The Moon in Capricorn: Ambitious, Determined, Practical

August 20 – August 23, 2018

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The Wisdom of Buddha

When one has the feeling of dislike for evil, when one feels tranquil, one finds pleasure in listening to good teachings; when one has these feelings and appreciates them, one is free of fear.

Your Karmic Number for Today

The number 4 appears right now to tell you not to be discouraged by the lack of evidence that your ideas or goals are going to pan out. The determination that you have is helping put everything in order. Things will start looking much more promising very soon. Keep working toward what you want. Doing a little bit every day helps move things forward quicker. But don’t drop everything else to focus only on your particular wish or wishes. If you do, you could lose sight of everything else and have to start over.

If You Were Born Today, August 22

One of your most distinguishable traits is your common sense – you are grounded and logical, and although you are a dreamer, you prefer to imagine realizable goals. You have a straightforward manner, and you are magnetic and intuitive. You can be quite determined, independent, and some might call you stubborn. You value some level of routine and structure. You are practical, yet also enthusiastic when you see something you like. Your people skills are strong, but you are also able to be direct when necessary. Open to new ideas and visions, you also have your feet firmly planted on the ground, always considering the viability of any endeavor carefully. You are filled with quality advice for others, and others turn to you for your opinion often. You are attracted to youthful, confident, and dynamic lovers. However, you might often find yourself attracted to people who resort to trickery or other dubious activity. Famous people born today: Ray Bradbury, John Lee Hooker, Tori Amos, Cindy Williams, Ty Burrell, Kristen Wiig, Richard Armitage, Rodrigo Santoro, Rick Yune, Dakota Goyo.

Your Birthday Year Forecast

Transiting Uranus harmonizes with your Sun again this year until February 2019. Your personality is sparkling during this period, which is sure to attract new circumstances and people into your life. Exciting (not jarring) changes and new interests characterize the period ahead. It’s easier than ever to express your unique individuality, and if this involves changing careers or jobs, a new love affair, or an entirely new hobby, it’s something that takes you forward into unexplored territory. You are more willing to adapt to new circumstances, ideas, and unfamiliar situations. It’s a good time to join organizations and groups and to attend meetings or social events. You can find creative solutions to problems now. Flexibility is the key to success under this influence.

There is increased charm in the way you present your ideas this year, certainly helping to smooth over differences in your personal relationships.

There’s much potential of achieving a good balance between work and play this year. You have a stronger focus on, and dedication to, work in the period ahead. You can make significant headway in specific areas this year, and you are likely to feel a strong sense of direction and purpose. Your timing is good, and you’re likely to make strong decisions related to work or long-term projects.

Energy fluctuates this year, however. If you aren’t too rash or impulsive, you might be able to free yourself from restrictive circumstances. You could also have more courage than usual to do things that break the routine, and confrontations engaged in this year could clear the air and help you to move forward.

You might also watch for a tendency to overstate and to neglect important details when making plans. You may have so very many ideas that you end up implementing none if you’re not careful! You are likely to have increased opportunities for travel and/or new learning experiences.

Idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses surface this year. Making connections with others from different backgrounds may figure strongly. Widening your mind through unusual or different experiences can be part of the picture. You more easily make personal sacrifices for what you believe to be the greater good this year.

Cooperation brings wonderful rewards this year, but you’re also very often going your own way, and this suits you quite well. Your creativity is stimulated in addition to your excitability and your need for freedom in the period ahead. It is easier than ever to express your individuality in a manner that is true to you. In certain areas of your life, you’re inclined to rock the boat this year so that you can break free from a limiting situation. Be mindful when/if making sweeping changes. Your charm is tremendous and you often connect with the right projects and people.

 

2018 is a Number Five year for you. Ruled by Mercury. This is a year of discovery and freedom. It’s a time when exploration and reaching out to others brings opportunities. It’s a good time to advertise, promote, and sell. Surprises are in store, and the routine is broken for the better. This is a year when exciting relationships can be formed; or, if you are already in a partnership, new life is breathed into the relationship. Advice – explore, look for adventure, keep your eyes open for opportunities, diversify, mingle.

