The Sun is Your Self and The Moon is Your Mind

Astrologically, the Sun is soul, the 'atma', the centre of self. The Moon is the mind, the 'manas' by which we connect to the world and to each other.

The Sun and Moon are luminaries. The Sun is the source of light and the Moon reflects the light of the Sun. The mind reflects the self. It is it's magnetic power that draws the light.

The Phases of the Moon

Moon has two phases the waxing phase and the waning phase. Each of these phases are 15 days in duration. Each Moon Phase carries a specific energy.

2 Important Moons: New Moon and Full Moon:

New Moon- 15th Waning

This is the last Moon, or 15th Moon in the waning cycle when the Moon is showing no reflective light. It is the Dark Moon, or New Moon in Astrology. New Moons are times for introspection and spiritual matters. Durga, Karuppa Swamy and Hanuman are all at their peak power in this phase to do battle against darkness and to bring in the light. It is recommended to honor the New Moon time by seeking the help of these energies to assist you with this ongoing battle of light and dark- positive and negative. It is the time to delve deep into the spiritual.

Full Moon- 15th Waxing

This is the last Moon, or 15th Moon in the waxing cycle when the Moon shows full reflection of the Sun. The Full Moon is an ideal time to create and manifest the material. Goddesses Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are at their peak power during the Full Moon phase to accelerate creation and manifestation.Goddess Lakshmi grants the power to manifest wealth and create joy.Goddess Saraswati gives the power of knowledge and love of music and dance.Goddess Parvati fulfills wordly desires and gives peace.

Other Moon Phases to Note

The Most Energetically Beneficial Times for Specific Intentions

4th Waning Moons, connect with Lord Ganesha and your obstacles can be lessened or removed

8th Waning Moons, connect to Kala Bhairava to get control of your time management

11th Waning Moons, connect to Lord Vishnu for material and spiritual progress

13th Moons, connect to Lord Shiva and Nandi to Bust Your Karma

14th Moons, connect to Lord Shiva for higher consciousness

New Moon is the name given to the phase when the Moon is in between the Earth and the Sun, receiving the Sun's full light. From Earth we only see the dark as the illuminated side is towards the Sun. The Sun and Moon are said to be in 'conjunction'.

It is said that the Sun God and the Moon Goddess work aggressively together these days to destroy evil. No evil is tolerated. New Moons are times for introspection and spiritual matters. It is also a good time to begin new assignments and start medical treatments.

Full Moon is the name given when the Moon is opposite to the Sun, or rather when the Earth is between the Sun and the Moon. The Moon receives the Sun's full light only this time from the vantage point of Earth, the Moon appears in full glory.

It is said that the Sun God and the Moon Goddess are cooled down by the shower of the Full Moon rays which are the reflected Sun rays and in turn shower their blessings on Earth in the form of prosperity and joy. The Full Moon is an ideal time to create and manifest the material.

Difference Between Sun Signs And Moon Signs

You may be familiar with your 'Sun Sign', but what is a 'Moon Sign'? The Moon is said to rule your personality, while the Sun rules your individuality, while the Ascendant Sun dictates our outer appearance and mannerisms.

Your Moon Sign is determined by the date of your birth.
A majority of people think about sun signs when they hear the term -zodiac sign. But not all people know that both of these are not one and the same. Sun sign of a person is the particular zodiac sign corresponding to the position of the sun on the date of birth of that person.

There are over 40 zodiac signs; but there are only 12 sun signs. On the other hand, moon sign of a person corresponds to the zodiac sign related to the position of the moon at the time of birth of the person. This definition is based on the principles of Western astrology. But the principles of some other forms of astrology, for example, the Indian system of astrology, depend on the position of moon as well as that of planets on the exact second a person is born, for predicting the future of the person.

In the Western system of astrology, the same set of Zodiac symbols is used for representing both sun signs and moon signs.

We have 12 sun signs, under which people who were born on a 30-day period are put together. These signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. Each sun sign has a particular, pre-defined set of personal traits and character.

A majority of the character traits those are associated with sun signs, deal with ego, creativity, and romantic and sexual preferences. As a result, the astrology of sun signs became extremely popular with people, especially those looking for relationship compatibility.

