The other day I was reading an article on Rahu-Moon conjunctions. According to the article, this conjunction was an example of a Chandra Grahan Yoga or Eclipse Yoga and one of the remedies was “On Mondays, give food to street dogs.”

Reading this, I laughed out loud because it sounded so absurd and funny. The author as far as I could tell was prescribing this in earnest, but without any context or explanation. What if there are no street dogs near me?

I dismissed it as pure silliness. But a few days later, I realized what it actually meant. 

It doesn’t mean to literally find street dogs and feed them. It doesn’t mean that if you instead feed a street cat your affliction will remain. It means rather to give, from a place of love and care, to those in need. Monday is the Moon-day and this is a placement related to the Moon, to our nurturing and emotional self.

Also, street dogs. That sounds a bit scary. Street dogs could be dangerous. They often travel in packs. This remedy is saying that the person with a Rahu-Moon conjunction is designed to give to those in need who are dangerous, or to give in ways that might put them in dangerous situations.

Rahu-Moon is often associated with a rebellious nature. Isn’t rebellion, when it comes from a place of truth, giving in a dangerous way? It means that your truth, what you care about (the Moon), might be out of the ordinary or against the norm (Rahu).

All this we can understand by unpacking the remedy!

I had been taught that the ancient texts of Vedic astrology are a condensed and coded language. But it wasn’t until this example that I realized it applies to so-called remedies too.

The ancient sages who first provided this information were very wise, very intelligent, and knew exactly what they were saying. They wanted people to laugh and ignore! But they also wanted some people to discover the deeper meaning.

So with that, go find your street dogs or whatever the remedies might prescribe for you!

Scorpio Season

Happy November. Scorpio season is going strong and we’re invited, in Scorpio fashion, to dive deeper, discover the meaning behind the words, the layer beneath the layer and the layer beneath that. 

It’s been a powerful Scorpio season for me so far, especially with Mars there (though Mars moves into Sag shortly, on November 4). A good opportunity to face, express, and make peace with your darkness (or what you perceive to be your darkness). A good opportunity to feel through any shame—parental, cultural, religious—and to slowly let go of it. A good opportunity to experiment with doing what you might perceive to be wrong and to find that, no, you won’t be burned at the stake for it. And maybe, in fact, that it’s not even wrong. 

Everything we want to do is a part of us. We are always growing and transforming, hopefully becoming a better version of ourself. But that growth and transformation and bettering does not, in my experience, come from negating or suppressing or becoming victorious in the “battle” against oneself. It does come from controlling, sure. Being intentional. But I think it’s important to, in a controlled and intentional manner, let all sides of yourself out and to give yourself what you want.

An itch that is only half-scratched doesn’t go away. So let yourself do a full scratch. You might find that it no longer nags at you in the same way after.

This is not an invitation to forgo all discipline and to succumb into addiction. But I have found, in a mysterious and counter-intuitive way, that allowing yourself your needs or wants prevents addiction.

A lot of addiction is the result of half-scratching or moreso it’s the result of thinking there is something wrong there (with me). Allowing yourself the “full scratch” isn’t about hardening the heart or forgoing discipline. It’s rather about providing for yourself and also exploring yourself, your needs and wants, with curiosity and open-mindedness.

Don’t do that thing (the thing you’re not supposed to want to do) and then rationalize it away: That wasn’t me. I won’t do that again. Instead do it because you choose to do it. Do it for yourself because you need it or want it. But as you do, be present with it. Think about why it feels good or why you want it.

You might find, strangely, that there is a beauty to it, a beautiful side of yourself that might be merely covered or not allowed proper outlet at this time.

Then, after discovering this, have the discipline to hone, develop, and find proper outlet. Yes you do have to work on yourself to get what you want. No it does not come for free. And yes you might find that it is harder than you expected at first.

All of this is an invitation to grow and become your fullest self.

I know I’ve been vague here, but we’re all different and yet all the same. I don’t know what your “things” are, but I know that they’re not wrong. What is wrong, if anything, is just this battle, this internal severing.

It’s been taught to us in so many ways by so many people, but we’re entering a time where there is no place for it. So take this opportunity to dive in. We might think ourselves some great warrior in this battle against ourself, but really our strength is misplaced. Have the courage to let go of the shame and the rules that have been placed on you that do not really apply to you. Have the courage, at least, to experiment, to try, to push your boundaries just a little. Stop trying to push other people’s boundaries and push your own.