2019 will be a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It’s a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are especially able to attract others–and material things as well–this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice – develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF EKADASI

By

Sri Swami Krishnananda

Ekadasi is a Sanskrit word, which means ‘the eleventh’. It refers to the eleventh day of a fortnight belonging to a lunar month. There are two fortnights in a lunar month—the bright and the dark. So, Ekadasi occurs twice in a month, in the bright fortnight and the dark fortnight. The special feature of Ekadasi, as most people know it, is a fast, abstinence from diet. This is how it is usually understood. ‘We do not eat on Ekadasi’, is what people understand. In this country (India) it has become a routine to be abstemious, if not observe a complete fast on this day. The significance of this particular observance is not merely constituted of a fast, physically, though it is also an essential element; it has other deeper aspects. In fact, the fast is only a practical expression and a symbol of something else that we are expected to do, which is of special significance to our personality. Those who know astronomy as something which tells about the inter-relation of the planetary system, the stellar world, would be aware that we form a part of this planetary or solar system. By a system we mean an organism or organisation which is methodically arranged. When we know that we belong to the system of planetary motions, we understand thereby that we are an inseparable part of the system. We are not unrelated bodies on the surface of the earth, like a cart on the road which has no organic link. We belong to the solar system—a huge family of which the sun is the head and the planets are the members. The sun guides the activities of this family and we, being contents of this system, cannot be out of the influence of the sun. We are involved in the laws operating in this system. This has led to the discovery of astrology. Astronomy studies the movements of planets and stars, and astrology the effects they produce on the contents of the system. The Ekadasi observance is an astrological phenomenon and it is observed due to this relation we have with some of the planets in the system. The entire personality of ours is tremendously influenced by the movement of planets. There is no use imagining that the planets are above our heads. They are everywhere. There is a relative movement of planets among which the earth is one. The movement of one thing in relation to another is a relative movement. There is no planet which is static. Even the sun is not ultimately static. The whole solar system is moving and rushing towards some huge star, which is eighty million times larger and brighter than the sun, whose light has not yet reached us, as astronomers tell us. We have to understand that there is relative motion amongst planets and we are relatively influenced by the planets., Each planet tells upon our system and we cannot get rid of the influence of theirs as long as we are in this planet, of which we are a part. The gravitational pull of planets has an influence on us.

The sun is said to influence the centre of our personality; hence the sun is called Atmakaraka. He is the soul-influencer of the human body. In the Rig-veda, the sun is identified with the soul of the universe as well as the soul of the individual. The different limbs of our body and different parts of our system are supposed to be influenced by different planets. The sun is capable of influencing the entire being. He is, thus, the Atmakaraka. Karaka is doer, manipulator, director. If there is no sun, we know what difference it makes for us; our digestion becomes sluggish on days when there is no sun. So important is the sun.

The moon is supposed to influence the mind. The mind is also made up of material substance. The mind is not spiritual but material. How is mind matter? This can be known if we know how, in Homeopathy, the medicine is manufactured. In Allopathy, they give the crude base of a medicine, which Homeopathy calls mother tincture. In Homeopathy, one drop of mother tincture is mixed with hundred drops of rectified spirit and shaken with a tremendous force. That mixture is one potency of medicine. One drop of that is mixed in hundred drops of spirit again. It becomes 2 potency medicine. Likewise, they have larger potencies. So, you can imagine what happens to the medicine when it reaches the higher potency. There is no medicine at all. So, Homeopathy says, they give no medicine, but a vibration,—vibration of the original base-material. It is a subtle aromatic vibration, aromatic in the sense of the subtle residium of the original medicine; and what will create a circumstance in Allopathy will remove that very circumstance in Homeopathy. Nevertheless this potency is material in the sense that it is formed of matter. So is the mind. It is the subtle portion of the material substance of our food. The subtle essence of the food, not only directly taken through the mouth but through all senses, contribute to the make up of the mind or the mind-stuff. Mind is material in a subtle sense, like a mirror which is made of earth-material only, though it shines. Only the mirror is able to reflect light, and not the brick, though it is also made of the earth material. Mind is material in this sense. It is very, very subtle and is made up of everything that we take. So, matter influences matter. Planets are not spiritual bodies, and yet they influence the mind. The mind’s presiding deity is moon. Ekadasi is particularly relevant to this relation of moon and mind. You will find that, when you go deep into the study of astronomy, you have nothing in your body except some planetary influences! We are made up of planetary forces and there is nothing independent to call our own. One part belongs to one planet and another part to another planet. If each planet claims its part, you will disintegrate. The moon influences the mind in its orbital relative movement with reference to other planets and us.