Moon signs have the same set of zodiac signs. A person may have the sun sign of Libra and the moon sign of Aquarius. Moon sign specifies the position of the moon with respect to the position of the earth at the time of birth of a person.

The main difference here is that unlike the sun signs, which correspond to position of the sun on the date of birth, moon signs are determined based on the exact time of birth. As a result, one cannot calculate the moon sign easily. You need to consult a qualified astrologer or an astrology software package for finding out the moon sign.

There is a specific set of pre-defined character sets and behavioral aspects for each moon sign also. It is common that people may find a particular set of moon sign predictions matching their general character and personality more than what is predicted using sun signs.

Sun is moving into Leo

On August 16th, the Sun is moving into Leo. Leo is the sign for kings/queens/ presidents/ leaders in all areas. You have the opportunity to obtain this Kings consciousness this month. Even if youre not born under Leo, you can still gain the magnifence of the Sun's power.
On August 5th a vital additional celestial event by the name, Avani Avittam could maximize the Suns Potential, greatly enhancing your life.
The Sun is the king of the planets. No matter what your sign is, during these 30 days when the Sun is in Leo, this is the exact moment in time to enhance your will power, pride, determination, heart, vitality, life purpose, and motivation.
You will soon discover goals finally being accomplished which have been deemed impossible in the past to achieve.
The reason is that there is a cosmic Sun energy vortex in a small geographical location here on earth where the energy of millions of Suns in the galaxy emanate.
The Gayatri Mantra, a mantra dedicated to Sun is considered to be the greatest mantra of all. The ancients devised a method for proper reception of the Gayatri mantra to our psycho-spiritual bodies so that we advance both materially and spiritually.

Sun moves into Gemini on June 14th

Gemini is the third house of astrological zodiac. It signifies your physical strength and also reveals your ability to have courage and take appropriate risks. Your 3rd house also describes your younger siblings, your ears, arms, hands and nervous systems.

Gemini's ruling planet is Mercury. As such, Gemini is bestowed with Mercurial qualities - love of learning, calculated risk taking, quick witted, genial and joyous. The darker side of Gemini is that they can be too cunning - losing the faith of others, or be irresponsible - changing their minds, not finishing things, bluffing their way.

What happens when Sun moves into Gemini on June 14th?

When the Sun moves to Gemini, your actions, represented by the Sun, will have characteristics of Mercury. You would be attracted to scholarly activities such as research and reading. Your careers would flourish in Mercury-like fast paced occupations or businesses such as advertising or journalism. They will bring cleverness to your actions and provides adequate help at developing strategies in all fronts.
It is a great time to examine your lives, root out mediocrity and commit to an expression of courage in whatever way that looks to you. Courage and risk-taking doesn't need to mean sky diving but sowing the seeds of positive energy and dynamic nimbleness to move forward in everyday life.
This transit also brings mental weakness and fear aspects for some of you. You will be lovingly supported and encouraged by your family and friends during uncertain times.

Effects of the Sun

Astrologically the Sun is seen as THE SPIRIT. It is seen as the core of your being, your will and INDIVIDUALITY - the basic inner force that motivates everything that you do, your uniqueness.
The Sun is what we aspire to, what we wish to believe of ourselves, how we express ourselves, our essential value, the "essence" of who we are. It represents vitality, leadership, creativity and the nobility of mankind. It often denotes those of high or noble birth and is important in relationships with superiors. Its action is to illuminate (obviously), stabilise, integrate, elevate and improve.
How the Sun will manifest its energy, it's life-generating creative potential, depends on the horoscope as a whole. The Sign (and its Element), the House in which it falls, and the Aspects to the other planets, will all have a bearing on any interpretation.
The sign the Sun is in shows the direction in which we strive to realise ourselves. The Sun changes sign every month, defining your birth sign. The qualities of this sign are like adjectives, which colour our self-expression. We have to develop and perfect these qualities to truly find ourselves.
The House the Sun is in indicates the specific area in the material world in which we manifest our identity. We will identify very strongly with the practical issues that this House represents. Self-realisation comes through the matters connected with the House.
The Aspects to our Sun show psychological influences on our identity which have to be integrated in some way. Aspects indicate specific effects that modify the expression of our identity and make us unique individuals.
The Sun Key Facts
Rules: Leo
Detriment: Aquarius
Exhalt: Aries
Fall: Libra
Colours: Gold, Deep Yellow and Orange
Stones & Metals: Ruby, Diamond, Gold.
Keywords: Power, Strength, Self Expression

June 20th - The Summer Solstice

The word 'solstice' is latin and means, that the sun stood still. As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year and falls on June 20.

