Your Blood Is Blood

I remember when I was four or five years old, a neighbor would churn her curd, to make butter and buttermilk. She had a pot of curd, a stick and rope coiled around it. And she would vigorously pull the rope back and forth. The stick would churn the curd to soft couds of floating butter. I would lay on the ground, listen to the rhythm and watch the spray of drops of buttermilk fly in the air and fall in patterns on the ground.

Out of this daily ritual of thousands of women around the country, grew a story. The story of The Churning Of The Great Ocean of Milk- The Samudra Manthana. The curd became the Ksheera Sagara, the stick was the Great Mountain Mandara, Vishnu became Kurma, the tortoise who balanced the mountain on his back, and the Lord of Snakes, Vasuki was the rope coiled around. The Devas and Asuras held either end of the snake and they churned the ocean for a thousand years.

According to different versions of the story, while they were churning, a procession of miraculous things came forth. First there was a deadly poison that was released, but Shiva drank the poison and saved life. Then came the divine wish-fulfilling cow and tree, the white elephant, the divine horse, the moon, Varuni the goddess of wine, rare gems, Mudevi, the goddess of quarrels, sorrow and sloth, and she was followed by her sister, Sridevi the goddess of wealth, prosperity and diligence. And finally came Dhanavantari, the divine physician with 'amrita' the nectar of immortality.

Mohini, The Enchantress

A fight erupted between the Devas and Asuras on who now owned the 'amrita'. Vishnu stepped in as the arbitrator. He took on the form of Mohini, the enchantress. The devas and asuras were left dazzled and confused. Mohini took the pot of nectar and she danced around them. She let the Devas sip the nectar, and deceived the Asuras by giving them a drink of wine, instead.

There was one Asura however who wasn't hypnotized by Mohini's charm. Swarbhanu who saw the game being played and he went over and sat in the Deva's corner. And Mohini fed him a drop of nectar. The Sun and Moon who saw the imposter immediately alerted Vishnu, who threw his discus weapon and severed the neck of Swarbhanu. But it was too late, Swarbhanu was now immortal. His head was called Rahu/The Dragon's Head and his headless body Ketu/The Dragon's Tail.

It is said that Rahu and Ketu still carry their anger towards the Sun and Moon who complained about them, and they now cause the eclipses by swallowing the Sun and Moon twice a year.

Sometimes The Story Is In What Is Left Out Of The Telling Of It

The devas and asuras were half brothers born to the same father. The Devas who came to be known as 'the gods', acually meant 'the shining ones'. The word Deva is the root for words like 'divine', 'deus'/Zeus, deity etc. The poor Asuras on the other hand actually meant 'powerful spirit' or 'life force' but somewhere lost in translation they are now known as 'the demon' or 'the evil ones'.

There is another interpretation that calls the Devas as Suras. Sura is the name of wine. The Devas would drink alcohol but the Asuras were teetotalers. In several situations Asuras had been fooled because they were drunk and now they swore not to fall into that trap again. A-Sura...the ones who won't drink.

The Asuras were fooled right at the beginning of the Samudra Manthana. They got the wrong end of the stick. The Devas held the snake's tail, but the Asuras were given the snake's head from where its poison is spewed.

Also during the churning, the Devas would often get tired and go seek help from Brahma. He would replenish them with energy. The Asuras on the other hand never let their eyes of the task at hand. Even today if someone does very rigorous practice/or study/or work people call it 'Asura Sadhana', the practice that is only possible by an Asura.

Ravana was one such Asura who was capable of such effort, strong, magnificent, he was a skilled musician and a poet. And a great devotee of Shiva. People who talk of The Ramayana may paint him as evil. As the one who stole another man's wife. But several other cultures, including the Tamil culture, see him as worthy of worship. They remind people that Lakshmana, Rama's brother, cut the nose and ears off Shurpanaka, Ravana's sister. For the mere folly of trying to seduce him. To avenge that brutal act, Ravana kidnapped Sita, but never laid a finger on her and kept her in comfort.

Tomorrow, Friday, is Thiruvonam. The festival in Kerala that celebrates the great Asura King Bali. There was no one more generous than him.  Vishnu who appeared to him in the form of a dwarf, showed him His Magnificent Form and sent Bali down to the underworld to rule there. For one day of the year however Bali visits the earth and the people of Kerala celebrate his visit and remember the prosperity he bestowed on them.

For sure there have been Asuras who have done evil things. But then there have been Devas who have done them as well.

Watch Out

The Samudra Manthana story is a lesson. It says life is unjust. The shining ones get all the luck. The Great Gods of the Gods support these shining ones. The shining people get to the top of hierarchies. They are not highly skilled. In fact they are not even capable of relentless pursuit of excellence or knowledge. They instead use influence, tricks and manipulative strategies.