How, is Ekadasi related to the movement of moon and mind? We have certain centres called Chakras in the body. The Chakras are nothing but energy-centres which whirl in some direction as water whirls in a river. Chakra is a wheel or circular motion. They move in a spiral shape. They are not physical; but psycho-physical and psychological. These Chakras are neither in the mind nor in the body; they are in the astral body. The moon’s influence physically on the body has an influence on the Chakras, which tells upon the mind ultimately. The mind moves through these Chakras. The passage of the mind is through these Chakras, up and down. When this operation takes place consciously, it is called Yoga; When done unconsciously by the mind, it is just influence. When the moon waxes or wanes, the mind is vehemently influenced. So people who are not normal in their minds become very bad on the full-moon and new-moon days. You cannot see the moon’s influence on the earth because it is solid, but it can be seen on the ocean which is liquid. The moon influences the whole earth, but its influence is visible on the large body of waters in the sea. This happens due to the twofold pressure of the relation of the earth and moon. The sun influences the moon and the moon influences the earth. When the influence occurs automatically, we are instruments in the hands of Nature. When it is done consciously, we are said to practise Yoga. We can be involuntarily dragged from place to place, or we can walk voluntarily. The difference is obvious. The moon’s movement tells upon the movement of the mind through the Chakras.

Another important aspect is the seat of the mind which is also twofold. You may be living in many houses, of which one or two are your own. Svasthana means ‘One’s own place.’ The mind has several abodes or centres of energy called Chakras, of which two are its own. The seats of the mind in this personality of ours are: 1. the subtle spot in the astral body corresponding to the centre of the two eye-brows, in waking, and 2. the heart, in the state of deep sleep. If it is in the brain, it is active and you, then, do not get sleep, because it refuses to go down. If the mind is midway between the centre of the eye-brows and the heart, it is dream state. So, there is a twofold centre of the mind,—the Ajna-Chakra, or the centre between the eye-brows, and the Anahata Chakra, or the heart. In both these centres, the mind feels at home and is at ease, because it is nearer to itself. In other centres it is extrovert. In the Ajna and the Anahata Chakras it finds itself at home. In the two fortnights, in its movement, it finds itself at the Ajna Chakra and the Anahata Chakra on the eleventh day. Since these two Chakras are its own abode, the mind is at home here, i.e., it gets concentrated and collected easily. This has been the experience given out by our ancients, and this has to be taken advantage of by Sadhakas. You are capable of concentration when the mind is naturally in its home. The mind cannot be concentrated when it is out of tune, but when it is in its location it is easy of contemplation. So, the Ekadasi day in both fortnights is the occasion when the mind finds itself in its place—in the bright fortnight in the Ajna Chakra, and in dark fortnight in the Anahata Chakra. Seekers and Yogis take advantage of these two days and try to practise deep meditation. Vaishnavas treat Ekadasi as a very holy day and also observe a fast on that day.

Fast and meditation! What connection have they? There is really no intrinsic connection between fast and meditation, but there is some advantage in keeping the body light and the stomach free from excessive metabolic function. When the stomach is given the duty of digestion, doctors will tell you, the blood circulation is accelerated towards the digestive organs, on account of which blood circulation to the head gets decreased after food is taken and so you feel sleepy and the thinking faculty practically ceases to function.  Hence, there is no advantage in giving the physical system work on days you want to do Yogic practice.  Thus, Ekadasi has also a spiritual significance.

The energy of the whole system gets distributed equally if a particular limb is not given any inordinate work.  If any part is given heavy work, there is a dislocation of the working of the body. So, in fasting the energy is equally distributed as the digestive function is not there.  But, there should be no overdoing in fast.  Fast is supposed to cause buoyancy of feeling and not fatigue.   So people who are sick and cannot observe a total fast take milk and fruits, etc. People who are perfectly healthy and are confident, observe a complete fast. This helps in control of mind and will.