The Northern Hemisphere gets to celebrate this event in June, while the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December. The four seasons demonstrate, what sun's energy does outside and inside all living things. At the Summer Solstice, this energy reaches a high, flooding the surface of the planet. It then journeys back down to the center of the planet to cleanse and renew it. With all the light externally (sunlight) and internally (consciousness) available during the summer solstice, it is an optimum time to reflect and make changes.
In Vedic Mythology, Sun has a special status as it represents royalty consciousness. The Sun also signifies power, energy, masculinity, confidence, life force, dynamism amongst other positive things. Lack of Sun or Sun's positive influence results in fear, suppressed feelings, depression, difficulty to rise in job and in relationship. The summer solstice is a time when Sun's energy and light is showered on earth. This is also a good time to tap into this divine energy and charge yourselves up for the rest of the year.
It is said that the pineal glands is sensitive to Sun light and generates hormones which either elevates or depresses us. This hormone secretion changes in accordance with the seasons and is at its best during the Summer Solstice time. Praying and offering fire rituals to the Sun around this time will help you to feel better and be energized through the year.

The summer solstice is intuitively linked with fertility and sexuality by people everywhere. June is the most popular wedding month. With the wedding and love season truly on, it is time to see how we can achieve true bliss in relationships for self and our friends.

Uma Maheshwari puja is for long and happy married life. Uma is another name for Goddess Parvati who is the wife of Lord Shiva. This Pooja is for getting the blessings of the divine couple who are considered to be a perfect match.
According to vedic mythology, Swayamvara Parvathy fire ritual is dedicated to Goddess Parvathy. The divine mother took the incarnation of Goddess Parvati in order to marry Lord Shiva. It is said that Lord Shiva himself gave the Swayamvara Parvati mantra to Goddess Parvati. This eliminated obstacles so that Parvati could re-unite with her divine consort. By performing the Swayamvara Parvati fire ritual, various obstacles that delay any marriage or relationships are removed. The eligible person is blessed with a suitable partner or spouse.

Libra! About Your Sign...

Libra is the only inanimate sign of the zodiac, all the others representing either humans or animals. Many modern astrologers regard it as the most desirable of zodiacal types because it represents the zenith of the year, the high point of the seasons, when the harvest of all the hard work of the spring is reaped. There is a mellowness and sense of relaxation in the air as mankind enjoys the last of the summer sun and the fruits of his toil. Librans too are among the most civilized of the twelve zodiacal characters and are often good looking. They have elegance, charm and good taste, are naturally kind, very gentle, and lovers of beauty, harmony (both in music and social living) and the pleasures that these bring.
Librans are sensitive to the needs of others and have the gift, sometimes to an almost psychic extent, of understanding the emotional needs of their companions and meeting them with their own innate optimism - they are the kind of people of whom it is said, "They always make you feel better for having been with them."
They are very social human beings. They loathe cruelty, viciousness and vulgarity and detest conflict between people, so they do their best to cooperate and compromise with everyone around them, and their ideal for their own circle and for society as a whole is unity.
In their personal relationships they show understanding of the other person's point of view, trying to resolve any differences by compromise, and are often willing to allow claims against themselves to be settled to their own disadvantage rather than spoil a relationship.
Their marriages, however, stand a good chance of success.. The Libran's continuing kindness toward his or her partner mollifies any hurt the latter may feel if the two have had a tiff.
Nor can the Libran's spouse often complain that he or she is not understood, for the Libran is usually the most empathetic of all the zodiacal types and the most ready to tolerate the beloved's failings.
The negative Libran character may show frivolity, flirtatiousness and shallowness.
Their love of pleasure may lead them into extravagance; Libran men can degenerate into reckless gamblers, and Libran women extravagant, jealous and careless about money sometimes squander their wealth and talents in their overenthusiasm for causes which they espouse. Both sexes can become great gossipers.
In their work the description "lazy Libra" which is sometimes given is actually more alliterative than true. Librans can be surprisingly energetic, though it is true that they dislike coarse, dirty work. Although some are modestly content, others are extremely ambitious.
They can succeed as administrators, lawyers (they have a strong sense of justice, which cynics might say could handicap them in a legal career), antique dealers, civil servants and bankers, for they are trustworthy in handling other people's money.
Some Librans are gifted in fashion designing or in devising new cosmetics; others may find success as artists, composers, critics, writers, interior decorators, welfare workers or valuers, and they have an ability in the management of all sorts of public entertainment. Some work philanthropically for humanity with great self-disciple and significant results. Libran financiers sometimes make good speculators, for they have the optimism and ability to recover from financial crashes

