Partial Lunar Eclipse
July 16 is the partial lunar Eclipse and Mega Red Day in the Conscious Calendars system.
Mega Red Days are eclipse days. In Vedic Astrology, eclipse days are not to be used for ‘making things’ in the world or signing contracts of any kind – be that money, influence, signing contracts or making major purchases like buying houses or cars. No matter what the sale – there is often hassle with things we DO that is worldly on eclipse days. (Prime Day is the day of the eclipse. Try not to spend money on the eclipse day or at least, don’t order a car on Amazon on Prime Day and you’ll be fine.) Eclipse Days are great for anything spiritual where we are stepping away from the world.
Full Moon
The Full Moon in Sagittarius occurs on July 16 in Europe, Canada, the Americas and on July 17 in the southern hemisphere, with the full moon on
July 16 @ 9:38 pm UTC (Universal Time) / 10:38 pm BST (London) / 5:38 PM EDT / 2:38 PM PDT which is July 17 at 7:38 am AEST (Australia).
(This is the sidereal or Vedic sky map, so the full moon is in Sagittarius in Vedic Astrology.)
The Time of Greatest Eclipse
Time of Greatest Lunar Eclipse is at 9:31 pm UTC or 21:31 UTC.
The Eclipse lasts 2 h 58 min and is visible in S. America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia – with the time of Greatest Eclipse in the center of that three hours. All of these details are on the July Conscious Calendar.
Fire Element, Effort and Anxiety
Full moons can bring up feelings of free floating anxiety – a nervous feeling while not knowing what to do with it. This full moon is at maximum light and energy. The good news is that lunar eclipses usually FEEL like a bigger deal, but we are often much calmer within days or weeks of them.
(We still set patterns on these days for at least 6 months, but the feeling is less fairly soon. Solar Eclipses are a different story. Vedic Astrology uses the ancient knowledge of the karmic effects on these days that are thousands of years old – and the knowledge of how to work with karmic patterns is the very fabric and where the term karma comes from.)
When the full moon is eclipsed and with Ketu then the desire to BE FREE of ‘this’ feeling is strong (fill in whatever feelings you are having that is uncomfortable). This will be especially strong on the day before, the day of and the day after a lunar eclipse when Ketu is connected with the moon.
On eclipse days, illusion is at its highest. So, if you have felt some tension leading up to the eclipse, then you are aware of the energies that influence us all. Since it is a day of illusion, and not being able to see clearly – then in Vedic Astrology we simply don’t create things, instead we use them as fuel to the inner fire.
Kathleen Whalen
Fire must be fed
What do you want to feed – a fire of desire or a fire that burns karmas?
(Advanced Yogic discussion: Cultivate Nirodha on eclipse days. It is the only force greater than citta. Eclipse days are windows to reverse patterns of distraction and desire.)
Theme of the Lunar Eclipse – Release Old Stories
We are the elements
Each of the elements teaches us a wisdom when we observe the element in its purity. Studying and understanding the power of each element is a spiritual path toward understanding the very energy of which we are made. We are made up of the elements. This is the basis of both Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.
Fire can only continue to exist when it is fed. Fire is associated with the Pitta dosha (and movement, rajas, intense focus and desire) in Ayurveda. It is the exact opposite of water. When we understand that our body only persists because of what we feed it (we breath, eat and drink), and that our SELF is limitless and beyond the body, then we can start to make different choices. We are so much more than our body.
Have you ever noticed that when you are hungry, you can take a deep breath and hold it for a moment and the hunger decreases? We are being fed in another way.
When we understand that our body only persists because we breath, eat and drink, and that our Self is limitless and beyond the body, then we can start to make different choices.
Fasting or saying NO to buying objects is easier when we have experienced loss in our lives and when we understand our self-esteem is not built on the objects we own or the look of the body.
Full Moon Theme Vedic Astrology
It’s a full moon aligning with purpose and dharma – showing you the way of effortless actions or “Being in action without DOing”. There are ways to melt into what you are doing and losing yourself that creates joy and dissolves tension.
Dharma and purpose light up here, but since the Moon is eclipsed, we will notice that the theme is turned on its head.
A balanced Uttara Ashada person will be healthy and integrated with their personal power – so this eclipse will bring to light all the places we are mis-using our personal power or attempting to bring results through our own efforts (which is thinking small). When we ally ourselves with the energy and power that is beyond us (what some call our higher power, our Highest Self, God, or the Universe) then we expand beyond our small-self and there is a flow that is not defined but that is continuous.
When we effort and “do things” by ourselves – the source of energy is limited and we will exhaust ourselves even if the goal is achieved. And even if some fame or money comes from the effort, it will not create good-will or continue to grow on its own.
See where you are ‘thinking small’ and that ‘you’ have to do something.
When a painter or musician aligns with the subject matter they are painting or singing, the artist disappears and MAGIC happens – creative flow is tapped.
Eclipses and illusion
If you receive a medical diagnosis on an eclipse day, it might be good to get a second opinion. It’s likely that all was not revealed on that visit. It is okay – divine guidance might be in getting a second opinion.
Eclipses are considered a time of illusion in Vedic Astrology and very often people get huge tugs or big ideas that they think are huge, or will fulfill a fantasy or fulfill some-thing that feels lacking in their lives.