Apart from all these, there is a necessity to give the physiological system some rest once a while. It may be over-worked due to a little over-eating or indiscrimination in diet. These irregularities unconsciously done during the fourteen days get rectified in one day.  Thus the observance of Ekadasi has many advantages—physical, astral, spiritual—and because this day has connection with the relation of the mind with its abode together with the moon, you feel mysteriously helped in your meditation and contemplation,—mysteriously because you cannot know this consciously.  But you can feel this for yourself by observing it. In India everything is interpreted spiritually.  Every river is a deity.  Every mountain is a god.   Everything is holy, dedicated to the Divine. Everything is presided over by a particular god, Gramadevata, Grihadevata; etc.  Everywhere is God.   The idea behind all this is that we have to feel the presence of God in everything and everywhere.  In space and in time, in everything, there is God. Time is God. Directions are God. Thus the very objects become embodiments of God. This is India’s religious sidelight, which is profoundly meaningful in life.

2018 Spiritual Calendar

The Witches Astronomy Digest for Wednesday, August 22

Hekate,

You are the allure of Autumn and the madness of Winter.

You are the smell of damp earth after the passing of storms.

You are the Ravens flight and the Owls call.

You are the soft glow of Sunset and the hoary light of the Moon.

You are the crisp breath of a Midwinter morn and the soft sigh of Spring’s awakening.

You are the silence of Death and the enchantment of Life.

Hekate, My Queen, You are…..

 

~Vivienne Moss~
Published on Moon Book Blog

Planetary Positions For August 22, 2018

Zodiac: Tropical (Standard Western)

Sun: 29 Leo 27
Moon: 16 Capricorn 59
Mercury: 12 Leo 16
Venus: 15 Libra 15
Mars: 28 Capricorn 47 Rx
Jupiter: 15 Scorpio 58
Saturn: 02 Capricorn 43 Rx
Uranus: 02 Taurus 28 Rx
Neptune: 15 Pisces 31 Rx
Pluto: 19 Capricorn 07 Rx

Your Daily Sun & Moon Almanac for Wednesday, August 22

The Sun
Sun Direction: ↑ 105.07° ESE
Sun Altitude: 37.49°
Sun Distance: 94.014 million mi
Next Equinox: Sep 22, 2018 8:54 pm (Autumnal)
Sunrise Today: 6:16 am↑ 75° East
Sunset Today: 7:36 pm↑ 285° West
Hours of Daylight: 13 hours, 19 minutes

 

The Moon
Moon Direction: ↑ 335.19° NNW
Moon Altitude: -72.47°
Moon Distance: 251911 mi
Next Full Moon: Aug 26, 20186:56 am
Next New Moon: Sep 9, 20181:01 pm
Next Moonrise: Today5:25 pm
Current Moon Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 87.0%

Source

timeanddate.com

About the Waxing Gibbous Moon Phase

The moon is one-half but not fully illuminated, although increasing in illumination, therefore it represents gaining and attaining. So this can be applied to what you wish to gain and develop, such as friends, wealth, skills etc.

Now the buds are preparing to bloom. This is the developmental stage where ideas and plans can be cultivated and fine-tuned before the next stage of manifestation.

Astrology of Today – Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Today’s Moon:
The Moon is in Capricorn.
The Moon is waxing and in its First Quarter phase until 4:48 AM, after which the Moon is in its Waxing Gibbous phase.
We are in between a First Quarter Moon (which happened on the 18th) and a Full Moon (which will occur on the 26th).

Retrogrades/Stations:
Mercury is no longer retrograde and is in its post-retrograde shadow until September 2nd.
Mars is retrograde (Mars is retrograde from June 26th to August 27th)—there is less than one week left of the Mars retrograde cycle.
Also retrograde: Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, and Chiron.

