consist of music, meditation, wisdom talks and stories, plus I will be giving a short astrology talk with a meditation for the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction.
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Ray Grasse's latest book "So What Am I Doing Here, Anyway" will be out on April 25th. This collection of astrological and philosophical essays has been reviewed by The Mountain Astrologer magazine.
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​You can find me continuing to teach and mentor at the Temple of Kriya Yoga's Professional Astrology Course: https://templeofkriyayoga.org/professional-astrology/