Lunar Eclipse in Pūrvabhādrapadā: The Scorching Star

FULL MOON LUNAR ECLIPSE

Artwork: Mandala Publishing

Sept 7th, 11:08 AM PST | 23:38 IST

As the Earth passes between the Sun and Moon, a shadow is cast on the lunar surface, commencing eclipse season with a total lunar eclipse पूर्णचन्द्रग्रहणम् (Pūrṇa-candra-grahaṇam) in the Vedic Lunar mansion of Pūrvabhādrapadā पूर्वभाद्रपदा (Aquarius), the Scorching Star. This cycle urges us to refine our inner compass, untangle and release an old karmic pattern.

Lunar eclipses are thresholds, thinning the veil between seen and unseen. That which is ready to be healed surfaces now. This dynamic cycle is ripe for accelerated spiritual growth — missing pieces can be reassessed for course correction and redesigning of the physical architecture of your life.

We are stepping into a realm beyond time, where things may not be as they appear. Lunar eclipses serve as triggers, offering sudden exposure to hidden truths, intensifying emotions and—perhaps—beckoning an instant revelation.

The points where the Sun and Moon intersect the ecliptic plane, positioned exactly 180 degrees apart, are known as the lunar nodes, or Rāhu and Ketu in Vedic Astrology. These shadowy grahas, often called the "great awakeners," govern the eclipses and symbolize the eternal dance between light and darkness, offering us the opportunity to confront our shadows, disrupt old patterns, and awaken to deeper truths along our journey.

Heightened emotions, hidden energies, and truths, long concealed come to light. With the moon eclipsed, you may find yourself at a turning point—on the verge of a decision, exhausted, or facing uncertainty. This portal holds to shift you into a new timeline.

A breakthrough is possible now. An old pattern may resurface—don’t touch what is coming up—hold space and let it go. Pūrvabhādrapadā is symbolized by metamorphosis, rebirth, perseverance, and the undifferentiated fire energy that has the capacity to raise our consciousness. This constellation, being one of the birth stars of Mercury, represents the chaos and turmoil of fragmentation that births the wisdom of neutrality.

Pinterest: Aja Ekapāda

The Burning Pair’s deity (Aja Ekapāda) stands on one leg and has two heads—split yet able to see in both directions, seeking to bridge heaven and earth, possessing the power to elevate through sacrifice—the Yajamāna Udyamana Śakti, the force that uplifts the evolutionary fire.

An alchemical process initiates here, as discipline and renunciation refine raw potential into awakened wisdom. This nakṣatra does not merely demand confrontation with duality; it invites us into a dance of integration, where material ambition and spiritual transcendence find their rightful place.

How we steward vast reservoirs of life force energy defines this cycle—shaping our capacity to channel intensity into focused intention, while cultivating inner contentment amidst dynamic flux.

Symbolized by a funeral pyre, we find ourselves standing at the precipice of transformation, where the purifying fire of Rūdra dissolves illusion. While Rāhu’s presence here may manifest through sudden and unpredictable karma-phala, it ultimately compels a dismantling of rigid ideologies, allowing limitation to be transmuted into higher understanding.

With the responsibility of breathing life into new architecture, we become most in need of balance. The fine tuning point between self and other—anchoring into and committing fully to self sovereignty and taking full responsibility for yourself, while practicing the grace of presence and participation within this co-created dream. Choosing wisely in the direction of what is truly beneficial.

Pay close attention if you have major planets — your Sun, Moon, or Lagna (rising sign) — in Pūrvabhādrapadā, as this cycle could bring sudden change, bring forward something you didn’t plan for, or reveal something deeper about yourself. Also, take note if you are currently running a dāśā (cycle) or antar dāśā (sub-cycle) of Rāhu, Ketu, Sun, Moon, or Jupiter.

One of my teachers has also recommended listening to or chanting Śrī Lalitā Sahasranāma Stotram during the eclipse hours. I personally enjoy this rendition on Spotify and the one on Maharishi Veda app— (which also includes other beautiful and traditional vedic rāga and chants).

This is a threshold for deep personal sādhana. The ancients regarded eclipses as sacred—consuming less, fasting, and turning inward to keep their channels clear. Fasting, meditation, and japa are recommended to optimize this shift, and it is ideal to postpone major decisions and commitments during this period.

What familiar holding patterns are you ready to transcend?

All My Relations

Tulsi

September 7th also begins Pitru Pakṣa, the sacred fortnight dedicated to honoring our ancestors. This two-week period culminates with the new moon on September 21st/22nd, known as Sarvapitṛ Amāvasyā or Mahālaya Amāvasyā. Traditionally, offerings (tarpana, śrāddha) are made to nourish ancestral lineages, invoking blessings and clearing karmic debts.