**Times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Daily Overview of Your Stars & Planets for August 22

The Moon spends the day in Capricorn–a practical, goal-oriented influence. Our sense of responsibility is strong, and our desire to be efficient and useful increases. Our view of life, in general, is realistic under this influence, or at least we seek to see things in practical terms. Uncertainty in Venus-ruled areas of life (romance, social life, and finances) can be a theme today, however. A Venus-Neptune quincunx suggests some struggle between wanting to see things realistically and preferring to look the other way or nurture a fantasy. There can be some insecurity or doubts about others or our own feelings and perceptions under this influence.

The sky this week for August 22 to 26

Asteroids and meteors and planets, oh my! There’s a lot to see this week in the night sky.
By Richard Talcott

Wednesday, August 22

Look overhead around 10 p.m. local daylight time and your eyes will fall on the brilliant star Vega in the constellation Lyra the Harp. At magnitude 0.0, Vega is the brightest member of the prominent Summer Triangle asterism. The Triangle’s second-brightest star, magnitude 0.8 Altair in Aquila the Eagle, lies some 35° southeast of Vega. The asterism’s dimmest member, magnitude 1.3 Deneb in Cygnus the Swan, stands about 25° east-northeast of Vega.

Thursday, August 23

The Moon moves about 13° eastward every 24 hours, and tonight it pulls into Mars’ vicinity. As darkness falls, the Red Planet lies some 8° to the Moon’s lower right. Mars remains a beacon, shining at magnitude –2.3, and stands out despite the Moon’s proximity. When viewed through a telescope, the planet’s disk spans 22″ and should show some subtle surface details as the global dust storm continues to abate.

The Moon reaches apogee, the farthest point in its orbit around Earth, at 7:23 a.m. EDT. It then lies 252,119 miles (405,746 kilometers) from Earth’s center.

Friday, August 24

The constellations Ursa Major the Great Bear and Cassiopeia the Queen lie on opposite sides of the North Celestial Pole, so they appear to pivot around the North Star (Polaris) throughout the course of the night and the year. In late August and early September, these two constellations appear equally high as darkness falls. You can find Ursa Major and its prominent asterism, the Big Dipper, about 30° above the northwestern horizon. Cassiopeia’s familiar W-shape, which currently lies on its side, appears the same height above the northeastern horizon. As the night progresses, Cassiopeia climbs above Polaris while the Big Dipper swings below.

Mars continues to move westward relative to the background stars, and today it crosses the border from southwestern Capricornus into eastern Sagittarius. But its stay among the Archer’s stars won’t be lengthy. The planet reaches its stationary point on the 28th and will move back into the Sea Goat on September 1.

Saturday, August 25

Full Moon officially arrives at 7:56 a.m. EDT tomorrow morning, but it looks completely illuminated all night. You can find it rising in the east around sunset and then watch it climb high in the south by 1 a.m. local daylight time. It dips low in the west by the time morning twilight starts to paint the sky. The Moon lies against the backdrop of Aquarius the Water-bearer, but its bright glow nearly drowns out the faint stars in this constellation.

Sunday, August 26

Mercury makes an impressive appearance before dawn in late August. It reaches greatest elongation this morning, when it lies 18° west of the Sun and appears 10° high in the east 30 minutes before sunrise. The innermost planet shines at magnitude –0.2 and is the most conspicuous celestial object near the eastern horizon. A telescope reveals the planet’s disk, which spans 7″ and appears 43 percent lit.

Source

The Astronomy Magazine

In the Sky This Month

The Moon rolls past one bright light after another this month, including the brilliant planets Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. At the same time, two of the signature star patterns of summer, Scorpius and Sagittarius, roll low across the south. Scorpius really does look like a scorpion, while the brightest stars of Sagittarius, which represents a centaur holding a bow and arrow, form a wide teapot.

August 22: Moon and Mars
Mars looks like a bright orange star low in the southeast at nightfall. It is close to the lower left of the Moon tonight, and a similar distance to the lower right of the Moon tomorrow night.

August 23: More Moon and Mars
Look for Mars close to the lower right of the Moon this evening, and staying close to the Moon throughout the night. It looks like a bright orange star. Although Mars has faded over the past month, it’s still one of the brightest lights in the night sky.