Leo! About Your Sign...

The LionJuly 23 to August 22
The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch's among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident there is no such a word as doubt in their vocabularies, and they are self-controlled. Born leaders, either in support of, or in revolt against, the status quo. They are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates. They are uncomplicated, knowing exactly what they want and using all their energies, creativeness and resolution to get it, as well as being certain that they will get whatever they are after. Their followers know where they are with Leonians. Leonians think and act bigger than others would normally dare; the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism sometimes daunt their followers, their practical hardheadedness and ability to go straight to the heart of any problem reassures those who depend on them. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.
On the whole they are powers for good, for they are strongly idealistic, humane, and beneficent. They have powerful intelligence and are of a broad philosophical, sometimes religious, turn of mind. Those who are devout may become very obstinate in upholding traditional beliefs and will cling tenaciously, but with complete sincerity, to practices and doctrines which liberal thinkers regard as absurdly out-of-date. These will be found as the 'lions' of industries, and in the forefront of the cutting edge of technologies.
Their faults can be as large in scale as their virtues, and an excessively negative Leonian can be one of the most unpleasant human beings imaginable, displaying extreme arrogance, autocratic pride, haughtiness, and excessive hastiness of temper. If jealously suspicious of rivals, they will not hesitate to use cunning, lies and trickery to discredit them. Self-centeredness, greed for flattery, boastfulness, and bombast, pomposity, snobbish superiority, and overbearing, and intolerant disdain of underlings; to whom they will nevertheless delegate the carrying out of minor details in their grandiose schemes, and from whom they are not above borrowing immoderately if an occasion necessitates it. Any of these can be characteristic of Leo.
Add to them a passion for luxury, a lust for power, unlimited sexual lust, and emotional indulgence, and a character emerges that no one would want to know either in public life or private. But their pride may go before a fall, as uncontrolled impetuosity is likely to bring them low. Fortunately it is rare that a Leo is so undisciplined as to give way thoroughly to this list of vices, and their tendencies to them are usually balanced by an innate wisdom. Those who are afflicted with them also have the intelligence it takes to consciously and actively overcome them.
In professional life they do well at any vocation at which there is room at the top. As politicians they are content with nothing less than a powerful position in government. In business they may be the chairman of their company's board, or at least directors or managers. They are excellent organizers and overseers, often laying the groundwork for new projects. If from the artisan ranks of society they will aspire to become the boss, partly because they are ambitious by nature, partly because they dislike manual labor, preferring to take charge of others doing it. If artistic, Leos can become stars of stage or screen (their bent is serious rather than light drama), maestros as musicians where they will gravitate toward the grand instruments or activities, such as the organ or conducting of orchestras and as painters; anything grand in conception and scale appeals to them. Leo women make exceptionally good welfare workers.
In his or her relations with others the Leo type is open, sincere, genuine and trusting. Outgoing, spontaneously warm hearted and plain spoken, though never lacking in kindliness, Leos are more disillusioned than the average if let down by those they trust. They are not good judges of character and are inclined to favoritism and an exaggerated faith in their followers which too often ends in disappointment. They have a strong sex drive and are so attracted to the opposite sex that they find it hard to be constant; they can be so intensely sexual as to become dissolute.
Physiologically, Leo governs the upper back, forearms, wrist, spine and heart. Its natives are subject to a number of ailments: pain in the back and lungs, spinal complaints, diseases of the heart and blood, sickness in ribs and sides, convulsions, pleasantries, violent burning fevers including, in former days, when they were prevalent, plague, pestilence, jaundice, and some afflictions of the eyes