Full Moon: Pūrvabhādrapadā (Aquarius)
Sept 7th, 11:08 AM PST | 23:38 IST

Eclipse Timing
PST: Sept 7, 8:28 AM – 1:55 PM
IST: Sept 7, 8:58 PM – Sept 8, 2:25 AM

Next: New Moon Solar Eclipse — Sept 21/22

“Write all that worries you on a piece of parchment;
 Offer it to God 

Even from the distance
 of a millennium I can lean the flame 

in my heart
 Into your life
 And turn
 All that frightens you
 Into holy Incense Ash." 

~Hafiz


Bhūvaneśvarī Dvādaśī & Vāmana Jayantī

Bhūvaneśvarī Dvādaśī & Vāmana Jayantī

Today marks two auspicious festivals on Śukla Dvādaśī (bright twelfth lunar day) in the month of Bhādrapada (aug/sept).

Bhūvaneśvarī, the Mahāvidyā aligned with the Moon, arises as the boundless expanse of consciousness itself. She is the sovereign Queen of the cosmos, whose presence is the infinite sky in which all forms appear and dissolve.

Like the Moon, she reflects and nourishes, embodying saumyatā—the cooling, gentle essence of grace, the Presiding Śakti of space, sky, and the entire manifested cosmos (bhūvana = worlds).

Her essence is ākāśa tattva (the principle of space), the infinite container of creation. Through her teachings, the mind is stilled in her vastness, the heart attuned to her rhythms, and the individual self dissolved into the ocean of the universal Mother.

oṁ hrīṁ bhuvaneśvaryai namaḥ

ॐ ह्रीं भुवनेश्वर्यै नमः । 🌙

Pinterest: Artwork edit by ___turiya

Vāmana Jayantī — As Śrī Vāmana, the fifth avatāra of Lord Viṣṇu, he employed divine strategy (māyā-upāya) to restore the worlds to their rightful place—subduing the asura king Bali by requesting three paces of land and then covering the universe in three steps.

Connected to Bṛhaspati, Guru to the Devas in Jyotiṣa (Vedic astrology), who is the carrier of Ākāśa-tattva and is Jīvakaraka—significator of life itself—the one who restores things back to their rightful place; we invoke him to protect our intelligence (buddhi), wisdom (jñāna), and discernment (viveka).

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oṁ hrīṁ śrī gurubhyo namaḥ

ॐ ह्रीं श्री गुरुभ्यो नमः । 🐚

Ḥāfeẓ // “Even from the distance of a millennium

I can lean the flame in my heart into your life

And turn all that frightens you

into holy incense ash.”

Rādhāṣṭamī: Rādhā’s Appearance Day

RĀDHĀṢṬAMĪ राधाष्टमी

Artwork: “Krishna Adoring Radha’s Hair”, ca. 1815-20. VMFA. Kangra

Today (August 30/31st) marks the auspicious occasion of Rādhāṣṭamī (Rādhā’s appearance day), observed on the eighth day (āṣṭamī) of the bright fortnight (śukla pakṣa) in the sacred month of Bhādrapada (Aug–Sept).

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the eternal consort and beloved of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is the embodiment of unwavering devotion and selfless love. She personifies patience, humility, and pure devotion, offering a divine example of love in its highest form. Though she endured suffering in the fires of separation from her beloved, Rādhā expected nothing in return, never once allowing complaint to cloud her radiant heart.

To contemplate Rādhā is to unveil the profound mystery of unconditional, transcendental love—where the offering itself becomes devotion, and union with Kṛṣṇa is the soul’s ultimate fulfillment.

It is said that her birth star was Viśākhā विशाखा (sidereal Scorpio), whose Vyāpana Śakti is ‘the energy to achieve many goals,’ awakening ambition, devotion, and courageous pursuit—a constellation often connected to Devī and reflective of Rādhā’s own spiritual leadership.

The trials Rādhā endured through separation from Kṛṣṇa resonate with Śani Dev—the graha of restraint, patience, and longevity (Āyuḥ-kāraka). Saturn, who became the foundation for the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthana), teaches endurance through hardship and the purification of desire, where love is tested and refined. 

Rādhā, the hightest expression of Śani, reveals how devotion endures even under these conditions, ultimately leading to the transcendence of worldly attachments.

The rituals of Rādhāṣṭamī begin with the ceremonial bathing of Śrī Rādhā’s mūrti in pañcāmṛta—a sacred blend of milk, ghee, honey, sugar, and yogurt. She is then adorned in new attire and honored in procession alongside Lord Kṛṣṇa.

In Braj, her birthplace, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are dressed in garments of flowers, and in a rare and auspicious darśana, Śrī Rādhā’s feet are unveiled for devotees to behold.

Many fast on this day, immersing themselves in Harikathā—recounting the holy names, divine qualities, and pastimes of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. The festival concludes with prasādam, celebrating her transcendental love and presence.

जय जय श्री राधे
Ground yourself, strip yourself down, To blind loving silence. Stay there, until you see You are gazing at the Light with its own ageless eyes”

~ Jalaluddin Rumi