August 24: Mercury in the Morning
Mercury, the Sun’s closest planet, is putting on a good show in the morning sky. It is north of due east at dawn and quite low, so you will need a clear horizon to spot it. It’s bright, though, and it will get brighter over the next two weeks.

August 25: Moon in Aquarius
The full Moon is passing through Aquarius tonight. The constellation is home to a planetary system, known as Trappist-1, which contains at least seven planets. All of them are about as big as Earth, and three are in the star’s “habitable zone.”

August 26: Rising Hunter
Orion, the hunter, one of the signature star patterns of winter, is in good view in the early morning sky. Orion clears the eastern horizon a couple of hours before sunrise and is high in the sky at first light.

August 27: Venus and Spica
The “evening star” is sneaking up on Spica, the leading light of Virgo. The star is close to the upper right of brilliant Venus as night falls. They will get even closer by Friday night. After that, Venus will move away from the star, adding separation each night.

August 28: Bootes
The constellation Bootes, the herdsman, stands high in the west in early evening. Its leading light, yellow-orange Arcturus, is one of the brightest stars in the entire sky.

Source

StarDate

Daily Cosmic Calendar for August 22

With the sun entering Virgo (9:10pm), take a good look back at your accomplishments and difficulties during the past four weeks during the solar transit of Leo. Making the leap from a fixed, fire sign to a mutable, earth sign is not an easy transition. Zeroing in on major professional goals is still important right now with the moon in Capricorn forging a constructive, 60-degree tie to Jupiter in Scorpio (5:22am) and its monthly conjunction with sometimes hard-to-decipher Pluto in Capricorn (11:47am). Research and investigative work are definitely reinforced whenever the lunar orb and Pluto come together in a mutually-respectful exchange. Meanwhile, ward off a rising tide of emotional confusion that can emanate from a quirky, 150-degree connection between Venus and Neptune (2:11pm). Ease up on romantic overtures for the time-being.

[Note to readers: All times are now calculated for Pacific Daylight Time. Be sure to adjust all times according to your own local time so the alignments noted above will be exact for your location.]

 

Copyright 2018 Mark Lerner & Great Bear Enterprises, Ltd.
Astrology.com

Your Current Moon Phase for Wednesday, August 22

Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 86%

The Moon today is in a Waxing Gibbous phase. This phase is when the moon is more than 50% illuminated but not yet a Full Moon. The phase lasts round 7 days with the moon becoming more illuminated each day until the Full Moon. During a Waxing Gibbous the moon will rise in the east in mid-afternoon and will be high in the eastern sky at sunset. The moon is then visible though most of the night sky setting a few hour before sunrise. The word Gibbous first appeared in the 14th century and has its roots in the Latin word “gibbosus” meaning humpbacked.

PHASE DETAILS FOR – WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2018

Phase: Waxing Gibbous
Illumination: 86%
Moon Age: 11.18 days
Moon Angle: 0.49
Moon Distance: 404,692.65 km
Sun Angle: 0.53
Sun Distance: 151,289,727.31 km

Source

MoonGiant

Moon in Capricorn

 

The Moon is traveling through Capricorn today. Make a list of goals. Work overtime. Climb higher. Don’t sulk.

We become aware of the need for structure and planning ahead with a Capricorn Moon. We are instinctively aware of the limitations of time and motivated by a desire for success. Achievement and manifestation are more important to us now. We are resourceful and don’t want to waste time, energy, or resources. This can be a somewhat sober influence, but it can also be a productive time when we look reality in the eye.

The Moon in Capricorn generally favors the following activities: Long-term activities that yield slow but steady results, practical undertakings, career issues, making a business plan, practical investments.

 

By the light of the shining moon,
Open my dreams and allow them to bloom.
Fishes and leek to appease the soul
While wine and honey fill the bowl.
Garlic bulbs around my feet,
All laid on the ground where the three roads meet.
Open the gate, and show the way,
Raise our voices
Hecate, Hecate, Hecate.

Offerings delivered, her presence revealed.
Walk the path of the magical seal.
Return the lost to me and protect what is mine.
Allow this moon to serve as a sign.
Welcome the blessings and honor her way.
Chanting under the moon
Hecate, Hecate, Hecate.

 

Sosanna, Author
Published on By Her Fires