Just don’t think you’ve figured “it all out” when genius strikes on an eclipse day. Chances are it will end up costing you more energy and time if you pursue something that “came to you” on an eclipse day. It might be a brilliant idea, that someone else will bring into the world. It is just not for you to do it, if the idea comes on an eclipse day…because the information is not grounded in reality, and is not meant to fully manifest. (Versus an idea which comes a week later can be a completely different story).
Even a project that is spiritual in nature or that you think will fulfill a spiritual longing, probably will not. It is how you can understand the forces of observing yourself without needing to act with ideas on Eclipse Days.
Now, taking a big leap after an eclipse might be completely in alignment. Even a few days later!
And I firmly believe there is never a wrong choice and that all is for our highest good and love…it just might take us longer if we follow something that comes to us on an eclipse day.
Eclipses in Vedic Astrology – interpreted differently than Western Astrology
I’ve shared that eclipses are not days to sign contracts or create impact or influence in the world information for over 10 years – and now I see it becoming more commonly shared in similar language with my Vedic Astrology colleagues. I am so happy that more people are hearing this information, so that they can make wise decisions by NOT making major decisions on eclipse days.
“The internets” may say eclipses are good days to anchor or make intentions of prosperity, but in Indian Astrology this has never been the case. This is why the social science has followed a solar and lunar calendar for over 5,000 years and has created spiritual and religious holidays for pulling away from the world on eclipse days. You will notice that most major solar – lunar calendar systems also use eclipses for deepening spiritual resolve. According to Vedic Astrology they are not. Please test things for yourself! The ancient ways of living in harmony with our natural environment asks us to see what our experience is.
Question: The eclipse is not visible where I am, will it still affect me?
Short answer: You can still use the day to improve yourself. See why below. It still provides you an important window into your spiritual practices and routines, possibly easier than if it is visible where you are.
This Eclipse is visible in south America, but still is a day of to shift patterns.
There are at least three ways that the eclipses can affect us:
1. If the eclipses are physically visible from where we are on planet Earth. (And between the two, solar eclipses affect the karmic patterns and life longer term over lunar eclipses.)
2. If the eclipses are triggering the birth patterns set-off in our Vedic Birth chart. Each eclipse lights up two constellations – and if the eclipses for the current 18 month theme are touching off your personal birth chart, then the eclipses will be felt more strongly in your life.
3. Eclipses are still windows to work with our mental patterns and spiritual practices even if they are not visible from where we are on the planet.
Eclipses occur in pairs, every six months. Even if an eclipse is not visible from where we are on Earth, it still is a unique opportunity in time for deepening our spiritual practices. It will be EASIER and less distracting when the eclipses are not visible to us. Use these opportunities to anchor some spiritual routines which will support you for the next six months.
Guru Purnima – special full moon each year
This year the July lunar eclipse lands on an auspicious day called Guru Purnima.
This full moon only happens once a year and is celebrated all over the globe. Hindus, Jain, Buddhists and Sikh honor their teachers and those who have shown them the way in their lives. So, many honor their teachers, their parents and their yoga and spiritual lineage on this day. We all are here because someone else helped guide us along the way.
TEACHERS
I’m so incredible thankful for all of my teachers from my parents, Thubten Chodron, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the Karmapa who I was lucky to have received blessings from twice while in Tsurphu, Tibet, Harrison Moretz, Pieter Weltevrede and the mystic Harish Johari, Gina Sala, Dennis Flaherty and Gayatri Devi Vasudev, Chakrapani Ullal and more for guiding me all in such a loving way.
Let go of ‘needing to know’ and intuition just for a day (Eclipse Day)
Purple Day
The full moon in Sagittarius in the Vedic map – and Saturn is there too.
A retrograding Saturn with the moon makes a Purple Day in the Conscious Calendars system. (While Jupiter and Mercury are also retrograde.)
These are days where things might take more steps, feel like they are blocked, obstructed and we are being asked to develop patience. It is doubly hard to build patience on Purple Days around the full moon because everything is saying build, do, expand – and Saturn is slowing things down. Instead, of getting frustrated, try and understand that some days are built and require more effort. There are just two or three of these days in a row a few times a month – and its good to know when that is happening.
I still laugh at my frustration on some Purple Days and watch how much faster I want things to go. It could be a driver, a person walking in front of me, a project, my own abilities to do something…all is being slowed down on Purple Days.
With perspective, we can all make a conscious choice in how we want to respond to the world at the moment. That is what Conscious Calendars is all about, after all. Not good days or bad days, but that we have the ability to see something for what it is and choose how we want to interact with the day and our lives. That is Conscious Living.
July 17 until August 17
Sun moves into CANCER
The sun moving OUT of the eclipse patterns will bring some reprieve to the intensity of the month. And Saturn has finished crossing ‘seeking’ Ketu by July 15. This sets the energy for the next new moon in Cancer constellation and healing of our bodies through the water element, healing of our oceans and ground waters of the Earth in a new way.
NASA map of lunar eclipse
NASA has created a PDF of the partial lunar eclipse of July 2019 to download of the time of Greatest Eclipse and world map. https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEplot/LEplot2001/LE2019Jul16P.pdf
Mercury Retrograde in July
Mercury is retrograding in the constellation of Cancer from July 8 – 31
To read more about Mercury Retrograde theme in July 2019 go HERE.
Live consciously and aligned with natural rhythms.