The others who are relying on their efforts alone are getting fooled often. In today's day and age, we the common folk are these Asuras. We are given the head of the snake, we toil and then we get cheated of what is rightfully ours.

We get charmed by the 'shining ones', seduced by 'the enchantresses' and we forget to see the larger picture.

Rahu Ketu

In reality several of the Devas who drank the nectar of immortality are forgotten today. And many of the Asuras who didn't are still remembered.

Jyothishya takes into account the Planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. The two luminaries the Sun and the Moon. And the two shadow aspects Rahu and Ketu. In fact Rahu and Ketu are the most prominent grahas in today's Astrology. They represent the zeitgeist. They probably also remind you of the Cartesian's mind-body dislocation.

Rahu is the head without a stomach. No matter how much he eats, he is never satiated. He sets off a strange greed in whichever position he sits in the natal chart. Being only mind, he is capable of being extremely innovative. But he overthinks. Becomes obsessive. He loves attention. He plays the game of Smoke and Mirrors. He is fiercely independent. Being someone who was at the receiving end of injustice, he gives you the power to speak against it. He gives you the power to see through hypnosis, but only after you fall for a few scams yourself. And he holds the power to heal through dark practices. He rules technology, social media, addictions, illusions, obsessions, and endless greed.

Ketu on the other hand is, in my opinion, the greatest graha in the chart. Ketu denotes detachment. Whether you like it or not, Ketu will sever everything in your life that is superfluous. It will leave you with only what is in the best interests of your spiritual growth.He works outside the realm of thoughts.

Come September

Cosmically September is a packed month. We just had Pluto going Out Of Bounds at the end of August. An occurence that will not happen for the next 3000 years. We have the festivals of Onam, St Mary's Feast and the beginning of Navaratri. We have two very important eclipses, the first one ushering in Pitru Paksha the second one culminating in Mahalaya Amavasya. It is potent and very rare to have Pitru Paksha coincide with the eclipses to the date.

Also 3I Atlas is now half as big as the Sun. Imagine this, some say it is close to 14 billion years old. And it is coming to us from the direction of the center of the galaxy- The Galactic Center, or Vishnunabhi (Vishnu's Navel). It must have left there a while ago. And it is hurtling at a significant speed. Space is quite full of asteroids and other bodies. How is it that 3I hasn't banged into any of them?

Eclipse Season

We have a Total Lunar Eclipse happening on September 7th , starting from 20.58 IST and ending at 2.25 IST on September 8th. Reaching its maximum at 23.41 on the 7th. Let's explore the astronomy of eclipses in another post. For today, however, let's look at an astrological prediction for this eclipse.

An empty circle is drawn, A hundred healers called forth. Those that have seen the darkness, Arise in the shadows.

A two faced man, sees both sides. He raises a sword, cuts through the excess.                                                                                          Uplifts the one who is on his knees. Into an acceptance of spiritual ease.

A teacher blesses from afar, Shows the way of renewal. Another from deep below, Shows how to heal from poison.

The king finds no pleasure on his throne. A listlessness sets in, Illness and ill-will seem to follow. Words once easily expressed are swallowed within.

Something To Carry You Through

September 7th's eclipse is caused by Rahu. Eclipse in Sanskrit is called 'grahana', 'to be grasped' or 'to be possessed'. The shadow graha Rahu is going to grasp the Moon. They say that after the age of 42, Rahu can work in your favor. The understanding being that by the age of 42 one has been obsessed with one thing or the other. It could be a love affair, a career ambition, quest for money, fame, an addiction or a spiritual seeking. Something that possessed you. You were willing to give yourself up to it. Didn't mind being called crazy, didn't wait to count consequences and didn't feel like anything was enough. If that was you before the age of 42, congratulations! You have passed an important test.

For those who don't give in to the obsession, even by the age of 42, they don't stand much of a chance to reap the positive sides of Rahu.

How do you know you were under the influence of Rahu? If you feel completely empty at the end. If you don't understand what pushed you, what made you give in or what you gained. But if you can clearly see what you lost. Then you know that Rahu took you for quite the ride. And left you lost. Some people get stuck here.

If you manage to give yourself a second chance, then, you stand to gain. Only then can you open the gifts of fierce independence, the possibility of innovation, the strength to raise your voice against injustice and the power to heal. Now you know better.

Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me! Fool me after I know Rahu, then perhaps you don't really know who the fool is here!

Enjoy eclipse season. Welcome Mahabali, the generous Asura on Onam, pray for the blessings of Mother Mary and remember the time of the eclipse is the best to seed intentions. What your personal intentions are , are up to you. For the collective I propose "May we have a good rich earth, whose thirst is quenched. Who gives us good food. Food grown by a farmer, made nutritious by nature and cooked under the sun. May we have good grains, good fruits and vegetables, good milk, meat and eggs. May our rivers run clean.May we prosper with health and vitality."